Written by on | 2 Comments

Dresser Full
of Words

I will never forget the epic bike ride. But it wasn’t just the adventure on wheels that made me fall in love with the Ace Hotel. They had a dresser full of written word and the writer in me fell in love at first sight. It was as if every message in a bottle ever thrown out to sea had been collected and stored in one secret treasure chest in Portland.

I will say that a lot of the pieces I read were dark and gray. I appreciated the people’s honesty, but decided I would leave a slice of sunshine behind. I wanted whoever read my little piece of scrap paper to walk away with a smile.

So Vitaliy and I sat down to write each other a love letter. Then we threw it in the sea of other notes. And I couldn’t help but wonder who might discover mine. There is something profound about putting your thoughts down on paper. A permanent profession of my love for Vitaliy. Written down in history, kind of like my wedding vows, never to be broken.

3 jars with rubber bands, paper clips and erasers on top of the cabinet with drawers
Chime in  or Share
Written by on | 2 Comments

Love Note Journal

Sorry for the little hiatus. Vitaliy and I were feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to keep up with blogging in the midst of our vlogging challenge. We’ve officially made it half way through the challenge and are starting to feel a bit more grounded. For those of you tuning in on Facebook, what have you thought about the videos? We’re definitely considering adding videos to the blog and even have some ideas, but we’d love to hear your thoughts.

So this week, we are going to be talking all about love notes. I don’t know a man or woman that doesn’t love receiving a hand written note from someone they love. Before Vitaliy and I were married, we had a few turns at dating long-distance. They were trying times, but the letters in the mail sure made it all worth the heartache.

Now that we’re married, I will say that we no longer write novels to one another. But there is still something special about putting my thoughts and feelings down on paper for him to keep. Hopefully, by the end of this week you’ll have a few new ideas to get you started.

Today’s idea comes from former wedding clients, now turned close friends. Matt and Claire gave us all kinds of goodies for our five year anniversary, but there was one gift that stood out amongst the rest. It was just a notebook, but it had a very special purpose. Here’s how it works. I just love this idea!

It’s basically a collection of love notes from Vitaliy and I to each other. When one of us feels prompted to write the other, we take out the notebook, write our note, and then leave the book somewhere for the other person to be surprised when they find it. Then that person passes it back when they have something to share. It could be words of encouragement, words of love, or even words of apology. I can’t imagine getting to read through this notebook in later years. And what a gift it will be to our children and grand-children one day.

Thank you Matt and Claire for this ingenious idea! It has truly been a gift to us and now we hope it will be a gift to someone out there reading right now.

Chime in  or Share
Written by on | 7 Comments

Tell Your Love Story

I sat across the table from one of the coldest couples I know. And when I say cold, I mean towards each other. They’ve been married for over 40 years, but have simply become roommates.

We shared a meal together and the more we talked the more lifeless the conversation became. I decided we needed to make a turn fast before I ended up falling asleep in my soup.

So tell me, how did the two of you meet?

They laughed bashfully, looking at one another. The years of young love were long gone and the distance between them caused a reluctance to revisit those memories. But to oblige their guests, they finally began the narration.

I expected them to be terse in their description, but I soon found myself sitting on the edge of my seat full of anticipation. I had a million questions, but held my tongue as to not interrupt the natural flow of the story. More than that, I didn’t want to interrupt what was happening before my eyes.

They were actually warming up to one another, laughing in ways I’ve never heard. I even caught a glimpse of him caressing her arm. I was shocked to say the least. I think there was a smile plastered to my face the rest of the conversation.

This experience taught me a lot. It taught me the importance of telling your love story. There is power in returning back to those first days of your relationship. Don’t let that story get stuck on a shelf and covered with cobwebs. Share it with others. Revisit it with each other. And I guarantee it will keep your love alive.

v-c

Chime in  or Share