I think a garment rack makes any office so much cuter! If you are a blogger it is a total must have! Perfect to display all your favorite items for the season, or also hang current pieces you want to use in future try ons!
Christmas Gift Guide $25 and under!
I’ve found so many cute gifts for her for $25 or under! You could go all out and make a Christmas basket full of all of them or even use them as stocking stuffers too! They would be great for a co-worker or teacher in your life too! Even a thank you to your favorite nurse, mail worker, pharmacist, grocery employee, the list is endless!
Gorgeous Christmas trees ON SALE
Mother’s Day Gift Guide!
Mother’s Day is just two weeks away! If you haven’t found the perfect gift for mom, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Many items are so affordable that you can get mom a few fun gifts or you can splurge with a big one! I got my mom the Tiffany necklace last year and she wears it all the time! I couldn’t link to the Tiffany web-site as they are not integrated with Liketoknowit, but I found one on Etsy that I linked, but also it is still in stock at Tiffany’s! I’ve found things that any mom would love, the coziest barefoot dreams blanket of all time, a beautiful David Yurman bracelet, and even an adorable hummingbird feeder if your mom is a bird lover. Honestly, what mom isn’t haha! I’ve linked the luxurious Tom Ford fragrance that comes in many different sizes and price ranges. The Jo Malone candle would be sure to please; I linked my favorite scent in peony and blush suede. It is AMAZING! If your mom is a coffee lover the nespresso machine would be a great option for her! I can’t live without mine! Also speaking of gifts that will make her life easier, the robot vacuum is the best! We got one and were so obsessed with it that we got one for my parents as well! Now your mom doesn’t have to worry about constantly cleaning her floors because the robot vac will do it for her! Long story short, ALL of these items I’m sure would surprise and please any mom, but don’t forget the most important part, the card! Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! (All links to items are below)
XoXo,
Lauren
Quarantine Ideas!
Well today is officially day 42 since we started to self-quarantine. I think we started a few days before the majority but I didn’t want to take any chances! If you are like me you are probably going a bit stir crazy or A LOT and are missing hanging with your friends, going to brunch, the movies, the nail salon, the hair salon, or just walking around Homegoods or Target perusing every single aisle even if you only went in for one thing. Gosh I miss those things SO much! I can’t wait to be able to write these blog posts in my favorite coffee shops again! Pat on the other hand is on day 42 of living his best life. No social gatherings, CHECK, not having to run errands, CHECK, never having to leave the house, CHECK. He is in introvert heaven and has even talked about how fun it would be if we lived completely off the grid. I’m like…..ummmm. Pass. Gotta love him though! He has made quarntining so much fun! Every day he makes me laugh, and he keeps things light when the entire world is heavy. I’m so grateful for that! He has helped me with my nails, helped me apply self-tanner, given me massages, cooked dinner every night, (he won’t even let me clean), and he records every movie he sees come on the DVR list that he thinks I might like. The guy is a saint. Haha! But really though, adore him! He said he knows he is going to look back on this time in our life as one of his fondest memories he has had of us together. I thought that was just the sweetest thing! Can’t beleive I’ve been so blessed to be able to spend over 15 years of my life with him by my side! Ok gosh went off on a tangent, yeeesh! Enough with the lovey dovey stuff! Let me share some of the things we have done during quarntine to help pass the time and create fun new memories together!
I’ll start with the surpise Pat made for me. It’s been my favorite memory of our quarantine together! I’ve been missing Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios SO much lately and by IOA and US I mean HARRY POTTER WORLD! The magic, the rides, the butterbeer, the music, the feeling like you are in your favorite movies! Ahhh the dreamiest! Well little did I know he was about to transform our entire back patio into Harry Potter heaven for me! He spent all day stringing up real candles from fishing line and bringing our guest room queen mattress down 3 flights of stairs, printing out HP newspaper articles, finding butterbeer recipes, and setting up our projector and screen. He made it all so magical. Literally so magical that when he blared the music for the movie I actually got goosebumps. THE SWEETEST!
Another fun day we had was when we had a picnic in our yard! It was such a beautiful spring day with a lovely breeze, and I put on French Cafe radio and we had the most amazing picnic together, popping sparkling lemonade and eating our delcious lunch! He even picked and brought me wildflowers! I didn’t even feel like I was still in Georgia, it was the best day! This is something so easy that anyone can do, alone, with your quarantine loved one, or kids.
Next up is something totally random but we are hooked! We bought UNO (throwback, right?!) but we have been playing it EVERY day! We even play it before bed some nights. We have been having a blast with it, and I like kicking his butt when he thinks he is about to win. HAHA! Sucka!
We have also been taking daily walks around the neighborhood (with Gracie in her cat stroller) which we have really enjoyed! She does too, she will actually meow at the door for her daily walks. She has become so spoiled! It’s also nice being able to see other people out walking their dogs or riding their bikes, and everyone in our neighborhood has been great about social distancing which I’m so grateful for!
We have been cooking non-stop, and baking! Lots of baking. Put your record player on or ask Alexa to play your fave songs and have a dance party with your loved one, I promise you will love it!
Lastly is sidewalk chalk. Pat came up with this idea and thought it would be fun to do something for the neighborhood kids to help keep them entertained. He made this entire chalk game for them and they had a blast with it. Parents if you have sidewalk chalk this would be something that your kids would LOVE! Below I am attaching photos of what Pat did, but you can also add your own and get creative!
We all know I’ve been doing lots of online shopping so Pat came up with something fun for the delivery workers. He loves it when they put the packages directly in the gators mouth. I love the 5 year old in him haha!
Hope you enjoyed seeing what we have been up to during quarantine and maybe gave you some ideas of what you could add to your social distancing list! Stay safe and be well! Lots of love!
XoXo,
Lauren
Patio furniture SALE!
It’s spring, and that means sprucing up your patio, porch, balcony, etc.! This weather is perfect for sitting outside, relaxing and firing up the grill! (Well I’ll be letting Pat handle that last part!) We LOVE our backyard space, and when we decorated it, it became an entire extra living space for us! It felt like an extension of our home! So I have been researching all of the patio sales for you, and I must say I have found the most GORGEOUS patio sets! I’m linking them all below! Shop them quick because the sale ends soon!!!
All things Tie-Dye!
Hate it or love it the Tie-Dye trend is here, and it is here to stay! If you ask me, I am HERE for it! Hello nostalgia! I am loving this trend for spring and summer! It is so colorful and fun and is brightening my quarantine days! So below I am linking some cute tie-dye finds for you! Happy shopping! XoXo!
My fave cat collars!
Are you looking for new cat collars and accessories for you kitty? Well you are in the right place! I recently found Made by Cleo cat collars and I am officially obsessed! They have over 300 options and sizes for all, from kittens to large cats! I love how they also have so many options for all the holidays too! My favorite collars are the ones with the flower accessories and the bow ties! They are just TOO CUTE and our kitties look adorable in all of them! They also have pretty ID tags too! Which is an absolute MUST if your cat does not already have one. Just thought I’d share because I know a lot of you are cat moms like me and I knew you would love these collars as much as I do! Also you can use code LAUREN20 for 20% off your order on the Madebycleo website! Happy shopping!
XoXo
Lauren
Sharing all of my must have items if you are a cat mom!
Are you a cat mom, or wanting to be a future cat mom? If so, you are in the right place! I’m about to share with you all of our tried and true cat products from food, to litter, to toys, and more! I’d definitely consider myself an expert now that we have 6 cats! What?! Oh Lord, when did that happen?! We now have Gracie Mae, Squishy, Fitzgerald, Gatsby and our two outdoor neighborhood kitties Max and Mia, that are now ours. If you’ve been following my instagram stories then you’ve already seen the amazing cat house Pat is building for them. He’s actually in the garage sawing away as I type this. Max & Mia are siblings and if you’ve seen my cat highlights you know how much they adore each other and cuddle each other every night in their heated house we have for them. We didn’t know if they would stick around since they liked to wander but after we started feeding them everyday they have never left. So that’s when we decided to claim them as ours and Pat got to building their fancy, bigger cat house. Max is friendly only with us and loves to be pet but is scared of everyone else. Mia still is feral and won’t let us pet her but she sits right next to me and Max while I pet him. Every once in awhile she will let me get a quick pet in, only while she is eating but she still doesn’t like it. Max has already been trapped and released (fixed) and we have an appointment set for Mia to get fixed. We are also going to get them both microchipped. Our four other indoor only kitties are microchipped and I can’t recommend that enough! Pets have been reunited with their owners years after being missing thanks to the microchipping technology. Okay now lets get into all of my favorite products for our sweet fur babies!
I think I’ll start with cat litter. We have tried them ALL over the past 12 years and I mean them all! We finally heard about Ever Clean Cat Litter tried it and NEVER went back. It is the absolute best! This stuff works so well people come over and say I would never even know you had cats if I didn’t see them walking around. Which as you know is the best thing any cat parent can hear!
While on the topic of litter lets talk about my favorite litter box. No, they aren’t all the same. This one is our favorite. It is deep, and hooded, and very spacious for kitty. If you have a large cat this box is a complete must have, but it is also great for our average size kitties too! It also comes with a flap for the kitties to walk in and out of; our cats weren’t a fan of that (or they couldn’t seem to figure it out) but it was super easy to take off. We have two of these cat litter boxes, they last and are durable. Make sure you are cleaning your litter box a minimum of once a day and also completely clean and change it out once every two weeks. And if you are looking for more of a decor look instead of just a litter box in the laundry room we also loved this one. If you have average size, or small cats it’s perfect, but it was just too small for our 19 lb Squishy. That’s why we switched to the one mentioned above.
Next up is this awesome cat litter mat it is the best! Does your kitty trail litter all over your floor after he/she jumps out of the box? Well not anymore! This magical thing traps all of that extra litter so your floors will now stay super clean! It also is the easiest to clean just pick up and and empty the extra litter into the trash can. Such a great invention! Obsessed!
So now that the issue of cat litter trailing everywhere is resolved lets fix your issue of cat hair everywhere! First up is one of my most recent finds. If you are like me you probably have a million lint rollers all over your house and are constantly lint rolling your chairs, couches, bed, ottomans, etc. well lint roll no more because I just found your new game changer! This thing is your new life saver! No more ripping off sticky lint roll sheets, this thing will clean all the cat hair off of your furniture in one back and forth swipe and holds it all until it gets full and you have to empty it. I saw a girl talking about it on youtube and thought, where has this been my whole life?! I also thought, this thing sounds too good to be true. Nope it is the real deal! This might just be my favorite product of all! You will definitely be thanking me later!
Now for the cat hair all over your floor I have another saving grace for you! You do not need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a robot vacuum. I promise. This vacuum is inexpensive and works just as good as the expensive ones. Trust me, I did tons of research on it. It was another one of those is this too good to be true, but nope it wasn’t it works amazing and we have had it for years! It doesn’t miss a spot, and all you have to do is set a timer and it will go off at that time and you don’t have to do a thing except empty it every few days. It’s the BEST! We loved it so much we got one for my parents too!
Now to help kitty keep a shiny, pretty coat and also to help keep down the amount of shedding is THIS. It is the best deshedding brush for cats! I was blown away the first time I used it!
If your kitty needs a trip to the vet or you are going on a trip this carrier is great! I love how you can put your cat in through the top or the side; makes it a lot easier for you, if you have a cat that hates being put in the carrier. Side note, if you have a soft pair of pj pants or a soft sweater put it in the bottom of the carrier for your kitty. It will be a comfort for your cat, they will be soothed because it is covered in your scent. We always leave out sweatshirts that we have recently worn, out on the bed and chairs before we leave on a trip and love seeing them laying on them when we watch on our cat cams.
Speaking of cat cams, these cameras are the BEST! They come in a pack of three and if I were to tell you how many packs we have ordered you would think we were actual cat crazed lunatics. Whatever, we are helicopter parents, it is what it is. We have had these for years and they still work as well as the day we got them! And if you are handy or have a handy S.O. you can easily make them hidden cameras. But beware, you might be shocked at what you will see. You can watch them live at any time, record at anytime, and also hear everything at all times. You can even talk through the cams if you want. They literally do it all! We are thankful to have finally found the most amazing pet sitter ever and could not live without her! She treats our babies like they are her own and doesn’t go through our stuff, which is a win in my book.
Lets talk cat food. Our cat Squishy had his first urinary issue when we let a dog come in our house. He freaked out and then just shortly after he peed on the bed, and then would jump in and out of the litter box as if he had a UTI, we rushed him to the Emergency Vet and I’m so grateful we got there when we did because if we had waited he could have had a blockage and he could have died. This is a common thing in male cats and is very serious. I have a friend whos friend has a cat that had to have gender reassignment surgery because her cat had so many issues with it. I didn’t even know about blockages until this vet visit. The vet gave him pain meds, and an anti-inflammatory shot and he was pretty much like new as soon as we got home. That shot was a lifesaver! But then shortly after the dog incident our alarm in our house went off and it was LOUD it completely freaked him out and he had the same issue, we rushed him to the vet again and he had his anti-inflammatory shot and he was good as new; but we were worried this was going to keep happening. Let it be known if your cat is having accidents etc. most of the time it is you. You need to change the environment to make your cat feel less stressed. Give your cat safe places to go where it won’t be bothered by other people, kids, or animals. Show them love, affection, and attention. Cat perches are a great way for cats to retreat and feel safe. I’ll share those next. Now back to Squishy, we were worried things were going to keep triggering his urinary issue and feared it might happen while we were on vacation so our vet told us we should try putting him on a new food and suggested this food and it has been a God send. He hasn’t had an issue since we put him on it. And our alarm has gone off since and no issue. Obviously we don’t let dogs in our house anymore, but there have been fireworks, thunderstorms, and alarms, even the smoke detector (whoops) and he has been completely fine!
Now does your cat struggle with a lot of hairballs/throwing up? Our cats did. Then our vet saved the day again by suggesting this. You put the smallest amount in some wet food for them (I recommend blue buffalo wilderness wet food) once a week and that’s it! They hardly ever throw up now! It is a life saver!
Our cats also enjoy treats, and these are their favorite!
So as I was saying earlier cats need to have a safe place. A place just for them, away from the hustle and bustle and a place where they can look out the window is great. Every cat loves being able to look outside and watch the wildlife. This cat perch is their favorite and it is such a steal for the size! It has it all, toys to play with, houses to go in, perches to lay in, scratching posts to scratch. Everything! Now if you are looking for something small this one is also great! It is the perfect height for them to see out the window. Also this one is a great option if you are looking for a window sill cat perch. They all love all three of these perches and I definitely recommend them all!
To make their life as indoor prisoners even more entertaining get them this. Our cats love watching the birds come and go from the window. They truly never get bored with this, they sit and watch them every day.
Now for toys, because you can’t ever have enough of those! Our cats love this feather toy. I think all cats do really. They also loved this interactive toy for a long time, which is now being enjoyed by the kitties at the humane society. It’s such a cool toy and our cats went nuts for it. Here is another toy that they love and never get tired of, they have so much fun finding the balls and getting them out, and I have fun praising them like they are actually human toddlers that just figured out a puzzle. Now this toy is Fitz’s personal fave, and he will run around this thing for the longest time playing with it and trying to catch the yellow feather toys that pop out, it is adorable. They all love this little butterfly toy and it’s so cute watching them jump to catch it. This squeaking mouse toy is a fan fave in our house and it is so fun watching them hunt the fake mouse. I love watching their wild instincts come out and this toy definitely does that. This triple ball toy is everyone’s favorite. They will play with this thing for hours!! It’s honestly a must have! And lastly is another favorite of theirs, it’s a scratcher and ball toy combined this one and the one I just mentioned are definitely two of their absolute favorites!
Most cats love to be enclosed so this little cozy cat house will become your cats favorite place for a cat nap. They all love this house and take turns using it everyday! For the cat that loves cardboard boxes and scratching this fun house is the best of both worlds!
Most cats absolutely LOVE running water, and LOVE drinking from running taps like the sink or bathtub. This waterbowl is such a hit in our house. I don’t have to worry about remembering to turn the sink or bathtub off and they have constant fresh running water. Empty daily and put fresh water in it, and clean thoroughly once a week. If your cats aren’t a fan of running water these marble bowls are so pretty! I love them!
Now a total must have are these. Put them where they can be clearly seen, so firefighters can see them before entering the home. AKA find all 4 of my cats BEFORE you find me or you are going to wish you had. These are things you don’t even want to think about but a parent must be prepared for any circumstance.
Speaking of being overprotective and prepared for anything, our cats as I said before are indoor only, does that mean just because they never go outside they shouldn’t have collars? No. They all wear their collars everyday and they are all microchipped. Now, we take every precaution necessary for them to never get out, EVER, and they never have. (Except of course for walks around the neighborhood in their stroller) Yep, we are those people. Gracie Mae is the only one we allow on the porch with us because in 12 years she never leaves our side, and we never leave her unattended. Long story short microchip your pets and make sure they have a collar with an up to date ID tag. These collars are the ones we use. I love how they are personalized with their name and our phone number. They are even reflective, and they are breakaway, which is of upmost importance. You don’t want to hear the stories of non-breakaway collars on cats. Horror. Also why microchipping is so important. I know I’m sounding pushy about that but trust me, one day it could be a miracle if your pet goes missing.
Lastly if you are taking care of feral cats in your neighborhood this outdoor heated cat house is the absolute best! We first got it when Fitz showed up in our backyard, and the second we put it out for him he was in it just minutes later, and then we used it again when Gatsby showed up in our backyard, and same thing, as soon as we put it out for her she was in it. And now you have seen my stories of Max and Mia in it every night together cuddling. So that is literally 4 for 4! You can unplug it in the summer so then it is just a cozy house without the heat. Honestly, if you are taking care of outside cats it isn’t even a question it is a MUST HAVE unless of course you have built one yourself.
Whew! That was A LOT!!! If you made it through you deserve a gold star. I just love our kitties SOOOOOOO much and thought it would be helpful to every other cat mom out there to hear about what works best for our fur fam! Now go give your kitty a treat and some extra pets and tell them how much you love them!
*Cat food and hairball remedy should be discussed first with your veterinarian before use*
XoXo,
Lauren
Our love story
15 years. 15 years ago I went on a first date that would forever change the future of my life. I remember this day like it was yesterday. I was just a teenager and I was in my bedroom throwing everything out of my closet and yelling to my mom, “I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!!!” She came in to help and would pick out a few things and I would gripe and say “NO!, he is going to know that is from last season, he works there!” There, being Abercrombie & Fitch, because that’s where every cool teenager worked back then. *laughing as I type that* And last season, meaning probably last month, cause Lord KNOWS Mama Jules always let me have all the ‘in style’ things I could dream of! But lets face it, I was being a teenage brat in the moment and wanting something that hit the shelves that week, because I was going on a date with PATRICK, and this wasn’t like any other date…we finally came up with the cutest outfit and I was ready to roll!
Now lets go back to what I mean about how this was not like any other date. This was my first date after my first huge heartbreak. Now let me tell you the dets on that backstory so you can see why this was such a huge deal/date for me! So, the first love. We will call him Clay. So I met Clay in college and fell head over heels in love. You know, the bad boy, skater kid that your mom rather put you in nun school for the rest of your life and never see you again, than date this guy. Yep, that was Clay. And I LOVEDDDD him, loved him so much I remember waking up in the morning and counting all the hours I would get to spend with him that day. Long story short, I wanted to marry him. And if I had it my way, I would have. Thank God, fate intervened. One day, I heard from a friend that his sister had a graduation party at their house and Clay slept with one of her friends. I honestly refused to believe it, no one could believe it because Clay (while a bad boy) treated me like a queen and adored me, (or so I thought). Fast forward a couple days and I found a picture of her in his car. Cue knife to the gut, I had all the proof I needed. I broke up with him then and there. I was GUTTED over it. I’m talking couldn’t get out of bed, couldn’t eat for DAYS, and if I’m being honest, didn’t want to wake up in the morning. After some days went by of me being so depressed, I called him, I was weak, I was a teenager, and I called him to beg him back. Yes, you read that right, I wanted him back. Can you even imagine?! I’m literally just shaking my head as I type this wishing I could go back and shake 19 year old me. So he picked up the phone, and I’m crying and telling him how badly I want to get back together and he says, “Hang on.” and he orders Wendy’s for himself and his new girlfriend. That was the moment. I hung up the phone immediately and was thinking what in the hell did I just do?! Did I seriously just ask this guy to get back together with me?! Here I am day 3 or 4 of literally not eating a thing, it got to a point where my mom literally had to force me to eat soup. And here this jerk is at Wendy’s with his new girlfriend having the best time. That was the wake up call I needed, I was sad for weeks, but I never wanted to even think about getting back together with him after that. So after weeks of my utter depression, my mom wanted to take me shopping to lift my spirits. I agreed, because if there was anything that was going to bring me out of this funk it was shopping! (Oh and did I mention, my parents also got me a cruise to the Bahamas with my best friend, to help lift my spirits. They did. That’s the kind of parents I have, utterly selfless, dream parents.) I still can’t get over that to this day. So lets get back to the shopping day. We headed out to the mall and walked into my favorite store A&F. Got some cute things, and went to check out. Before that though my mom saw a guy stocking shirts and said, well he sure is cute! Come to find out he was probably stalking me through the entire store. So I go to check out and now he is the cashier. He asks for my zip code, and I tell him, then he says “oh you live right near me! do you go to college there?” (He already knows the answer to this. Which I’ll tell you how next) and I say yes, and we find out we have some mutual friends. And end it with, maybe I’ll see you around campus.
Come to find out he had already been seeing me around campus for MONTHS. (Now, that I think about it he’s kinda like a lifetime movie stalker.) hahaha!! But for all those months he was seeing me walk around with Clay. I never saw him, because I had blinders on with Clay and never noticed another being. But he saw me, and he told our mutual friend Brandon, “I’m going to marry that girl one day.” And Brandon said,”Good luck with that bro, she’s in love with Clay and she is going to marry him one day.” This is my favorite part of the story, I never even knew Pat, never even said hello but yet here he was saying he was going to MARRY me. Pretty much the sweetest thing ever; like straight out of a movie!
Well fast forward a couple months after meeting in A&F, and I’m still single, and I’m with another one of our mutual friends. He convinces me to call Pat. So I do, and we exchange info and shortly after plan our first date.
I am getting butterflies just thinking about this night! I put my outfit on and ended up feeling super cute, he was going to pick me up at Applebee’s so he could meet some of my friends first, before we headed out to the movies. I mainly just remember getting in his car and thinking, ugh this guy is just way too cool for me, he’s so out of my league. (He says, he was thinking the same thing) *heart eyes* So I was so incredibly nervous I just kept telling myself, play it cool, act like you don’t even like him, act like this isn’t a big deal to you. So what I remember most is we sat down in the theater and I was sitting all prim and proper and then realized god, lauren, BE COOL, chill out. So I thought ok I’ll slouch down in the seat and put my feet on the chair in front of me to act as if I’m too cool for school and couldn’t careless that I’m hanging out with this guy. I also remember thinking, this is working, he’s totally falling for it, my cool girl persona was working and he was taking the bait. I may have won the battle, but he won the war, because it was the last date I ever went on. I was SMITTEN from the second I saw him walk through the door at Applebees. And after our first date I was on cloud 9!!! I never thought I would ever feel that way about anyone ever again. I didn’t even think it was possible, but it sure was. About a month later I was visiting Pat at his work and Clay called saying he really just wanted to talk. I told Pat I was going to go out to the parking lot just to hear what was so important and I’d be right back. (He wasn’t thrilled about that) Well Clay showed up and low and behold, he begged me back. Like they all do, once they realize what they lost, and that I had already moved on. I told him no, I’m with Pat now, and I did not want to get back together. What he didn’t know was that I was still in love with him, so it was still difficult for me. Think back to when you were a teenager, I don’t know about you but if a guy told me he was still in love with his ex he was DONE for. BYE. Well I told Pat during the first few months we dated that I would never get back with Clay but that I was still in love with him, and you know what young teenage Pat said, over and over? I don’t care, one day you won’t be and you will be in love with me and I will be here until that day gets here. That’s Pat for you. Some things never change. A heart of gold then, a heart of gold now. He helped me get through all of my trust issues and having all my walls up. Day by day, he would help me take a brick down until one day, there was nothing but a torn down wall on the dirt. He taught me to love again, trust again, feel worthy again. He taught me to love myself again and made me believe I deserved to be treated like an absolute queen every day of my life. Well here we are, exactly 15 years later since that date at the movies, and he continues to show me EVERY SINGLE DAY how much he loves me. Literally, BIBLE, not a day has gone by that he hasn’t made me feel that way. It may just be telling me I look pretty as I walk into Target in his over sized sweatshirt and leggings, or it may be when he brings me a glass of ice water every morning for me to have when I get out of the shower, or it may be when he surprises me with bag after bag or a dream trip to the St. Regis in NYC at Christmastime, it may be when he saves all the red and purple skittles for me even though he loves them, or when he strung lights all through our woods and set up a projector of one of my favorite movies Pretty in Pink. If I sat here and typed all of the things he does to make me feel loved this thing would be a novel. But I realize it’s rare, it’s rare what I have, it’s rare what we have. For that words would never be able to express my gratefulness.
This is not to say we haven’t had our arguments, if you can call them that. Pat doesn’t yell, or raise his voice, I’m actually not even sure he is capable haha. Now he does have a tone but that’s the extent of him in an argument. Now, this is another area I consider us lucky. We just don’t fight. It’s not our thing. If he upsets me I’ll give him the (stare away, or silent treatment for all of literally 2 mins because he can’t handle me being upset with him so he will literally talk my ear off until I talk to him and if that doesn’t work he will try again in an hour and say “Where do you want to go eat?” We will literally laugh and head out the door to eat. It gets me every time. I’ve actually gotten much better the past few years, in our younger years I would always want to “win” the argument. But now I’ve learned instead of just ignoring him and being immature about it, I should just express my feelings and tell him what upset me. Wow, brilliant idea coming from someone who has their Master’s in Counseling. I’m actually trying to sit here and remember the last time we had an argument so I can have an example, but I can’t think of one. Actually it just came to me! He was on the ladder putting the Christmas lights on the house and I told him that it is too dangerous and I wanted him to get down. He said it’s fine and he will be done soon. I was upset, I didn’t want him that high on the ladder. So I would say get down! And he would say it’s fine, I’m safe! The only other time we ever argue would be if I ask him to do something and he forgets, for example, babe, can you take the trash out it stinks, and he will say sure I’ll do it in a minute. (I hate taking out the trash or I would just do it myself, which I end up doing sometimes haha) but then he will forget and I’ll be like well if you just would have done it when I asked…or when we do a project together I always think my way is the right way to go about it and he will think his way is better; but that’s our arguments. Typical marriage stuff. We realized long ago, what is the point of arguing, we are together forever, till death do us part. So it’s actually just a complete waste of time. We are alike in so many ways but he is SO much more even keeled than me, he is my sounding board and my rock. When I’m upset with someone, I will vent it out to him and he always makes me feel calm. Even if he disagrees with where I’m coming from I still feel like he is on MY side and he will calmly discuss a different perspective to me and many times has helped me see I’m overreacting. He is my calming force that my enneagram 8 personality so desperately needs.
We realize we are very lucky, we realize not fighting is a rare thing. And we feel blessed that we don’t have reasons to fight and argue, but we also worked at that, 15 years of growing together, and literally growing up together got us where we are today. All the ups and downs and the waves of life and we realize what matters most. Us. Pat always says, “It’s me and you against the world.” And I wouldn’t have it any other way. He is the most selfless, devoted, loving, caring, kind, thoughtful, driven, wonderful human on the planet. And he’s mine. And I’m his, and long story short, don’t let one heartbreak break you, because what you don’t know is that a love story, the best love story you could have ever even imagined, is just around the corner, maybe in your favorite store. He’s out there, and he’s waiting for you and you will find him, and become happier than you ever even imagined was possible.