"Make Room! I Gotta Dance!"

So, as my fiance and I are now 80 days away from our wedding, (YAY!) we are looking at the living space that we will be living in when we first get married.  We will be in the 1 bedroom apartment that Steve is currently living in.  He has been living there by himself for the last 7+ years.

Slowly, his home has started to feel like my own.  Not only because I love being with him. He has let me start to share in some of the decorating.  I have brought some of my pictures, paintings, and such items into the apartment, and he has allowed me to hang them up, even though I don't live there yet.  He had very little decor when we first started dating. I got him some paintings that suited his style for Valentine's Day this year. We are slowly starting to mesh parts of our home decor styling together.

We want to paint an accent wall in the kitchen, and we are at an impass on color.  We have narrowed it down to 2 colors, so we have decided to make it a matter of sampling. On this particular wall, is a piece of art that was hanging in my parents home for a long time.  It is faded, but I wasn't ready to part with it.
Here is a cropped version of the painting:

With the colors in the painting being so faded, I feel that something with a bit of pop brings out the remaining colors, where he thinks something more understated would let the painting shine.  We will see what the test shows. Steve says that he will choose whatever I want, but I want to honestly see which one does the painting justice, because I can't seem to find anywhere to get a big print of this original to replace the faded one.

But, the main reason for this post today, is that Steve has been cleaning out a lot of things from his place, and I have mixed feelings about it.  I love that he wants to make room for me there, and for me to feel so comfortable there.  At the same time, I still want it to feel like his home. I probably sound like a crazy woman. His opinion matters a lot to me.  I want our home to reflect us both, not just me.

From my last marriage, I have learned that finding middle ground where both people are happy is the best route. Sometimes, an agreement cannot be reached, and then you have to decide who's happiness is most important to that particular issue. My ex and I fought about things that don't matter in the long run, because we were sick of fighting about the big things. I never want to be in that situation again.  Thankfully, Steve and I have that open line of communication, where we can both say, "you can decide."  We can find middle ground on most things.  If one or the other of us is insistent about something, then the other person will see where they are coming from, and come to an agreement.

This time, I'm pretty sure I got a partner. That is all I could ever ask for.

All my love,
Shae

To My Daddy

Dearest Daddy,

I love you very much! I am so grateful to be your daughter.  I am so blessed to always have you watching out for me, wanting what is best for me, and supporting me in my decisions.  Thank you for being such a wonderful husband to Mom. It has been the best example of a wondeful loving relationship I could have ever had. I am now blessed to have a man that loves me as much as you love Mom. 
Thank you for always being there for me, whether I deserved it or not. Thank you for all of our late night talks. I know that I am not always the best daughter.  Thank you for loving me anyway,  and always trying to make me laugh. You are the best. I look forward to the day when my future children can meet you, be spoiled by you,  and have fun with you.
I love you Daddy-san! You're the best!

All my love,
Squeakerdoo