Last weekend my friend Jessica (pictured with her bridesmaids above- I’m on her left!) and her husband Dave were in town from Sarasota, so Robert and I got together with them for lunch. Now, if you know me at all, you know that I am an analyzer, and I love to discuss just about anything. This is one of the many reasons why I wish Dave and Jess could live in Atlanta, because they are always game for diving into a discussion with me. This particular afternoon, we spent a significant amount of time talking about The Five Love Languages. Apparently, this conversation intrigued Robert so much that he had to buy the book and take the test, and he encouraged me to as well. The results were not at all surprising to me: I am a quality time person.

While receiving encouraging words and gifts are OK, they are not the best way for someone to show me that they care. I just want to spend time with people! Whether it’s watching TV together, making dinner or playing a non-competitive game of Rummikub ( ), I feel most loved and appreciated when people make time in their schedule to be with me. So this year, instead of asking for gifts or throwing a party, I decided I just wanted to do a double date with Kyleen and her boyfriend Charlie. What an evening it was! The two of them passed up their Super Bowl party plans to spend a few hours lounging with Robert and I at the Treehouse Restaurant and Pub. I can honestly say it’s been one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had, and it’s not over yet! Tonight my mom and I are going to go to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and trivia, and I can’t wait. For me, it really is the simple things in life that bring me the most joy, and I consider myself a very luckly, newly 22-year-old woman.