real. simple.

Most are not likely moved to tears by the presence of a magazine in their mailbox. And, if you know anything about me, you know that I wasn't either. But, if I was the person who was moved to tears with any regularity, then I can assure you that receiving Real Simple in the mail yesterday would have. Instead, I smiled really huge and opened my Valentine's Day gift.

Granted, a magazine subscription is not what most people would ask for when it comes to an occasion such as the big VDay. But, to me, it's a simple luxury that I wasn't expecting. When the two year subscription I had bought for myself at the end of college ran out (as in "we've sent you at least one more issue than we were supposed to in hopes that you'd change your mind and now this is really REALLY the last issue!") I figured that was the end of it. We've been trying to cut back, hold off on some unneeded expenses, and a 200+ page bimonthly tome giving instructions on living simply on a bloated budget seemed to pass the test of "unneeded."

But after a month or two of not getting it in the mail, I started to miss it. And I didn't really hide the fact either. But, when VDay started to roll around, Dan disappeared to the bedroom and came back with a check made out to Real Simple for a renewed subscription. Let me tell you, if you're going to go off of the gift list, let you stray in a way that takes you to the simple heart and soul of a gift like this.

Dan and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary on Sunday. Small victories in a world of arguments and breakups need to be celebrated. 6 months, basically still fairly happy with one another, is 6 months well spent. I look at him and am so happy we got married when we did (sorry mom, I know you wanted more than 4 months) and I can't picture it a different way. This is life. It's real and it's simple...without 200+ pages of bloated budgets. My rock, my clown and my love: my husband who I love more and more each day. I am so lucky to be living this life alongside you. I love you. <3