How Did We Meet?
We were brought together by eHarmony. Please be assured, however, that we will not be starring in any cheesy TV commercials!
After Jill contacted me on eHarmony we worked through their guided communication process and exchanged messages for about a month before going on our first date. After showing up 15 minutes late (Jill claims she would have been half an hour early if she hadn't been in a car accident on the way there) we had what we both thought was a great first date (lunch and a stroll through Chapters). A couple of days after that, I recieved a message from Jill stating that she had a great time and wishing me all the best in the future. I hadn't asked her for a second date at the end of the first and she was convinced that I wasn't interested in a second date (Apparently I should have spent more time reading Dating for Dummies on our first date). Needless to say, we managed to arrange a second (and even a third!) date and things proceeded well from there.
What Jill has to say about Tyler!
Before I met Tyler I made a list of my top five important qualities I was looking for in a partner and relationship. The thing about lists is that you're trying to make someone fit a picture of a person you've never met. In meeting Tyler I have a new list, which I appreciate even more because I could never have envisioned meeting someone like him.
Where to start? Tyler is incredibly kind and funny. Funny because he actually gets me and my sense of humor! I never have to be someone other than who I am around him. He makes me laugh all of the time, too. I never thought I would think science is interesting (I failed my biology class in university), let alone funny, but he makes it work. Sometimes he goes off on these rants about science-related topics and I like how passionate he is in what he cares about. When I have something important to say he listens to me too, and he never points me out for being quiet.
Tyler is able to understand things in a way that most people can't see. He is perceptive and intelligent and these things help him formulate an opinion that others may not understand. I like this because he can be very rational and measured when I react emotionally in a situation or tie into the feelings aspect of things. As I have said to some of my friends already, Tyler works with bugs and I work with people but somehow we're a great match.
Most people wouldn't get this, but our idea of a date is quite often doing homework together. And we read journal articles for fun. Tyler is supportive of my goal to finish school even when I am completely stressed out in trying to balance everything. Never try to work full time and do a graduate degree if you want to keep a semblance of a life. Tyler never tells me I should give up or stop going to school, but asks instead how he can help me and encourage me. Last winter when I was struggling in maintaining my full course load I came home one night to find that he had cooked a special meal and got me an ipod so I could listen to music while doing homework. How sweet is that?
I love Tyler because he lets me see him for who he is. He shares all of that with me and it makes me feel special and grateful because I can then share the same of myself with him.
What Tyler has to Say about Jill!
Wow, how do you follow that? That will teach me to procrastinate! Part of the reason it took so long to get this done is because I really wanted it to be perfect and to match the sincerity and eloquence of the section that Jill wrote. My apologies to our guests and especially Jill for this taking so long.
What is written above demonstrates one of the many reasons why I love Jill. She has an amazing way of communicating her feelings and emotions with clarity and sincerity. An area where I've always struggled. They say we find attractive in others the qualities that we wished we possess and in this instance its absolutely true. I would like to echo Jill's sentiment above about feeling like I can be totally myself in this relationship. For the first time I have someone in my life that I feel totally comfortable to be myself around, from making quirky, geeky jokes to going off on a tangent about my favorite topic of the minute (Jill calls this ranting, she's probably right).
Another sentiment I would like to echo is expressed here. Through my relationship with Jill I have become more than I could have ever hoped to be alone. She helps me to see not only my strengths but also my weaknessess and through her acceptance, I learn to accept them as well. Through her generosity and understanding I am growing as a person and a partner and I look forward to a lifetime of growing with Jill.