For Nathan

I heard it was National Boyfriend day this last Wednesday, and since my boyfriend, Nathan, has been gone all week, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to tell you why my life has gotten so much better since he walked into it. Nate and I have been together for over four years now, and we have helped each other grow in so many different ways. We have learned from each other, and we have made sacrifices for each other. Some days I just want to hug him and kiss him, and other days I want to ring his neck. But no matter how much we annoy each other, or how bad a fight may be, we always forgive each other and come out stronger than before. Whenever he\’s not around I miss him like crazy, and the best part of everyday is coming home after a long day at work and giving him a great big hug. He has become my best friend over the last few years, and we have always managed to come out on top no matter what curve ball life throws at us. 

Nate and I met my freshmen year at GMU, he was a junior at the time. I think my love of swimming can be given some of the credit for us getting together! We met at the pool, I was there nearly every day for the swim club, and he was a lifeguard. I made a comment one day to some of the guys on the swim team that I thought the lifeguard (Nate) was really cute. They started teasing me relentlessly and yelling at Nate from across the pool: “Megan thinks you’re cuuuuute!!!” One day, they finally convinced me to go talk to him. He already knew I had a crush on him so I figured I couldn’t do any more damage; but, since I am a horribly awkward human being, I didn’t know what to say to him. Instead of thinking it through, I walked right up to him and said, “Hey, do you know how much a polar bear weighs?” He looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Umm, I don’t know. I guess a lot?” And I immediately stuck my hand out and said, “Enough to break the ice. Hi, I’m Megan!” Whether he took pity on me, or genuinely thought I was funny, he asked me out shortly after and here we are! Almost four and a half years later, and I haven’t scared him off yet. Who knew those cheesy pick-up lines could actually work??

Only about 2 weeks after we officially started dating, I went back home to South Dakota to spend the summer at home. Which meant we spent the first three months of our relationship thousands of miles away from each other. It was hard, and it sucked at times, but it proved that we liked each other enough to make it work. We texted every day, called each other and facetimed multiple times a week, and did whatever we could to make it work. I didn’t see him again until the end of summer when he flew out to South Dakota to meet my parents. I played tour guide with him and took him to all the South Dakota tourist sites like Mount Rushmore and Harney Peak, etc. etc. We didn’t spend a lot of time in SD, as we were planning to drive my car back out to Virginia. We ended up taking about four days to drive from SD to VA, and each day we stopped at a different baseball game. It was a lot of fun, and one of my favorite memories with Nathan. I would definitely be down to go on another road trip sometime!

Nate and I have had tons of other fun memories as well. He got me into NASCAR, which I never thought would be possible, but he took me to a race, and they are actually really exciting! Now I know most of the drivers, and we’ve been to a whole bunch of races together, often making long weekend trips out of going. We’ve gone camping and hiking, and recently we both have been really interested in learning about the Civil War. Fortunately, since we live in VA, we have been taking advantage of all the historic Civil War trails around the state. It’s really fun to find similar interests and do activities like this with him. One of our new favorite places to go is Manassas National Battlefield park, and we’ve been there four or five times in the last month. The first time we went, we just spent time enjoying the history part of it. Now when we go, we usually run the 6.5 mile trail – which is slightly less enjoyable than learning the history behind it. Nevertheless, I still enjoy going because it is some special time I get to spend with Nate.

Even though Nate and I have had tons of fun over the last few years, we’ve had quite a few not-as-fun moments as well. We’ve had plenty of fights and arguments over silly things throughout the years, which is normal; I’d be worried if we didn’t fight at all. I’ve always tried to live by the rule that I will never go to bed angry. And on most occasions, we are able to make up and solve any issues before we go to sleep so that they don’t carry on into the following day. However, there have been a number of occasions where one of us has gotten so upset (usually me because I’m a lot more sensitive than Nate) that the day ends in tears and we are unable to make up before we fall asleep. I think it truly does make a difference the next day if you’ve let it stew all night. On these occasions, I find myself waking up already in a bad mood, and it ruins my whole day before it has even started. I’m glad that Nate and I have been able to get through these hard times, and eventually get back to being happy and silly together. I think that is one of the most important pieces of relationship advice that I can offer. No matter how bad of an argument you have, or how mad you are at each other, it is so important to try to resolve any issues before you go to sleep. There’s no point in drawing out the anger longer than you need to. It’s also important to remember that no matter what kind of relationship you are in, there are going to be fights and arguments and it’s going to take a lot of hard work to overcome any issues that arise. Relationships also require a lot of compromise, which is something I constantly have to remind myself, and Nathan too. Don’t get me wrong, relationships can be rewarding and a lot of fun, but definitely don’t walk into one thinking it will be a walk in the park. It takes time and effort, but in the end it is so worth it.

Anyways, Nathan, I hope you’re reading this and know that I love you so very much, and I can’t wait until you get back from your training so I can give you a great big hug! You’re the best thing to happen to me, and I hope you never forget that. See you soon boo boo!

Until Next Time 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger