Every once in a while, I find myself wondering, what is my future husband doing at this very moment? Is he home from college on summer vacation, or perhaps already graduated and working a full-time job? Is he a businessman? A musician? A deep-sea diver? There's no way to know, which is so strange, yet so exciting at the same time.

I guess the biggest question I have to ponder is the idea of a soulmate. Is there one person I am destined to spend my life with? Are our futures already planned out: how we’ll meet, how we’ll realize that we’re meant to be more than friends? Or is it all in the timing? Whoever you are, future husband, I can’t wait to meet you.

I can’t wait to tell you my stories and to hear yours. I can’t wait to laugh at your baby pictures and cringe when my mom pulls out mine. I know she'll share all the horrifically embarrassing things I've done and outfits I've worn, and I'll want to crawl under a rock. Hopefully, though, you won't be scared away.

I can’t wait to learn all about you. I can't wait to know your funny habits and your superstitions like the back of my hand. I want to discover your biggest fears, the things that keep you up at night; your favorite music, your favorite books; the little things -- like pretzel M&Ms or a day of fishing -- that make you happy. I want to help you pursue your biggest dreams, goals, and aspirations. I want to be your cheerleader, and hopefully you can be mine, too.

I can’t wait to watch sports with you and cheer on our favorite teams, even if they happen to be rivals. I can't wait to take you to concerts and see your reaction when I sing along to every word and lose my voice for three days. It happens every time.

I hope you have a sense of humor, so you can make me laugh when I’m down and pretend I’m funny when I attempt to tell a really pitiful joke (I tend to do that a lot, so I apologize in advance).

I have to warn you that I read a lot of Nicholas Sparks novels; I’m a sucker for romance. I admit, I want all of those cliché romantic things, like dancing around the kitchen in your shirt, taking long walks on the beach, and kissing passionately in the rain. But I don’t want a perfect fairy-tale marriage. Because one doesn't exist.

Real relationships aren’t perfect. They have ups and downs and differences of opinion. Success is contingent on compromise, mutual sacrifice and respect, and the willingness to accept one another for who we are, despite our flaws. I want a love that's real and messy and amazing just the way it is.

I expect to be treated like a princess. But not in the, “buy me lots of expensive things and spoil me rotten,” sense. We both deserve the same level of respect. I don’t need a huge diamond ring to know you love me. Heck, I don’t care if (at first) we’re dirt poor and living in a closet of an apartment. I need your loyalty, your trust, your kindness, and your compassion. I need to know you’ll be by my side through thick and thin, just as I will be by yours.

I can't wait to have a bond that is uniquely ours. I want you to be my best friend, someone who I can confide in, no matter the circumstance, because I believe honesty is essential in a healthy relationship. I can't wait to celebrate the good days with you, and have you to lean on when I'm frustrated and nothing seems to be going right.

I love being adventurous and spontaneous, and I hope you do too, but I also can't wait for those lazy Saturdays when we don't get out of bed for hours (breakfast in bed is always an option... wink wink).

I can’t wait for those memories that will stick with us forever and the stories that we’ll tell our children in years to come; whether it be about our first date, the first time I introduced you to my father, or the road trip when everything that could possibly go wrong did.

I can't wait to look into your eyes and know that you are the person I will raise children with; the person with whom I will grow old; the person whom I will love for the rest of my life. I can't wait for a future with you.

There will be times when you’ll drive me absolutely crazy, but I have my moments, too, so we can call it even. After all, isn't that what love is really all about?

With much love,
Your future wife.