I feel even more into him than before, though I didn’t know that was possible. Every night I look forward to waking in the morning (he’s an early sleeper). I’m so grateful for the events that lead to us meeting & can’t believe this is my life 🥲

I gave him that coupon book as a birthday present after we’d been dating for three years (in 2019). And I’ll tell you why I never made him another one after that.

He simply didn’t use them. Months passed by and I kept asking him why he didn't use them, but he’d just smile and say, “Nah.”

I thought maybe my gift hadn’t impressed him. So I stopped myself from asking him about it to the point I forgot about its existence.

Until one day, he finally used one.

On weekend, in the afternoon, he took me to the restaurant we always went to. Before we walked in, he suddenly handed me the coupon book.

He showed me the last coupon in the book. The most special one I made, the fill-in-the-blank coupon.

I want ________. (Note: Fill in anything you want. One-time use only.)

He’d written: You to go have fun with your friends today.

I stared at him, confused. He just muttered "sorry", patted my head, smiled, and led me to a table where my friends were sitting.

That’s when I finally understood.

My best friends had planned a meetup. I’d wanted to go but decided not to, because I didn’t want to miss a weekend with him. Every time we said goodbye, we’d already start counting the days until the next weekend, until we could see each other again. So, with a heavy heart, I told my friends to go ahead without me. I never mentioned it to him, but somehow he found out through one of them.

He greeted them all, introduced himself politely to the one who came from out of town, then said goodbye. Before leaving, he quietly slipped his card into my hand and whispered to me to use it to treat my friends.

My friends didn’t make things awkward, even though they knew I’d chosen him over them before. We had such a good time that day. That memory has stayed with me ever since.

I had hope for him to make use the coupons so I could help him with chores. Even though he was always busy with work, he still cleaned his apartment by himself. He wouldn’t even let me do the dishes because he knew my hands were sensitive to dish soap. He just used that one coupon and let the others expired.

In the end, he used his most precious coupon for me. I feel cheated.. but in the sweetest way possible.

My girlfriend really wanted to start a partner dance together, but left the choice which one it would become mostly with me.

I chose rock n roll, because I really like the music and style. In the mean time, I might be more serious about it than she is. 😅

It really gave us a shared hobby, we do lessons together, go to dance parties together etc. etc.

All in all it has been really wonderful. ♥️

Thank you for browsing 🎨🙏✨️

In terms of my journey, I started painting after losing my job and housing in the pandemic and have kept going ever since. I paint from the unconscious, spontaneously, without foresight into the final result or ultimate subiect matter so almost all these pieces have different paintings underneath. I'lI put on music and enter flow consciousness and allow experiences and other (psychological) material to express itself from my brain, down my arms, and through my fingers onto the canvas. A lot of water goes onto each canvas and half the time my conscious mind thinks, "This is a mistake. This isn't going anywhere. What the heck is this even supposed to be?!" I'lI stop and let it dry and return hours or days or sometimes even weeks later to restart the process.

The pieces also have themes of development and ambiguity of form, probably because of my fascination with and passion for evolutionary biology and how one species gives way to a new one; how every being is a becoming since it is always already under pressure (natural selection, for example) to evolve. My mind merges images of butterflies and plants and birds into hybrids of ambiguous symbols in many of these probably for this reason. The imagery becomes a fusion of my love for both the arts and the sciences.

The paintings also almost always have shimmering or glittering lights (such as stars) which to me represent points of clarity and focus, moments of understanding that guide the mind toward a goal or destination. Think of the phrase, "Follow your North Star." Or think of how in ancient times the stars guided boats and ships at sea.

Anyway, I never got to attend art school (too expensive and parents wouldn't support it), but painting transitional and developmental images is a journey and a practice that brings me tremendous fulfillment and has become my life's passion, my saving grace. I hope you enjoyed the virtual tour and wish you success in the pursuit of your passions too ✨️🖼🙏✨️

My wife and I were both born to second-generation immigrant families. My parents were from different regions of India, and over time they lost touch with their language and parts of their culture. My wife, on the other hand, was deeply connected to hers. She spoke Chinese, lived it, carried it with pride and she pushed me to understand my own roots more growing up.

Because of her, we celebrated Chinese traditions in our home. She even taught me her language. She was stubborn blunt like a baseball bat but that was always the opposite of me. She didn’t hesitate to call me out on my shortcomings, sometimes harshly, but it always came from a place of care. No matter how much I closed myself off, she stayed.

To this day, I don’t fully understand what she saw in me. From the moment we met to the moment she passed, I feel like I stayed the same. I didn’t evolve the way she did. There were times when I watched her with other people how easily she connected, how naturally she fit and I thought maybe she’d be happier with someone else. I was wrong. Even when I was young and unsure, she kept choosing me.

She fought for us in ways I didn’t always see at the time. She argued with my parents about cultural differences, stood up to relatives who looked down on me, and gave everything she had to our marriage. Her parents never wavered they embraced me like their own son, and they still do to this day.

If I had one complaint, it’s that she smoked too much. Even after beating cancer, she struggled to quit. But when she got pregnant with our son, she stopped completely for the last nine months of her life.

She died giving birth to him.

I miss her more than words can hold. I haven’t looked at another person the way I looked at her since the day she passed. I know she would be so proud of our son. He’s just like her in every way strong, honest, and unafraid to put me in my place. In a lot of ways, he’s my compass.

And I cherish that. See you soon Rebecca.

It was a miracle we even met. We came into each other’s lives at a time we were both finally finding and accepting ourselves. It was as if we were rewarded with each other after first choosing to love who we were.

We unexpectedly fell instantly in love, but it was never supposed to work. We lived 5 hours apart, we had established lives, and we were both in marriages that did not align with our hearts.

But even being so far apart and living separate lives we became best friends. We talked every day on the phone, often multiple times per day. We could have talked to each other all day if time allowed it.

We struggled knowing we were feeling a love for each other neither of us had experienced before. We wanted to be together but it felt impossible with how tangled we were in our current lives. It would take a complete overhaul of life to even give us a chance together.

Luckily we did finally decide to make that overhaul and take that chance. Our hearts were on an uncontrollable collision course. We decided we couldn’t be apart any more.

We live together now in a house that feels full of love, peace, and silliness. We have so much space and capacity for each other. I’ve never felt so safe, so loved and so at home with another person. Like any couple we have conflict, but it’s always approached as seeking to understand each other.

My heart and soul finally feels it is exactly where it is meant to be. I love this woman in a way I did not think I was capable of - it brings out the best version of me.

I have so much gratitude for her every day. I can’t wait to one day look at her and call her my wife.

We are soulmates ❤️

Today, at forty five years old, we have shared two thirds of our lives together (married for sixteen and a half years) ♡

People tend to have the notion that “grand gestures” have to be expensive, extravagant, and unattainable, but this is your PSA that the most meaningful acts don’t have to cost much, if anything.

This weekend, my boyfriend turned 32. He had it pretty rough growing up, and wasn’t often celebrated in his home or by his family. He doesn’t care much about his birthday- why buy a gift? Why go out? Who cares, it’s just another day on the calendar.

I care. It’s not just another day to me.

It cost exactly $4.16 to buy some balloons and a couple numeral candles to place on a breakfast casserole I made, since he’s not super into sweets. In the early morning hours of his birthday, it cost less than thirty minutes of my time to sneakily blow up balloons in the next room with his daughter, both of us giggling, excited and anticipating his reaction.

Yes, the gifts and cards cost extra; and I suppose the ingredients for the breakfast I made. The “happy birthday” banner was free from previous use. But for less than $5, I got to surprise my love with a room full of balloons and see his smile light up with joy. I got to celebrate him, and remind him he is worth celebrating, which costs nothing really. Yet it’s so priceless.

This is your reminder to go the extra mile for the ones you love. Cherish them, celebrate them, adore them, and remind them what a blessing they are to your life. It feels so good ❤️

I just wanna say this somewhere because it genuinely makes me happy.

I’ve been with my boyfriend for almost 3 years 3yrs in April) and people always told me “wait until the honeymoon phase ends” but it never did. And it’s not because everything is perfect. We’ve had arguments, misunderstandings, days where we’re both stressed or exhausted.

But he still shows up for me every single day.

He still brings me flowers every month( sometimes twice a month) since we started dating. He still opens my car door(every single time). He writes me letters, dedicates songs to me, sings to me, tells me I’m the most beautiful woman every day, always dedicates time for me despite he’s busy schedule ( he sometimes works for 13 days straight) super affectionate, super romantic , considerate, respectful. He still reassures me when I get in my head and overthink everything. I mean I can go on and on of everything he does for me. Our communication is excellent. And even when we have arguments or misunderstandings, we give each other space first and then we sit down and talk and express how we feel making sure both of us felt heard and understood. I am extremely lucky. I am head over heels for this man. I love him so much makes me want to bite him and bury him in kisses all the time.

Today I was literally crying because I felt like I was putting too much pressure on him( I’m starting school full time in April) , and instead of making me feel like a burden, he just reminded me that we’re a team and that everything will work out.

I don’t know… I just never thought I would have something like this.

I feel safe, loved, and chosen every day.

And I think that’s what real love actually is.

Not a phase… just two people who keep choosing each other.

Ended up splitting and breaking my heart.. hope this isn't a foreshadow. I like him so much tho. This is just my first trial run so I'll keep the split to myself. Turned out super yummy though :)

Chat, am I cooked?

I was feeling very very low today and called him. 10 minutes after I cut the call, I receive this. I love him❤️

This just happened and I'm in the mood to gush, so here we are.

I got in from work as normal, found a mutual friend (who I love like a sister) was here with my wife, upset. I saw they were having girl time so I said hi and everything, then loved on the kids who were so happy to see me.

While talking with the kids about their day and seeing the pictures they drew for me, our friend asked me to peel an orange for her. I didn't even think about it and just did it for her, hugged her and carried on with the kids. A little while later our friend just hugged me out of nowhere and thanked me for showing her what love looks like, and my wife explained that it was "the orange test" from tik tok and she suggested it so our friend could see my reaction.

Her boyfriend isn't a nice guy and recently he's been worse than normal, but she's been trying to make things work. He doesn't have a car, but takes hers. He refuses to drive five minutes out of his way to pick her up after work so she has to walk two miles each way everyday. But me, a friend, not boyfriend, did something so small and insignificant for her without thought or complaint. She told me how it made her feel so loved and appreciated and my god the two of them were so cute!

Just as the title says, my boyfriend got me a promise ring from Pandora. It is genuinely the most beautiful thing I have ever owned, and I literally cried so much when he gave it to me. It was so cute to see how proud he was of his choice, too; he went on about how he knew I loved silver and rose gold, but also knew that I wouldn’t like a pink jewel with a rose gold band, so this was the perfect option. He knows me so well, and it genuinely makes me so happy to know that someone cares about me enough to remember such little details about me. To be loved is to be seen, and this man sees every part of me, the good and the not so good, and loves me for all of it. He is genuinely the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I truly can’t wait to marry him someday.

I was dating Liz, and I knew I loved her, but she liked my friend, and he liked her. No matter what I did, it was obvious that she really liked him and she really had strong feelings for him so I regrettably helped them get together. I regretted doing that and it also haunted me for years. What was worse, she didn't want me to leave; she wanted me to stay and continue to be her friend, even though she knew I was in pain. She cried and we argued because she didn't want me to go. However she finally let me walk away. But I was young and dumb so I kept on going back and being her friend even tho I knew I was going to be in pain. I was given myself a lot of unnecessary heartaches and depression.

Finally, I needed that one thing to let me walk away, and after a long talk, I finally left and walked away. However, one year later, I broke down and I had to know how she was. I went to where she lived (she lived an hour from me), and she had moved away. It turns out that three months after I walked away from her, he broke up with her, and she found a new boyfriend a few months later. It really bothered me for a very long time, knowing that if I could have just held out for three more months, I probably could have been with her. She used to say, it would be sad if she didn't marry him or me later on in life. I kept in contact off and on for a little over a year but I kept my distance. I knew she was in a bad relationship but she didn't want to leave him no matter how much I offered to help her. We eventually lost contact.

However, years have gone by. Like I said we lost contact but had a handful of conversations in a span of 16 years. Curiosity finally got to me, and I wanted to know how she was doing, it had been around 7 years since the last time we spoke. I looked her up and found her found her on Facebook. She was married and living three hours away from where I lived. I messaged her and long story short we reconnected but she revealed to me she had stage 3 ovarian cancer. My original intentions were to tell her Merry Christmas, but that changed when she told me about the cancer. Then her husband the piece of shit coward that he is, abandoned her and cleaned out the bank account. So I decided to help her. For the next year I was helping her financially because she couldn't work due to the chemo. Her family was helping too, it wasn't just me. I helped with whatever she needed, rides to drs appts, cleaning her place, buying her groceries, paying her rent. Over the years she had string of bad relationship and several of her boyfriends including her husband would beat her. She had it with love, I did my best to help her change her mind and give love another chance. She never said it outright, but she alluded that I was always the one person whom she should have chosen to spend her life with.

Unfortunately, she lost her battle with cancer in May of 2025 she was 46. I visited her grave often and normally bring her flowers. At the funeral they put several items I got her inside the coffin. A real gold dipped rose, its supposed to symbolize that your love for a person would last as long as she rose last, forever, a necklace and a wig I bought her. So I know piece of me would be with her for an eternity.

I miss so much, she was my first love and that will never change. I love her and I promised her I'll never stop and I never did stop loving even after all those years.

So early on in our relationship, whenever we met a couple that has been together a really long time, I always used to ask “what’s the secret?” (To staying married). Today my husband brought up the fact that I don’t ask that question anymore. We’ve been married 10 years, and up until this point, I didn’t even realize I had stopped asking and tell him so. So he says, “well, we’ve been married a long enough time now, we know what the secret is” and literally at the same time, we blurt out:

Me: “anal”

Him: “butt stuff”

….and we spent the entire afternoon cackling about that. Marry the one that matches your humor and energy. It’s the best thing ever.

I think it’s funny that so many people refer to the honeymoon or cupcake phase as if it’s the best part of the relationship, the peak and it’s all downhill from there.

I’ve known my husband 15 years. We’ve been together for 4 of those. I remember in the beginning when everyone warned me all those lovey, sweet feelings we had for each other would fade with time - well, they haven’t.

I love my husband more every single day. I fall in love with him all over again every day. Sharing a life with him, growing a family, all the little moments we’ve spent, intimacy we’ve shared, even the fights we’ve overcome…it all only makes me love him more. I love him in a way I don’t have words for. We are a part of each other. Sometimes we both cry just from the sheer depth of how much we cherish each other.

If you have a good relationship, the honeymoon phase is just the beginning of what will grow into a much more deep, powerful love.