My soulmate.

I realize there are some theories out there surrounding the idea of a soulmate. Some people believe in them, some don't, and some, like me, believe they exist, but not everyone has them. Whatever the truth is, I know Stephen is my soulmate. Conventional "wisdom" dictates that you date as many people as you can so you know what you like. I'm here to say that that is a bunch of potash. I dated one person before I dated my husband, and I only dated the other guy for 3 months. I never once considered marrying him, we were just having fun.

Stephen was the first man I ever considered marrying. I mean, there were a couple of guys I imagined marrying, and I would do whatever it took to make it work, but they weren't interested in me. I can't describe quite how it happened (it was a complex, spiritual experience), but 3 months in with Steve, I knew without a doubt that I was going to marry him. I mean, I was just getting out of the infatuation phase, where you can't really tell what it is yet, but you just love being in love. And maybe that phase was so short because I was spending every waking second I could with him.

We talked about absolutely everything, even things I thought were boring. I just wanted to hear what he thought about everything. I would watch all the shows he liked, just because he liked them. That was painful at times, but we certainly found things we both really liked and that was reward enough. I learned of his faults and strengths through experience. We went everywhere together, which ended up being mostly restaurants, grocery stores, and family events. We even worked together after my boss hired him. After work, I'd stay at his house until the wee hours of the morning...like 8am, and I'd come get him for work at 4pm. We literally spent every second we could together.

After awhile, it just got to the point where I couldn't imagine being without him. I couldn't bear the increasingly rare occasions where I wasn't by his side. Even when I was mad at him, I wanted him around. It's still like that, pathetically enough. He makes me the happiest person I can be. I can't even describe what he means to me. Sure, he's a man, and therefore frustrating at times, but I learn from him. He's my everything. The fact that he loves me too is just icing on the cake.