Putting the Love in Lovegren

He made this. 

When I posted a few months ago that 2013 was not a very good year, some of my friends found it a little offensive. Chad, however, found it VERY offensive. For some reason he does not feel he gets enough facetime in this blog (which he only reads because I make him) so this Valentine’s Day, I am writing about Chad. And since he is a tad narcissistic like me, I think he will like this.

WARNING: This is a cheesy post, so if you like cheese (wait - everyone likes cheese, but you know what I mean) then read on. If not, then go enjoy your afternoon, and I promise I will post again soon.

As most of you know, Chad and I met online and for some reason he instantly made me happy. His eharms questions were about Saved By The Bell, he went in for the kiss on a first date, and made Dad Jokes that made me smile from ear to ear. He paid attention to everything I said (which I can only imagine is not easy) and still continues to surprise me how well he can listen to even my longest stories. And while Chad is overall good on paper – funny, handsome, creative, thoughtful – it is the little things about him that made me fall in love with him. 

Here are just a few of my favorite Chad moments:

On one of our first dates, Chad and I went to the beach. He was in charge of the cocktails, and I was in charge of the food. That morning, Chad went for a 16-mile run before making some strong cocktails to bring to my house. Being that I was nervous to be seen in a bathing suit for the first time, I completely forgot about the fact that I was in charge of food. He never said anything, so we went to the beach and started casually drinking our cocktails. By the time we finished, Chad was not only drunk, but STARVING. He stayed quiet until we went to the Sox game that night, and he inhaled almost an entire helmet nacho (I helped). People were like, “Woa, I have never seen anyone actually finish one of those.” It took months before he ever told me how hungry he was that day, and reminded me that I was in charge of the food. Whoops. But the fact that he ate the helmet nachos and kept the helmet, well – I knew he was a keeper right then and there.

This year was Chad’s first year at the lake, and it is no surprise that he loved it. But more than Chad loved the lake, I think my dad loved having another man up there to help him and Keith with some labor around the house. Trying to get on Bob Keller’s good side, Chad helped my dad put rocks up and down the shoreline to build a rock wall. The next day, when all the rocks had fallen (Keith’s side), Chad rebuilt the rock wall. The next day, when the rocks fell again (Dad’s side), Chad rebuilt a third time. I know throwing 25 pound rocks isn’t exactly how he planned to spend his weekend, but the fact the he got in the water each day to build something for my family made me love him a little bit more.

Every once in a while I get the chance to work from home, and when I do, I often work from Chad’s house. He and I only see each other about 1 or 2 days a week, so working from home opens up the possibility of a 3^rd day. I usually tell Chad when I am heading to his house (just so he knows) and about 75% of the time he responds to tell me what food is in the house. I can’t tell if it is his way of keeping track of how much I eat when I get there, or just because he knows that I am always hungry, but for some reason it always cracks me up. Sidenote: the food is always the same – Cottage Cheese, Pizza Rolls, Apples, and sometimes leftover chicken. The other 25% of the time he tells me that “if I am cold/hot, I can adjust the temperature” and then gives directions on how to use the thermostat. Pressing the up/down button can be tough, especially when you have you’re busy eating pizza rolls.

I am not going to put you through anymore of my sappy tales, but this is just a snapshot into why I love this guy. While I know these stories don’t mean anything to any of you readers, they mean the world to me.

I feel very lucky to have found you, Chad. Happy Valentine’s Day!