Okay, so why did I get Jordan a rock for her birthday? I want Jordan to have a special day. I love her so much and I'm so sad to not be with her on her birthday. But I also want this day to remind her why we're apart. The reasons we aren't together will only make our relationship stronger. This rock represents so many things to me, and I want those things to be known to her today. So, let's get started.
1. Like this rock, our relationship is strong and can withstand whatever adventure our lives hold. This is the first birthday in four years we've spent apart. It's not ideal, but we do have 80 more years of birthdays together. The adventures we've had and the adventures that are still to come will all make up for this one adventure that we have to spend apart. I'm so lucky to have someone that supports my dreams and appreciates my accomplishments. I'm so proud to have found a partner that makes sacrifices (like spending birthdays alone) in order to maintain my happiness. Today, let this rock remind you that you are strong. That we are strong. That I love you. And that we have so many magical adventures to come!
2. Like this rock, this part of our journey, is just a tiny piece of a huge, beautiful picture. This rock may have been a part of a mountain or a boulder. It was once attached to some huge part of nature and has become smaller and smaller over time, until it became what you're holding now. It probably took millions of years to become what it is right now. Knowing that should make today a little easier for you -- knowing that should make today feel like a tiny dot in the course of our lives together. We can't always see the big picture (it's hard not to focus on one day at a time), but when life comes together, things typically turn out the way they're supposed to...and that is beautiful. Today, let this rock remind you of the big picture.
3. Like this rock, getting older just makes us fit together more perfectly. No matter how far apart we are, I know that we are meant for one another. With each day, there are more and more possibilities that open up around us. As we grow as individuals, we grow closer together. I hope that we never lose sight of the story we share together, the dreams we have for one another, and the inspiration we find within ourselves. But most of all, I hope we can continue to grow with each other. Today, let this rock remind you of how you fit with me.
4. Like this rock, this isn't the last journey we'll make. We have many years to come. We will have graduations, and more schooling, and more graduations, and home buying, and children, and fights, and moves, and decisions, and disagreements, and all sorts of things. We will help people and we will change people. And people will change us. We will have plenty of adventures over the years to come. We have journeys to come. This isn't the last birthday we'll spend apart. I hope that we can fill our lives with love and happiness. I hope that we can continue to be adventurous - take chances and live life fully. I hope that we can live a lives that matter. Today, let this rock remind you to be amazing in all that you do because you are an incredible woman.
I am so proud of all that you are and I'm so grateful for the value that you add to my life. I can't imagine how different I would be without you. Be adventurous today. Do something you wouldn't normally. Try something different. And do something exactly like you always do. Watch a movie with the puppies. Sleep in and eat something unhealthy. And don't wash/dry/fold any laundry!
Happy Birthday, Jordan!
