Element of Surprise

Joshua and I have been together for nearly 3 years! We have had our ups and downs and yet we've stuck it through! But like many couples, we go through stages. According to John Gray of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, there are 5 stages to a relationship:

1. Attraction - This is the initial attraction stage, where you begin to like the other person. Love at first sight?
2. Uncertainty - According to him, this is the stage where we wonder if the person is right for us and whether or not to pursue a relationship. I call this the "Is he going to ask me out? or should I run away?" stage.
3. Exclusivity - The mutual decision to commit to a relationship. I call this one the "honeymoon" stage. This is where everything is new and you are still learning about your  partner and everything is fine and dandy.
4. Intimacy - We feel relaxed enough to let our guard down and we begin to see how to other person really is. I call this COMFORTABLE.
5. Engagement - Lastly, the decision to celebrate your love and commitment and become a family.

After nearly 3 years... we have reached it. Comfortable. This stage can be really stagnant and there are less flames than when we first met and started dating. So to add some umph! we do a monthly surprise for one another. We each have 2 weeks ( I have the first 2 of the month, he has the last 2) to come up with a surprise for one another. It can be anytime between the 2 weeks and it can be anything. This adds an element of surprise to keep the relationship more lively.

Today, I decided to bake him a red velvet brownie with cheesecake in a ramekin and surprise him at home. I also bought a Spiderman balloon and placed it on top of the dessert and knocked on his door. He didn't know I was coming over or that the surprise was... actually a surprise, and closed the door. But after trying a second knock, he took it in and was pleasantly surprise! :D

And then we took random pictures with the balloon out of boredom.