I celebrate. A lot. Probably more than the average person. I like to cheer every accomplishment. If the kids had a good report card? Let's go out for pizza! The end of a bad week? Let's order it in and rent a movie!. I have celebrated finishing up all the painting and writing for my book, celebrated the arrival of it in printed form. If there is something to smile about, I like to celebrate it. Sure it may be excessive, and sure my kids may have said quite a few times, "What are we celebrating NOW, mom?" but there are so many daily moments to feel good about.

And I am the first to admit though, that I can't remember important dates to save my life. Best Boyfriend Ever and I don't have an anniversary. We cannot remember when we really began to date. We had been friends for close to a year before we ever kissed. We know it began sometime in late 2006. We had just recently agreed to try dating. I was scared to death of messing up our friendship. I had just a few months before broken it off with one of the sweetest, nicest men I had ever met and that was so hard. He was just not right for me, but I couldn't even tell anyone why. So then there is my hunny, who at the time was just this nice man that had come to some of my gallery shows, sent flowers as a congratulations when I opened my studio, who had met me to go listen to some blues music a few times here and there. I was so comfortable with him. We were friends, we had fun. We could talk for hours and hours and hours. We finally decided to try dating, but it would not be exclusive. I had to be able to date other people. God, I was terrified that it might not work out and we would end up hurting each other and losing our friendship.

We took a trip to Savannah - he knew I had never travelled at all and I wanted to see Savannah. He loved this place and it was near the ocean. God we had fun that weekend. The first night in the hotel I was down in the lobby and he came walking towards me from down a hall. I can remember that moment so clearly. Because all of a sudden I knew it. I was smitten. Looking back, I think that was the first moment of beginning to fall in love with him. We have pretty much been inseparable ever since. And we celebrate as many moments as we can, well, mostly because it is fun. He brings me flowers often. Almost always for no reason at all. There are flowers on the dining room table right this moment from him. "Just because." he will say when he walks in after work and hands them to me. Swoon.

Last night we went out after we had been in most of the day. I finished the text for my book. I got down on paper what I have been trying to get down for about 3 -4 years now. "We should go out! And celebrate!" I exclaimed. He smiled at me and said ok. I love when he looks at me like that. I love when we go out for no real reason at all and do the same thing we have done so many times at the same places and it all still feels so fun and new. We had so much fun last night doing nothing really special. And today I am celebrating having a partner that I am so in love with and knows how to be happy and celebrate with me for no reason in particular at all.