How Catherine Surprised Me (and How You Can Surprise Your Loved One with Free Tickets to “The Giver!”)

“What should we watch?” I asked Catherine just hours after I proposed to her in Thailand.  We were finished with the show, but we needed to stay for a few days before going home.  In typical Bachelor style, we were staying in a beautiful place that had it’s own movie theater.  As I flipped through a stack of DVDs and calling out the names of movies, I learned something amazing about my new fiancé.

“No,” Catherine said emphatically after she read out the name of a popular romantic comedy. “I hate chick flicks.”

It took me aback. It was a small but interesting detail – movie preference – that I had no idea about.  I didn’t know what kinds of drinks she liked, what time she got in the morning, or what her favorite cereal was.

Since then, I’ve learned all these things and more.  Part of the fun of being married is getting to know Catherine – and her little quirks – more and more.

Because I love movies, I’m always on the look out for good ones to see with her.

Yesterday, I got to see a special screening of The Giver starring Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, and Taylor Swift.

I’d read the book in high school, and – honestly — I didn’t remember much about it.

There was an old man.

A baby.

An over-controlling government.

When I saw this exciting film, however, it all came back to me! What especially jumped out at me from the movie was this.

There’s no such thing as “love” in the world of The Giver.  In fact, the word doesn’t even exist anymore.  People aren’t even allowed to choose their husband or wife.

As someone who was able to choose my wife in the most public (and in – according to Chris Harrison – the “most dramatic finale ever!”), I think that’s terrible.

To celebrate love – and release of The Giver — I want to hear from you.  Tell me if you have “chosen correctly” and I’ll randomly select one of you to receive a $100 Fandango gift card on August 14th so you can see the movie for yourself.

Maybe you can even surprise your husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend and make a date of it… you know, since you’re so in love and all!