"But I Found A boy Who I Love More, Then I Ever Did You Before"

My heart is so full. Full of love and full of joy. I'm walking on a happy cloud of my blessings and the answer to my prayers. I am so in love. So so so in love. Yesterday was one of the best 4th of July celebrations I've ever had. Thinking through it now, it was the best 4th of July I ever had. It of course didn't start that way. My boo and I have a habit of arguing on holidays. I think its because we both have such high, different expectations. For this particular holiday, I told him that he could plan everything from start to almost finish. The only thing that I really wanted to do was go to a firework show at the end of the night. So the night of July 3rd we went shopping and bought food. We went to bed early and woke up at 9:00am. My significant other was so excited that he woke up at 7:00am. He never wakes up early. That's how you know he just couldn't contain himself. I got up and did my hair and make up as quickly as possible, because I knew he wouldn't be willing to wait forever. I even skipped my ritualistic selfie before leaving. Don't worry, I began taking them once I got in the car.

His brother called as we were about to leave and asked for a ride to the festivities. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, because I felt like we were being used for a ride. That didn't end up being the case. We picked him up and he happily rode in the backseat. We drove into Kansas City and went straight to my future Father - in - Law's home. He welcomed us. The boys loaded up the truck and got everything in the car to go over to his girlfriends house. We set up a table outside and I watched the guys play dominos. I watched the host season the food and tried to be as helpful as I could. What really touched my heart were the conversations that went on that day.

When my boo went inside for a few minutes, his dad said "Julio's Wife". I didn't answer and then he said "Julio's Wife!" again. That's when I realized he was speaking to me. So I looked up and he said "Are you going to marry my son?". I smiled and said "You'll have to ask your son about that and see how he feels". He said, "I'm asking you. He feels one way but I want to know how you feel". I said "Yes, I really like your son". His dad said "Do you like him or do you love him?" I said, "I love him. A lot.. "very shyly. He said, "Then you two are going to get married. I'll make sure of it". Later on in the day, his son came back and we were all sitting together. His father said that he was happy we found each other. He didn't feel like he was losing a son but gaining a daughter. I loved every second of it. It was very special to me. Him and I have talked about marriage many times, but it was nice to see that other people see the love that we share as well.

I also enjoyed the father son moments that occurred throughout the day. My true love's brother told his dad "I smelled my breath the other day and had a flashback to you kissing me when I was a kid. I wonder how my breath ended up smelling just like yours". His dad said it was genetic and he did used to kiss him. The brother said "I wouldn't let you kiss me now or something along those lines". So throughout the day, their dad was run up to him or chase him and try to kiss him. It was so cute, because the son is grown and a father himself now. He didn't want to take any part of it, but you could tell he was coming from a place of love. His father also complimented the son that has my heart about how he always comes for important events and how he can always count on him.

The food was okay. I was too nervous to ask for ketchup and they spread BBQ sauce on absolutely everything. There also weren't potato chips. But I left the BBQ full, hot, and bitten by lots of mosquitos. After his dad's house we went to visit his cousins and their parents. They were all very kind and hospitable. They were outside smoking, talking, and sharing stories. One of his uncles does theatrical performances and had pictures of his last one. He did a Tyler Perry type of performance and was really into it. He said the ladies loved it and you could see the joy in his face talking about it. Most of his cousins are in relationships and have at least one child. One of their kids walked up to me and gave me a hug. She asked what my name was and told me her name. It was so sweet. I really appreciated that. They also took an interest in the fact that I was African. They said they wanted me and my man to host an evening at my house and they could all wear dashiki's. He also wanted to know if I could really cook or just "eggs and ramen noodles cook". Antwane confirmed that I can indeed cook. That made me feel good too.

After leaving there we were taking his brother to visit a friend. We ended up seeing his Great Uncle and Aunt sitting on our porch. We walked up to them. He was in a wheel chair. My first instinct was, "maybe he was a war veteran". I don't know why that was my first thought, but it was. We shook hands they pulled out seats so that we could join them. He told us that he recently had a portion of his foot amputated. He had an accident where something fell on his foot and that was the end result. He told this story with so much positivity and grace. You would think he was talking about something that happened to someone else and not him. He didn't believe that he would be able to walk again because he lost his big toe. But I loved the two of them as a couple. They were comfortable with each other and enjoying one another. It didn't seem like they really needed anything or anyone else. That's how I hope my future husband and I are someday.

We ended the night by going to the KC Riverfest. Just like for Thanksgiving, we made it there in perfect time. We arrived at the bridge about 2 minutes before the firework show began. We stayed for the entire duration of the show and then drove home. When we got back and dropped his brother off, we really ended the night in a romantic way. It was everything I could ever want it to be and more. I love him so much and after all this time, I felt even more loved than before. Couldn't have asked for a better day or a better man.

Song of the day: I Found a Boy by Adele

Quote of the day :"There is only one in this house. To love and be loved"