Time flies when you're having fun!

A year ago today, February 3, I went on a date.

It was, it would turn out, to be my last Match.com date.

A lot can change in a year.

• I got promoted.

• I sold a house.

• I bought another one.

But mostly, I fell in love with the girl I went on that date with.

• We got engaged.

• And we started planning our wedding.

It hasn't always been easy. But it's been the best year of my life.

She's not perfect. Neither am I. But we're perfect for each other. And that girl, who introduced me to Ethiopian food on that first date, has never ceased to dazzle me with her stories, her knowledge, her infectious enthusiasm, and above all, her positive outlook on life.

No, above all, her love. For me. For her students. For her family and friends. For just about everyone. But second to that, her positive outlook on life.

She brings out the best in me. She makes me a better person just by being around her.

She loves me. She loves me when I'm serious. When I'm silly. When I'm upset. When I'm brave.

She tells me how good I am for her. She tells me how good I am. Even when I don't believe it.

She is, as one of my friends said, the silver lining to my black cloud.

My life has changed in a year. And each one of those 365 days was better than the one before.

A year ago, I might've figured myself for the luckiest guy on the face of the Earth. There was been a lot of good fortune in the first 32 years of my life.

But today, a year after that date, nine days shy of my 33rd birthday, I know I am.

It's been a good year. Here's hoping for many more with my love.

We'll get married. Build our home. Raise our family. Share our love. Spend our time together. Travel. Read. Watch movies. Sleep in each other's arms. Love.

I'm greedy. And I can dream. I've dreamed a year, and I never want it to end.