He doesn't buy me flowers...

If someone had asked me what I thought romance was about when I was in my teens, I probably would have answered "flowers and chocolate"... heck even when I got married that's what I considered romantic and I most definitely wanted that in my life, all of it, the chocolates, the flowers, the greeting cards, the over-the-top gifts at birthdays and anniversaries.  I wanted the romantic meals, surprise getaways, anything that spelled "ROMANCE"...because that's what perfect men are about.. right?
Well... my husband of 14 years (Happy Anniversary, by the way!) does not buy me flowers... or chocolates...or over-the-top gifts...we rarely do romantic dinners and he's definitely not the surprise kind of guy...
He is, however, the kind of man that lets me sleep in every Sunday and as soon as I make a peep he brings me breakfast in bed, every single Sunday.  He is the one who texts me a random "I miss you" in the middle of the day and doesn't stop sending heart emojis until I respond "I miss you too!"; he does the dishes every night and makes sure that everything is put away because he knows I hate cleaning the kitchen.... and I don't even have to ask!
He has no idea how to put a travel itinerary together and forget planning a surprise getaway but he helps make sure I go to each one of the places on my travel bucket list simply because he knows I love traveling and he wants to make my wishes come true....and he poses for the pictures too! ;)
He's not a great cook and he could honestly eat rocks if I served him that every day, but he can make a mean avocado toast and boil some eggs and makes sure to serve me that with a lot of love and care whenever I'm not in the mood for cooking.
See in the past 14 years I have come to realize that this is the kind of love I want to experience in life; the love of a partner that gets me a blanket when I'm cold even before I know I'll get cold (ha!), the man that caresses my back when I'm tired; I want to feel the kind of love that is unwavering, the good kind of love, the one that doesn't need to impress me because it's so strong that it needs no charades or explanations.
And that's my Iggy; a man with a noble heart, a man that lives to make me happy, a man that has worked his butt off for years to make sure I can stay home with the kids, one who supports all my crazy ideas and encourages me to soar higher, one who tells me every day "your happiness is my happiness" and really means it.  He shares with me the kind of love that only he and I can understand; he holds my hand every Sunday at church and cries simply because he feels "so blessed" for having me as his life partner; he is the love of my life and I thank God every day for making him for me!
So on our 14th anniversary, I have a completely different definition of romance; I know now that it isn't about the flowers that wilt, or the chocolates that get eaten, or the flickering lights of a candlelight dinner or even about the surprise getaways that pass.
Romance is about the things that don't fade, the beats our hearts skip and the love shared between two people whose sole purpose is to make the other happy!
I love you, Iggy! Thanks for making me the happiest woman on earth for the past 14 years... I can't wait to see what the next 100 bring...
Happiest of Anniversaries..here's to many, many, many more!