Love Dare Conclusion

Yes, I realize that I totally dropped the ball with my Love Dare results and Valentine's Day...but I am finally taking the time to write...now.

Simply said...my Love Dare experience was awesome!!

Brian and I started dating towards the end of my senior year and have been together ever since. Which means...we have been "together" for nine years and have been married for 3 1/2 of those nine. And trust me, in the beginning, our relationship was far from perfect! We were young. Immature. Stubborn. Jealous. It seems as though we went from breaking up to making up every other week.

Yes, unfortunately we were that couple!

But even though we lived in a very "dramatic" relationship for a few years, our love has been strong from the very beginning! I feel that way because we never gave up on one another! And although we had undeniable "issues" in the beginning, we also had an unexplainable connection that managed to get us through some pretty tough years.

However, I am proud to say that neither one of us have any regrets to the way our relationship was or is...and we both feel that our marriage is in a current state of bliss! I do recognize that statement to be rather bold...but we have been really concentrating on our relationship and feel very satisfied with the rewards of our efforts.

A few weeks before my Love Dare journey, I got upset with Brian for not "spoiling" me the way he did in the beginning. How mature of me, right?! :) I just couldn't understand why he wouldn't go out of his way to make me happy. But that night...as I sat at work, pouting because my husband wouldn't bring me a McAlister's Deli sweet tea...it hit me like a ton of bricks. Why is it that we, wives, expect so much from our husbands...but do so little in return?! When was the last time I surprised him with a "treat?" Or bought him something just because I was out shopping and saw something that I knew he would like. Or left him a cute little love note. Or told him that I was a proud wife. When was the last time I thanked him for being so helpful and involved with his daughter? When was the last time I appreciated him for working so hard and for making sure that his family was well taken care of?

Brian is an amazing man! He is a Christian. A great husband. An even greater father. A wonderful son and brother. He is a very thoughtful co-worker and a loyal employee. He takes great pride in everything that he does. Brian is such a great help. I can honestly say that our efforts are 50/50. He helps clean the house. He cleans the vehicles. Does the yard work. Goes grocery shopping. He cooks. And after dinner, he will either do the dishes or give Rylie a bath. He goes to every one of Rylie's doctor's appointments with me...and made it to all but one of my prenatal visits pre-Rylie. Brian likes to spend time with me and his family and our Saturdays are usually spent creating a "game plan" and following through that plan together. Living away from our family has been hard, to say the least. But I can truly say that our relationship has grown stronger because of the fact that we are all alone in this big city. It used to be just the two of us. Now, of course, it's just the three of us! We learned early on that we were going to have to depend on one another and that has made our friendship grow. I have a lot of fun with Brian...and because we're so much alike...he's pretty easy to live with. :)

My Love Dare journey was fun and exciting! And although it was great to realize that we already practice a lot of the daily dares...it taught me a deeper love for my husband! I want him to always feel honored and respected. I want him to feel special. I want him to know that I appreciate him and that I support him 100%. I want him to know that I enjoy his company and that I find him extremely funny! All of those things have always been true...but the Love Dare simply helped me show him how much he is loved. He never knew that I was following the Love Dare...but I know that he noticed my efforts. In the beginning, he would ask, "why?" Why did you do that...buy me that...? Then, he stopped asking why and just started thanking me. And in turn, he started loving me differently. He started to become more thoughtful, more appreciative, more caring. I noticed him doing things that he only did in the beginning of our relationship. Simple gestures, like an arm around the shoulder or a soft kiss on the cheek, can go a long way! I feel that my Love Dare was a success!

In the end, for Valentine's Day...I planned a special "date" just for the two of us. I invited my parents down for the weekend and they knew that I was going to secretly take Brian to dinner and "use them" as a babysitter. Saturday evening, I tricked Brian into going to the mall (yes, even though I don't really like that he stands in a corner, constantly checking his watch, and rushing me the entire time...he will even go shopping with me) but instead, we ended up in Red Lobster's parking lot. Being that this is his favorite restaurant...I already had him grinning from ear to ear. During dinner, I gave him his card and tickets to the OKC Thunder game that following Tuesday. More points for Chas! After dinner, I drove us to our local bowling alley. Yet, another favorite of his! It was packed...but I had made a friend earlier this week and was able to reserve a lane, pre-pay for two hours of bowling...and our shoes and balls were waiting for us. Brian was thrilled! And I couldn't help but feeling like I had some major "pull!" :) We had a great time and were home by 8:30pm. Yeah, we're cool like that!

Although I'm no longer following a "dare" every day...I am constantly trying to show Brian how much I care. The Love Dare truly changed the way I love my husband...and our marriage is currently full of joy, contentment and peace. And I'm liking it this way!