Love and Illness: 18 Months

Anniversary Dinner Out

Happy 18 Months to this guy! :)

In My FIRST and New LBD

I'm feeling pretty sentimental about this anniversary.

WALKING For The First Time Through the Marsh

On the 18th of June, I will mark 18 years since I got sick. 

This June 8th, I celebrated 18 months with Kiernan.

Eight is my favorite number.

18 is often equated with Chai (life) in Hebrew.

Our Newly Planted Lettuce (Which Has Now Been Harvested Twice!)

Over the past six months, Kiernan and I have celebrated milestone after milestone together.

We celebrated the holidays together, and I decorated my first Christmas tree since I was in high school.

We thought our tree looked fantastic!

We've gone on so many more outings than we could when we first started dating, including one to see Hubbard Street Dance of Chicago.

We went to an LGBQTA Passover Seder together that our friends hosted...

To one of our favorite parks...

and to the arboretum...

where we tip-toed through the tulips holding hands.

Our relationship, my life and our life together continue to grow and bloom and open and change just like this water lily. Sometimes things are really hard. We have plenty of growing pains. But we are also committed and loyal to each other.

We now walk through the places we used to take the Rolls. We walk through the arboretum. We walk through the marshland we love. We walk through flower gardens. We take walks after dinner in the evenings.

And best of all, we HOLD HANDS. I have missed walking and holding hands!

Kiernan has helped me to start learning how to cook and to learn how to plant and grow lettuce. Thanks to a friend, we had a week free of Blue Apron and Plated, which made starting to learn to cook (without having to stand too long) possible. Cooking together makes me so happy, and is something we both love. It's still a lot for me, so most of the time Kiernan still cooks for me (I'm SO spoiled!)

This past weekend, *I* drove us from place to place, giving Kiernan a break. When I asked if it felt good not to always have to drive me now or do this or that for me, Kiernan just gently reminded me that he never looks at it as an inconvenience or chore.

Knowing that he truly loves me in SICKNESS and improving HEALTH is reassuring, because I do know there are no guarantees with this illness!

I continue to be grateful to be with this kind, gentle, compassionate, respectful, loyal, committed, smart and funny man with whom I share common core values and common interests. 

This new life is beautiful. Sharing the journey to wellness with someone who fell in love with me while I was much sicker makes all the milestones even more special.

Thank you for journeying with me, Chef, and for rejoicing along with me in the milestones.

I hope we are just beginning a lifetime of walks together hand in hand.

To Life, indeed!

Blessings,

Emily