Dear Phil,

Today is your birthday. And even though I know you will hate it, I will make a big deal out of it all weekend (complete with an unwanted blog post). Because I’m happy it marks another year of our lives spent together.

I think each birthday that passes makes me smile because our relationship “officially” began the night of my 16th birthday … so in a way I associate our relationship with birthdays. It’s funny how many things I can’t remember (like what movies I have already watched or what you swear you told me the other day), but I can so vividly recall the night when two high school kids finally decided to have a high school romance. I stayed up way past my 10 p.m. bedtime (risking having terrible bags under my eyes for my driver license photo) just so we can chat a little longer. To confirm we wanted to risk our friendship for a relationship. Since then, we have celebrated over a decade worth of birthdays together while chasing dreams, breaking rules and doing what feels right for us.

 (Phil and I at his senior prom … this was shot on film, oh yea!)

I can’t imagine what life would look like without you at my side. Thank you for being so many things to me over the years. My high school sweetheart, calculus tutor, best friend, eater-of-less-than-stellar-meals-cooked-by-me, music trendsetter, proofreader, Blackhawks fan, professional listener, world traveler, …. but more than anything thank you for believing in my dream and pushing me in to it when I was too scared myself.

So as much as you told me not to blog about your birthday, I felt I had to. Because without you, this blog, this life, this dream … would not be.

Happy Birthday, my love.