Day 25 - A Painted Memory

One of my biggest struggles in my dating life has been the act of reciprocation. I can't tell you how many times I've done considerate, sweet, thoughtful things for someone and they almost never get reciprocated. It's one of the most annoying and exhausting things. Back in 2008-ish, I was finally in a shockingly satisfying relationship where this wasn't an issue.

I was traveling at the time on my tour manager gig, just as our relationship started. So naturally, he accompanied me on a few of the pit stops along the way. He was from upstate NY and spent his summers working there and lucky for me, one of my stops was right where he was! Totally random coincidence. Somehow it ended up working out that one of us flew to see each other every couple weeks in various spots. I fully believe this relationship prepared me for my marriage with M for a few reasons. One, coping with long distance...even if it was only for a few weeks at a time. Two, it helped me become a pro at sending care packages. I LOVED this about our relationship. I would pack boxes with cute cards, candy, and other fun things and he'd send me local candies, sweet letters, and these awesome paintings...

The one on the left is Mt. St. Helens, a place we visited together on his trip out to see me on tour in Portland. We drove for hours upon hours to get there and when we did, it was partially covered by fog and clouds. We were super bummed, but it was an awesome journey where we stopped and took some incredible pictures along the way. The one on the right is Taughannock Falls in Ithaca. It was a place he frequented a lot with his family growing up in the area and a place we stopped when I came and visited him upstate. What I love even more are the sweet little messages on the back, but some things must remain private ;) 

Once I got married, I was told to get rid of anything having to do with ex-boyfriends, so these were a casualty of that. Fortunately for me, my dad's wife saved them and surprised me with them when I moved back home recently. I had always been kinda bummed they were gone and wished I still had them around. They are great memories of a great relationship, great travels, and a thoughtful person. I love little memories like this! <3