+one chirps: My Yellowbird

I have been meaning to write up a post about Bryan and I celebrating our 1 year of marriage, but rather I want to just post about him. Spoiler Alert: This is a mushy- lovey gush fest about the love of my life.

I adore our love story. Even though it is filled with many moments of painful unknowns and years apart. Oh, the thought of those gut wrenching airport good-byes or those painful Skype conversations of "how are we going to figure this out - we live in different countries" just makes me ache. Though, I hold all of those memories so dear to my heart and wouldn't trade them and our story in for anything. We both often reminisce about the night we met. It was truly magical. It was Thursday, February 2, 2006. In the middle of a smoke-filled beer garden, of a popular pub located, in Dublin, Ireland, the local boy and the American girl, on her study abroad program, locked eyes. Oh, I know - BARF - sounds like a cliché romantic movie plot, but it is all true. We chatted that night away. His friends disappeared. My friends disappeared. And, it was just us. He walked me back to my dorm.We kissed. A powerful connection that was born that night. It really is what defines us. We spent the next almost 7 years figuring it out. We were married on September 28, 2012.

Bryan and I couldn't be more alike and more opposite. It is what makes us work well together. I am very type A with a splash of spontaneity. He is laid back, but possesses a driven nature. He has adapted to living in another country remarkably well. And, adjusted nicely (with a few bumps) to being in his own place minding himself, for the first time. Sounds crazy, but he arrived to Chicago having not been on his own yet. So, grocery shopping, laundry, chores, ect were all new territory for him. He was relentless in his job search. Regardless of whatever set back he experienced he forged ahead. He never lost sight of what was important for the growth of him and us. I admire him.

I cherish our nights of cooking meals together while listening to music and discussing everything from our day to current news. We steal kisses and hugs all the time. On the couch, he watches football (my American friends, that is soccer) and I read a book while curled up in his arms. I love that when we go to bed we stay up chatting and giggling like little kids having a sleepover. Bryan is so funny - not in the conventional way, but he never fails to not make me laugh.

I love that.

I paint and he plays the guitar. He listens and says all the right things. We have each other's back! He observes everything and teaches me to not be so forthcoming with people. That most people don't have your best interest and it takes time to develop relationships. I am an open book with virtually no secrets. He is friendly, but remarkably reserved. He melts my heart with the vision he sees for us - possible kids, dogs, a home filled with song, dance, art, truth and laughter. He is so smart. Of course, I say that, right, but truly, he has a great sense of logic. He loses everything and I always know where it all is. I can plan any adventure and know he is game to come along. We compliment each other in a profound way. I have never felt so truly loved, by another human being outside of my family. We have a saying "yellowbirds for life" - neither of us could imagine life without the other.

I love that we grow stronger each and every day.