Thank you for the broken road...

"We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise
if we have waited in the darkness"
-Unknown

So, the other day... (being the deep and emotional person I am) ... I was inspired by my friend Heather's story and struggle to find true love in her life. It's really confusing to date around, how do you know when you're being too upfront? Or you suck at flirting? Or you just don't know how to play the game? It made me flash back to my dating days and all the feelings I felt going through that.

I gave her some advice and told her that it doesn't matter how much baggage you carry around with you because literally everyone must have SOME kind of baggage, whether it be a weird family or some crazy screwed up childhood. But I basically told her that it is inevitable that you will encounter douche bags and jerks along the way, but the real prince is out there waiting and willing to accept you as you are and love you, even with all that baggage.

So, I got to thinking about my journey through love and all the jerks and ex-boyfriends I came across along the way. And I thought it would only be proper manners to thank them for being the douche bags that they were... cuz if they hadn't been so douchey, I might have stuck around longer and who knows how that could have screwed up my road that lead to Josh. I want to do a shout out to all of my ex-boyfriends (names have been replaced with fake ones):

To Max: Thank you for teaching me about lust. I now understand that true love doesn't happen in a 5 month relationship, or when you are only 14 years old. It's called INFATUATION.

To Roy: Thank you for only looking for an object to screw with. You taught me that no matter how much I pressed the fact that I wanted to wait for marriage to have sex, there will always be dirt bags like you that will try and convince you otherwise. I'm so grateful I didn't budge :)

To Zack: Thanks for showing me what a cheapskate really is. Sneaking into a movie on our first date should have been a warning sign...

To John: Thank you for grabbing my boob in public, and in front of my younger sister after we kissed the night before... you really taught me how shallow men can be, and how sometimes a kick in the shin is completely appropriate.

(OK enough with the men bashing... I know I had a part in all of it and learned my lessons the hard way, even though they were pretty douchey...)

And my last shout out is for Josh... my one true love... thank you for treating me with respect from the start and making me your #1 priority. Thank you for always being there for me regardless of the distance and for having patience through those long 12 months. Thank you for showing me what real love feels like, for always kissing me goodnight, and all of your "I love you's". You have taught me that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that hard work pays off in the end. I love you, all of you, as you are, with all of your baggage... and I'm so grateful that you love me too :)