...like apple pie & 90210...

It's your day!! My best friend, it's your birthday. You're the single greatest thing that's ever happened to me. Ever. I wonder sometimes, how did I land you? I mean, I'm pretty freakin' great I think, but you...you're amazing. I think about how when we fight, we fight. But when we love, we love. It's never in-between for you and I. We always speak our minds. Say 100% percent whatever we're thinking. Wrong or right. Hurtful or not. The thing is...it's molded us into one awkwardly perfect couple. We go together. Fit together. Like a glove. Like apple pie and 90210. The C and the Blurd. And we work together. Every waking moment of our lives. And it's perfect. I wish everyone could know such love.

I think back to what made you so amazing in the first place. And when did I fall in love? Perhaps it was when

*you started sweating the first time we held hands at the roller-rink

*we snuck away at a halloween party to share hot-wings in the bathroom as kids

*you picked me up for our first date, with the biggest bouquet of flowers i'd ever seen

*you braided my hair in the back of a bus in the 7th grade

*or when you left me notes on my car in highschool

*you bought me my very first digital camera in the 12th grade...and told me I was an amazing photographer

*you parked once on top of a mountain...just so we could talk

*you wore my thumb ring on your ring finger because i was yours

*you wrote me a letter each day i was gone visiting colleges.

*you sat at all my games in high school...watching me sit the bench because of a loser coach

*or when you broke into my basement bedroom to decorate it while I was in class

*you ran out of gas on the highway and had to physically run a mile to the gas-station

*you ran out of gas for the 4th time since we'd met

*you told me my hair looked awful in platinum

*or when you paid for my haircut shortly after because I was broke

*you employed both of my brothers, creating a bond a girl only dreams her "boys" would share

*you listened for hours on the phone about how I was lonely in Cali with no friends

*you surprised me with a visit the day after i'd surprised you!

*you surprised me with a car for graduation and a smirk that said, babe, nothing is out of the question.

*or when you delivered a note from the "dogs" on my 24th birthday...and i cried

*it could be because you watch 90210 with me religiously

*or when I found out you were a snuggler

*you started setting the alarm for church

*you dressed up for halloween whenever i wanted

*you gave my 83 year old grandfather your undivided attention while he reminisced about life

*or the time you called me on the phone just to tell me you'd almost hit a bird while driving and were entirely upset about it

*you supported my every dream...then made them a reality

*you refused to buy me Kay pendants

*you listened to Lady Gaga on repeat before she was famous

*we ate rocket for dinner in Fiji

*you let me play with a kangaroo for hours in OZ

*or when you prayed with me the night I swore the cruise ship was going down in the Tasman sea

*you put up with three mattress exchanges when we switched beds...no one does that

*or when you comfort me when i'm sad for no reason...on my birthday(s)

*you came to watch me walk my first fashion-show

*you road a gondola with me on our 7th anniversary in Venice

*or when we had the worst anniversary dinner ever

*we rode a bus for 5 hours a day in Europe...just so we could stop in a place for five minutes and take pictures

*you made me laugh so hard i cried myself into coughing fits

*you walked into the room...

It's hard because there are so many things we've done, shared, seen, dreamed, and accomplished together...and I hate that I can't remember them all. All I know--that I'm more sure of than anything in this world--is that I love you. More than I can say. More than I can express, and more than you'll ever understand.

Hang on boy! Our lives are only going to get better.

I wish you the happiest birthday ever my love!

xo, Shanny