LIFE :: TK First Love, 13 Years and Going Strong + Relationship Secrets

Exactly one month ago today on June 9th, it was my 13 year anniversary and it was such a fun-filled day...

 

We started our morning with some brunch at Bruxie's in Huntington Beach. I got the chicken & waffles (it was a must) and the bf got the gruyere cheese with prosciutto. Both were really good - mine was very flavorful while his had that right amount of savory without being too heavy.

Afterwards, we rode our bikes down the beach (just got this Schwinn bike for my anny too thanks to the bf!). It was actually pretty nice and since it was a Monday, the beach wasn't even crowded. New thought: I need to take more days off to just go and relax at the beach. Something about it is so rejuvenating.


Biking can be a workout! So we grabbed a little snack at Ruby's Diner at the Huntington Beach pier (a very popular SoCal spot). I LOVE onion rings so we just had to get some and sip on a little bit of "fun juice" too. ;) Oh! We also won a free root beer float at our next visit for getting a red gumball from the gumball machine (seriously saw like 3 other people win it while we were there so it was a lucky day).


Days like this makes me realize how fortunate we are to live so close to this view. So my goal is to take more advantage of it this summer. Yes, that means more beach pictures coming up!

And here I am with a mandatory bathroom picture before dinner! What? It was a good hair day. ;) The bf surprised me and took me to Wildfish in Newport Beach.

It was funny though. They thought our dating anniversary was our wedding anniversary. This is the first I've ever seen our names like that (eeks!). Not yet but one day.

 

The flaming pineapple upside-down cake was so mouth-watering and worth every single calorie. I was in dessert heaven and will totally be back for more!

After dinner, we went on a romantic gondola ride (from Gondola of Newport, tip: check out GroupOn for deals HERE). We set sail and cruised through the Balboa Bay area. I've gone through these routes multiple times but never at night so it was nice to enjoy the city night lights. AND our gondolier sang to us in Italian - he was really good and talented.

 

It was a perfect day and I couldn't have asked for more.

 

Now we've been together for over a decade and people always ask me what's the secret. Well, I'm no expert but here are my 3 Relationship Secrets to think about:

1) Always have date nights - I see it happen quite often: people are so excited at the beginning of relationships and then after a couple months/years, it dies down. Hey, it happens. But people start to wonder, what's the difference now? The key thing here is to continue having "date nights." Even if it's just to go get some dinner and ice cream. When you call it a "date," for some reason, the mood changes. I will forever be having date nights wherever we go.

2) Be patient & understanding - there will always be ups & downs in a relationship. Nothing is perfect. I repeat, nothing is perfect and if you really love someone you have to start to be less stubborn and more compromising. It's a give-and-take.

3) Find ways to surprise each other - even now, we continue to learn new things from each other. Many times he surprises me when I least expect it and it just reminds me how lucky I am.   

 

Well there you have it. Oh wait, here's one more secret: make each other smile daily. If you're with someone, they better make you happy and if you're a girl, you better be treated like a princess! Just saying...

 

"Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart." ~Anonymous

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