my great loves

I think it's fairly obvious to say that Adam is my one true Great Love. And my love for him has grown immensely through the years we have been together and I know it will continue to grow. 

But I've thought a lot about the idea of "great loves" and think that I have had many great loves through my life. All in different circumstances & in different periods of my life that have shaped me to prepare me for my one true Great Love to come around.

My first ever "great crush" from elementary school which really consisted of any boy that would give me attention on the playground. Chasing and teasing soon ensued until a few weeks later I was over him. But oh my heart loved all those boys the same! And that passionate little girl never gave up.

That "love" crush from middle school that I have written all over my school notebooks. For years that love burned with no chance of return. I was heartbroken, but never deterred. My 13-15-year-old heart took the pain with the dignity of a 13-15-year-old, crying in my pillow at night. But I "loved" him. And looking back at how obviously silly I was, I learned how essential great friendship is! We became the closest of friends and I was grateful for it in many ways. And especially grateful that it taught me to be friends first with whoever I may end up with.

Then the "first love" boyfriend, who made me think I knew what love meant at the time and I had fallen head over heels for. So much so that I couldn't see straight and really made some terrible decisions. All in the name of love. But that experience taught me how to love and what a healthy love should really look like. 

Then there's the next real love boyfriend who motivated me to be better and helped lift me out from my horrible, dark cloud that I had been carrying over me for 2 years. He was the first one that I realistically could see myself ending up with. But I also learned that in order to truly give myself to someone I had to love myself first. And that person also had to love me for me, not insist on changing me to fit their standard.

After that came Adam, my true Great Love who loved me for me, even if he didn't necessarily agree with all the weird parts of me. But loved me anyways and fought for me from the beginning. The one who showed me that I could truly have a better life, that I was a good person, and worked along side me to be the best we both could be. He taught me what it means to enjoy life but to also have plans for the future to work towards. And from the love he has always shown me, he has given me even more Great Loves! 

Elijah: My second Great Love of my heart, a feeling that is so unconditional & overwhelming that I never imagined it would be possible. He pushes me and strengthens me every day. He is absolutely the reason I live & breathe. Though the time after his birth were a deep, emotional struggle for me, only he could help pull me out of my selfishness and see that life was worth living. He is my whole heart. And no matter how many times he pushes me to the brink of insanity, I will love him all the same and never ever let him go for anything in this world. 

And my new little peanut: The third Great Love miracle we had been praying for. Though I'm filled with many different emotions, from being overwhelmed to being elated, this little nugget growing inside me already has all the love I can give. I am already nervous that I won't live up to the type of mother he/she needs me to be. And with all the love I have for Elijah, I'm nervous how I can love another little person just as much. But I already can feel my love grow immensely for the sweet spirit that is about to come into our family. And I count them as one of my Great Loves. 

All these loves, have helped me to where I am today, the good & the bad. Sometimes I look back and think I really never knew what love was. Or I was just a dumb, silly girl who gave my love away for undeserving causes. And I still believe this is true at times.

But now, with my three Great Loves in my life, I think how blessed I am that I have always lived a life full of love. Whether it be a silly playground crush, a favorite movie, or an amazing Oreo cookie, I live my life full of love. And sharing my love for others can't be such a terrible thing when even if for a moment that love, however silly or ridiculous it may seem, brings me the greatest joy.

So YES TO LOVE! Yes to GREAT loves! Yes to living your life full of of as much love and passion as you can give! Because without love, what is there??

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I think the first step to finding and feeling that Great Love in your life, as I learned from when I met Adam, is loving yourself first! That means taking care of yourself inside & out. Being the best you can be and gaining faith in your own capabilities.

For me, I feel good about myself when my body is taken care of. Whether it be eating right or a good face mask & pedicure, I have the confidence to go out and put my heart on my sleeve. The Yes to Carrots Fragrance Free collection has helped me fall in love with my skin again and feel more free to love my skin again! Not only do they make my skin feel great, but I feel better about using it because of their natural ingredients & gentle products.

This year, they are starting the #YESTOMOVEMENT, which is a Hashtag Project and monthly photo contest with a prize for the favorite picture. This month's hashtag is #YESTOGREATLOVE and it's all about sharing that Great Love in your life!

You can also enter to win one of 500 Yes To Carrots Fragrance Free wipes! ONE IN 500! That's a lot of winners. So be sure to enter today (contest ends February 28th).

Thank you to YES TO for sponsoring this post and nourishing my skin naturally!