What Does Love Look Like?

Talk about a lucky woman.  In the month of April, I was able to visit two blog friends who live in opposite directions across the wide USA.  Yes, I have met them both in person on girls' trips in the last few years, but I had never visited them in their homes or met their spouses.  It was a new experience for me, and I was so excited to see each woman in her own domain.


Although one lives in a small town and the other lives in a large city, their homes were both warm and inviting.  Just different scenery out the windows.  Both friends were so generous with their time and the unique locations close by that we explored together.  I always love to share the sights special to my region of the country when people come to stay, and I sincerely hope both friends come to visit Sam and I one day soon.  Husbands, too, of course!

Most times our homes are a reflection of who we really are.  We put our stamp on it more than any other place in our world.  I loved seeing each friend's style personality in the rooms of their house.  The colors, the furniture, and especially the comfy places where they relax and write.  One of my favorite discoveries!  Now whenever I read a post they put up, I can picture them having their coffee or juice as they type and turn those spankings into stories.

And I think I examined every picture in each house, except for the ones in the master bedrooms.  Art usually has a story, and it was such a treat for me to hear those stories from my friends and their dear men, too.  

Visiting local restaurants or enjoying the cooking in friends' kitchens always seem to bring people together, even those meeting for the first time.  A favorite Italian restaurant, a market full of fresh food, goodies from a special bakery.  And it was something past wonderful to sample the local microbreweries.
  

So, I suppose the suspense has gone on long enough, readers.  With pleasure I will let you know that my visits took me first to PK and Nick's house.  When I returned home, there was barely time to get the laundry caught up before a second visit had Sam and I traveling to the home of Meredith and Jack.  New airports and introductions, lots of talk, settling in, and presents, too. 

Everything I have shared with you so far made these trips delightful and memorable.  I couldn't thank these couples enough.  But there was something else that made me smile to myself throughout both visits.  It was seeing the relationship between each friend and her husband.   Up until last month, I mostly knew about their relationships through the dozens and dozens of posts on these two friends' blogs.  PK and her Nick.  Meredith and her Jack.  Actually, I think it was PK who once wrote that ttwd wives appreciate their guys in a way you don't see often in this big world.  No trash talking our husbands.

So what does love look like in a ttwd home?  Remember that old song, "The Look of Love" by Burt Bacharach?  Here's a few of the lyrics to help you recall.  It was a very pretty song, and watching each couple together made me think of it again.


                               The look of love
                               Is in your eyes
                               The look your smile can't disguise
                               The look of love
                               Is saying so much more
                               Than just words could ever say....

So here's a peek at the love I saw in these two homes.

• Heard a voice that was softer when her man was in the room.  
• Watched her eyes glued on him when he was talking.
• Her hand on his knee.  His hand on hers.
• Saw her smile when she read his text.
• His quick touch of her hair. 
• Felt his protectiveness when he insisted she drive his car for a longer outing.
• Standing close in the kitchen and working together.
• Smiled to myself when she literally "leaned in" when he was telling a story. 
• Her appreciating him opening doors for her.
• A hand reaching for a hand as they walked ahead.
• Noticing how each partner listened actively to the other.
• A kiss before he left the house.
• An arm around her shoulders as they sat together.
• His hand on the small of her back.
• Genuine laughter when he was funny.
• A smile across the room.
• Her showing concern for his parent.
• Stopping herself when she began to interrupt.
• Showing off something he built.
• The sweet and sexual tension between a husband and a wife.

If I had sat with a notebook in my lap, there were probably many more words, gestures, and examples of positive body language between the couples.  Even so, one of the most wonderful things about these trips was to watch This Thing We Do in action.  There were no spankings that I know about, but I surely did get to witness the love about which I have so often read when I visit New Beginnings online or check out any "new twists" at Meredith and Jack's house.

  Thanks, my friends, for two lovely trips with two lovely couples.