My boyfriend and I have been together since our senior year of high school. We are both currently juniors at Shippensburg University, and it is crazy to me that I feel even more in love now than the first time I said, "I love you." A secret that some people might know is that my boyfriend was also my first kiss freshman year of high school and somehow, someway God brought us back together. He is truly my best friend.

If you have been in a long-term relationship then you can probably relate to most of these reasons.

1. Even when I try to be mad, he makes me laugh.

I could be in any possible mood and somehow this boy will still get me to laugh. Whether I'm pouting or crying, he can make me smile. Though it makes me even more mad when he makes me laugh when I am trying to be upset with him, I think that is one of the reasons I love him. Despite those small fights that every couple seems to have every now and again, I cannot recall a time that he did not make me smile at least once during the day.

2. He truly gives the best hugs.

To me he is a giant teddy bear. I call his hugs "magical hugs," because the moment I get a bear hug I feel safe. I am happy to say that I seem to always be offered an endless supply of hugs for days and days.

3. He makes me challenge myself.

I tend to be shy and afraid to put myself out there. His personality is definitely of someone who seems to be afraid of nothing. He is never afraid to be himself and I admire that. Whenever I am worried about doing something, he is there to tell me that I can do it.

4. He fits in with my family.

In fact, my niece actually believes that he is HER boyfriend. Whether I try to hug him or kiss him, she gets possessive. One time he told her they were married and she said, "but you didn't get me a ring." So, on Christmas when she actually got a ring, she rolled her eyes and screamed, "I'm not married." They have a complicated relationship.

5. He believes in me, even when I don't believe in myself.

Similar to him making me challenge myself, he is one of my biggest supporters that I have. I always tend to be hard on myself but he manages to sneak in compliments and say "I'm proud of you" when I need it.

6. He accepts my quirks.

I am OBSESSED with dogs, cry more than I should and tend to always burn my mouth on my food. Somehow, he seems to still love me. Even on our first date I burnt my mouth so bad that I had a huge blister on the roof of my mouth. I was afraid of embarrassing myself by spitting out my food.

7. He tells me it is going to be OK.

I have anxiety and lately it has been on the rocks again. He tells me no matter how many times I ask that it is going to be OK. To me that means the world, because I know he believes it but also he believes in me and my strength to get through it.

Three years and counting with this guy and I could not ask for anyone better to call mine.