Chapter 25: The Giving Keys [not just another piece of jewelry]

What do the homeless, old keys, & jewelry have to do with one another? Read on to find out!

I'm absolutely in love with my new giving key, but before I tell you the story about this piece of "jewelry" & explain what it is, I have something to say...

Not everyone knows this about me, but I've always had a special place in my heart for the homeless ever since I was a little kid. During our honeymoon last year, I convinced my husband that we should buy a blanket for a homeless man we saw on the street. We all know that San Francisco gets pretty cold & I felt a strong pull at my heart to help him. I felt we needed to take the time to do this even though we had somewhere to be & were already running late. In college I was part of a campus club called 'Helping Hearts For The Homeless'. I remember getting mad the first time I heard the word 'bum' come from a friend's mouth when used to describe a homeless person we saw from our car window back when I was a middle schooler. I know everyone has different opinions of homeless people [sometimes valid & sometimes just plain mean], but what it all comes down to is that no matter what social class, we are all human. Rich or homeless—we all deserve to be loved, respected, & cared for. Homeless people are down on their luck & they each have their own story, so how are we to judge the bunch the same?

About the Necklace

I heard about The Giving Keys on t.v. a few months ago & absolutely fell in love with the idea. First off, I've always loved vintage/antique & odd things. I'm pretty old fashioned at heart. I'm fascinated by letters, stationary, pretty paper, stamps, interesting envelopes/packages, lace, miniature things, airports, journals, trees, birds, polaroids, vintage clothing, feather pens, wax seals, old typwriters, etc... & of course, keys—mostly skeleton keys, but keys of all kinds. I even have my own collection of keys that I started as a kid, simply because I liked having a bunch of keys, but it may also have something to do with the movie 'The Secret Garden'?

What I love about The Giving Keys is that it links 3 things that interest me:

• 1. Keys
• 2. The Homeless
• 3. Positive/inspiring/encouraging messages

A singer/songwriter first started making these keys for fun & would sell them at her merchandise table while touring. It wasn't before long that they started becoming a big hit. She later got the idea to employ homeless people to engrave the keys for her & to help them transition out of homelessness. How incredible & touching is that? It really is amazing & you can read the full story on their official website Click Here.

The idea is to pick out a word that fits you— a message that you need most. The most typical ones are dream, believe, faith, love, courage, etc.. but you can custom make your own for an extra cost. You wear the key around as a constant reminder to do whatever it says on the key & one day you pass it onto someone who you feel needs that same message. It takes the idea of giving a very 'personal gift' to a whole new level! I know not everyone will be fascinated by this idea, but I'm sharing this with you all because I know that there are other people out there who would appreciate The Giving Keys just as much as I do. I've read quite a few heartwarming stories on their website of who people have given their key to & just how much it meant to that person. There was once a time in my life when I wanted to wear as many rings on my fingers as possible because I wanted to pass them onto people during my lifetime. This is the same type of idea but even better, because these keys have inspirational messages on them & are hand-engraved with love by a homeless person. You know that you're helping make a difference in someone's life when you purchase one of these giving keys.

I flew into Los Angeles last Saturday & hung out with my friend. When we came across these keys in a little store I got so excited because I remembered seeing them on t.v. What is great about getting a giving key in a store as opposed to online is that you get to pick out your key. When you order online you pick your message, but you don't get to see what your key will look like. Maybe that element of surprise is something that intrigues you, but as for me, I like to pick by whichever one is calling me. That may sound weird, but I don't know how else to describe it? My friend ended up picking a key with the word 'fight' on it. I, on the other-hand, was having a lot of trouble picking my key. I was torn between 'strength' & 'let go'. Since it was taking me so long, I ended up deciding by having my friend do something my husband made up for me. Whenever I had trouble deciding between two things, he would put them both in his hand & tell me to choose. If I ended up getting sad over what was in the hand that I choose, then that would tell me that I needed to get the other one :P Sure, maybe that's silly, but it works for me! My friend opened her hand & when I saw the key with the words 'let go' I got excited :) We decided to buy each others key as a gift, so technically we didn't spend any money on ourselves ;) Right? I'm so happy that I have my very own giving key & I can't wait to pass it on to someone else someday in hopes that it can help them & make an impact on their life. I'll be sure to post my story on here & on their website when that day comes!

Is anyone else interested in getting a giving key of their own? If you know someone who might be interested, be sure to share this with them! What do you love most about The Giving Keys? Leave a comment & let me know! Please tell me if you end up getting one for yourself or as a gift to someone as well because I'd love to know :) You can visit The Giving Keys on their official website [click here] OR on Facebook [click here]. Don't forget to 'LIKE' their page!

Stay beautiful & keep on spreading the love!

Chapter 24: Staying Navy [my husband's reenlistment]

Hello [to at least] 4 more years of Navy Life!

Last Friday was a big day for this household! I went aboard my husband's ship during the workday to stand next to him during his reenlistment ceremony. You could call me a stereotypical "Proud Navy Wife", especially on that day because by the smile on my face & the way that I felt, I was probably the picture perfect poster girl for that term. The "Proud Navy Wife" label doesn't bother me because I wear it without shame. I proudly support my husband/best friend in all his endeavors, whether it's to reenlist again in 2017 OR to go back to college to get his degree & start working in a field he is passionate about. He has always been so supportive of me & that makes a world of a difference.

His reenlistment was a day to honor him for all that he has done for the Navy thus far & show appreciation for his decision to pursue his naval career. I was so happy to have been able to witness his reenlistment ceremony especially because I didn't get to watch him get sworn into the Navy back in 2009. I was honored to be there for him, but he turned things around by saying a short speech of appreciation & love in dedication to me in front of his shipmates. I'm sure I had a million dollar smile on my face that you could see from miles away :)

After believing this day was going to be all about him, you could imagine my surprise when the reenlistment officer offered me a certificate of appreciation from The United States Navy that states:

"By the authority vested in me, it is my pleasure to express the grateful appreciation of the United States Navy, to you, for your unselfish, faithful, and dedicated assistance during the naval service of your husband. Your unfailing support and understanding have helped immeasurably to make possible your husband's decision to continue a naval career."

I was truly touched to have received this & I really love that they give something to the spouses of the sailors as well. It's really nice to be acknowledged & appreciated. It's also perfect timing to have received this because May is Military Spouse Appreciation Month! It was definitely a nice cherry on top of the day :)

The ceremony was relatively short. First he had to be discharged & was a free man for less than 1 minute. I actually have a really funny story about this. I had a mini-heart attack when he was getting discharged & when he turned to smile at me. I was so confused! I thought to myself, "What?! I thought he was reenlisting?! Wait a second...Woah! He tricked me!..." I wondered if my face gave me away? :P Less than a minute later he started to take his oath to get back IN the Navy. Phew! Mini heart attack over. Lol.

I can't tell you how many people shook my hand & said kind words about my husband. If I wasn't a proud wife already, that definitely would have made me one! It was so wonderful to hear so many people say great things about my husband as a person & as a sailor. I'm not surprised, but it's still good to hear that he is held in such high esteem among his shipmates & especially his higher ups. Every time I see his captain he always has something good to say about my husband & it makes me even more proud to be married to him ♥

After the ceremony he got the rest of the day off work so we enjoyed some us time before going out to eat dinner with friends at BJ's Pizza & Brewery. Then it was off to the movies to watch Iron Man 3 in 3D since the original showing we planned to go to was sold out! The movie was a lot better than I expected it to be! It was a great day celebrating & we made a lot of amazing memories :)

More pictures from the day...

Celebrating with good friends & good food!

Silly faces at the movie theaters!

serious face... 

Gangster face.

♥

Chapter 23: Disney World's Flower & Garden Festival.

My husband: "Do you want to go to Disney World on Saturday?"
Me: "OF COURSE! I always want to go to Disney World!"

Last weekend my husband & I decided to make a day trip to Disney World's Epcot theme park for the 20th anniversary of their Flower & Garden Festival! It was so much fun! There were so many beautiful flowers, flower arrangements, & Disney shaped topiary [the practice or art of training, cutting, and trimming trees or shrubs into odd or ornamental shapes]! It really is a sight to see & this trip was definitely much needed for us. The last time we went to Disney World was for NYE, but we only went to the Magic Kingdom & Hollywood Studios theme parks. My husband bought us premium annual passes for my birthday last August & we're trying to take advantage of them to get our money's worth! We originally wanted to plan Disney World trips once a month, but that didn't end up happening. Now we're just trying to go as often as we can before August rolls around because we won't be renewing our passes this year since we're preparing for deployment #2. 

I don't think I can ever get sick of Disney theme parks, no matter how many times I go & I hope that never changes! It's always such a magical experience. There's so much to do! If you've never been to the Epcot theme park, it's best described as a "World Fair" showcasing international culture. The park is split up by different countries. There aren't a lot of rides at this park, but there are a bunch of shows you can watch, history you can learn, & food you can taste in each of the countries. We absolutely LOVE going to Japan :) Ever since I was a kid I've always been fascinated by bonsai trees [I love miniature things] & pearls. Lucky me, I get both of those things at Epcot Japan [along with yummy sushi]!

My new bonsai seed kit!

I've had 2 bonsai trees in the past:

• The 1st one I got as a birthday present from a friend when I was 15, but it died shortly after I got it because I didn't know how to take care of it :/
• The 2nd one I got was a college graduation present from my husband. I was determined to do a better job at keep it alive this time & I took really good care of it, but I left it in California when I moved here to Florida to be with my husband after we got married.

Needless to say, I was very excited when my husband remembered his promise to buy me this bonsai tree kit the next time we went to Epcot :D I can't wait to plant it! Now I just wonder how long it will take for it to start looking like a tree?! I hope this really is a tree that I can pass down from generations to come, like the box indicates so!

My newest pearl that my husband surprised me with :)

Don't get me wrong, I love diamonds as much as any other girl... but I definitely think that I love pearls more than the average girl! I opened my first oyster when I was 12 years old during a trip to Maui, Hawaii to see family. After that I was hooked & I've opened sooo many oysters since then that I have lost count! I have a collection of them :) Pearls on their own & pearls set in jewelry. I can go on about my love for pearls & I have many stories about my opening of oysters, but that will have to wait. It calls for a new blog post focused on that subject alone!

During this Epcot trip I was mesmerized [once again] as I watched the Japanese women open oysters for each customer, anxious to see what kind of pearl was inside. Whenever we are in this store my husband always knows where to find me & I always know where to find him [by the anime movies, manga, or swords =P]. He came up to me & I told him I just wanted to watch 2 more oysters being opened. When he came back I felt caught because I definitely stood there & watched more than 2 more =P I thought he was going to call me out on it, but instead he surprised me by handing me a sales slip which meant that I would be next to pick out an oyster to be opened :D AHHH!!!! I wasn't expecting he'd buy me an oyster since we weren't celebrating a special occasion of any kind, but I sure wasn't going to deny the gift! I love that I have another beautiful pearl to add to my collection :)

Photo bombed!

Before we left the park we tried to take a photo with the sign that says "20th Flower & Garden Festival" & we discovered that we had been photo bombed! This picture was too funny not to post. Haha! Those girls did good... sneaky, sneaky!

More photos from the day....

Giving Buzz Lightyear a high-five! :) 

New pin for our collection! My husband got me
into his family's tradition of collecting Disney pins :)

From the movie "Cars"

From the movie "Cars"

The Lion King

Butterfly flowers & floating flowers

We can't wait for this movie to come out!

Snow White & the Seven Drawfs

Beauty & the Beast

Beauty & the Beast

Cinderella

Sleeping Beauty

Whinnie the Pooh & Friends

Peter Pan

Captain Hook & the crocodile

Lady & the Tramp

Chapter 22: Wedding Toasts! [+video]

The highlight of today was lying in bed watching video clips from our wedding with my husband on this rainy day! Here are 2 of the video clips as a sneak peak into our wedding reception :)

My eldest sister's idea of a good maid of honor toast was to tell an embarrassing story about how my family found out about my crush on my husband back in the 3rd grade :P

made of honor toast

by my eldest sister

Next, my cousin [who was our MC] cracked some jokes of his own [at my expense. Lol] & gave us some marriage advice. They had us laughing [& feeling embarrassed] all over again, while watching these videos!

MC welcome & toast

by my eldest cousin

Our wedding was one of the happiest days of our lives. I don't think watching these videos will ever get old. All of that toasts that were made [by the MOH, MC, best man, my parents, & my husband's parents] mean so much to us. We're so blessed to have so much love in our lives & we were reminded of that by watching all of the toasts & reliving our wedding day. When our videographer Major Diamond Productions sent us some video clips from our wedding [i.e. 1st dance, MOH toast, father-daughter dance etc...] this morning, it was such a wonderful surprise! Now we're even more excited to get our final DVD ♥

Hope you got a little laugh from these

wedding toasts like we did!

Chapter 21: We're only human [dreaming of death]

Have you ever had one of those "feeling off" sort of days because you had a terrible dream that your husband died & he had to wake you up in the middle of the night because you were crying in your sleep? =\ That's the kind of day that I had... My husband had to console me, wrap me in his arms, & kiss me, as I choked on my tears, gasped for air, & fumbled my speech while I tried to tell him about my dream & come back to reality.

It was around 4:20AM & it would be a joke to think I'd get any sleep after that. How could I after that nightmare I dreamt? All I could do was take comfort in being able to lay my head upon his chest & listen to his rhythmic heartbeat reminding me that he is alive. He's breathing. He's here.

All I could do was stare at his face, kiss him, & touch him to make sure that he was really there with me. The nightmare gave me an even greater sense of our mortality—of our little time here on Earth. I was reminded that life is short & that we need to ALWAYS cherish those "little things" & "little moments". I was reminded of just how deeply I love my husband & how I don't know what I would ever do without him.

I've always found it endearing when my husband would stir in his sleep & kiss me, pull me closer, or mumble that he loves me before falling back asleep—not remembering doing any of those things in the morning. After I woke up from my nightmare, when I thought back at those "little moments", it made me cry even harder that I started to hyperventilate. The sheer thought of him never doing those things again frightened me to the core. The thought of having to live without him hurt me like a knife being driven straight through my heart & twisted just for good measure.

I've only woken up crying from a dream a handful of times  in my life [always because someone I love had died in a dream] & it's one of the worst feelings. This time it felt even more real because I had woken up from a "dream" within my dream twice. It was like the movie "Inception".

In the 1st dream I woke up in bed & started writing/drawing on my arms the things & images/designs I wanted to remember. Then I told my husband how I was inspired in my dream & needed to write/draw it all out so I could remember them later. Then I fell back asleep.

In the 2nd dream, that was when my husband died. I woke up & found him dead beside me. He just stopped breathing. I was frantic & didn't know what to do! I staggered around to look for my phone & thought I should call my boss & let him know that I couldn't come into work that day & had to quit my job because my husband was dead & there was no way I'd be able to work anytime soon. Then I thought, "Should that really be my first call? What the heck am I supposed to do?!" That was when I completely lost it. I was angry with myself for not knowing who to call first [somehow the ambulance was already on their way. Not sure how that happened, but it was a dream.]. I was crying hysterically because the love of my life was dead. I then found myself angry with him for dying & leaving me all alone. I was angry because we had so many plans for our lives. Our lives had just begun! We were still so young! There were so many things we still wanted to do together. We didn't even get to have any children yet! I was furious. That led me into even more hysteria as I felt like an awful person for being angry with him because he was dead! It was the most bewildering feeling & there were so many emotions running through me. I just cried & screamed like crazy. I eagerly tried to kiss him like in those Disney Fairytales, hoping that my kiss would somehow magically bring him back to me. This was when my husband woke me up & told me that I was just dreaming.

I have never cried so much from a bad dream in my entire life. It felt like ages before I finally stopped. My husband had to soothe me & kept repeating that it was just a bad dream & that he was ok. I still haven't fully accepted death. Although it's inevitable, neither of us handle it very well & we can't barely stand the thought of any of our loved ones dying. It's a big fear of ours & we've both dealt with the death of family members. When we first started dating, my husband & I talked about death a few times & he could be brought to tears just thinking about me ever dying. He too has woken up crying after having a bad dream about me dying. Because of this, we made a silly "promise" to never die & we would avoid the topic of death. We made a deal that we'd live forever & that was that. Of course, we know this isn't possible, but it gave us some fictional comfort. Now as we & our loved ones are getting older, I start to worry more. Losing those dear to us is such a difficult concept to grasp & accept. I still struggle with the idea of it all. This is when I tell myself that worrying my life away is not the way to live.

A plan is always good to have. Goals are always good to set. Dreaming is always good to do. However, things don't always go as planned. Goals aren't always met when we want them to be met. And sometimes dreams will change. This is when we need to learn how to be flexible. To never take your life for granted. To take action instead of just thinking about taking action.

"If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything." 

—Win Borden.

We can't get too tied down in these "plans" that we have for our lives, because God usually has something even bigger planned for us & that plan might be completely different than the one we've envisioned for ourselves. With that said, just enjoy your life & hang on to those you love, because we never know when our time is up here on this Earth. This nightmare that I had was a reminder for me to LIVE life to the fullest & to LOVE with great passion—all day & every day.

Chapter 20: How To Be Beautiful [without envy or cruelty]

 I believe that in order to truly be beautiful, you must have a kind soul & pure heart. A beautiful person doesn't pick & choose who they're nice to because they're genuinely nice to everyone. Key word being "genuinely", otherwise it's all just an act. It saddens me to hear how fake, callous, or vindictive people can be behind your back [or to your face]. I'm often told that it's good how I always see the best in others because not many people do anymore—but it's also something I should be careful of. I've learned the hard way [& I'm still learning] that not everyone has the best intentions. Just because you have genuinely kind thoughts & feelings about someone, doesn't mean they reciprocate. Make sure your thoughts match your words. Often times someone will think one thing but say another & "mumble" their true feelings on the side. Even if you don't speak poorly about someone to others, you should still make it a habit to not think poorly about them either. Envious thoughts & cruel thoughts are one in the same. You may not be speaking negatively about others, but if you think negatively about them that alone is enough to change you negatively as a person. 

No one should feel the need to think cruel or condescending thoughts about someone else just to make themselves feel better. Don't take that route in life.

Don't knock someone else down as a tool to build yourself up.

Don't bash on someone else's marriage or relationship just so you can feel better about your own. That's no way to live. That's no way to love. Be happy & let others be happy, without all of the negativity. You may be guilty of this without even realizing it until now. Theadore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Don't let yourself become envious or cruel. Seek kindness, pureness, & beauty in your thoughts, words, & actions. 

Envy is another story & my old neighbor explained it well:

"Sometimes appreciation for doing something positive won't come from the recipient. But just being comfortable with yourself and the choices you make is rewarding, I think. It's one reason I learned to admire, not envy. Because you're still going to be you anyway. Envy suggests you are deficient in some way. Admiration (to me) implies you accept that you are fine exactly as you are but can strive to improve. You can never become anyone else on the planet but a "better" you, and that's based on the choices you make." —Norm Fessler

Never compete with others—only compete with yourself.

Don't work to be "better" than someone else,

just work to be the best you.

Don't work to have a "better" marriage/relationship than another couple, just work to have the best marriage/relationship for yourself & your significant other.

Every person is special & every love story is unique.

There's no need to compete with, envy, or bash on others.

Don't waste time & energy focusing on someone else's life instead of your own.

Once again... a pretty face is nothing if you have an ugly heart. Always strive to be beautiful on the inside as well as the outside—not just appear to be beautiful on the outside but rotten on the inside. I hope I no longer hear stories from my friends about their "friends" trying to sabotage their self-esteem &/or marriage because of envy or unnecessary cruelty.

If you have any thoughts or tips you'd like to add on "How To Be Beautiful" then let me know in a comment! :)

Stay beautiful, everyone!

Chapter 19: 7 Ways I've Changed [PDA, faith, style, & more...]

They say that when you're in a relationship you start to change. It's inevitable. How can you not? Whether you change for better or for worse depends on who you're with & how they affect you. I think this is where the term "soulmates" comes in, because two people have to be the "perfect match" in order to bring out the best in each other the way no one else can. My husband & I have been married for almost 9 months now, but we'll have been together 6 years on July 1st. I've been thinking about all the different ways I've changed since we became a couple in 2007 & I've listed some of the major changes I've noticed in myself:

1. PDA: [public display of affection both through pictures, while out & about, around friends/family etc...] is something I'm very guilty of! I'm an even bigger romantic than I thought I was already! I've always been a hopeless romantic, but I used to think it was weird when people would post pictures of them kissing their significant other or when they couldn't take their hands off of each other... that all changed once my husband & I started dating. Don't get me wrong, we're not the type to have a tacky make-out session in public, but we're definitely very affection with each other & that hasn't change. We can't very well help it. We love kissing, holding hands, & wrapping our arms around each other. We just feel the need to touch each other & be connected with one another at all times. Our very affectionate nature can be explained by us both sharing a common "love language" [via The Five Love Languages By Gary Chapman] of Physical Touch. My husband's other love language is Quality Time while my other one is Words of Affirmation. More than half of the pictures in the picture collage below has been my profile picture on Facebook at one point & they can all be found on my Facebook. I know... that's A LOT of k.i.s.s.i.n.g!

2. Terms of Endearment: I used to think it was so strange [& a bit rude] when a guy would call his girl "babe" or "baby". I just always had that image in my mind of a sloppy guy with a big belly slouching in his chair & yelling, "Hey babe! Can ya make me a sandwich & get me a beer?" OR I'd think of the pig from the movie "Babe" =P However, ever since my husband & I have been together I LOVE when he uses these lovey dovey terms & I no longer think it's strange or rude at all! I say all this mushy stuff now too! A friend of mine once told me that her husband [who's on the same ship as my husband] came home one day & said to her, "Robert's all cute whenever he talks to his girl. Always doting on her & calling her sweetheart & stuff like that. Telling her how much he loves her..." :) Love it.

The day we were able to set our wedding date!

3. Spontaneity: I discovered my spontaneous side because of my husband! I was pretty much a "go by the book" type of person. I wasn't a rule breaker & I certainly wasn't a wild child. It was a BIG deal whenever I booked last minute flights with only 2-3 days notice to see my man!

In 2009 he was leaving earlier than planned for bootcamp & his parents were throwing him a goodbye party. I skipped an Astronomy class to fly out to be there for his party. I never missed class unless I was sick!

In 2010 we got news that he could deploy in the near future. He flew to our hometown for his sister's graduation & I didn't want to miss the opportunity to see him so I surprised him at the graduation during my finals week! SO not very responsible because I should've been studying my little fanny off, but we do crazy things when we're in love!

In 2012 I surprised him just weeks before our wedding because it had already been 4 months since we last saw each other & I thought it was important to have that time together. That trip was cool because it only costed me $10.40 cents roundtrip! No joke. If you want to know how I did it, ask & I shall answer!

4. Faith: I have grown a lot in my faith. I was born & raised Catholic, but I didn't start becoming even closer to God until my husband & I started dating. I suppose I felt so blessed to have found my soulmate so early in life & I thanked God for him every day. This gratitude to God started to emerge into more. I would always pray to God for guidance & to help us stay strong & make it through all the obstacles of a long distance relationship. I turned to him a lot, especially when my husband joined the military because it tested our relationship even more. We exchanged promise rings in 2009 when we attended the Navy Day Ball, but shortly after my husband proposed to me in 2011 I bought myself my very own promise ring [seen in the second picture]. I followed a personal program through The Silver Ring Thing, which is centered around the idea that "True Love Waits". I gave the ring to my husband on our wedding day right before we exchanged vows & wedding rings. My husband & I don't share the exact same view about religion, but he has always been respectful, patient, & understanding of my beliefs—& for that I feel truly blessed to have him as my husband. He even bought me my very 1st personal woman's devotional Bible & I saw him pack our "couple" Bible [released by the author of The 5 Love Languages] in his bag when he left for an underway, which meant a lot to me. ——If you'd like to learn more about The Silver Ring Thing CLICK HERE.

Our promise rings we exchanged in 2009
I engraved his band to say, "Until We Say I Do..."

Photo credit [picture on left]: Onelove Photography
The Silver Ring Thing

5. Style: My style has changed immensely! I never really had a particular style in the past because I would like just about everything. I recall back in High School I really only had 2 dresses in my closet & now I have more dresses [especially lace dresses] than anything else! I have to force myself to stop buying dresses & start buying more tops. I still like my jeans & a t-shirt/tank top & baseball cap days, but those don't happen as often as they used to anymore. I'm more girly now when it comes to clothes & I believe this is because of our long distance relationship. Since we wouldn't see each other very much, I always wanted to look "extra pretty" & special for him. Usually when you "dress up" you wear a dress! I was never much of a shopper either, but I would buy a new dress almost every time we would see each other because I wanted to look my very best for my love.

6. Creativity: I've always loved doing arts & crafts & thinking of ways to be creative, but that all kicked into high gear when I started dating my husband. I would find creative ways to be romantic, like writing him little notes & hiding it in his wallet or car whenever we were visiting each other [reminder: we were in a long distance relationship for 5yrs before getting married]. I would find crafty ways to show him that I love him. I also started making military inspired jewelry when he was deployed to help pass the time, save up money for our wedding, & because it's nice making pretty things! He always encourages & supports that creative side in me. I love to create/make things & my husband helps push me to DO it instead of just THINK about it. I also put a lot of thought & detail into decorating his care packages when he was deployed in 2011.

7. Patriotism: I've always been proud to be an American & I've always supported those in uniform, but I'm even MORE patriotic now. Then again, how can I not be? My husband's a U.S. Sailor & I'm his PROUD NAVY WIFE!

Photo credit: Mika D. Photography
Hair & Make up: Amanda Travers—Ferociously Flawless Make Up Artistry

What are some ways that your significant other has changed you? :)
Hopefully they are changes for the better! If so, then take the time to kiss your significant other, tell them you love them, & thank them for making you a better person & helping you grow ♥