How do I know he is the right one?

I met F. when I came to visit my family in Austria. My uncle, with whom I was staying with, lived next door. F. was in the village music group with my family. I met F. at a music fund raiser. I wish I could tell you about the deep and inflectual moments we had together, but all I can remember is thinking that he was an idiot. F. and my cousin, both who professed at being able to speak english, were trying to get me to explain the 'Ghost' in alcohol. I said we called alcohol 'spirits' but Ghost, don´t know what they were talking about (I was so old that alcoholism was clichéd. I think it came back after my second child, but that is another story). On and on they kept talking, trying to imply that I wasn´t very intelligent if I didn´t know what they were talking about. Anyway, move onto the next. I was in a new country and was meeting so many people (particually in a small village, new blood is considered a novelty. Everyone else knows everything about everyone, there is no mystery anymore. I became the village highlight at that time).

The week after I was off to Tuscany with some cousins (I think another blogger called us Eurotrash, but this is the advantage of living in Europe. Miss out on Mint Slices but there are other advantages like travelling to European countries easily). Every night I was dreaming about F. Now let me tell you, he was not my first. I have had boyfriends (maybe too many). Some who I even thought of marrying, but circumstances got in the way. Never have I dreamt about someone who I didn´t even think was someone I would be attracted to. I used to dream about me talking to him. Cuddling him. We went for walks together. I imagined us with children (which was a shock because I had just started travelling and wanted experiences, not children). So when I returned, I thought that my cousin should take me over to introduce me to him. We shared a bottle of wine together and then I went off travelling again for 4 months. We kept in touch via dodgy e-mails.

I can remember when I came back. I had been away and had so many different experiences, but my first thoughts were seeing F. again. My lovely cousin arranged it, again. A week later F. invited me to go to the mountains with his friends. I think they must have known our possible feelings as we got the private bedroom (but let me tell you we were unprepared........ All our friends we were with were married. One friend went driving for half an hour on a Sunday to find condoms for us after F. asked him discretely, but this is Austria. Shops are closed. So we had to wait). We decided that we would try being a couple. A bit tricky, as a few weeks later I was off to England to work.

We spoke on the telephone and I would come back as often as possible. One time F. came to visit me and we went to Iceland (another blog opportunity as this was a most bizare place). We wrote e-mails. And our love grew. I would come back after working and before I went travelling again to stay with F. And our love grew more. We decided that we had met the right person.

How did I know he was the right one for me? F. is very stable to my compulsiveness. He gives me grounding. I have never stayed in the same place before but now I have found a reason to. He is the practicality to my whimsicle ideas (at the same time, I expand him to look at things from new directions). He is my normailty to my craziness. He inspires me to be more than I am. He inspires me to look at the world differently. He inspires me to be happy. He is my balance. We work as a team. We discuss things together. We work on things together to reach our joint dreams. I have never been in such a relationship. I know this is the one I am meant to be in.

Now, let me tell you. We planned our wedding (well other than booking the guy that does the wedding (what is their name) my mother organised our wedding. She invited friends, got the photographer, caterer, florist to get things done. My sister organised the car and her friend sang for us, thanks Jenny). Before we were married, we were actually together in the same country for 10 weeks (although together in our hearts for much longer). We have been together for 8 years now. Married for 6. And still very happy. This is my real love.