Amy: A boyfriend's perspective.

Ever since I finished with camp, my writing has been very sporadic.  This has happened for a few reasons: 1. I have been busy at Milton (I've done a ton of subbing), 2. I enrolled in a gym (hacking away at the free time that I did have), and 3. I have really struggled to find the motivation and think of fresh new content.  I think that if I could do writing as a profession, I would be able to keep my posts fresh, long, and entertaining, but these things really take a lot of time and thought! (also, I do it for my enjoyment, not money).  The post that I am writing now is long overdue, may get a little sappy, and comes at a time where there isn't an outside factor (birthday, holiday, anniversary, etc.) that is motivating the blog other than the fact that she deserves it for being wonderful everyday!  There are so many things to say about Amy (and I know I won't cover it all here), so I will just start at the beginning!

The high school senior version of Amy and Noah

For those of you that are wondering, no, I would not consider Amy and me high school sweethearts.  I feel like that title is usually designated to the starting quarterback and head cheerleader that we've seen in all of chick flicks... ever.  We did go to high school together (and as we would come to find out as time went on, had quite a few classes together) but we ran in very different circles early on.  If you had asked me to tell me a little about Amy Johnston I probably would have said something like this: "she is one of the really smart twins who came from China or Vassalboro or something...".  If you had asked Amy to tell you a little bit about Noah, she probably would have said something like this: "who is Noah?" JUST KIDDING! In actuality (if she was being completely honest) it would probably sound something like this: "Noah plays soccer, hangs out with the popular kids... I'm not sure if he's very nice..."  Unfortunately, that was the rap I had in high school.  It wasn't until people got to to know me that they realized that I am a very decent human being.  Anyways, as I was saying, she had her priorities and I had mine.  It wasn't until senior year, when we happened to have the same homeroom that I really got to know her and realize that she was actually super cool.  To make a long courtship story short: I joined the swim team, got to know her more, we started talking a lot, I took her on a date to a punk rock show (which is totally not her type of music), we went to prom together, I ended up at Camp Bishopswood where she finally realized that I was worthwhile, and then started officially dating shortly after our freshman years of college began.  It has been nearly 8 years since I joined the swim season, and to quote Wicked, "my life has changed for the better" (Yeah, I typed it.....)  Here are a few reasons why we have (and will continue to) worked so well!

1. She is the epitome of kindness.
There are so many things that I could have started with here, but there is nothing that shines brighter when I think about Amy than her kind, selfless attitude.  She will always look out for the well-being of others (both human and animal) before her own needs. Amy has an absolutely innate need to please others and make sure that they are happy. When we host people at our apartment or spend time with friends, there is rarely an occasion when she doesn't follow up the visit with some variation of: "I hope they had a good time!" (of course they had a good time, because they are our friends, and you are the most gracious entertainer of all time!!)  When I am having down day, she goes out of her way to make the efforts to cheer me up (even when it isn't working).  With her friends and grad schoolmates, she never forgets a birthday, and always brings at least a card to help them celebrate.  

Her kindness and gentle heart shine most brightly when she is around animals.  Her eyes light up and she pets them so that they feel loved and cared for (she is incapable of watching an animal movie without crying). Above is a picture of a random cat named Mochie (I think) that she contently patted for at least 15 minutes.

2. She and I have shared interests

Snow day walk!

It seems kind of obvious, but relationships will not work if there aren't shared interests involved.  We listen to similar music, have similar clothing tastes (no I don't wear girl clothes, just shop in the same stores), enjoy shopping, like making people happy, don't mind having a quiet night in, appreciate each other for the little things, enjoy having a solid routine, like being outdoors.....the list could go on and on.  Last night we were watching Master of None, Aziz Ansari's new show on netflix (which is really great, by the way) and one of the characters was talking about how great it is to not have to worry about going out and making plans, and being content to just have a quiet night at home watching the latest critically acclaimed show.  As he was talking about it, Amy and I looked at each other and just laughed, because it sounded exactly like our average night, and that is just the way we like it!

3. She has a great sense of humor
While I will never tell this to her face, she actually has a pretty good sense of humor.  She loves to smile and laugh (especially at her own jokes).  The mood around our apartment is almost always light and cheery thanks to us having such compatible sensibilities in the humor department.  Many of Amy's jokes are ridiculous, but she tops them off with boisterous laughter at herself, at which point I can't help but laugh along.  My oldest brother Joe told me to find a girl that smiles and laughs a lot, and I am so thankful that I have found one!

4. She is a great travel companion!!

Washington D.C.

Seattle

Orono, ME

New York City

Bar Harbor

Philadelphia

Chicago

 I think the pictures really sum up how great it is to be able to travel with Amy!

5. She is the type of girl I can bring home to the family
When I was in the "looking for a girlfriend" stage of my life, this made a huge impact on my  courtship of young women (trying to be respectful and not sound like a creep).  I could not have hit a bigger home run than Amy.  Amy is like when a batter steps up to the plate and smashes it 500 the feet over the fence and out of the ball park.  Even early on, I could tell that my parents were big fans (mostly because Amy reflects a lot of the positive qualities that my Mom has).  I was amazed that she stuck around after the first time she met my Dad.  As she entered the kitchen, my Dad grabbed Sam and started dancing around with the dog singing "Once in love with Amy, Always in love with Amy"... somehow, Amy managed to laugh politely, and I got her away from that scene as quickly as possible.  When she wasn't scared away by crazy Dad, I knew that I should keep this one around.  Naturally, she and my mom hit it off instantly, both being simple Maine girls, that was an easy connection.  When it came time to meet the brothers, they knew how happy she made me, so I think they would have liked her well enough for that, but her quiet, kind nature won them over as well.

6. She is a great cook!
Unfortunately, the ability to cook is not present in everybody.  But luckily, Amy is a fantastic cook!  She is able to make a variety of different meals and keeps Isaiah and me well fed!  Just the other day she was proud of herself for being able to accurately estimate measurements instead of measuring them out in a cup or teaspoon (a sign of an experienced cook).  On a weekly basis, we enjoy anything from shrimp scampi to chicken enchiladas!

7. She has a great family.
Ever since I have entered the picture in Amy's life, her family has been nothing but kind and welcoming, which makes everything so much easier.  It certainly helped that I was able to meet her Dad before anything started (he coached the Waterville swim team), and he got to know me as a hard worker and fast learner in the pool.  Amy's family and my family have very similar sets of values, creating good and easy relationship between our families.  Her parents have always been willing to provide support for me and Amy when we have needed it.  They have always been very helpful and generous (especially when my cars were going through problems)!  Amy's twin sister Catherine is great as well, and is always trying to get me to listen to the new music she discovered or asking me for fantasy football advice (although she should give me advice, because her teams are tearing it up).  Coming from an active family, I thought it would be hard to find a family as active, but the Johnstons are always on the go.  Whether it is heading up to camp to renovate their new cabin or running half marathons or working in the garden or chopping down trees or swimming or doing yoga (I think you get the idea) they are phenomenally busy and active people.  Their activity clearly rubs off on Amy who makes a very grand effort to do some sort of workout every single day.

Amy and her Dad Post-half marathon!

 There is so much more that I could say, but this is where I will leave it for now.  I am so happy that she entered into my life eight years ago, because she is absolutely wonderful!

Until next time!!