S/O Love poll...

mandysmear

I thought I loved someone before.  But then Mike came along and I realized that what I felt before was not love.  (i'm so mushy.. i'm allowed it's my anniversary next week!!)

Night_Sprite

I have said it to two men and really meant it to both of them. The first one moved hundreds of miles away with his family, which pretty much put the kibosh on that relationship.  The second is FI.  I'm glad that is the order they ended up in.  

tenofcups4me

That I can remember, four others besides DH. I was married once before and obviously loved him at that time. And a few other serious relationships where mutual love was definitely part of the equation even though those relationships didn't lead to marriage.

Then again, I didn't get married the first time till I was 39 so it's not surprising that I had other serious relationships along the way.

mrsamyjones

just FI, but he was my high school sweetheart so nearly 7 years later it's time to get married lol

fangsiting

I've said it sober to three guys.  I once drank a bottle of wine and emailed it to a guy I had a huge crush on/was very casually dating.  I do not advise doing that. 

RaiKai

I have said it to six of my partners. I would say I meant it for everyone of them at the time, however they were each also at very different stages in my life (two were during the teenage years when I was two young to even know if I loved myself yet, one was in my late teens/early twenties (he passed away after four years together), one was rather narcisstic and I would take it back now (he was a bit of a rebound/transition partner), one was a long-term common-law partner which ended for numerous reasons mostly surrounding compatibility/communication and in retrospect it was more based on lust and a romantic HOPE for love then real love, and the last is my DH.

DH is the only one where it is based on complete mutual honestly, intimacy, and self-awareness. Unlike many of my past partners, I love DH simply for who he is without agenda, and without looking to him to fulfill something in me (and vice versa). It is hard to explain how it is different to strangers on an internet board, but it just is, and it is very freeing.