love quirks

Internet dating sites match people based on similar characteristics akin to the resume that you might provide to a future employer. But what does that tell you about the nature of a person? About their early morning quirks, their allergy to peanut butter or the way they laugh when you touch their elbow?

We don’t fall in love with someone because they graduated with honors or stand 6 feet tall or “really love going out to eat but could cook you dinner any night of the week.”

We fall in love with someone because they understand the tiny details that make us unique. For better or worse, no two people are alike, but when we find someone with an appreciation for our originality, we’ve found our match.

I fell in love with the multitude of quirks that make Jon unique. From the get-go, he was unlike any guy I’d ever dated – calling at 7am (on a Saturday) to see if could hang out, going to dinner in his sweatpants because ‘dinner should be comfortable,’ and immediately letting me know that I was the girl he wanted (an email after the first date).

Birthdays are a special time to recognize the unique things we love about the people in our lives. I’ve always made a bit of a fuss about birthdays, but, what can I say — I think the people in my life deserve a big fuss.

Jon’s birthday was yesterday, and aside from some gifts, I made him strawberry cheesecake and took him out for a steak dinner. We laughed, we laughed some more, he ate a massive steak (I had the lobster cakes), and then we drove home and hopped into bed, exhausted and happy.

I went to the market armed with recipes for making an actual strawberry cheesecake (Jon’s favorite), but when I saw strawberry cake with cheesecake frosting, well, the deal was done. I opted to make the cake in mason jars so that we could share one after dinner, and then Jon could bring the rest to work for treats after lunch (the gift that keeps on giving):