Answer To DelFonte's Question

DelFonte at A Place of Fancies (can I just say how much I love that blog name) asked:

How has your dynamic survived over this difficult period, has it strengthened you two or been pushed to one side?

I can’t remember the last time I sat at his feet or got to give him a blow job. Sex is not too frequent and super bland vanilla. 

But we’re still very much D/s or M/s or DD/lg or whatever you want to call it.

He’s still making the decisions. From the doctor’s appointments to limits on what I can do to what time I go to bed at night, he still makes all the decisions.  

Not that it’s been easy.  I need the service aspect of TTWD because it makes me happy to please him and feeds my submissive side. I need the spanking because it clears my head of all my crazy overthinking and emotions. So without these things, letting go has been harder for me and I have been extremely emotional (I often tell Daddy it’s like a tornado of thoughts and worries building in my head and right now I’m at about an EF-4).  

This doesn’t make it easy on Daddy, who is stressed out as it is. And we’ve had some really tough moments. But he’s held onto the control (if only sometimes by a thread) and he’s managed to stay in charge. Because of all my restrictions, he’s had to get creative – taking away my phone (which has been my lifeline lately) has been a really popular threat these days.

Daddy tells me often to trust him. To trust that with the power I gave him, he’s going to protect me and take care of me and it’s all going to be okay. And he was right.

 I’ve been through this surgery before – many years ago before TTWD. The doctor asked me at my appointment this week if this surgery was better than the last time and I have to say that “Yes, I think it was.” I remember it as a more painful, lonely, and a much longer time to recover. This time was different.  I think that’s because every step of the way, Daddy had my hand and never let go.

Getting through this period has taught us lots of things. It’s taught me about patient and trust (I can’t say it was always a smooth lesson—but still a lesson). It’s taught Daddy to hang on tight to that control even when I’m fighting him on it. 

And yes it’s made us stronger by realizing we can get through it without giving up our roles. There was a rough time last fall when I asked him for a break because his new job was affecting his time for our dynamic. He said no and I ended up being really thankful that he did. I think I’m learning for us that the times that life gets in the way are the times we need this dynamic the most.

Thanks so much for the question DelFonte!

Our Biggest Hurdle - Answer to Question from Tomsrose

What was your biggest hurdle when you decided to change up the dynamic in your marriage?

I think it's a common one. Learning to let go of ‘what I thought it should be’ and submit to what Daddy wanted.

I started all of it in the bedroom, but to me it was all fun and games. I think I had sub-frenzy times a million because not only was I discovering my submissive side, I was discovering I actually enjoyed and wanted sex for the first time in my life. And I was beyond thrilled that I could finally give Daddy everything he’d ever wanted in our marriage.

When Daddy proposed it, I thought it would be easy. Daddy usually made a lot of the decisions outside of the bedroom throughout our marriage anyways so the only real change would be all that crazy sex we would be having. Ha Ha. How wrong I was.

I think it all overwhelmed Daddy at first. He was a new dom trying to find his confidence and deal with this over-eager wife of his and wanted to take things slow. And I got impatient and frustrated and attempted to control him into controlling me.

Things went downhill very fast. Daddy lost confidence and pulled away. I felt rejected and pulled away. I was so humiliated and embarrassed and just wanted to go back to how we were before all of this.

Daddy decided we needed to take a step back. He wanted some time to research, learn, understand, and find the confidence to do this right. The step back was good for me too it gave me time to calm down from all those ‘frenzied’ feelings’.

During our break, Daddy found a series of books he really liked. He said it helped him understand the ‘submissive mindset’ more. I’m not sure what they said exactly because I’ve never been allowed to read them, but they definitely must’ve helped because when Daddy finally decided we were ready things went very differently.

This time he made it very clear that he was in control and we were moving at his pace. He implemented rules and rituals (some I didn’t like too much). He also started giving me assignments. These initial assignments led to us sharing daily e-mails at least twice the size of this blog post. I used to think we had pretty good communication, but it was crazy—like a floodgate had opened or something.

When Daddy first proposed TTWD, I thought it meant he wanted sex all the time. That he wanted me to make breakfast and serve his coffee and let him make the decisions. It seemed so easy. But what he really wanted was me – all of me. He wanted in so he could pull out those parts of me I held back, so he could break down those walls I’ve built, so he could heal the broken parts.

Getting to that point wasn’t easy. The way we crashed and burned the first time trying to add the dynamic scared me. I had a lot of doubts and concerns as to whether Daddy really wanted this. But when we finally got there and I finally let go, it was worth it.

When Daddy and I first started dating, I liked him a lot. And eventually I loved him. He was there for me during a hard time, he spoke my love language, he made me laugh, and he got me in a way nobody ever did.  He’s been my best friend, a great father, and we’ve survived some pretty tough times.

But I’ve never felt the ‘butterflies’. Not with him, not with anybody. I thought they were some myth reserved for teenagers and romance novels. But when I finally learned to let go, I fell in love – like really, truly deeply in love -- for the first time in my life. I felt the butterflies.

Not to say we haven’t had hurdles since. Sometimes Daddy loses his confidence and sometimes I struggle to ‘let go’. When it happens at the same time, it’s like a perfect storm for us and usually results in some pretty big fights. We’ve stumbled and gotten a little lost at times. But ever since overcoming that first hurdle, I’ve had no doubt this is what we both need and that it’s worth fighting for.  

Thank you Tomsrose for the great question.

The Journey So Far

Seems like every December as the year draws to a close and a new one begins, I find myself thinking about where I was a year ago and where I hope to be a year from now.

Since we began this TTWD journey in 2012, 2013 was the first full year of Daddy and I living out this new dynamic. It's been a year of changing, of growing, of two steps forward (and sometimes three steps back).

It's also been a year of learning...lots and lots of learning.

A year ago this December I was very new at this (still am very new at this). I was still in the throes of frenzy, and I had a picture in my head of how life with TTWD should be for Daddy and I. At the time, TTWD to me was a destination. And I was in a HUGE hurry to get there.

It was like we set the GPS for '24/7 Power Exchange', Daddy climbed in the driver's seat and we set out on our way.

Somewhere on the road though either the GPS died, or Daddy tossed out it the window. Suddenly there was no 'destination', just the road we were on. Daddy was still driving, selecting the route, choosing when and where we took a 'rest stop', but there was no little clock, ticking down the hours and the miles left until we were 'there'. There was no 'there'. Just an endless road stretching before us full of new places and experiences we've never known.

Sometimes he's gone fast -- ready to see places further down the road. Sometimes he's taken us slow so we can enjoy the scenery. Sometimes we've stopped for a while in sleepy, peaceful towns where we can catch our breath. Sometimes we've lost our breath experiencing once-in-a-lifetime views from huge mountaintops or deep valleys. Sometimes we've gotten a flat tire or ran out of gas or found ourselves crashing and burning. And it's been up to Daddy to pull us out of the muck and the wreckage...to lead us back to that road again.

Sometimes I've gotten scared. I want to slow down or go faster or there's storm clouds up ahead. Sometimes I've wanted to climb out of the car. It's then that Daddy reaches across the seat and squeezes my hand.

Trust me, he'll say. I've got you.

Right now, Daddy and I have been stopped for a little while. Hanging out in a rather quiet, ordinary place. Tomorrow our house will be flooded with out-of-towners for the holiday, so going anywhere anytime soon is out of the question.

But we're not standing still. Daddy's been slowly gathering up new supplies, fueling up the car, setting a new course. Soon the guests will roll out and the new year will roll in, and we'll be back on the road again.

To Where? Who knows?...who really cares?

Because if I've learned anything over the past year it's that TTWD is the journey we take, not the destination. And I'm really looking forward to discovering where 2014 takes us.

This is my last post of 2013, so from Daddy and I if you're reading this, we wish you the happiest of holidays and best wishes for the new year!!!

The Fine Print

In the beginning there was a contract. Daddy wrote it when he proposed the power exchange. I can't really remember everything it said, but I clearly remember there being a contract. Somewhere along the way it was replaced with an unspoken agreement and a bracelet that locks around my wrist, but I know there once was that contract.

You see, I had a little bit of sub frenzy when Daddy gave me that contract. And I think I forgot to read some of the fine print.

Oh, I have so much to learn.

Like when it comes to gift giving. Daddy is beyond generous with gifts. Like out of this world thoughtfully generous. Like all my friends now think he's some super gift giving hero, and when I post on Facebook how great my husband is, they don't ask 'Did you get hacked?'. Instead they ask 'What did he get you?'.

I should be super happy about this -- right?

Well I am. And I'm thankful too. And grateful. And very very lucky. But I'm also super annoyed. Because now they want to know what I'm getting him.

Well...uh...um...

Daddy controls all the money. All the money. I have to ask to spend any of it -- even a dollar. And while, he's generous here too and rarely denies me what I want and need, when I ask to buy him something he's tightens up fast. Oh, I can get money out of him for the kids to shop with, but me...uh...nope.

He's a happy man, he'll say. He has everything he wants. And if he doesn't, he'll go out and buy it himself. 

This year he really outdid himself and when I whined to my writer friends that I had no money to get him anything, they offered up their suggestions.

A blowjob?

Uh...check


Member to the blow job club for a month?

He already has the lifetime membership.


VIP membership - no line, no cover, and no reciprocation?

Well I stopped there because I didn't want to admit he already has that too.

I guess I'll keep looking for that contract in hopes there was a loophole somewhere. I've still got a week til christmas.

Orgasm Denial

So in an effort to kick the 'little' out of my head today and talk about one of my favorite kinks or fetishes or whatever they're called, I'm calling Daddy 'D' on the blog today.

So the other day in writer's group (which sometimes feels like 'band camp') they got to talking about the most orgasms they've ever had. Once I admitted to having 20 once when everyone else was coming in around 3, I began to feel very freakish.

They all wanted my problem. So feeling slightly bad, I poured out way more TMI than I usually do with them. I admitted that I don't know why, but orgasming has always been abnormally super easy for me. But it's definitely a quality thing, not a quantity thing. They drop off in intensity after about 3 anyways so they're not missing anything.

What I didn't admit that was the time I had 20, it was part of a punishment for deliberately having one I wasn't supposed to have. Yeah, thought I better stop there.

I know lots of D/s relationships have orgasm control and we're no different, but early on 'D' discovered that denial has very positive effects on my submissiveness. So he's been doing over the past year on a semi-long term basis. I'm saying 'semi' because I know lots of subs have gone months and months, but the most D's denied me so far is 2 months.

I have a love/hate relationship with orgasm denial.

Hate it -- well for the obvious reasons. Plus D doesn't just say 'oh, no coming for you tonight' or anything simple like that. He does the tease & denial thing where he uses his fingers or tongue or whatever little torturous toy he can find to edge me over and over until all I can think about is that orgasm I'm not having. And sometimes when I reach that point where I just know I'm gonna explode with this burning need, he'll get this deliciously evil look in his eyes, climb on top, and make me watch as he takes what he's forbidden me. He'll do this day after day, week after week, until he's determined that I've had enough (which usually has been after 1-2 months). Then a night of release and it starts all over again.

It's cruel and frustrating, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it.

Maybe I'm wired wrong or was dropped on the head as a baby, but after an orgasm my sex drive drops about 100,000 feet. This is a bad thing, because usually when it drops like that, my insecurities and feelings of shame creep back in. I start building walls between us. I get bratty and emotional and very unsubmissive. D has been working on this by being 'super dom' in the days after he does let me have an O and that has been helping.

The love part comes during the actual denial though. Somewhere between the very edge of my frustration and possibly considering using my safeword, a switch flips in my brain. It's like I let go and fall into him. Suddenly the sex, this D/s, us...none of it is about the end result. It's about him -- pleasing him, loving him, existing for him. That's all that matters. I find that freedom I need to let go and be 'his greedy little slut'. Even outside of the bedroom,  he can touch me -- even just our skin brushing as he walks by me in the kitchen or hugs me when he gets home from work and it sends little tingly shivers shooting through me. It's like always living in the anticipation.

Sure yeah, orgasms are incredibly amazing (especially after going two months), and I'd hardly want to give them up. D's not too forthcoming about how long I have to wait between them although sometimes he's joked about a year (and although I know subs have done that I seriously hope I won't be joining them).

It's been four weeks since my last one though, so I asked him the other day if I'd get one before the year was over. Part of me was really hoping he'd say 'yes'. And another part of me was longing for a 'no'.

His answer....maybe.

Feeling A 'Little' Lost

When we started TTWD in 2012, it was as Master/slave dynamic. Daddy was called 'Sir' for the most part and my mind/headspace was constantly on pleasing him.

There was an exquisite joy in making his breakfast, doing his laundry, sucking his cock. I loved loved loved sitting at his feet. Our rituals held more significance -- I feel like I was striving harder and more focused on him. This slave part of me existed just for him.

Then this summer came and we delved into some really deep stuff. Dark and dirty secrets I'd withheld for so long came out. And the more they came out and the more Daddy accepted and loved me, the more my trust in him grew until he drew out this vulnerable 'little girl' side of me. Suddenly things were shifting -- I needed him to tuck me in at night. My happy place moved from the floor to curled up on his chest.

Daddy told me in September he thought I had a 'little' side. I freaked out. I realized DD/lg relationships aren't very well understood and are judged even in the kink community. It scares me to think of myself like this - I mean I'm in my late thirties.

Daddy has been encouraging me to explore this side though. He thinks it's always been there since way back in the beginning of our dating years. He says there's always been this innocent playful side to me that he's had this overwhelming need to protect since the day he met me (which is why he's held on through all the crap I put him through).

So we've been exploring it, and it's been both freeing and healing. I know it's a hard dynamic to understand and even harder to explain. For us, it's not an age-play, run around in pig-tails and short skirts and diapers thing. It's not a pedophile thing either -- I am still very much an adult. It's mostly about this safe place he's given me that allows me to be myself -- vulnerabilities and all.

The problem lately though is I feel like the 'little side' is taking over. She requires a lot more 'care' I think than the 'slave' side of me, and I don't like feeling like I'm high maintenance all the time. And although this part of me loves to make Daddy happy, it doesn't enjoy the 'service' side of things as much as that 'slave side'.

Daddy is very much a Daddy Dom. Even before I called him 'Daddy' he nurtured more than demanded. He says he identifies more as a Daddy Dom. So I know this is what he wants. And I'm very happy in the safety and comfort being his 'little girl' brings.

Daddy also still says I'm his 'slave'. I still do a lot of things for him on a daily basis. But to be honest lately I'd rather be cuddling than pleasing him. I'd rather be in his arms than on the floor. My pain tolerance has dropped. Even on this blog it shows -- I know my posts sound like an ten-year-old girl, but I know that's because that 'little' part just leaks out when I write about us.

I'm afraid I lost that 'slave headspace'. And I really, really miss her.

We've been talking about this lately-- he wants me to think about what and why I'm feeling like this. And any possible ideas that I think would help me.

I don't know...I keep running through new rituals or different names that might help. Then I stop and wonder if I'm really missing those 'slave' feelings or just insecure about the 'little girl' part of me. Then I realize that yeah, I do miss it very much. But if Daddy's right and this part has always been there then it was there when I was in that 'slave mindset' last year. So I bang my head against the wall and wonder why can't I get those feelings back? Ouch, that hurts.

I'm always his submissive, that hasn't changed. He leads, I follow. But why can't I seem to do it as both his 'little girl' and his 'slave'?

Online Limits

Daddy controls the time I spend online. Usually when he's home, it's his time and family time. No blogging, surfing the web, or hanging out with my writer friends on Facebook. There's more time and flexibility for that during the weekdays and sometimes even during the evenings. But weekends are different. There's shopping, cleaning, and church. Daddy and I have a 'date night'. Any sewing I do happens on the weekend. Sometimes I get time to glance at my phone, but never for too long or else Daddy will take it away.

It's a good thing to be semi-unplugged. I enjoy being there in the moment with him and our girls. But I'm also supposed to blog on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so it's a bad thing for Monday mornings if I don't have blog post already written and scheduled before the weekend.

Like I didn't do last Friday. Eeeeep.

Daddy not only limits my time online, but he also limits (somewhat) what I can do. He moderates this blog and the comments. He tracks where I go online. And he controls what I can do when I'm online too.

I have a habit of googling everything. Sometimes this a very helpful and useful habit. It's research for my writing. It's helped fix the garbage disposal. It makes a great spell check. But every time I get a weird symptom, I also google it. And before you know it I've diagnosed myself with cancer or am convinced I'm having a heart attack. And I know I'm not the only one out there who does this...

This drives Daddy crazy. So much so, that now he's banned WebMD and googling 'health related' topics. Not only that, apparently he's blocked the site too.

He says he would prefer I'd be diagnosed by a real doctor instead of Dr. Aurora.

On Being His Slave

When Daddy first proposed the whole Master/slave dynamic, I had visions of 24/7 nakedness while on my knees. Thank goodness it's nothing like that! We have kids after all and we live in a place that gets very cold in the winter. My knees are getting older and not really up to lots of kneeling.

Daddy's a pretty laid back guy. So even though I'm his slave, we don't do a lot of the high protocol stuff. He doesn't care if I sit on the furniture. I don't have to ask permission to use the bathroom. He doesn't tell me what to wear everyday.

That's not to say he doesn't control things. I do have to ask permission to eat certain foods or leave the house. I'm not allowed to spend money without asking. He tells me when bedtime is. And even though he doesn't choose my clothes, he has his input there--he likes me to dress like 'very girly' which to him means skirts and dresses everyday. 

And I do end up at his feet naked every night as part of our bedtime ritual. But it's not an all day thing and usually by then I'm in my very happy subby place.

As we go along, Daddy has added more and more. I do like his control -- everything he adds just makes me feel safer and more secure. Like he's put me in this little box that grows tighter and tighter with his control.

But sometimes I wonder if I'll someday end up being that 24/7 naked, kneeling slave who has to ask to pee.

And as much as I love his control, sometimes I kinda hope that's not where we're headed. Because I'm a freeze baby with the world's weakest bladder. Lol.

But I also know that ultimately, that's really not up to me.

Harder Than It Ought To Be

This past month has been a busy one for us. Daddy got a new job. I had some unexpected things happen at mine. We had to go out of town to my grandma's funeral. Daddy and our oldest went away hunting for a weekend. There has been a lot going on and Daddy has been very tired.

I know Daddy puts a lot of work into us. It's tiring enough to run your own life, and to add somebody else's on top of that. Plus he's learning a new, very different, much busier job. Lots going on with him, and I know this is a time where he needs me to be patient. But when I get stressed and overwhelmed, that's when I need Daddy's dominance the most. 

 

Last Wednesday was one of those days. It was a stressful day, and I got some bad news that I wasn't dealing with so well. Plus it was that time of month where my emotions run away from me so I was not in a good place. 

Daddy's number one rule is honesty. He's not a fan of brattiness. I'm supposed to tell him how I'm feeling at all times. Sometimes I'm good at this. Other times...not so much. And last Wednesday was not one of those 'good times'. Daddy had a stressful day too and had some last minute stuff dumped on him that he needed to worry about getting done the next morning.

 

So I was feeling guilty for needing him so much. I could tell he was tired and distracted, and instead of telling him how I was feeling, I thought maybe I'd just sleep things off and feel better about everything the next morning.

 

Usually we have some kind of playtime and spanking every night. But because he was tired and I told him I was too, we skipped it that night and went to bed early. Daddy had to be in the office super early the next morning and although I usually get up and make him breakfast, this morning he let me sleep in.

I don't like waking up alone. And even worse, I woke up still stressed and anxious. Everything seemed a thousand times worse and I couldn't shut off my thoughts. It's hard for me to keep my feelings from Daddy long, and he tends to pick up on it anyways. So they did all eventually come out over Thursday and Friday -- in very messy, emotional, and somewhat explosive ways.

 

I read a blog post by lil at Submissive Sanctuary about feeling like work. Gosh I love it when I read a post that puts into words exactly what I've been feeling (and can't). I hate the idea that I could be more work for Daddy. That after his hard day, he has to fix mine too.

 

I told him this and he reminded me that things are a lot less work when we do them 'his way'. If I had just been honest in the first place, we'd have had a lot easier Thursday and Friday.

 

Oy. I do sometimes have a bad habit of making things harder than they ought to be.

Where We've Been, Where We're Going

Although Daddy and I are very new to the whole M/s dynamic, we've always had sort of a 'unofficial' power exchange of sorts throughout our relationship.

He thinks for him it's because of how he grew up. His dad was always the one in charge, and his mom went along with it. For me, I think it's because of how I grew up too -- I learned early on I did not want my parent's mess of a marriage. Instead I hoped to be more like my grandparents, who had what I think of as an old-fashioned marriage.

Daddy really reminded me of my grandpa. He had to be in the driver's seat -- both literally and figuratively (although he did once let me drive from one exit to the next during a road trip). He held the remote, monitored the bank account and budget, paid the bills, and handled the outside chores. We tended to watch the TV shows he likes, eat at the restaurants he preferred, and shopped where he wanted to shop.

That's the way it's always been for us. Even back to the beginning of our marriage. Even on some really minor things. Like spaghetti noodles. I grew up with my mom breaking them before cooking them. His mom didn't break them. So we don't break the spaghetti noodles.

And before I start making Daddy sound like controlling or something, I should say it wasn't like that. There were no barking orders or harsh words. He's an introvert, very laid back, and generous to a fault. Throughout our marriage, most of his decisions have been about making me happy. For a guy, he's one of the most thoughtful gift givers I know. He's also had an uncanny way of knowing what I was thinking and feeling before I do. He likes to say it's because he's been studying me for 18 plus years.

Not to say we didn't have power struggles--because we did (and still do). Not to say I didn't get annoyed with things always having to go 'his way'. Not to say he didn't 'give in' a lot too.

But this is how it was for us...outside of the bedroom anyways.

So when we went M/s, I figured it would mostly be about fixing the sexual side of things. The only real change would be about having more sex---especially since I had so many years to make up for. I mean, we already had this 'he leads, I follow' thing down. Easy, breezy, right?

Wrong.

It seems like since we began this journey over a year ago, we're always changing. We'll get to right where I think we're supposed to be, where he wants us to be, and then something will happen and we're shifting again. Sometimes we're moving forward, deeper. Sometimes it's like it's all blowing up in our faces and we're taking a step or two back.

This past summer was a big time of moving forward for us. For the first time in our marriage, we had a month with no kids -- just us. And while yes the sex was a lot of fun, the best part of our time together was how much we talked and talked and talked. About everything. One weekend Daddy declared it a 'trip to the past' where we opened up about any questions we've always had or things we may have kept from each other. It was a chance to really clear any walls between us and although it brought a few painful moments, it brought us closer to each other than we've ever been.

After our month together, we went away on vacation and were joined by our kids. It was a nice break and we were in a really good place. I was worried about coming home, though. The summer was nearly over and there would be school and jobs. How would they affect this new bond we had formed?

But Daddy had a plan -- he always seems to have a plan. And although our time is less and we've been dealing with this 'limbo', I feel just as close to him as ever. Maybe it's because of all those walls we destroyed.

However over the past few weeks or so, we've been shifting again. New feelings, new realizations, new healing that came out of clearing out the past. Stuff I'm not quite able to put into words yet, but I hope to. Daddy sees a new path for us, one he wants to take. He asked me if I'm ready, since he's not about to drag me down it, and I think I am. But I'm also a little bit scared to leave this good place we found.

I've been feeling so vulnerable lately. Mostly in a good way--like I'm growing and moving forward. But still very vulnerable.

And it's funny to me that I once thought this was just going to be about the sex.

Land Mines

For us, moving deeper into a TTWD relationship has meant digging through the past. Uncovering the hurt we've buried throughout the years so we can heal from them has brought us closer together in ways I never dreamed were possible.

And we have a lot of these 'buried hurts'. Maybe it's because we've been together for a while or we because we had so much drama in the beginning or because I have a bad habit of preferring to run from my feelings rather than face them. Or maybe others have a lot too...I don't know.

Usually they're like empty graves. When we uncover one, there's sometimes a momentary 'heart tug' (as Philip likes to call it). Then we talk (and talk and talk). We ask any questions, discuss any lingering feelings and relish that yet another thing between us is gone.

Usually this is done in a few hours or less. Without tears or screaming or drama.

Usually.

Sometimes we seem to uncover a land mine. Everything, including TTWD, explodes around us and we're fighting like we used to fight. He gets angry and pulls away. I get emotional and pull away. We say things we really don't mean. (Well..at least I hope we don't mean them).

On Friday, we hit one of these so-called land mines. We had been looking forward to the weekend, partly because this month has been crazy busy with the kids getting back to school and some job issues we've been having. Also because Saturday was a special day for us.

Philip had planned a surprise, but when I discovered what it was I reacted badly. Well...more like flipped out. It was something new for us. Something new, but.hardly extreme. It's probably something a lot of vanilla couples do or have done, and I've done way more kinkier stuff in the past year and a half.

In fact it was something I'd done before, with somebody else.

So the last thing Philip expected was me flipping out. I did have my reasons -- reasons I hadn't yet shared with him (it was a grave we hadn't dug up yet), but since he didn't know that he took my reaction as a rejection. So feeling hurt, he pulled away. And feeling hurt that he pulled away, I pulled away. And boom. Everything exploded.

Once things settled down, we did start to communicate. Our day was busy, so most of it was done through e-mail, but later that evening I curled up in his arms and we talked and talked and cried (well I cried). But despite all the talking and his reassurances that this wasn't my fault, and that we were going to keep talking and work through this, I couldn't help but feel like I had failed...miserably.

Why did I react that way? Why didn't I just submit? Why did I have to go and ruin our special weekend by my little freak out?

We did end up having an amazing weekend. Even without Philip's surprise, it was sweet, sentimental, fun, kinky, and perfect. But I still can't help feel a little shaky. Like I'm waiting to see if this is something that's brought us closer together or set us back. Or if it's just another reminder that things worth having don't come easy.

Gosh I hate those land mines.

How It Began Part Two

If I had known then what I know now, I may have never sent Phillip that e-mail.  I may have realized the risks—that I was revealing a deep part of myself he might not accept.

He could reject me. Tell me I was abnormal. Or weird. Or crazy.

So many risks.

But I didn’t realize that when I hit send. I was nervous—pounding heart, churning stomach--, but I never really thought things through about how he would react.

I just hit send.

And lucky for me he didn’t freak out. He didn’t call me crazy.

No, he came home early from work that night and made some of those fantasies I had written about in the e-mail come true.

Over the next few days, weeks, and months, our entire relationship shifted. Sex finally came to the forefront. We explored new things together and grew in ways I never thought possible. We played lots of ‘D/s games’…we had a special bracelet I wore when feeling submissive, we had special rules, special nights of the week. We even had an entire day of D/s when the kids were gone. It was all just ‘bedroom stuff’, but it was good and we were happy.

And then came his e-mail.

Unbeknownst to me, Philip had been doing some reading and research of his own. And about six months after I sent my e-mail, he sent one proposing a 24/7 power exchange. I didn’t hesitate to agree.

In the beginning I was anxious and wanted to jump in. He wanted a slower pace. This led to some early bumps, but once I learned to let go and follow, things got easier. The road hasn’t always been perfectly smooth—we’ve had our growing pains. We’ve had some pretty big fights—and even a few times where we’ve had to step back from things.

When he brought up the power exchange, I didn’t think it would be a big shift to our relationship. He’d always been the ‘one to where the pants’ anyways. But I was wrong.

TTWD has changed EVERYTHING in our relationship. What I once thought was a happy marriage pales in comparison to how we are now. I’ve never felt this close to anyone, this in safe with someone, this in love with someone.  Even our dating days. Or our wedding day.

I don’t know exactly what we are. DD, Taken In Hand, M/s, D/s. We’re a little bit of all of it, I think. And a few months ago, he even became Daddy. Not as an age thing, but because it fits. He’s everything these days. My protector, my friend, my shoulder to cry on, my guide, my support, my safe place to fall.

Maybe we’re just us, making our own little place under the TTWD umbrella and waking wake up every day thankful that I sent that e-mail.

And that this---whatever it is---began.

How It Began Part One

I was barely out of high school when I met my husband, Phillip. He was the rebound off of my first serious relationship. Only he didn't want to be a rebound. I was a mess, but he didn't care. He picked me up, dusted me off, and four years later in the front of a church filled with friends and family, he made me his wife.

We had two amazing children, photo albums full of memories, and a long history of trust and friendship. We were happy.

Or so I thought.

In the months leading up to our tenth anniversary, I knew something was wrong. Phillip was growing quiet and withdrawn. I persisted and when the truth came out, I was forced to face what had been missing in our marriage from day one.

Sex. He wanted it. I didn't. I don't want to say we were in a sexless marriage, but I'd be lying if I said we weren't pretty darn close. I 'put out' what I thought was enough to keep him happy, but to me it was a chore, something to get through. I did it for him -- it wasn't something I particularly enjoyed. And he knew that.

I don't know why I was that way. Maybe it was my overzealous religious upbringing that had me believe I should only have sex with the man I marry (and husband was sexual partner #3 for me). Or maybe it was because I was a victim of childhood sexual abuse. I don't know. All I do know is that I had built up thick walls around any sexual part of me.

Phillip tried to break them down. Over and over he tried. He encouraged me to share my fantasies. He tried toys and games. He listened for hours, constantly reassuring me, as I cried over my childhood incidents. But those walls refused to budge, and after a decade of ramming into them, he was tired. I was losing him.

I remember how frozen I was as I watched him pack for a 'weekend to get away and think'. I didn't know what to do or say. I didn't know how to break those walls for him. At the last minute, he asked me to join him and something inside of me wanted to fight for this -- for us.

In a hotel room in one of our favorite places on earth, I first let my submissive side out to play. I gave him some of his fantasies and for the first time, really enjoyed doing it. It was an amazing weekend and things did get better when we came home.

During this time, I began to pursue a lifelong dream of mine to be an author. I wrote a book. I revised and revised and revised that book. I reached out and joined writer's groups, made writing friends, formed critique partner relationships. I started a blog, entered contests, attended a writer's conference. I queried agents, celebrated some success, dealt with a lot of rejection. Phillip was there, every step of the way. He read several drafts, helped me query, made dinner, took the kids to their activities so I could write. He was perfect. And we were happy.

Or so I thought.

It took a long time for me to find the courage to finally admit to those I'm close to that writing a book was a dream of mine. Even longer for me to begin to reach out and pursue it. And finding the courage to share my writing -- that was nearly impossible. I took so much courage, that I think somewhere during the process, some of the walls of insecurity and doubt I had built over my life began to tumble down.

One hot summer night, while Phillip was working and the kids were sleeping, those walls I built to suppress my sexual self came tumbling down. Behind them were all the fantasies I hid -- the ones I'd had since childhood. Ones about force, about pain, about being controlled. They turned me on, intrigued me, and scared me. They went against everything I'd ever been taught to believe. For far too long they made me feel twisted and dirty.

That's why I hid them away. But not that night. The walls were down, the dam was broken. They overwhelmed me and I wrote several of them down in an e-mail.

I addressed it to Phillip. And I hit send.

Here I Am

I think the first blog post can be the hardest to write. I've written one before, on another blog in another corner of the web, but it wasn't as hard as this one. Probably because even though you won't find my real name here, this is more "me" than anything else I've ever posted online before.

So who am I? I'm a wife. I'm a mother. I'm a daughter, a sister, a friend. I'm a writer and a reader. I love chocolate, popcorn, and sleeping in. I like baking and sewing. I prefer the color pink. I wish I could sing.

But that's not why I'm here.

I'm here because I love that He is in control. I love it when He spanks me. I love sitting at His feet and feeling His fingers stroke my hair. I love hearing the words 'good girl'. I love the sight of the bruises He leaves on my skin. I love the rules He gives me. I love that He pulls my hair when I'm out of line.

I love how safe I feel cuddled into His arms.

I love being His.

I'm here because there's nobody I can tell - well nobody who would get it anyways. Except maybe for blogland. I've been lurking for a long time now, secretly reading and learning from so many amazing blogs out there, but it's getting too lonely being a lurker.

I have way more to learn than I have to offer. But here I am.