The Simple Things...

I think one of the big things I have been discovering in my relationship with my fiancée is that you really don't have to go all out to make things special. Sometimes smaller things can be truly more personal and more, dare I use the R-word... romantic *wolf-whistle*. Yes, every now and again it is fun to just splurge and not really worry about the money and just have a good time. Julia and I actually did that twice this year. And they do definitely leave an impression in memory.

But I have found that the times that have truly had more meaning to the both of us are those times in which we have done more simple things.

For instance, here in this part of the East Coast there is a chain of convenience store/gas stations called Wawa Food Markets (I know... that name is... very special). Wawa has its own specific brand of coffee. And most of the time it is very good. My personal favorite coffee drinks are their cappuccinos. And specifically during the Fall/Winter is when they have my absolute favorite cappuccino, Pumpkin Spice. Anyway, I digress.Wawa has coffee, and it's usually good. And it's also a great price. And Julia and I have developed a habit of just driving to the nearest Wawa late at night and picking up some coffee and then going for a drive. So simple, yet it's one of our favorite things to do. Usually what happens is we end up getting into these really fun or even serious conversations, over a cup of coffee.

We also sometimes will just go for a drive during the day and just pick random roads and see where they take us. Usually I will pick ones I've never been down before and just keep driving until I see something I recognize.

A few days after Christmas, she and I had one of our more memorable "simple" date nights. And it wasn't totally planned. One evening we had the need to get out and do something active, like taking a walk or, as I suggested, going to the nearby park and just swinging on the swing set or something. We got to the park... only to get out of the truck and be greeted by the cruel biting gales of Winter. So we turned around and got back in the truck and decided... to go for a drive and look at houses decorated with Christmas lights. We picked one town and just zigzagged through all of the streets for over an hour, all the while listening to Christmas music and looking at all the houses while engaging in some very deep discussions about family experiences. We got home a couple hours later and both of us could not get over how amazing something as simple as that had been.

I have had a lot of fun in those times when Julia and I have gone to see a movie or gone out for dinner or something, a lot of fun... But there was something much more beautiful about taking a drive around a town drowned in Christmas decorations while sharing memories and thoughts about Christmas and our families.

Don't underestimate the simple things. Because it truly is those things that you end up remembering more fondly.

.....Annnnd this whole post sounds like a heckin' Hallmark commercial. Great. Securing my manliness for generations to come....