Edward James Hart

Jimmy, the man that you are. It has been so easy falling in love with you, and somehow that love grows more and more as the days go on. I actually do hate it when you talk down about yourself because you have so many of these amazing qualities that melt my heart. The person you are, the boyfriend now fiancé you are, the friend you are, the co worker you are.. continually blows me away. You do not see it but I do, and I saw it the very first night we met at the firehouse. The way you were already preparing to look out for me and let me feel my feelings without making me feel crazy was a first.

If I had to describe you to someone, I would tell them first and foremost, do you have a dr pepper on you, because we are going to need one.. or maybe 5. I would tell them how smart you are, even though you don't think that of yourself. I don't think you realize all the knowledge it takes to not only learn but to be good at and excel in being a first responder. All your quirks I have grown to love and adore, except your yawn.. that one will take some time. The way you text, the way you grab my hand and hold it, the way you look at me, the way you open my door and push me to the opposite side of traffic. The way you give me advice, let me speak before responding which shows how much you listen. You are one of the least reactive people I know (unless it comes to bad customer service or slow drivers, rightfully so), and that is a quality I strive for in life. I would describe you as being emotional, which I don't think many people get to see that side of you. That is one of my favorite qualities about you, by the way. What you see as a weakness, I fell in love with and adore. You are quick to own up to your mistakes and you never hesitate to want to learn to be better... even though you are already great. You are always thinking of me, and always making me feel so very special, and loved, and worthy. You make me feel enough during the times I doubt my own worth and capability to be enough.

We have the best memories together, and it has only been a short amount of time. One that sticks out however, I think describes you so well and is one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you. In the beginning stages of this relationship, we are learning about each other and we are taking note of every little detail. One of those moments involves eating pizza. The first time we ate pizza together I saw how you never ate the crust... my favorite part. So then I would just grab those pieces and finish the crust when you got done with your portion of the pizza. I probably said out loud how much I love the crust and how crazy you were to not eat it. You took note of this and kept this in your back pocket. Later in our relationship you ordered a pizza for yourself and I believe I was at work. I come home and see the box of pizza in the fridge, excited to have a slice. I open it and only see crust pieces. Me about to be mad that you would leave an empty box in the fridge, I realized in that moment you left those pieces for me because you knew they were my favorite. You were thinking of me in that small, simple, moment and thought "this is her favorite I will save it for her". I smiled, laughed, and then still got on to you because I wanted whole pieces. I don't think I have told you this but that is one of my favorite memories and I think that memory describes you so perfectly. I never knew what it meant when people would say the simple stuff matters because no one really did the simple stuff for me. But damn, does it go a long way.

There are so many things I fell in love with that it is hard to keep count. The way you stand up for me. The way you carry yourself when something needs to get done. The way you jokingly yell at me when I talk badly about my body because all you see is someone beautiful. The way you are so picky with what you eat. The way you know how stubborn I am and still in your eyes, even though I know it drives you crazy, you love it.. because you love me. You work with it, adjust to it, and help me work through whatever it is I am being stubborn about. The way you talk about your job, your passions and the people you love. I love it all, and I wouldn't want anyone else's stinky feet and crooked toe nails next to me except yours.

The way you love me is something I have truly never felt before. And with a healthy relationship, I noticed some things I need to work on that maybe helped me survive previous relationships, but are no longer needed here. I don't have to be in survival mode when I am with you. I don't need to be hyper independent and only lean or trust in myself. I can trust in you, I can come to you with any thought that pops into my head or any situation we fall into, and know that we will make it on the other side, together.

I hope you know I am always thinking about you, too, and am so excited to keep doing life with you.

The Harts have entered the chat and I am head over heels ecstatic about it!

I love you so much, and I am so proud of you and the way you show up each and every day.

Here's to us, babe.