I just can't eat anymore chocolate.

My darling showed up on my doorstep this past Thursday with the biggest box of chocolates I have ever seen.  Ever.  I was touched, amused, moved, horrified, and deeply in love all at the same time.

I know what you did there.  You wanted to make sure there was enough for two.

So, this unexpected and incredibly romantic gesture caused me to consider the nature of our love for each other.  We enjoy surprising each other and making the occasional sweet gesture, but after this many years in our relationship our romance is not the traditional stuff that fairy tales are made of. 

When Jeff and I first began our courtship, I was frequently consumed with my infatuation to the point where I would lose sleep and my appetite.  His name showing up on my caller ID had the power to shatter any concentration I had at that moment, and hanging up the phone was like asking a drummer to play to a click (inside joke).  Now those breathless days of pounding hearts and sweeping each other off our feet are behind us, but we have created something as soft and comfortable as a favorite t-shirt and steady as the sun.

Romance has evolved into my running to the store for milk when he doesn't have any left for his coffee, and him filling up my gas tank after he drops his son off at school so I don't have to stop on my way in to work. 

It's getting turned on by flirting with each other in the morning before we have showered and brushed our hair or teeth.  Lust is random opportunities when we're not busy doing other things, even if we have to do a little extra work to get there.

Happiness is when we are doing things we enjoy together, like finding new music, watching movies or Youtube videos, watching hummingbirds chase each other, or going to the coffee shop for lattes.  Happiness is pretty economical these days, but not out of necessity.  We just like sharing simple, meaningful, and natural things.  That's who we are.

I like knowing what he is thinking when he randomly looks up at the sky and says "Betelgeuse."  I like picking up a conversation we started 4 days earlier without any preamble.  I like not having to explain my sudden urge to blurt out "Scarlett Johansson," because he already knows why.

I like that we are so familiar and in tune with each other that a raised eyebrow or wink is an entire conversation.

I like that I love him, and I love that I like him.  I love us.