This is my husband Jo and he is amazing.

Every year for Valentine’s Day I plan to do something awesome, to make a big public declaration of love — to write a poem, or a story, or a something — to show just how much he means to me. And every year I don’t quite pull it off. Sometimes I get paralyzed by the enormity of my feelings for him and my limited ability to put those feelings to words and sometimes, like this year, it’s because Valentine’s Day just kind of sneaks up on me.

I met Jo on some forums… my avatar was me lookin’ purdy, his was a sock puppet. And really, that’s probably all you need to know about us right there LoL. We started talking, and I convinced him to get ICQ (please tell me at least some of you remember ICQ?) so that we could chat in real time. Our relationship very nearly ended right there because Jo’s personality didn’t really come across awesomely on instant messenger, but thankfully we paved over those initial bumps and met up in three dimensions in the autumn of 2001. After our first meet-up (during which I had a gall bladder attack, because that’s exactly how romantic I am, apparently) we weren’t very awesome at being apart and I moved in with him a few months later. A few months after that I proposed and he said yes.

Jo is my partner, my rock, my advocate and, when I need it, he’ll kick my ass for me. He makes it possible for me to do what I do and be who I am.

I love you Jo, more and more each day–your kind of crazy is a perfect match for my kind of crazy.

I don’t know who I’d be without you, and I hope to never find out.

Happy Valentines Day!