So, I just checked my Love, February posts – it has been a while since I’ve logged in.
2019: I shared my deep love for my brother
2020: I shared that I had decided to take a chance on love and go on dates
2021: I shared that I had met Someone Special and that covid lockdowns had supercharged our relationship
2022: I… had forgotten my DB password after changing phone and didn’t participate 😅
2023: I am delighted to share that my love story has resulted in the birth of a wonderful baby boy last September. What a joy to have one more person to love wholeheartedly!
(So much) Love, February

My boyfriend hasn\’t proposed to me. He states regularly that he wants me for himself and forever and that we should sign a little contract to make it official and legal.

I haven\’t proposed to my boyfriend. I recently told him that, one day, when we would be ready, I would be very happy to call him my husband. He concurred.

My boyfriend and I are not engaged. But we are slowly becoming family.

Love, February

Conversation with my wonderful widowed, 80-year-old former landlady:

Me: I hope you didn\’t feel too lonely this summer
She: actually, I have met somebody…
Me: really? How wonderful! How is he?
She: this man is perfect: he is widowed and doesn\’t have any children
Me: well, that sounds promising! But are you sure that he is not after your money?
She: oh no, he is rich as well

And then, the rich widowed childless lover came into the room with a lightbulb to fix her place. He cracked a joke and she started giggling like a teenager.

Love, February

Love at the time of the corona (bis)

When I started dating Friday guy, I anticipated a nice courtship with dates to restaurants and movies, slowly getting to know each other and meeting our friends, romantic getaways and meeting the parents down the line. I had underestimated that corona time meant a fast track train to togetherness!

Restaurants and movies? Closed! We turned immediately very domestic, cooking together and watching tv. He happens to love food and is a great cook – I have gained 5 kg over the last few months… 

Summer holiday was upon us when we started dating and it felt presumptuous to plan vacation for 2, other than a weekend together here or there. In the end, I had to cancel all my train tickets because we were hardly ever appart and he drove me everywhere I wanted to go.

We didn\’t meet each other\’s family over a meal: since summer plans were up in the air, we met crashed our family summer houses when the whole families were there (his family is great!)

I didn\’t want to move into his place, because I didn\’t want our living together to be organized according to his house rules. He didn\’t want me to move into his place because he considered his one-bedroom apartment to be too small for the two of us. Of course, I totally moved in right after when the Fall lockdown came around. Lockdown was no fun, but being together 24/7 was great!

We still want an extra room, so we started looking at properties for the two of us. Talks of renting turn into talks of buying. I should freak out about such an important commitment. But I just freak out about the price of apartments around here.

So much has changed in my life over the last few months that it is mind blowing. But my heart is at ease.

Love, February

About a year ago, I registered on a dating app. Inspiring love stories (cough *@azzo1 *cough) made me want to give love a chance.

In order to give dating a fair shot (and not run away at the first difficulty), I set myself SMART goals and a support team. Of course, lockdown soon happened and dating was became purely digital for a while.

Blame me not, but messaging numerous gentlemen at the same time can be confusing at time! I almost needed Excel sheets and mind maps to remember who was telling me what, and what I had shared with whom!

When the lockdown was lifted, I selected a couple of suitors to meet who were, apparently, very similar: same age, same height, same kind of high level engineering position, same broad frame, same agreeableness. One blonde, one dark haired. How to differentiate them?

I must admit that I didn\’t expect much from these dates. I thought it would be nice, but that nothing would come out of it.

Also, dating activities in May were very limited: no movies or bar or restaurant or even public parks. We were not allowed to go very far. Even public transportation had limited access.

So I organized similar dates with these gentlemen to ensure a fair competition (in a Covid mindful setting): early afternoon, one on Thursday, one on Friday,  one in the woods East of the city, one in the woods West of the city, 4 hours each. And may the best win!

As expected, both dates were really nice and engaging. Both suitors indeed had a lot in common and a real dating potential. But Friday guy had a little something extra. I still cannot pinpoint exactly what it was. Maybe it was because he was insanely respectful of all my limits and barriers. Maybe it was because he was a pleasant company even when it started raining. So I agreed to a second date with Friday guy. And another. And another. And another. And another. And soon my calendar bear his name on most days of each week.

Today I\’d like to send my warmest thanks to my past self for taking a chance at love a year ago. And to thank all beanies for sharing their love stories – I can assure you today that it made a difference in someone\’s life.
 
(To be continued)

Love, February

For the first time in a long time, I\’m giving love a chance.
I\’m going on a first date this weekend and I\’m scared but happy too.
Love (?), February

In 2020, I just want those two in a drama with a bromance again. It’s not too much to ask for, right? 😉

I love refering to him as \”my big height younger brother\”;
I often joke that I took all the hair in the family and left him none; it is my way to empathize with him on the fact that he is bald at age 30;
I love baking with him and fighting over how to position a buiscuit;
Ten years ago I told him dramas were a thing and he bet it was not; he lost and performed 50 push-up as a result;
He lets me hug him when hugging is not something we do in my country;
I sometimes felt jealous that everything came his way easy in life, but I am so relieved he didn\’t face the same difficulties as I did in school, work and love;
He reminds me that life can be simpler than I make it out to be;
He is my rock of sanity when everything seems crazy, my piece of kindness when people are mean, my extra dose of strength when things crumble all around;
To the best brother I could wish for;

Love,
February

I know it’s silly, but I am so proud to have finished my Korean vocab session on Memrise! 😁 I don’t pretend to remember all 1800 words, but if I’ve remembered half of it, it is great already!

Dear Beanies,
I wanted to share this piece of news with the Beanie community: after a very long period of unemployment and fifteen job interviews over the last few months, I HAVE FINALLY FOUND A JOB! The team looks dynamic and kind, it is located in the best place of town with a breathtaking view of the city, there is a ton of vacation days and the salary is better than in most places (although I was hoping for a little bit more).
I have just learnt the news but I wanted to address my deepest gratitude to the Beanie community: without this website, I would have lost my sanity a long time ago. Because looking for a job can be so isolating, Dramabeans was the best reminder that people from various ages, nationalities and situations are living their lives with their ups and downs and challenges, but the journey can be a positive one, despite the difficulties everyone face and no matter where you are in life. Thank you to everyone who are making this platform such a happy place, full of ideas and energy!
A special thanks to @raonah and @acacia, who let me join their Korean practice sessions: the last couple of months have been a bit hectic, but I am more motivated than ever to improve my language skills again. Thank you for your support, your patience, your humor and your imagination: since the beginning of the year, practicing with you has meant that I could at least achieve one thing in my life, when I was facing disappointment everywhere else. It has been central to my personal well-being, and I hope my words are enough to convey my gratitude to you, and to this website which makes so much possible. <3

Typical me: I thought I was starting a charming, light-hearted comedy and I ended up a sobbing mess. Beautiful friendship and powerful message.
:'(

Thanks to @modernflapper\’s diligent promotion/ spaming, I watched and really enjoyed A Love So Beautiful. It had a grade school\’s level of innocence, a tiny budget and a very obvious story, but the overall effect was so comforting and lovely, like an emotional hot chocolate. Thanks to the beanies for their effective and trust-worthy recommandations! 🙂

Anyone else? The message I intended to write had no inappropriate word, or even ambiguous one…

I need to write this sentence on a tee-shirt.

Well I suddenly feel old… Remember Dream High in 2010? It starts with a mystery: one of the kids from the Kirin High School has won a Grammy Award. When? In 2018!! Sam-dong, I miss you!

Mystery Queen 2 cannot come soon enough!