How the Interview Brought Us Closer...

So... Remember the party James and I attended last month? Well, the photos the pro photographer captured of the two of us dancing got lots of likes and retweets on our Twitter account with the hashtag #blacklovelookslike. I decided to share it on Instagram and Kelly Stone, blogger and author, was tagged. She invited James and me to submit our love story to her blog, SouthernLaced.com. We were very honored to share and had a great time answering the questions together.

This interview couldn't have come at a better time. With the stress of our wedding planning adding to our normal stressors, we have been at odds with each other. Reflecting on our relationship and writing out why we love each other so much, brought us close again. We had a great night planned to do the interview. James came over to my place early with thoughtful gifts in hand. He gave me a bouquet of sweetly fragrant white lilies and pink roses accented by delicate baby's breath. I noticed that there was a handwritten card. James had written a beautiful statement, "I love you more than any other lady. I vow to make my love for you clearer to you daily."

For those wondering why James would write something like that I want you to know that we are happy as a couple, but James is a workaholic. It's been a work in progress with us finding a decent balance between work and quality time together, PLUS plan our wedding. Sometimes I get frustrated with his lack of participation and feel like I have to do that stuff alone. I do believe his love for me is strong, and I actually admire his work ethic, so I keep quiet most of the time.

But I have told James that his dedication to his work shouldn't exceed his dedication to his loved ones because, in the end, WE will be there! The job may come or go. Besides, why work so hard to build a lifestyle when, in the end, you have no one to share your success with? James felt my patience wearing thin so he made sure to show me how special I am to him by carving out time to do our interview and also spend time together alone. I wasn't even expecting him so early! I was still in my sweatpants when he called to say he was at the door.

In addition to the flowers, he bought me a beautiful blue chemise from Soma and some perfume. I loved it all! I was surprised and definitely impressed. James was so pleased with my reaction. He helped me take the flowers out the cellophane and put them in a vase. I noticed he went to a florist to buy the bouquet. Normally he gets one premade from the supermarket. I shared with James how much I appreciated him going that extra step. He told me how he had described me and what he was looking for to the sales lady in Soma. He told me he was a little nervous about the color, but he knew he had my size correct. I absolutely loved the color. It was a pale teal blue with black lace accents. I told James and his concerned expression changed to a look of satisfaction.

After we set the flowers, James sat me down and asked, "Okay Sha'ahn, what do you want to do? What's our plan?" I told him I wanted to do the interview for Soutern Laced and then get something to eat. Then we would come back to my place and relax just like we used to when we first met.

The evening was wonderful. We went to Ruby Tuesday because I had a taste for their salad bar. Plus I had a coupon for half off an entree. (Gotta save money, with this wedding coming up!) We had fun. We were just as silly as we always are, and we felt so carefree! We took my macbook to the restaurant and started answering the questions. It made us reminisce and we felt so close. We were chuckling a lot and kissing. The questions made us think and choose the best stories about our relationship to share with the world. You can read it HERE. I learned some things about James that I didn't even know, like the moment he knew I was the woman for him. It surprised me.

After dinner, we talked about our upcoming engagement photo shoot and trip to the wedding venue that I begged him to consider. Yes, Glen Gardens! LOL I hope he likes it as much as I do, so we can get that task marked off our checklist.

I'll end this entry now, but I will leave you with this:

When things get rough in your relationship, try to talk with your partner and take that trip down memory lane together! It will do wonders for your relationship. Trust me!

YAY! We are the top story right now!