Love.

It's the day after Valentine's Day and since I haven't been on here in some time, I thought I would shed a little light on what I think of this four letter word; because when people think of love, often images of hearts, sunsets, and people kissing comes to mind. For me, love is so much more than that.

Behind love, is friendship. Admiration. Respect. Honesty. These words have so much more meaning to me. These words are what make love so powerful. It would be easy for me to relate love to Jordan right now but I'm going to come at it from a different perspective. I just asked my best friends to be my bridesmaids and a few of them have never met and have only heard stories about each other. I found out today that they're all plotting behind my back, about bridal showers, bachelorette parties, bridesmaids dresses, the works. I felt so loved and touched after hearing this. What a joy to know that the girls I LOVE have come together as strangers to celebrate me. The love I have for these girls isn't done justice by calling it love. I admire, respect, honor these girls because to me, they are my support. They deal with my stubborn attitude, my sometimes selfish conversations, my insecurities, my flaws, and yet they are there for me anyway. Thanks girls, you are a huge part of what will make my wedding memorable and I am so thankful.

Another type of love is within family. But again, I don't want to go to the obvious with my mom dad and sister because everyone understands a family's love. Something I've learned to do is to love Jordan's family. Jordan and I sometimes think about how complicated things can get with having two moms and two dads, yet we feel much more blessed and thankful for it instead. I have come so close to them, that their support is becoming another stronghold that I rely on. I love them each in their own way and each now holds a special place in my heart. For blogging's sake I'll just pick on the moms. Maria is so enlightening and such a Godly woman that I can turn to - sometimes for a much needed reality check. She has become so important in my life, and has even healed long-opened wounds maybe without her even knowing it. Regina is always eager to be there for me and always makes it known that I am just as important to her as Jordan. She is always up for whatever and I know she would do whatever it took to help us out if she needed to. I am so thankful that she can be so understanding and nurturing even when we have silly talks about how the minds of men are so weird. If I was ever unsure about Jordan, I would know that meeting his family, his whole family, has brought a significant change in my life that I am so grateful for.

And now onto Jordan and I. (duh, it's a great example). Jordan and I have called each other our "best friend" for a couple of years now. The difference behind this friendship and the one I have with my girlfriends is the commitment we have to each other. When something great/bad/happy/sad happens to one of us, we're the first people to know what is going on in each others lives. I was the first to know about Jordan's cancer, and he was the first to know about my really bad day at work (so not equal on the same levels, but it's the best I could do). We share a life together, no ifs, ands, or buts. If I'm in a tight spot with money, Jordan willingly gives it without reminding me about an IOU and vice versa (which can sometimes be a deal breaker for girlfriends). But more importantly again is the respect for each other, the admiration of seeing the positives in one another. I constantly tell Jordan how much I admire his passion for teaching, his drive for success, his ambitions to do better than what mistakes his parents may have made. And he constantly tells me how proud of me he is, which always brings me to tears even when I type it in a blog. It sounds simple and to some people, it isn't enough. But he knows that within my heart of hearts, I never feel that anyone is proud of me, that people are expecting me to fail. That attention to those areas where he knows I am vulnerable, he soothes. That. Is love.

I am so excited to get married and start this journey. I am finding myself filled with this love for my girlfriends who are so eager and happy for me that I am so grateful beyond words. And I'm learning every day that the love between Jordan and I is unshakable and sometimes even shocks me when I'm not expecting it. I am so blessed to have found these people - and if you are one of those people reading this. I love you. From my definition, not the generic one.