Happy Valentine's Day, Marty!

Day 3 of the 2010 Vancouver Games

For those who don't know, I've been dating the same man for the last seven years, since I was some 16 years old at my high school of York Mills Collegiate in Toronto.

His name is Martin Lyn, although everyone calls him Marty. Because that's just the type of guy he is. Casual, laid back and completely informal. Formal situations always made him feel awkward and out of place.

I guess, that's why I love spending time with him. He doesn't pressure me to be something I am not. He doesn't make me feel bigger or smaller than I am, and accepts me for all that I happen to be, awkward personality and all.

I admit that I'm a bit of a handful. Consider what I did to be able to volunteer at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. I jetted off to the other side of the country for three weeks on a whim and a dream. It was crazy, and likely still is. He had every right to hate the idea, beyond the fact that it took me away from him for close to a month.

He doesn't deal well with long separations.

But here we are now, on opposite sides of Canada. And it's Valentine's Day, or else Single Awareness Day as we like to refer to it as. Actually he brought up the fact that I'm "missing" Valentine's Day as a reason why I should have stayed home. Not that we observe it, we both rather hate the event. Because how do you define love and passion in a relationship like ours that's so mutually comfortable and easy?

So to Marty, I want you to know that I miss you a lot. All of this would have been so much more meaningful and fun if I could have shared the experience with you. So to the man that I love enough to have put up with for seven years in cargos and t-shirts, I'm sorry I left you behind and I love you. I'll stay safe, as long as you stay happy.

I'll see you when I get back to Toronto on February 27th. And remember, we have a hockey game to play on the 28th too.