It’s 2am and I just got back to the one bedroom house in Philadelphia, I have your multi-colored sweater on as I roll my broken, purple suitcase into the living room. I look around, drop the handle and sigh. I am finally home. I thought I would be relieved, it felt like I had been traveling for days…instead, I felt complete and total awe by the adventure that we just went on together. I knew Paris was going to be amazing. I even half expected inspiring, but never did I think it was going to be like this.  With every step we took, every corner we turned and every expresso we sipped, I felt the weight of our every day lives melt off our shoulders and the only thing left was you, me and 100% bliss.

As I sit here in my big bed with the air conditioning you set up running next to me and the artwork you so carefully picked out, hanging across from me, all I can think about is that we did good. After all we have been through over the past few years, we did good. Really good. After one year of long distance, one law school degree, ten months of photo school, two graduations, three grandparents passing, one small business starting, two months of BAR prep, two days of the BAR exam and everything else that comes with being in your mid-20s, we made it through stronger and better than ever… and then we went to Paris.

Running around Paris with you felt like a dream. We spent the entire time learning new things, discovering old treasures and deepening our admiration for one another.  Paris was a reminder of the immensity of your presence in my life. You have become a part of who I am and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Your thirst for knowledge is infectious, your patience is angelic and your wittiness is something that even the biggest Seinfeld fan would approve of. So, as I sit here at 2am, unable to fall asleep, I cannot help but be proud of who you are as a person and who we are as a couple. Thank you for being my better half. The organic Peanut Butter to my Red Delicious Apple. The double espresso to my flaky croissant. The Robert to my Yael.