Communication is Key

Hey all,
Sorry it has been so long, but it's been a busy couple weeks with the holidays and all that fun shit...which reminds me, Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Black Friday!!
Today I decided to write about one of the most important aspects of a good relationship: communication. It is vital to a healthy love life. The reason this came to mind as something to talk about today, is because, it is something that has been bothering me.
I never really write about the more negative details of Nick and I's life, but there are some. To be honest, it's nothing worth complaining about because despite living together, being together 24/7, and most of all, despite our differences, we really don't have any problems. Nothing is perfect, but the relationship that we have is truly as close as it can get.
However, we have our arguments just like anyone else. It's part of life. We both get on each other's nerves sometimes, he acts like a dick, I cry like a baby. You know. I know you know. It's unavoidable. But, fortunately, I am able to say that we fight through every obstacle and fix every problem with a 100% success rate because of our amazing ability to communicate. We don't yell at each other. We simply open up and lay our problems on the table, where they belong. We're honest, and even if it's brutal, we're truthful. It's not always easy, but it's the best and most mature way to handle every situation.
Nick and I have been apart all week. It's easy to become frustrated with one another when we don't talk very often and we never have a chance to show our affection. I know that distance is something that I, personally, really struggle with. This time is no different. I miss him so much, I  get lonely, my loneliness turns into anger, I take it out on him. It never fails.
The only thing that helps is communication. Though it's harder to have great communication when we are apart and we are both busy, we have to make it happen. We just have to talk it out. If you can't do that, there is not much that you can do.

Love, Bri

Love Yourself First!

Seriously, girls, I mean it. I know, I know, you have heard this a thousand and one times, right? Well, so have I. But I don't think the meaning behind it stuck for a very long time. I want it to stick for you. So pay attention!
I can say, with all confidence, that I have a pretty decent body. It's not perfect, but neither is anyone's really. It took me my whole life to believe that, though. I go through phases. There have been times in my life where working out has literally taken over my life. Sometimes I love working out, but I don't want to feel forced to do it everyday because I feel inadequate. No matter how hard I've tried during those periods of my life, and how little I've tried at other times, I have been the same weight for years. Honestly probably five or six years. Same weight. No matter what I ate, or didn't eat. No matter how often I worked out or didn't.
And that drove me absolutely insane. The problem was, I couldn't see that I was the weight that I was supposed to be. My body was literally telling me that I was fine, but I wasn't listening. Recently, I finally found peace with my body. I don't always love it, but I don't hate it, either, and in today's society, that is saying something. There will always be times when I complain, and want to cry and scream, and worry about the little things that I simply can not change. We're girls, though. That's what we do. It's a damn curse. But overall, I'm happy.
Watching this video gave me every last bit of confidence that I was missing. This woman says it better than anyone.

Love yourself. Love yourself. Love. Your. Fucking. Self. Hopefully this woman gave you the little kick you needed to understand that you're seriously okay. You're fine. You are perfect and wonderful, and despite everything that you hate about your body, there is someone out there who is going to worship it. If you don't have any appreciation for yourself, it is going to make it damn hard for somebody else to have any.
As a girl with a boyfriend, it is my duty to tell all of you single girls that even once you have a man who loves every bit of you, loving your body is still crucial to your own peace of mind. Whenever I start to get down on myself about my body, I start thinking "I need to lose weight or Nick is going to find somebody with a better body." Okay, earth to Bri, that is so not going to happen. But those are the kind of thoughts that creep into my mind as soon as I start being negative with myself. So get comfortable, babe. Love your body, and it will in fact, love you back. <3

Love always, Bri

Love Is What We're Made Of

Since this is a blog about love, I suppose I can talk about other things that I love aside from the one man I am crazy in love with. Like for example, pizza. Or my dog. My family, the ocean, Game of Thrones, new places, dessert of any kind, snowboarding, movies, summer, thunderstorms...blah, blah, blah. 

I was thinking the other day about my grandma, and how much I miss her. G-Unit. That's what we always called her. I loved her beyond words and I miss her every day, and as I was laying there, reminiscing, my thoughts turned to how crazy it is that there are so many kinds of love. Not only that, but the emotions that love brings.

First off, how wild is it that I can say "I fucking love these right now," as I enjoy some warm, gooey homemade cinnamon rolls. I can say "I loved my Grandma," as I look at old pictures and dwell on old memories. Or I can look into Nick's eyes and say "I love you," as my heart overflows with passion and giddiness.  All three of those are so different. So totally different. The feelings I get from each of them are not even close to the same. But then, in a way, they also are. I use the verb "love" for all three, yet somehow their meanings are all unlike the others. 

That brings me to my next point. How many different emotions can possibly fit inside that one, small, four- letter word? Apparently a lot. Love is an emotion. But to me, it seems it is a category of other emotions. Love can be anything and everything and maybe even nothing at all. It can be fear, sorrow, pain, heartbreak, tension, weakness, anger. It can be enthusiasm, strength, growth, enlightenment, spontaneity, warmth. It can be no more than physical attraction or butterflies in the tummy. It can be the death of us, or our saving grace. 

Maybe everything is love. Maybe that's what this world is composed of. Because we all love something or someone. No, I'm sure every single one of you is not in love with someone right now. But you probably love your dad, or your sister, or your nephew. You might love your pet bird or your pet rock. You might love getting a letter in the mail or when a new episode of your favorite tv show airs. Maybe you love root beer. You could love smoking cigarettes, baking cupcakes, gardening. The moon, Fridays, watching fireworks, getting tattoos, exploring new places, digging for buried treasure, going to sleep at night. 

For every one of you out there afraid that you'll never find love, don't be afraid anymore. You already found it. You've had love in your heart from the instant you came into this world. Love is all around us. Embrace it. Someone out there has loved you once before, loves you now, or will love you someday. There are things in your heart that you love whether you even realize it or not. Stop searching so desperately for love. You already have it. You ARE love. We all are.

And with that, I can say, I love you all!

Have an amazing weekend,

Bri