“I know you’ve never loved the crinkles by your eyes when you smile
You’ve never loved your stomach or your thighs
The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine
But I’ll love them endlessly”
One Direction – Little Things

Yep, I know it’s a Christmas photo without a Christmas song as the soundtrack. You’re going to just have to deal with that part because while it is a Christmas photo, it’s also our fifth month day post and that’s where my mind is at tonight. Celebrating the most incredible five months leading into the holiday with Mackenzie. It’s nice to be writing just because it’s what I want to do and what I want to write about. I’ve been very sponsor-focused in the last few months and please don’t mistake this as a slight towards that. It’s truly not. But when you’re doing deadlines, coming up with ideas, and trying to tailor something to fit it, you can’t just write like you would when you don’t have to think about that. So if you’ve been around here before, welcome back, and if you’re new here, welcome to the kind of post I love to do.

I look back on all of the posts that Mackenzie and I have done together and just smile. It’s crazy to think that in July we were taking our first photo together. I remember meeting before that of course and getting to know each other better in those early days. I think we were talking just the other day and somehow got on the topic of how even at that point conversation for us was never weird, it flowed, it was easy and almost effortless. I think back on all of that and it really does make me wonder how I got as lucky as I did. Yes I know puns all around there and that’s fine, but it’s the truth. I can’t picture things without her, any idea I have, any future that I see, you name it and she’s part of it.

We’re here now in December and will get to celebrate our first Christmas together in SecondLife. If you had told me that six months ago I wouldn’t have believed it. We’ve mostly finished decorating the house for the holidays and shot our first Christmas photo, it’s going to be so nice to spend it together. In the months since that first photo we’ve taken many more, different ideas, new formats, and unique looks, it’s refreshing to have a partner who truly appreciates the work you put in and puts in just as much to make things great. Sometimes the idea is mine, sometimes it’s hers, and it really is a collaboration even if she tries to tell you I did the work of setting things up.

The photo above is a perfect example of everything I’ve said. You can see her version above (once she posts hers of course) which once again I think makes mine look like I can’t find an angle to save my life. She had wanted to shoot a picture of us (it ended up turning into this Christmas one since the timing worked that way) and that led us to set up the scene and both get our shots taken. I love being able to see what she sees in a scene contrasted with what I see. The lighting, angle, and composition of it all. It’s rare that we’re even similar in our shot and enjoying doing these kinds of things together makes the photography side of blogging just a little bit more enjoyable for me.

She also wanted to shoot one of just me (which you can find here on her Flickr and above because I felt the need to include what she wrote for it below.) I had asked her to do one of me because while we’ve taken plenty of photos together I thought having one of me from her perspective would be really nice. I figured out a basic idea for something that I thought would work and decided on an outfit to wear and then let her do her thing. Little did I know what she had in store for when she posted it.

You.

i always wanted you.
even when i didn’t
know what i wanted.
even before i knew you.
it was you.
you were the chapter
that i didn’t know
the words to, but
always knew it existed.
and when i finally
found it and began
to read, i knew i
was home.

This man right here. In all my time in Second Life, I’ve never met someone who has impacted my life in the way that Lucky has. He dismantled a core belief I had about myself in a matter of months, and helped me change the trajectory of my life all at once. This man has listened to me laugh, cry, ruminate, yell, scream, you name it. I’m so grateful to have him by my side and I cannot wait for our future. ♥

I obviously commented on the Flickr photo when she posted it but here I am now still thinking about it. You’ve read a lot about past lives in the posts about us, and it’s something that I feel like I say every single time, but we had to have had at least one. Since the day we met (as I said above) conversation was so easy. I can think back on that first night like it was yesterday and it’s truly wild how fast the time went, how easy it was to talk about anything we wanted, and that’s something that’s stayed true through today. There isn’t a person on the planet I trust more than her.

I said it on Flickr and I’ll say it again here, she may say that I dismantled a core belief she had about herself but I don’t see it like that. I know what she’s talking about and I know what I said. I may have played a part in it, but all I did was tell her what I truly thought and saw. So if anything we dismantled that together. I love that she says I helped change the trajectory of her life all at once as well, I won’t argue that, but trust me when I say she was already changing her trajectory. I might have boosted it a little, but I’ve never met someone as resilient and strong, who works as hard as she does every single second of every day to get where she wants. I am beyond proud of Mackenzie for all she’s done and is doing.

I have listened to her laugh, cry, ruminate (plenty of times, but she’s done it for me too), yell, scream, whatever you can think of. I’m not going to pat myself on the back for that because she does that for me as well. It’s another part of what makes everything work. We are invested in one another always. There are always going to be good days, bad days, and everything in between. We show up for each other no matter what kind of day it is. If that’s a good day for both then that’s awesome. If it’s a bad day for one of us or both, we’ll take it easy that night and do whatever feels right. That saying or rule about relationships and them being 50/50 is great in theory but she pointed out a better way to look at it because some days neither of us is at 50, we’re human, it happens.

I want to say she linked me to a TikTok, yeah a TikTok, I know I swore I would never be a TikToker but I have committed to them now. But it was Brené Brown and her point was that we aren’t always going to get to 100 combined. Some days are just harder than others and you can’t guarantee both people are going to be able to do 80/20 or 60/40 or whatever it might. Sometimes it’s a rough day across the board and she might be a 30, and I might be a 35 (I’m just throwing numbers out) so we’re a 65. What do we do those days? We figure out what we feel we want to do, sometimes that’s just talking and spending time doing solely that, sometimes we shop, sometimes it’s a photo, it all depends on the energy that we have combined.

I have never felt more supported, loved, and cared about than I do with her. I do my best every single day to make sure that she feels supported, loved, and cared for as well. I do not take a single second of our time together for granted, one of the things I have always told her is no matter what we do, whether it’s five seconds, five minutes, or five hours, it’s appreciated. There is not a day that goes by that she doesn’t hear I love you. If I have learned anything it’s that even when you’re together you still put in just as much effort. I don’t take moments for granted, I don’t stop listening, I communicate, I take care of her. She does the same for me, always. Blessed, grateful, thankful, they all apply, she’s one of one. Happy Holidays from our family to yours! Credits for everything can be found below.

“I’ve just let these little things
Slip out of my mouth
‘Cause it’s you
Oh it’s you
It’s you they add up to
And I’m in love with you
And all these little things”
One Direction – Little Things

Credits:

~Mackenzie~

Head: LeLutka EvoX AVALON 3.1 ~ Jaden Nova
Hair: Magika – Lyric ~ Sabina Blakewell
Body: [LEGACY] [BODY] (f) (1.6) ~ MeshBody Resident
Collarbone Tattoo: [Onyx] She is Rare – Rare (Faded) ~ Norah Bovarro
Sternum Tattoo: [24//27] Sternum Tattoo 01 – 50% ~ 24TwentySeven
Arm Tattoo: HORL – Arm Orn 4 Tattoo [FADED 50] ~ Bree Coy

Dress: DEAD DOLL – Nia Gown ~ Kiddo Oh ~ NEW @ Access (Dec 12-Jan 8)
Glasses: :: DS :: Jess Glasses ~ Deep Static
Ring: [VEX] The Yonce ~ Vexiin Takeda

~Charlotte~

Zooby Animesh Baby ~ Carrie Tatsu

~Lucky~

Head: LeLUTKA.Head.NOA.3.1 ~ Jaden Nova
Head Applier: STRAY DOG – GREG – LELUTKA – TONE 04 ~ Gac Akina
Hair: [MAGNIFICENT] THOR Bun – Grooming Hair – LeBarbier Alpha
Hairbase: EGX. BOM Ragnar Hairbase ~ Veviaz Resident
Eyes: Avi-Glam. Delirium Eyes – 5 ~ Eye Daddy
Ears: ^^Swallow^^ Gauged S Ears ~ Luciayes Magic
Ear Tattoo: RichB. Ears Tattoo #08 ~ Salvy Hexem
Beard: [MAGNIFICENT] Ducky Skunk Beard & Stache – LeBarbier Alpha
Beard Layer: addon+ Irving Facial Hair ~ Vondavolkov Resident
Body: [LEGACY] Athletic Edition (1.6) ~ MeshBody Resident
Skin: STRAY DOG – Legacy Skin – TONE 04 (BOM) ~ Gac Akina
Hand BOM: K.O.K.O.S SHOP – SEXI MAN HANDS-BOM ALL BODY. ~ Aleric Dallas
Nails: Pare.Cure Mesh Nails Both Hands [Short] – Legacy ~ Flazedo Resident
Torso Tattoo: DAPPA – Zebani Tattoo. [FADED] Lelutka EvoX. ~ Devil Fae

Top: AVEC TOI – Dante Vest & Shirt ~ Kelt Absinthe ~ NEW @ Uber (Nov 25-Dec 22)
Pants: AVEC TOI – Dante Trousers ~ Kelt Absinthe ~ NEW @ Uber (Nov 25-Dec 22)
Wedding Ring: [VEX] Lexington Wedding Band ~ Vexiin Takeda
Rings: Legal Insanity – Oak rings ~ DATRIP Blackbart
Necklace: ATD – Adam’s Cross Silver ~ Hategunner Resident
Right Bracelet: ATD – Barbed Infinity Bracelet Silver ~ Hategunner Resident
Watch: Chalo. AMP/DCL Watch ~ Hjec Resident
Earrings: = DAE = SXD1 ~ Naomi Darkheart

~Scene~

House: Trompe Loeil – Joralie Cottage ~ Cory Edo
Curtains: West Village Charleston Curtains – Cream ~ Apple Pumpkins
Tree: +Half-Deer+ Christmas Tree II – Traditional – Tree ~ Halogen Magic
Garland: +Half-Deer+ Christmas Garland II – Traditional ~ Halogen Magic
Bottlebrush Tree: +Half-Deer+ Bottlebrush Christmas Tree – Traditional – Small ~ Halogen Magic
Deer: +Half-Deer+ Porcelain Deer Figurine – Gold ~ Halogen Magic
Candle Sticks: BLACK NEST / Gryla Candlestick – Medium (Gold) ~ William Wanderer
Stockings: +Half-Deer+ Christmas Stocking – PomPom (Red-Plaid) ~ Halogen Magic
Snow Globe: Fancy Decor: 2020 Musical Snow Globe ~ Jake Vordun
Rug: Fancy Decor: Henrik Rug ~ Jake Vordun

Pose: *MB* Bento Pose Zooby Animesh Family Roy ~ Mony Birman