DEAR BREE, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, MY BABYGIRL! RIGHT NOW AS A WRITE THIS, YOU ARE CURLED UP ASLEEP NEXT TO ME, HAVING FALLEN ASLEEP WATCHING BORING TV WITH ME (LET'S BE HONEST - WE WEREN'T WATCHING IT, WE GOT TUCKERED OUT FROM SOMETHING ELSE 😉). A SILLY LITTLE HALLMARK HOLIDAY IS TOMORROW AND I KEEP THINKING ABOUT HOW HAPPY I AM. I AM SO VERY HAPPY THAT WE MET AND FELL IN LOVE BECAUSE YOU HAVE OPENED UP A WORLD TO ME THAT I NEVER KNEW EXISTED. YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME PATIENCE (THOUGH...I'M NOT SO GOOD AT IT, ADMITTEDLY), STABILITY, AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE OUR STRUGGLES, I NEVER DOUBT MY FEELINGS FOR YOU. YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL PERSON, MY BEAUTIFUL PERSON. I AM SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY TO KNOW YOU AND BE A PART OF YOUR WORLD. I'M GOING TO TRY TO NOT MAKE THIS SOUND SO INCREDIBLY CHEESY OR CLICHE, SO BEAR WITH ME. WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT MARRIAGE. SOME GIRLS DO, AND OBVIOUSLY FROM A YOUNG AGE I WASN'T EXACTLY TYPICAL (READ: SUPER TOTALLY GAY). BUT I DIGRESS. EVEN AS I GOT INTO MORE SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS, THE NOTION OF MARRIAGE FREAKED ME OUT. MARRIAGE JUST SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING PEOPLE DID AS A NATURAL PROGRESSION OR "END" TO THEIR RELATIONSHIPS. I WOULD WATCH FRIENDS OF MINE BECOME ENGAGED BECAUSE THEY FELT THEY HAD TO AFTER BEING WITH SOMEONE AFTER X AMOUNT OF YEARS. IT WAS EXPECTED. HOWEVER I NEVER REALLY FELT THAT STRONG PULL TO THAT COMMITMENT. I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE IF THAT WAS DUE TO FEAR, OR BECAUSE IT HAD NEVER FELT RIGHT, OR MAYBE IT WAS A COMBINATION OF BOTH. I WANT TO EXPRESS THIS OVERWHELMING FEELING OF SURETY, OF CONFIDENCE, THAT I AM SO HAPPY WE TOOK THE PLUNGE AND DECIDED TO GET MARRIED. NO MATTER THE ROUGH PATCHES, THE FIGHTS, THE INSECURITIES, I NEED YOU KNOW THAT I AM UNEQUIVOCALLY YOURS, FOR AS LONG AS YOU'LL HAVE ME. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I HOPE THAT ON THIS DAY, AND FOR ALWAYS, YOU KNOW HOW LOVED YOU ARE. HOW SPECIAL YOU ARE. NOT ONLY TO ME, BUT TO EVERYONE YOU TOUCH IN YOUR LIFE. I CANNOT WAIT TO CONTINUE TO BUILD A LIFE WITH YOU AND SEE YOU GROW, SEE YOU CHANGE, AND TO IN TURN, DO THESE THINGS AS WELL WITH YOU. I CANNOT WAIT TO KNOW YOU MORE, LOVE YOU MORE, AND SPEND EVERY BIRTHDAY, HOLIDAY, BIG EVENT, LITTLE EVENT, EVERYTHING WITH YOU. I LOVE YOU, MY GIRL, MY BREEBY, MY EVERYTHING. THESE GIFTS AREN'T MUCH, BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM (WHICH I'M THINKING YOU WILL). LOVE, LAYNE