Three Years

As you read this post, I'll hopefully either be still snuggled up in bed in our hotel in Edinburgh or sipping on a breakfast coffee somewhere lovely. But this post isn't about me having an awesome weekend away, it's about three years. 

Three years ago today that boy up there ^^ asked this girl to go on their very first adventure together. I don't think he planned to have our first date on Valentine's Day, it just worked out that way. In true Oscar style, he picked me up and we drove to an undisclosed location. The little romantic drove us to Stirling to the Wallace monument. We climbed the windy hill up to the top and were rewarded with not only the epic history of the monument, but the spectacular view of the world below. I should've known then that life would never be dull with O! The last three years have been a whirlwind and I can't wait to become his wifey and have many many more adventures together! 

PS He will kill me for posting this smoosh, so let's just keep this between you and me, ok? <3

Love Mindfully

On Sunday afternoon I was reading an article in the Simple Things magazine that really hit home with me. You guessed it, it was called "love mindfully". With Valentine's Day coming up, it just gave me a little reminder to break out of my usual Monday to Friday working week funk and remember to see how special the everyday mundane small things are in your relationship. Both O and I can be guilty of letting silly things wind us up and not using our time together to the fullest (hello iPhone!). We shouldn't need to wait until Valentine's Day to show our other half how much they mean to us, so I thought I'd give you a little gist of how I'll be trying to love a little more mindfully...

:: Be present - in this day and age it's tough to switch off the outside world and just focus on being with each other. We've been making an extra effort to switch off our phones, iPads, laptops, TV etc and just spend time together. It's actually lovely to listen to Oscar telling me about his day or about something interesting he read that day instead of having our hands (and heads) glued to our phones.

:: The small things - this is something I'm a huge advocate of. Sometimes its not all about the grand gestures, but the little everyday things that might appear mundane to those  on outside looking in. Oscar makes my lunch even on my days off. I'll look in the fridge and there will be a little packed lunch waiting for me. He turns on the electric blanket in the evening and tucks my pyjamas inside so they'll be toasty when I put them on. Every time I'm in Glasgow I'll bring him home an Eat granola pot, because they're his favourite. Or some M&S Colin Caterpillars. Sometimes these small things mean more than the grand things.

:: Laugh - you've got to be able to laugh. Laugh at yourself, each other and together. I could've had the worst possible day and I'll come home and O always makes me laugh and cheers me up. You need to be able to have fun together. Be silly. I'm rarely serious and sometimes O looks at me like "where did I find you?!". Don't take yourself so seriously, be a duffus! 

:: Date night - I think its important to have date nights. When you live together, its easy to let the romance take a back seat when they every day stuff gets in the way. We try to have a date night every week. Some weeks this will be going out for a nice dinner, or going on an adventure. Other times it can just be cooking a nice meal and eating it at the dining table instead of on our laps in front of the TV. Its so important to keep things fresh and have a little romance. 

:: See the best - we all get grumpy or annoyed at each other at some point. I'm guilty of being quick tempered, but I've been consciously trying to put myself in the other person's shoes. If you focus on the things that bug you about the other person, that's all you will see. Try to see the best in each other. 

:: Alone time - everyone needs their space sometimes. Some of the loveliest afternoons are the ones we spend in the house together, but doing our own thing. O will be off doing something DIY, hockey or gaming related and I'll probably be catching up on blogs, reading or watching Netflix.  

Happy V week! <3
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This Boy...

Can you spot him? In true Oscar style, he's in amongst the rocks and seaweed! Let me just warn you that this post is going to be a little smooshy, so if you don't want to read about all that romantic stuff, click on another post now!

This boy of mine has been a real gem of late. Let's be honest, he's always been a gem, that one...but even more so over the last few weeks. He got me an electric blanket even though he hates going into a warm bed. He puts my pj's next to said blanket to heat them up before bedtime. He sends me flowers and giant cookies. He doesn't care that I've bought about ten candles in the last week (and just ordered more on eBay). He had my dinner on the table every night last week. He drops me off at the train station at a ridiculous hour in the morning. He bought me some Lush stuff just to cheer me up. He's ferried me between Costa and Starbucks all week to buy festive coffees. He buys the beer I like. He puts up with my stressy tantrums (there have been a lot of these during the move!) and then talks me down afterwards. He has the craziest hobbies. This week he is taking up ice skating so that he can start playing hockey again. I love this. He takes the bin out every week without question. He lets me nick his slippers and pj's, because lets be honest...they're always comfier. He's helping me with my CV.  He's started planning our Canada trip next summer and I love how excited he is about it. He gives the best cuddles. He takes me on so many adventures, he just can't sit still.

He just generally roots for me every single day and you really can't ask for anymore than that, can you? I am one heck of a lucky lady!

Ok, enough of the smooshy stuff now. I'll deny all of this if he finds out about this post...you know that, right? ♥

2 + 1/2

O and I are two and a half today! I know it's not a big milestone anniversary, but aren't all anniversaries important? I think so. We have two anniversaries {like the Queen}, in fact. The first is February 14th when we went on our first date {oh I know, smoosh to the highest level} and the other is December 15th when we got engaged. I love seeing these numbers pass by every month as the time rushes by. We don't do anything major to celebrate every anniversary, but it's all about the little things, you know? Those wee little things that just get you every day. So today, I'm celebrating those. For me, some of these little things are...

:: snuggling: there isn't anything better than getting into your bed at the end of the day and having a good little snuggle.

:: bedtime chats: even if we've spent the whole day together, I can't go to sleep unless we spend about half an hour re-hashing what's gone on that day.

:: laughing: I love when O does a serious belly laugh...makes my heart happy.

:: daily emails: O doesn't get a phone signal at work, so he emails me. I love hearing that little ping when I get a new email from him. Brightens up my day, no end.

:: surprises: life is never dull around O, he's always up to something sneaky like booking nights away and adventures at the last minute and the telling me to go pack a bag. He definitely keeps me on my toes.

:: the sofa: coming home in the evening and sitting on the sofa with our dinner on our knees watching something on TV {usually Netflix or West Wing reruns} until we're falling asleep. love these little nights.

So here's to another 2 + 1/2 years {I won't lay anymore gooey romantical-ness on your laps, I think that's enough for one day!}...