I Am So Lucky

I recently just returned from a trip with my boyfriend to Myrtle Beach. If you may recall, we also went last year and had a great time. We decided to go again this year when my aunt Lisa offered out some of her vacation time (through some kind of timeshare points? I don't really know how it works). We got a great discount and stayed a very nice resort. Though the rooms were small, it was filled wall to wall with amenities.

It's picture time!

Our resort, the Seaglass Tower

Our view from the room

View to the little boardwalk below leading to the beach

We decided to save money by cooking breakfast and lunch, and only eating out at dinner. Good thing we did, because we both ran out of money by the end of the trip!

Our kitchenette 

Our very cool bathroom with giant tub and jacuzzi jets!

Another view picture

A very cool painting above the bed

The bed lamps had BOOKLIGHTS! Do you have any idea how excited I was about this??

Pirates Voyage, a VERY cool dinner show. Highly recommended if you ever go to Myrtle Beach!

A jellyfish in the water during the dolphin watch. There were millions of these around.

Dolphins! 

 We had a great view of the dolphins on the tour. We used the same tour as last year, and it was a good choice. A smaller boat, so everyone can see, with very nice people running the tour. We didn't need to go very far out to find them. Two pods eventually came together and started playing with each other. They came very close to the boat and we got amazing views! We even saw them one morning in the ocean from our hotel window!

A turtle was crossing the road in a parking lot. Though he hid away in his shell when I came over, I made sure no cars came to squish him while he made his journey.

TIGER!

Well, hello there.

Playing!

Awww.

Time to cool off.

A very cool waterfall that changed colors.

These weird little beetle things were EVERYWHERE.

 Since there was a mini golf course on practically every corner, we had to try one. We chose Mount Atlanticus since it had very cool views, and Danny liked the architecture of the place. After the 18th hole, we thought we were finished, but signs posted told us to follow the stairs down to the 19th hole at the main lobby. This is what we found:

 A hole in one on the 19th. On this shot:

 We failed miserably. BUT the entire wall was filled with photos of people who made it, of all ages!

View from Pier 14 restaurant, right behind our resort.

Out on the pier.

The ferris wheel on the left is called the Skywheel, the largest ferris wheel in America.

Out on the pier.

 And... my absolute favorite part of this trip...

 We got to hold and pet a baby white tiger!

 And feed him! Coolest thing ever.

And hold a baby monkey! Danny liked this guy, and thought it was adorable that he was wearing a diaper. Which it was!

Despite the drive there and back, overall, it was a fantastic trip. We ate great food, saw a fantastic pirates dinner show, hung out on the beach, took a walk on the pier and boardwalk, went on a dolphin watch tour, drank amazing lemonade and other drinks, saw dolphins in the ocean from our hotel window, and pet, hold, feed, and take a picture with a baby white tiger and a monkey. Unbelievably amazing.

I feel so lucky to have Danny in my life. Not only to do fun things like this with him, but because it wouldn't be the same with someone else. I feel like in a way going on little vacations like this brings us even closer, more connected. I am in love now more than ever, and I only see it continuing to grow and blossom into something not only better than what we already have, but better than I can imagine. Things like this only reaffirm my love and adoration toward him, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. I am so thankful to have someone so incredible to call mine.

Rainbow After the Rain

Every year on my birthday, for as long as I can remember, it has rained. Without fail. I never had to check the weather report, because I knew exactly what Mother Nature had in mind every May 2nd. It was like I was psychic for a day each year.

Despite my annual soothsayer abilities, my mother refused to believe me. Yet, like yearly clockwork, there the rain would appear. She apparently has the memory of a goldfish, and now that she's hit age 50, that's her excuse for finally admitting it. My brother couldn't care less. My friends gave me a sympathetic, "Really?" with raised eyebrows.

Sure, rain. Big deal, right? Probably not for some, or even most. It's spring. Rain comes and goes. But, the weather should be becoming pretty nice around now here in New York. Rain ruins your plans a little if you open a box of brand new rollerblades and can't try them out because water is falling from the sky. Or, if your best friend who lives across the street comes over and wants to play with you outside after school. Or, if you want to take a bike ride to your friend's house three blocks away, or walk up the street to the nearby school and play on the swings. Or, if you just want a nice, warm, sunny day for once.

So, every year, I planned for rain. Jackets, hats, umbrellas, indoor parties. I'd have a good time with my family and friends inside the skating rink or at home with cake, longing for, just once, a sunny day.

Well, my friends, this story finally has a happy ending. Today is May 2, 2012, and it isn't raining. But, not for the first time. This trend actually began two years ago in 2010. Right after I met Danny. Yep, ever since then, even before we started dating, my birthday has had clear, sunny skies. Not a drop of precipitation.

Coincidence? Yeah, probably. But, I'm not complaining. And while today there is constant cloud cover and a 30% chance of rain this afternoon, if the clouds decide they are too bloated with water weight, maybe this time, it won't be so horrendous.

Apologies... and an Eternal Love

Oh, I've been such a bad little blogger lately. I apologize for the lack of posts and fresh reading material here. It's partly due to a void of inspiration, and partly due to trying to think of a new name for this blog. The reason for that is because while it's named Signing Life, and while my life often revolves around sign language and my Deaf friends, I do not actually post about ASL very often. This blog is actually quite random and not particularly focused on one thing or another, just my ramblings and scribblings of whatever I feel like writing about when I come here. So, I am currently attempting to do one of the things that I have absolutely no talent or creativity for, and that is creating a catchy/witty/fun/unique name. Suggestions are welcome.

Moving on.


I went to a wedding on Sunday. Danny's friends Sal and Anjelica finalized their commitment to one another with a beautiful display of raw emotions shining through their personal vows. Before the reception filled with toasts to the happy couple, good food and drinks, words of congratulations and tons of dancing, there was the ceremony.

Set up outside on this cool evening in early October, the air was chilly with a light breeze, tickling our faces and the bare legs and arms of the ladies. At the head of the seated audience was an elegantly decorated and lit white gazebo, where three unlit candles awaited. After the entire wedding party had walked out, the beautiful bride and groom anxiously waited to officially become husband and wife.

Sal and Anjelica were married on the date of their original anniversary. They had waited ten years for this day to come. Literally, an entire decade since they began dating. When they exchanged their personally written vows, it was clear that these two people were meant to spend their lives together. While many tears of emotion flowed through their words, what really shone through these promises to each other was genuine love, adoration, and affection for the other. Truly meaningful, real, and completely pure blissfulness glowed as an aura, surrounding them together as one with every utterance of their vows.

At the completion of their vows, they went inside the gazebo, each standing at one end of the three candles lined together. Sal and Anjelica both lit their personal candles, representing themselves individually as people with separate lives. Together, using one hand to protect their light from the wind, they used the candles of their personal, single lives to light the middle candle, representing their new life together as one, perfect unit of love and devotion to one another through the beauty of marriage.

And with their marriage sealed with the first kiss as husband and wife, they walked back together, hand in hand as one, their candle flickering ever so gently through the cool breeze, but never extinguishing out.

The Perfect-ness of Imperfection

Two days ago, on Saturday, my lovely Daniel had a surprise up his sleeve and took me out for the night.


However, the poor boy, bless his heart, cannot hide anything. Ever. He either slips somehow, or when asked a question remotely related, he will smile and simply cannot lie or hide it.


For example, we were at a local elementary school, practicing for softball on Saturday, and when we were finishing up I casually asked him, "So what are we doing tonight?" After a couple of roundabout odd answers, he blurted out that he was planning on surprising me and taking me out, but hadn't thought of what to do yet, and was going to ask me what I wanted. I of course promptly explained to the silly man that if he is going to surprise his amazing and wonderful girlfriend, he is not supposed to ask her opinion on what to do or where to go; he is simply supposed to plan it himself and just do it. I then informed him that I will not be involved in the deicision-making. It was quite the learning experience.


After showering, I arrived at his house only to be whisked away into his silver Nissan Altima and driven to an undisclosed restaurant. I knew we were eating because we were both starving. He actually did trick me when he told me that he missed a turn that led to one of my favorite restaurants, Carrabba's Italian Grill. Once we approached the area of the real dining location, I knew what it was, and I became quite excited. J&R's Steakhouse! Yes! I'd never been, and now, finally, I would taste their juicy, marinated steaks of deliciousness. And that I did. And I added a tasty Kahlua Mudslide to my menu of deliciousness. And that it was.


Upon leaving the restaurant and driving in the direction toward home, Danny made a random right turn off the highway. When I asked where we were going, he only grinned at me and wouldn't say. After pulling into the movie theater parking lot, I asked if we were seeing a movie, and he quickly replied, "Yep!" I should have known something was up, but he actually tricked me again, because as we walked up to the theater, he pulled me to the left toward the strip of stores in the next parking lot. I voiced that I didn't even know what was on that side as I never go there, and he was very good with not slipping and ruining his surprise. Unfortunately, however, he was saddened and his surprise was thwarted as he realized that this place of business no longer existed at this location. As I am quite addicted to ice cream, he confessed his plans to take me to ColdStone because he knew I loved it. I told him not to worry, as it is the thought that counts, and a very nice thought it was.


Though his second plan failed, and he was upset because Google Maps lied to him and told him it still existed, it was still a nice night. We had a good dinner, great conversation, amazing Mudslides, and following the small ice cream mishap, we went to Borders' closing sale to see if there was anything left on their last day of business (so sad).


While some people must have every date planned perfectly and itinerized (yes, I just made that up) to the last minute, I don't need that.  I am grateful to have someone with whom I can still have fun, even with bumps in the road, or, in this case, missing ice cream shops. I'd rather have a haphazardly effective but enjoyable date rather than a perfectly planned but boring rendezvous. And had Danny organized and orchestrated a flawless, romantic night out on the town that was smooth and went off without a hitch, so be it. I'd take either one, because of the person I'm spending it with, not because of the activities. I'm happy just to be with him, enjoying his company and our time together. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Write on Wednesdays: One Liner

This is my third week with Write on Wednesdays. Today is about a great one liner that describes a part of my day. Click the button above to read the full prompt. Here is my line:

And as we lay together, listening to the rhythmic drumming of his heart, fingers laced and legs intertwined, I knew I had found my treasure.

Hop on over to InkPaperPen at the button above to read others' posts for this week!

Danny

I couldn't ask for a better person in my life. 


If I think about my past relationships, it's clear that none of them compare to my current one. And, back then, I probably would have said the same thing, but this one... is for real.


Dictionary.com defines love in fourteen different ways, just in noun form. From its first definition of "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person," to a strong enthusiasm or liking of an object such as books, to the physical connection between two people, to using it as a term of endearment, to a religious definition of God's feelings for His people, to its meaning in a tennis match. Which one is right? Well, that depends on what you use it for. Since we're talking about (and when I say "we," I mean "I") relationships, that kicks out a simple term of endearment and my expensive bookworm habit. While I do have a deep love for books, I have no desire to go on a date with them. Clearly we are also not talking about a game of tennis, so that's out. And, while people do claim to have a relationship with God, this is simply not a religious experience. Love in terms of relationships. That eliminates the physical connection between two people, because really, if that is the only thing your "relationship" is based upon, you don't exactly have a relationship. I do believe, however, that that kind of physical affection cannot exist without love. Without love, what's the point?


So then, what's left? "A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person." Well, it sounds good. But what does it really describe? It's all about the affection. Affection is great. It's wonderful. But that's all that love is about? Anyone who has been in love will tell you it's so much more than that. Because it is. However, ask them to describe it, or define it for you, and they probably can't. Because as stereotypical as it sounds, love is indescribable.


I may have gotten off track here. I am not trying to define love or give you my definition of it, either. However, to me, it is definitely much more than a deep affection for another person. I know that, because I feel it with Danny.


It's not that I have never had these strong feelings for another person before. I can't use the cliched, overused movie line, "I have never felt like this before!" If I did, I'd be lying. I've felt love before. However, I can say that it's never been this absolute before. Or this intense. Or this deep, profound, pronounced, heartfelt or sincere before. And it's incredible. It's awesome to feel this way about another person. But what is truly stunning, truly magnificent, is that all of these beautiful feelings are reciprocated. That is amazing. 


To have those kind of emotions and feelings come back in full force is magnificent. To have them come back the way Danny gives them, with such honesty and genuine warmth, is something that is indescribable. To finally have someone who loves me as much as I love him, and who shows it without fear at every moment possible is incredible, and something that I hope lasts forever. I finally have someone who treats me with the love, care, understanding, and full respect that I continuously give and deserve in return, and who appreciates me as much as I appreciate him. And I wish there existed a better word in the English language to describe it besides amazing, wonderful, incredible, awesome, etc... because those just don't seem to cut it.


I've never smiled so much in my life. It's now become automatic. At the mere mention of his name, I involuntarily smile. And not in the, "OhmygoshthecuteboyIlikejusttalkedtomeohmygod" *giggles and jumping* teenage kind of way. In the genuinely happy, content way. Because his name means so much more to me than just "boyfriend." No matter how sad, angry, disappointed, or upset the world has made me on a particular day, all I have to do is see his face, and I instantaneously smile. It is now a reflex that I cannot control. And it's pretty awesome.


I've never once questioned whether or not this is right. I've never once questioned whether or not this will last, or go the distance. With Danny, I just... know. I feel it. Nothing's ever been so right, or felt this good. It's not just because he's cute (which he is), or we just like being around each other and have fun together (which we do, but that can be felt with anyone or any friendship), or that he's a good kisser (which he is), or that we playfully argue over who gets to pay (which we do). All that is great, too, but it's so much deeper than that. He tells me that we are going to be 80 years old and still cuddling, holding hands, rubbing noses, and acting as in love as we do now, and I believe it. When he kisses me, I feel it. When he hugs me, I feel it. And when he looks at me and smiles, I see and know that he feels it, too.


The past year, two months, and five days have been the best, happiest, and most fortunate of my life. I'm the luckiest girl in the world. And I wouldn't change it for anything.


What should I write about today? I sometimes ask him. 
"Me!" is often his reply.
So today, I do.

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