Jacob Levi Aagad

"Hey, Liza! I made something for you!" my younger sister calls from the other room. Not wanting to get up to go see, I call back, "What?" "Come see!" she responds. Getting up, I wander over to the other room, and she hands me a stick figure she has made out of yellow balloons. "I made you a boyfriend," she tells me, the look on her face triumphant. I laugh, then, grinning, take him to my bedroom.
I told all my friends about him, and even kissed him on his balloon cheek with lipstick so it would leave a mark. When they asked me what his name was I asked for suggestions. Teasing, my friend Danny responded, "You should name him Mr. Almost As Good As Danny!" Finally, I opened my Book of Mormon to the pronunciation guide to look up names. Jacob and Levi stood out to me, so that became his name. Jacob Levi Aagad. Aagad standing for Almost As Good As Danny, as a joke. My sister made an orange balloon sword for him, so he could protect me. He guarded my room every night for a few weeks until he popped. I told my friends about it, sadly, then saved the pieces.
A few months later, my friend and I decided to go to Build-A-Bear and make me another boyfriend. We decided that Jacob had to live on - after all, that was a sad and untimely death. Jacob Levi Aagad, my new teddybear boyfriend. :) I was delighted. I even went so far as to list why a teddy bear made the best boyfriend on Facebook:

The best things about my boyfriend being my teddybear: He's always smiling, he gives great hugs, he's always there when I need someone to talk to, and he always listens patiently without interrupting. He doesn't laugh at me when I trip flat on my face in front of him, and he doesn't criticize me for doing things wrong.... He doesn't even complain when I don't feel like cooking. I rest my case. ;)

My teddybear boyfriend was all I could ever hope for. When I had a bad day, he was there to hug me better. When I needed someone to hold me close, I wrapped my arms around it, and neither of us had to say a word. ♥