Apologies for being MIA on datingish, but I am engaged now!

Here's what happened - the proposal

I was reading this post recently and the first line of the post reads, "After two months of exclusively dating, Mr. C still refuses to acknowledge that he’s my boyfriend." and then it goes on to list 11 signs that show that he is in fact her boyfriend.  Does anyone else think that it is strange that he still refuses to acknowledge that he is her boyfriend??  Shouldn't the first sign that a guy is your boyfriend be acknowledgment of that fact? 

Anyway, it inspired me to look at my own relationship with Mr Dorky.  I have been dating him for just over 3 months but I know he loves me.  Anyone can say those 3 words, "I love you" and not genuinely mean it, but I know he loves me because actions speak louder than words. 

Here are 11 signs that show he is in love with you :-

1.  He will tell all his friends about you
Before we started dating, Mr Dorky had already told all his friends about me.  This was confirmed when I met his friends and all of them said, "I've heard a lot about you..." and "I've been dying to meet you because Mr Dorky cannot stop talking about you."

2.  He requests to be in a relationship with you on facebook
He is so happy and proud to be in a relationship with you.  He is dying to announce it to the world (okay, .  It is one of the first signs of being in love.  And yes, Mr Dorky requested me but I made him wait 2 weeks.

3.  He will surprise you with thoughtful gifts
A thoughtful gift is a gift which is not the usual flowers and chocolates; nor is it a gift where you had to hint excessively.  It doesn't have to be expensive either.  It is sometimes the gift you least expected to receive, but it's the most thoughtful gift.  For example, before we started dating, we were at a cafe and I was browsing through a magazine and I said that I had a thing for celebrity gossip.  And then when we started dating, he surprised me with a weekly magazine subscription.  Every week, when I receive the magazine, it makes me feel extra special when I read it.  

3.  He spends money on you
Okay, if your boyfriend is super-rich and can afford to do this, then it's a different story.  But this is quite a major thing in our relationship because my boyfriend does not earn a lot of money compared to my salary as a dentist.  I earn 5-6 times his salary, but it does not stop him from being generous.  He's not a gold-digger because when I asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said, "All I want is you!"

4.  He wants to meet your family and friends even if they are on the other side of the world
I am originally from the UK and I met Mr Dorky when I was travelling in Australia last year.  Within the first month of dating, he had booked and bought tickets for both of us to go to UK to meet my family and friends.  This is taking into consideration that the tickets cost $2000AUD each (he is on a meagre salary) and the journey from Australia to UK takes 48 hours!

5.  He will do housework for you
I came home from work one day and he was outside taking apart my portable fan and removing the dust which had gathered inside and then when I walked into my room, it had been cleaned from top to toe.  You're probably thinking that he enjoys doing housework (he doesn't btw), but who likes cleaning mouldy fridges?  Yes, he did it without me asking.

6.  He carries your girly handbag
As I mentioned before, I am a dentist so I get a lot of backache and sometimes, I find my handbag a bit too heavy to carry.  Mr Dorky will take the heavy handbag off me and carry it.  He gets teased but he doesn't mind because he is taking care of me.

7.  He is patient with you when you are PMS-ing or throwing a tantrum
Yes, I admit it.  I am one of those annoying mood-swinging girlfriends who throw constant tantrums.  Some guys will lose their patience and walk off, but the ones who stay with you and try and help you through it are there because they love you.

8.  He praises you even if your cooking is bad
I made cookies last week and they were an epic fail.  He praised me for trying and encouraged me with kind words.  He did not lie and say they were good because they clearly weren't; but he appreciated my efforts.  And he still ate them all.
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9.  He nurses you when you are sick
Last month I had food poisoning.  In the middle of the night, I vomited and he got up and held my hair back and got me medication.  The next day, he made me chicken soup and bought me magazines and rented a DVD for me to watch in bed.

10.  He talks about about your future together
It is "when we get married", not "if we get married".  (In fact, I may have stumbled upon a surprise the other day, but that's another story...)

11.  He ends phone calls with "I love you" even when he is with his guy friends
Remember the movie Ghost?  Demi Moore would say "I love you" to her husband, Patrick Swayze and he would reply with "Ditto".  Well, Mr Dorky is not ashamed to tell me he loves me whether it is behind closed doors or in public.

And that is why I KNOW he loves me.

P.S.  This post is dedicated to Mr Dorky, my adorkable gnome-tastic boyfriend!  I love you too!


If you are in a relationship, apart from saying those 3 words, how do you know your partner loves you?