You're the one that I want...oo oo oo*

Everyone always seems to ask if we felt different once we got engaged. I would have to say that except for feeling very very excited, it didn't feel different immediately. I was reminded of when we moved in together, nearly three years ago, and people asked us the same thing then. It was a similar feeling for me - we were incredibly happy about it (especially since moving in together ended a year of agonizing long distance), but it felt so natural and comfortable that it didn't necessarily feel different. I had a lot of friends who asked me over the years how I knew Mr. Hermit Crab was the "one" for me, usually around these big occasions. We have been together a little over five years at this point, and over the years, there are have been other, slightly more nontraditional markers that have shown me that Mr. Hermit Crab and I make good partners for each other. There have been a myriad of indicators for me over the years, but I will share one of the bigger ones with you. A couple months after we moved in together, we adopted two adorable kittens.

My two boys - Rashi and Mr. Hermit Crab

My little one-eyed man, Akiva

(He had a disease when he was a baby and they had to remove one of his eyes, he was so cute and they promised us that he was all better so we adopted him!)

The kittens being ridiculously adorable

I can honestly say that adopting kittens together felt like a bigger deal than either moving in together or getting engaged - we were co-owners of a living thing! It was an unbelievable feeling, and brought us closer together. However, sadly, our little Akiva wound up having a life threatening disease, and despite all of our efforts, he passed away after a short five months. Going through this traumatic experience together showed me that we could be partners against anything that came our way - we were supportive of each others' needs, and we worked through the time together. I guess I had never doubted Mr. Hermit Crab, but I was grateful to learn that I had been right all along. (And happily, our cat Rashi is just about the sweetest cat ever, so in many ways, we still got lucky that summer!)

Did you have a moment or an incident that helped you realize you have found the right partner? I would love to hear it!

*sing with me! Did you guess the movie? Of course, it's Grease!