It’s no secret I’ve loved and lost. And because of this loss I’ve become more guarded of my heart. But as I’ve grown to love and appreciate who I am, and all that I have to offer I’ve realized what kind of person I want to fall in love with.

I want to fall in love with someone who notices and remembers the little things. Like that my favorite color is green, that I stretch my quads when I’m nervous, or that I like pizza and Dr. Pepper, or even something as miniscule as the octopus and the unicorn are my favorite emojis (mostly because there’s no mermaid one, What The Heck Apple?). I know the movies show big romantic gestures, and running after people, and big surprises, but I think when someone notices the little things it shows that they are fully immersed in you when they spend time with you. They pay attention to even the little details, and care enough to remember them, to store more information on what little things make a person tick. That to me means so much more than a huge display.

I want to fall in love with someone who understands that I don’t like PDA. I prefer the minimalist holding of pinkies, one armed hugs, and top of the head kisses. This in large part has to do with my detestation of body heat, and a combination of enjoying my private life as my own. Of course I want to post adorable pictures with you all over social media, and write obscure subtweets that only you and I understand, but I don’t think I should have to subject myself to drowning in shared body heat, and putting on a show of letting everyone know we’re together. The people that we care about knowing, have known how I felt since I was first crushing on you, so these new developments are not something we have to announce with our physical contact to everyone.

I want to fall in love with someone who finds my quirks endearing, or at least accepts them as a part of who I am. Like my mind blowing tone deafness paired with my passion for car karaoke. My resentment of arrhythmic tapping, and my NEED to pet every dog I see. I don’t want someone who will get annoyed with these aspects of who I am. I want someone who either points the dogs out to me, or turns the volume up and turns my painful solo into an epic duet. It has taken me a long time to accept and love myself for all of my many facets, and I couldn’t be in a healthy relationship with someone who made me feel insecure about them.

I want to fall in love with someone that gets along with my family. My family is a huge part of my life, and while getting my dad to do more than smile and nod at you might take time, I want to fall in love with someone who puts in the effort. I have three VERY different and at times impossible siblings, if one of the three of them doesn’t like you, that would be cause for concern. If my mother (Saint Stace, who is loved by all) doesn’t like you, that would worry me. My family has been the iron that sharpened my iron (Proverbs 27:17). I want to fall in love with someone that I can see becoming part of that family.

I want to fall in love with someone who loves God. A big part of my life has been my relationship with Christ. I know I am saved because He sent His only Son to die for my sins. And because of that I will dedicate my life to serving Him, and being a vessel of His love. I am second, and I want to fall in love with someone who I can talk to about a message at church, I want to fall in love with someone who I can go to church with.

And last, but definitely not least, I want to fall in love with someone who squats to full depth. Because in all reality the most annoying kind of people are the ones who brag about how much they squat and they are NOWHERE NEAR below parallel. This is also hand in hand with honesty, and accountability, and those are foundations of successful relationships.

At the end of the day I want to fall in love with someone who won’t lecture me on the evils of soda (or drink my last cheerwine), who won’t have their feelings hurt when I don’t want to cuddle (so much shared body heat, just why), who won’t turn the song when Taylor Swift comes on (bonus points if you sing along), and loves me back as fiercely and as completely as I love them.