An Explanation of the Title

When I met my future husband, I got excited about every little thing we had in common. We shared the same taste in movies, games and tv shows. We laughed at the same things and I loved his ridiculous sense of humor. He even enjoyed talking in foreign accents, especially British ones. I figured if I didn't get to marry a British guy, I could have one who could at least pull off the accent without embarrassing himself. We shared the important things too. We had the same faith in God and core beliefs about family, government, etc. But it was black pepper and rosemary that made me sure I'd found my guy. It seems very silly in retrospect and my mother certainly thought I was being so when I called her and told her that, on top of everything else, it turned out he put black pepper and rosemary on all his food, just like I did and that that made him the one. "You can't build a relationship on black pepper and rosemary" she said laughing. Of course we didn't build our entire relationship on those spices, but it was more the symbolism. You can't have a good relationship without agreeing on the things that are most important to you. Without that foundation, every bump in the road will be a mountain. A great relationship, though, means loving the details. Brandon and I don't put black pepper and rosemary on everything anymore, though we do run through pepper pretty quickly, but what keeps our relationship strong is focusing on and nurturing the silly little things. The inside jokes, the long car ride talks, the way we can know what the other is thinking with a look because we've taken the time to know each other that well, these are what keeps us strong. And we have our very own rosemary plant to remind us.