Yes, it's here.. another St. Valentine's Day.. known in America as the Hallmark holiday. I'm sure that this year will be no exception to years past.. Hallmark will make a tidy fortune today, along with florists across the country. And I have to wonder if Europeans too, are boosting the bottom line for their card companies, flower vendors and candy suppliers. Do they get bombarded with jewelry commercials before Feb. 14th ~ a la "a diamond is forever"?
I know what you're thinking. I'm about to blast the romance trade and denounce this holiday as sappy and over-rated.. wrong. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm actually glad that the world has set aside a day for love.. and for lovers.
Love is the most important emotion a human being can feel, and the love two people share with each other (and with their families) is a large part of the reason we get up and live each day. Love has great things to teach us, if we listen with our hearts.. Khalil Gibran comes to mind.. do you hear that DeBeers?
I will admit that I think Valentine's Day has become a commercial enterprise ~ like Mother's Day, Father's Day and Grandparent's Day (what?). Another excuse for Americans to spend money to show their "love" for someone. It's crap. And I sincerely hope that I can be exempted from most of this when I move to Germany.
Romance and love have nothing to do with a dozen roses. Believe me. I know. It has nothing to do with Hallmark either.
Real love between two people is celebrated every day, in the thoughts and actions that say "I place your happiness above my own". They are the little things that should be noticed (and appreciated!) on a daily basis, which don't need to be reinforced by extravagant gestures, i.e. diamonds and dinner.
Besides, Mizi is the most romantic man I've ever known. He makes me feel loved every second. He tells me I'm beautiful when I haven't even showered. And the amazing thing is.. he does make me feel beautiful, even then. Because he always means what he says. I've never before known a man who means everything he says. He means it too, when he says "darling, you look tired", but I don't mind honesty. It's the truth that I value most. So does he.
And the truth is, I love him more than life. Unconditionally, irrevocably. DeBeers can offer me a diamond mine, and I wouldn't bat an eyelash in refusing if it meant I had to spend one second without Mizi. No way. "Mehr als mein leben" will be engraved on my wedding band ~ "More than life" will be in his.. but our hearts are married already.
So Valentine's Day is every day for us.
I remember the first time he sent me flowers.. I was still 7,000 km away, just like now. He went out and took a picture of a meadow full of daisies, then emailed it to me (did I mention daisies are my favorite?) just to make me smile. I still have that picture, of course, and every time I see it I am reminded that he thinks of me before he thinks of himself. So yes, sometimes I do get flowers. But my heart belongs to Mizi. I celebrate that simple truth every day, and I make sure he knows it.
If every couple always thought of each other first, we wouldn't need Hallmark.. we wouldn't need St. Valentine either. Now, I'm not saying don't make the gesture of flowers or cards or candy or yacht rentals.. whatever you do is bound to be appreciated by your special someone.
I'm just saying don't be lazy the other 364 days of the year. Even the florist can look foward to wedding season, Christmas and birthdays. I don't think they'll suffer all that much. Hallmark won't go out of business no matter what you do.. and as for the jewelry industry, they've made entirely too much blood money as it is.
Really, I'm glad that love gets a special day. Evidently, people need to be reminded to express it. So be sure to tell the one you love just how much you care today. Try to remember to do it tomorrow too.. and all the days that follow. Your life will be richer for it ~ and so will the life of the one you love.
And darling.. did I say yet today how much I love you?
Not much enough I think...
I love you more than the way to the stars and back..
Happy Valentine's Day
(now where is that smiley with his tongue sticking out?)
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Red Alert!
Well hello everyone.. I have been reading most of the expat bloggers for months now, in preparation for my own move to Germany. And now that my plans are set (soft-set Jello stage), I have decided to introduce myself and get the blog rolling.
Like Claire of My Euro-American Life, I am from South Carolina, USA.. well, I think I read she grew up in the bass ackwards Palmetto State.. and I'm sure she knows what I mean when I mention that one! It wasn't such a bad place to grow up, other than having the worst drivers in America, one of the highest incidents of domestic abuse in the country, and the good 'ol boy system..
Thankfully, my family is pretty sane and my parents have been married (to each other) for 37 years, so I had a stable and loving home.. and no domestic abuse to speak of, although I'm sure my mother threatened it... when her children drove her to the knife-edge of sanity... which we did, I'm ashamed to say.. and often.
I know a few of the 'ol boys, mostly friends of my father's, although there are some of my generation rapidly scaling that ladder, which I find disappointing. But I am a good driver. Really. Only one ticket in the last ten years and no accidents (knock wood) in the last twenty-five.
In SC, we've always had access to some great beaches and a few pseudo-mountains (they are pretenders when compared to the Alps), Lowcountry seafood dishes, Gullah culture, great outdoor spaces and a never-ending supply of history, history.. and more history. But I'll save that for another post.. or maybe not.
I am the Love Immigrant. Isabelle for short. And I never in a million years thought I would leave the US permanently.. but that's what I get for falling for a German who is definitely my other (better) half. Only more stubborn. He's my partner, my best friend, the love of my life. Don't let him fool you because no matter what he says, he's just as crazy as I am. In him I have met my match. He just looks serious. He is my future - and my future husband. Codename: Mizi.
It makes me laugh to even type that, but "The German" was already taken. His friends call him Mizi, but I don't (only here, honey, to protect your privacy). My nephews, however, are another story.. I'm almost sure they think of him as Mizi already.. the jury is still out.
Ok, so you know I'm moving for love. Now you know my German. Getting married June 2007 in Charleston (we're eloping!), but I'm headed to Deutschland in March to get things organized in our apartment. I refuse to do it on our honeymoon, so now is good. Not to mention the fact that I haven't seen Mizi in almost six months. And no, webcam doesn't count. Stop laughing honey.
I wonder if Claire's family thought she was nuts to move across the ocean? Remind me to ask her later.. I know my family thinks I'm insane. But I only share the wander-lust gene with my brother, and as far as the rest of the family is concerned, we're both rogues. He's moving to Costa Rica later in the year.. or was it Brazil? He always flies under the radar, so I can't keep track.
My sister, on the other hand, is the worst home-body I ever met. Really. I love her dearly, and she is my best friend, but I swear the girl got lost twice just driving to Myrtle Beach (a place she's been every summer of her life). I have to give her props, though, because she is the kind of mother I dream of being to my own children (one day), and she is the sweetest soul alive. We're still in negotiation about whether she will visit me in my new home. I told her I would buy her enough Xanex to knock her out cold during the flight, but she's still on the fence.
As for my parents, I'll expect them when we provide them with a new grandchild, but otherwise I'm afraid we'll be the ones with jet-lag. And lots of flier miles.
Truthfully, I'm excited about moving and extremely impatient to be there already. I know next to nothing about the German language (but I'll have a great teacher), I'll try to remember not to wear white sneakers, and I'm sure I'll fit in (with a healthy dose of German in my family already) after the culture shock wears off a little.
Of course, I know the adjustment won't be as easy as I try to make it sound. It will take some time getting used to all those garbage bags. But certainly I will not be bored for the next fifty to sixty years. Mizi is always my number one, but I guess I should fess up and tell you that I'm a history buff too.
Damn, I can't believe I admitted it in the introduction.. but yes, I said it. And I suppose there's no place like Europe for history... so Germany, the winds are blowing just right, and another Southern hurricane is headed your way.. Are you ready for this? I hope so.
Red Alert! The Love Immigrant is coming..
Like Claire of My Euro-American Life, I am from South Carolina, USA.. well, I think I read she grew up in the bass ackwards Palmetto State.. and I'm sure she knows what I mean when I mention that one! It wasn't such a bad place to grow up, other than having the worst drivers in America, one of the highest incidents of domestic abuse in the country, and the good 'ol boy system..
Thankfully, my family is pretty sane and my parents have been married (to each other) for 37 years, so I had a stable and loving home.. and no domestic abuse to speak of, although I'm sure my mother threatened it... when her children drove her to the knife-edge of sanity... which we did, I'm ashamed to say.. and often.
I know a few of the 'ol boys, mostly friends of my father's, although there are some of my generation rapidly scaling that ladder, which I find disappointing. But I am a good driver. Really. Only one ticket in the last ten years and no accidents (knock wood) in the last twenty-five.
In SC, we've always had access to some great beaches and a few pseudo-mountains (they are pretenders when compared to the Alps), Lowcountry seafood dishes, Gullah culture, great outdoor spaces and a never-ending supply of history, history.. and more history. But I'll save that for another post.. or maybe not.
I am the Love Immigrant. Isabelle for short. And I never in a million years thought I would leave the US permanently.. but that's what I get for falling for a German who is definitely my other (better) half. Only more stubborn. He's my partner, my best friend, the love of my life. Don't let him fool you because no matter what he says, he's just as crazy as I am. In him I have met my match. He just looks serious. He is my future - and my future husband. Codename: Mizi.
It makes me laugh to even type that, but "The German" was already taken. His friends call him Mizi, but I don't (only here, honey, to protect your privacy). My nephews, however, are another story.. I'm almost sure they think of him as Mizi already.. the jury is still out.
Ok, so you know I'm moving for love. Now you know my German. Getting married June 2007 in Charleston (we're eloping!), but I'm headed to Deutschland in March to get things organized in our apartment. I refuse to do it on our honeymoon, so now is good. Not to mention the fact that I haven't seen Mizi in almost six months. And no, webcam doesn't count. Stop laughing honey.
I wonder if Claire's family thought she was nuts to move across the ocean? Remind me to ask her later.. I know my family thinks I'm insane. But I only share the wander-lust gene with my brother, and as far as the rest of the family is concerned, we're both rogues. He's moving to Costa Rica later in the year.. or was it Brazil? He always flies under the radar, so I can't keep track.
My sister, on the other hand, is the worst home-body I ever met. Really. I love her dearly, and she is my best friend, but I swear the girl got lost twice just driving to Myrtle Beach (a place she's been every summer of her life). I have to give her props, though, because she is the kind of mother I dream of being to my own children (one day), and she is the sweetest soul alive. We're still in negotiation about whether she will visit me in my new home. I told her I would buy her enough Xanex to knock her out cold during the flight, but she's still on the fence.
As for my parents, I'll expect them when we provide them with a new grandchild, but otherwise I'm afraid we'll be the ones with jet-lag. And lots of flier miles.
Truthfully, I'm excited about moving and extremely impatient to be there already. I know next to nothing about the German language (but I'll have a great teacher), I'll try to remember not to wear white sneakers, and I'm sure I'll fit in (with a healthy dose of German in my family already) after the culture shock wears off a little.
Of course, I know the adjustment won't be as easy as I try to make it sound. It will take some time getting used to all those garbage bags. But certainly I will not be bored for the next fifty to sixty years. Mizi is always my number one, but I guess I should fess up and tell you that I'm a history buff too.
Damn, I can't believe I admitted it in the introduction.. but yes, I said it. And I suppose there's no place like Europe for history... so Germany, the winds are blowing just right, and another Southern hurricane is headed your way.. Are you ready for this? I hope so.
Red Alert! The Love Immigrant is coming..
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