The little things that show he cares

I don't give my wonderful boyfriend enough credit! I woke up on Friday morning expecting nothing but a card and maybe some flowers or chocolates since Jake had hinted that he had bought me a Valentine's Day present. I had bought him some chocolates and a set of 5 action movies, one of which we saw on one of our first dates, 2 1/2 years ago. I didn't put a lot of thought into what I bought - it was only Valentine's Day, we've never made a big deal out of it, and generic flowers or chocolates were all I was expecting to receive, after all!

I unwrapped the rectangular present he handed me on Friday morning thinking I knew exactly what was inside. The paper fell away, and the chocolates I was expecting were nowhere in sight! Instead out tumbled Lorde's album, Pure Heroine, and the DVD of The Great Gatsby - two things I had very much coveted. My chest tightened and my eyes welled up. You might not think this is a particularly romantic gesture, but what this gift meant to me is unexplainable. Jake is a man of few words. He is a bloke's bloke, he likes things simple, and these two little gifts surprised me because they're perfect. These two presents were proof to me of the attention he pays me. Jake held me as I cried over reading The Great Gatsby a few months back and has patiently endured me turning the radio up to an ungodly level every time Lorde comes on ever since I first heard Royals about a year ago. I never would have guessed that he had taken note of these things, but I'm glad he did. A CD and a DVD aren't exactly equivalent to diamonds as far as gifts go, but they mean more to me than expensive jewellery ever could because it's the little things like this that show he cares.

I hope your Valentine's Day was filled with simple gestures from your loved ones that show they care, too.

"I hate books," he said,

"I hate books," he said, as he wrapped me in his arms. "They always steal you away from me."

I kissed his mouth and smiled. "It's only for a few hours. I've missed you. Come and snuggle."

As this conversation played out the other night, I couldn't help but feel bad. I hadn't seen Jake in a week, and here I was with my nose in a book. I felt selfish.

But then I remembered the following quote which I had read one day on the internet, and my guilt was diminished. Jake has always known, and loved, my nerdy side. He knows that books are a massive part of my life, just as motocross is a massive part of his. With how much of a hold the literary world has on my life, how could it not make up a huge part of what he loves about me?

I think this quote (by Robert Pattinson of all people) sums up and explains mine and Jake's situation pretty well:

"If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She'll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are. Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. - Robert Pattinson, redeemed

I screenshotted this when it popped up on my pinterest again tonight and sent it to Jake with a message reminding him of something. "You may lose me for a few hours while I'm reading a book, but I will always be yours and I will always be much the better for reading. One day, you will come to treasure the way I can get lost in a book. My eyes will light up as I animatedly discuss the character, just as though he is a real person, and you will look at me and smile, because I'm passionate, I'm inspired and I'm yours." 

Date Jar DIY

This a project I did quite a while ago to combat Jake's constant nagging on the weekends of "what can we do?" I'd seen it on pinterest a fair bit, was bored one day, went to the craft store and gave it a go! I don't know why I never shared this, because it definitely works - even if we sometimes put the sticks back 3475975367 times until we find something we actually feel like doing.

All I did for this easy DIY is decorate the jar with pretty felt letter stickers and ribbon, paint half my sticks pink and wait for them to dry, then trawl the intenet for date ideas (50 in total) to write on the sticks.

It's super easy, it works and I like the way the jar looks on the shelf. What more could you want?