10 on the 10th and Valentine's Day Post Roundup

I absolutely love Leslie’s 10 on the 10th posts. They are thought provoking, fun, and so creative! Normally I miss out on them, but this month I planned ahead and got it done! Appropriately, it’s all about LOVE this month so see what my answers are to the questions in my post below!

How romantic are you? I don’t really think I am that romantic at all. Matt is probably the more romantic of the two of us. I remember in high school it was really cute how he would hide flowers in my locker for each month’s anniversary. I tend to be more thoughtful with small everyday things like picking up something I see at the store I think he would like. It’s kind of hard to be romantic when you have young children. There is so little time!
What’s the best relationship advice? Compromise. Try. Be patient. It will rarely be easy, but it’s always worth it. I think as long as you are both willing to try and work through the ups and downs you can make it work.
When did you have your first kiss? How did you feel about it? At what age did you begin dating? I was 13 when I had my first kiss. It was awkward and weird, but I was glad to get it over with. I started ‘going out’ with boys at 11 or 12, but that wasn’t really dating per se. I started dating at 14 when I was in high school.
What makes your relationship healthy? Communication is so important to me and makes a relationship healthy. I really appreciate communicating so we can be on the same page about things. When you talk about your opinions, feelings, and have plans set for who will do what, it makes everything flow more and that means less stress!
What is your love language? What is your partner’s? It’s been a few years since I took that quiz, so I went back and took it again. I am definitely Acts of Service and Words of Affirmation. I can work my but off as long as I know it’s appreciated and my family is grateful. And I appreciate it when my husband takes a load of stress off of my shoulders and pitches in when he can. I think my husband’s love languages are physical touch and gifts of affection.
Who is one couple you know that you admire in terms of love? I admire my grandparents relationship. They have been together over 50 years. And even though my grandma now has Alzheimer’s and it is fairly advanced, he goes to visit her as often as he can and even writes her love letters.
Who is your favorite celebrity couple or fictional couple? This is such a good question! I think my favorite celebrity couple is Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. I think they have such a fun vibe and I love that they poke fun of each other publicly. Fictionally, I like Jamie and Claire from Outlander. Their love is so deep and they complement each other really well. I love they they let each other be their own person.
Name a flavor of food you love. A scent you love. An activity you love doing. I LOVE basil! In almost anything! Fresh basil is my favorite. I love to smell floral and citrus scents. I think my favorite scent is a lily. An activity I love to do is crafting. But I love running and traveling, too! It’s so hard to pick!
Do you believe in love at first sight? Do you think people are made for each other as soulmates? No I really don’t believe in love at first sight. But maybe that’s because I haven’t experienced it. I believe love is a gradual process of learning about and accepting another person. I am not sure I believe in soulmates either. I believe marriages take give and take on both sides and it is a constantly evolving relationship and both people need to accept that. Our interests change and sometimes we need more than we can give and visa versa. Matt and I have changed so much and we have gone through many hard times (and fun ones, too!) since we started dating 20(!) years ago, but in the end we choose to be together and that is a special thing! We keep choosing each other and choosing US. But then again, maybe that is exactly what a soulmate is? I think it all depends on your viewpoint!
In a Covid-free world where money is no object, what would you like to do for Valentine’s Day weekend? I would take the overnight flight to Dublin and spend the weekend in Ireland eating delicious food and seeing the sights with Matt. We have a lot of wonderful memories there!