I'm only me when I'm with you

I'm Do you know the Taylor Swift song of this title?

I should hope so...

It's a gloriously catchy Taylor song that I used to hate, hate, hate on principal.  See when I heard lyrics like "It's like no matter what I do, I'm only me when I'm with you" I would go up in a feminine roar. (Which is hilarious coming from me as Tim would joke that he's more of a feminist than I am... Truth.) But truly I was so frustrated by the idea that a woman needed a man to feel comfortable being herself, that she would only allow herself to shine if he was also shining. Now, there is some part of this I still stand to but 10 months of marriage later and it looks like once again Taylor speaks the words of my heart!

Last weekend was a really good weekend. I went to a bachelorette party (more on that later) and then enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning with Tim. While we were in bed watching something on Netflix (likely the Office) I was able to easily convince him to indulge me in an IKEA trip. I love Ikea so much it's ridiculous and perhaps unhealthy. The organization, design, price, and food make my heart sing... Tim thinks I'm nuts when I start to explain how I love this megacheap furniture store. You be the judge. We were looking for some nursery organization and were able to furnish our back deck too! 

(A little bump date while we're at it)

These things combined to form my original reflection of this post. I love this man. I am a strong and independent woman and I survived 4 years of long distance in my own city at my own school without needing him in a sense. But 10 months later and I realize that it's true that I am who I want to be when I am with him. I know, I know, cheese and corn, BUT I am more confident being Rylee when I know that Tim is my counterpart. This is not to say that I change when he is around or I am different when he is not nearby to be the extroverted one of our duo, but I take comfort in new social situations when he is with me and I with him. Do I need Tim to make friends? No. But I do think I need Tim to achieve utmost joyfulness for me. And that's what marriage is right? After all, I changed my name and I changed my vocation. I am only me when I'm with Tim or I guess I would tweak that just a bit to be I am my best me when I'm with Tim and I am living my role of wife, mother, and woman most fully because of his presence. 

And while I dedicated this post entirely to sharing my love of my husband I should tell you where it really all stems from... He put in our AC window unit and this pregnant lady has slept through the night 3 times this past week! No one deserves more love than the person who installs an AC unit for a pregnant woman.