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A drink with a client is one thing, but before they show up - probably not a good idea. You as the companion need to be in 100% control at all times, and a drink before clients ads up....You cant say your thought process would be as good after date 1 as say date 4. I would not feel good with a client showing up smelling like booze and would send him on his way and I would expect he would do the following if the situation was reversed.

Exactly the point I was attempting to make earlier! Ladies reputations and business have been harmed by less in the past. I wonder if Amelia is starting to regret asking her original question?

Sorry Emily, I'm afraid I don't have any good suggestions. Computers aren't really my thing. What I want to say though is if your worried about not being unique, one of a kind or just another pretty face, rest assured that you are FAR more than that! Anyone who really takes a close look at your site, your blog or your twitter, and anyone who takes the time to know you, even through email, will know that you are something special. You are friendly, approachable and all around fun! There is no mistaking that! Even though it all, remember that. These lazy arses can't take away who you are!! <3

Well I personally don't see anything wrong with this. However you mention to "tame the nerves" which implies that you have consumed enough to alter your mood so that is a matter for concern because that then leads me to my belief that whenever anyone is known to be under the influence of any mood altering drug (including alcohol) any state of consensual consent that may have existed no longer does. So the question then becomes at what point have you consumed enough alcohol to alter your mood and/or judgement such that it needs to be considered in this way? Detecting alcohol because you had one drink is not a problem for me but if I think you are under the influence we have a problem. Would you be offended if I asked you to stretch out your arm and then touch your nose? :) If you wouldn't do this (or tried and failed) I think I have a right to end our appointment. Please note that I often have a glass of wine with a lady so everything in moderation.

We all know RG is a good guy and only wants the best for us, thats evident in his posts, so is the fact that he was speaking of extremes, no need to chatise him, I certainly know about making mistakes and not wording posts perhaps in the best way! and can attest to the hurtfulness of someone thinking you have ill wills when there are none! So cut him some slack, he wasn't trying to be hurtful, most of us are here to have fun, help oneanother, make suggestions, ect. With ONLY good intent. Some are just better at wording posts than others, no need to read anything malicious in a kind persons message.

I don't think it's an unreasonable response to her question about having a drink to say one drink is not an issue. For some people one drink can have a calming effect on them while others need more than 1 drink. I do think implying she has a drinking problem or saying she drinks because she doesn't like being an SP is going overboard.

I think RG only went that far afield because he has no experience or recent experience with alcohol so he is understandably a little scared of the stuff because he can't touch it at all. I know he is a complete gentleman and meant no disrespect. And Ameila is just trying to overcome the nervous pre-encounter jitters which I guess I am a dead man as I no longer get them. I say we cut them both some slack :)

I can lend you mine if you would like... text me 613-797-3163

Speaking personally, I don't care what you do before we meet, provided I can't tell :) If you want to have a glass of wine while you get ready, then that's your business, and I probably won't notice; smelling it isn't an issue if you've just had a little because we all use mouthwash before we meet (right?). But as others have said... if the door opens and either person is visibly under the influence, that's probably the end of it. During the date... depends. If I'm meeting someone new, I'll either not drink at all, or have a glass of wine at the outside. Once I know someone better then we'll both have a much better idea of how much we can relax and indulge, and that's entirely up to the individuals in question.

Well, I'll tell you how I manage things. Every point of my process is in place because before I had it, something fell through, usually resulting in a no-show. The client and I exchange e-mail before booking the first meeting and generally have at least one brief phone conversation before we meet in person. I usually require a deposit for a first engagement. Many of my meetings are scheduled anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months in advance, particularly when the client is from out of town. I send an e-mail about 5-7 days prior to the meeting to confirm. If the gentleman is coming in from out of town, I ask him to contact me when he arrives. I respond with a cheerful "welcome to Vancouver" reply and may suggest some activity or local event that he might appreciate knowing about. I ask to make telephone contact at his hotel the day before we meet. If he's arriving earlier in the day of our encounter, I will call him then. I will have made all of the phone calls up to this point. At the end of the day-before or day-of call, I give him my cell number in case he needs to contact me to change our meeting time or place, etc. Anytime we're meeting at my place first, whether he's in Vancouver or from out of town, the day before or the day of the meeting I send instructions for reaching an intersection near me along with my cell number to call when he's there. I give directions to my place when he calls from that location a few minutes before the meeting. I never give my actual, physical address at any time. My experience is that pleasant contact ahead of time is the best way to ensure that the meeting will take place as planned. I have never had someone speak to me on the phone and then not meet me without a very good reason. I never book last-minute or same-day meetings for anyone with whom I haven't met previously because, in my experience, the fellows who make impulsive decisions to see me are also much more likely to decide impulsively not to show up. In other words, it's a multi-stage process at times. Those who balk fail my screening requirements. And, finally, because I have read the advice some men post on other boards about proven ways to circumvent a given paid companion's screening, once I have described what I want, I never back down from or lower my expectations. If I can't contact a new client at his hotel--calling him there and being put through to his room--the meeting won't happen, period. I don't accept an out-of-town cell number for this confirmation. If he lives in Vancouver but won't provide a phone number where I can reach him, I won't meet with him.

I saw the news interview with him and remember him saying he can't be in contact with underage, have a cell phone or a video camera - and he said that's crazy, my favourite things to do are with my cell phone and vid camera or something to that effect. I'm pretty sure he's soft in the head. And screw this innocent until proven guilty, it's KNOWN in SP world that he is a pimp and coerced girls if they did certain acts they would become famous via viral videos on YouTube. He purposely sought out vulnerable girls. He is the epitome of what needs to be eliminated in the sex work industry. Independent all the way. He makes my blood boil. I hope he gets labeled a rapist/pedo and put in general population in jail. Yes, I know those are strong words but it's how I feel.

Let's get one thing straight her...We are ALL entitled to conduct our business how we see fit. If you disagree, unless safety is in jeopardy it is best not to comment. Judging from this post you made I can only assume it is one of 4 ladies you are referring to by this post and this is wrong, as if I can figure it out so can everyone else. I am a bit confused by your post, you mention the client in question said he had not seen a lady in several months when asked for a reference, yet after he was declined a date he magically had a reference? and your knocking the SP in questions screening policy for that. Why? because she cares about who she lets in her place? or because she wont accept just any rif-raf for a reference? How do you know his references were reputable? In one sentence you mentioned you would not have booked him either yet you saw him any ways. Your words and actions contradict themselves. The travelling lady you mention did what any reputable touring lady would have done, liars, shadies and deceitful people are not welcome as guests. there is a respect for privacy but when the cards don't add up more questions are always asked. You have no write to publicly call out how others run their business unless you are willing to call out yourself as well. People may have more than one handle on different places, the the respectful gents are usually forthcoming about this, the ones that need to be sneaky can look else where as if they need to hide a handle what else are they hiding. Someone who is an "elite " as you put it, earned his status and has nothing to hide. Someone being deceptive can have life altering consequences, like getting attacked, raped or robbed.

A drink, A glass of wine is exceptable at any time. I have gifted many lady's and friends with a bottle or two of wine, (I make my own so I have lots) sometimes it is tasted and some times saved for later. Amelia's statement above has nothing to do with showing up to a date "drunk' or "tipsy" OR using alcohol as a "crutch" to do you job, or to get through your day. Having said that, .... and as is often said "What two or more people do during the "date" is between consenting adults and of no business to others." Have a nice day All Loki318

Take a look on the back page, there is a large amount of "local" talent for such a small city! unlike Saint John, or Fredericton. It is no wonder that "Quality" lady's with "Quality" prices have a hard time in this city! It is hard to sell Mercedi's and Caddy's in a market that is over full of Toyota's and Hundi's ..... Don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with a Toyota ;) I've gotten more mileage for my $$$ out my Toyota, than any other ride I've had :) Have a nice day all. Loki318

Speaking for myself I do inform ladies from CERB when I email them that I am BillyBob from CERB. I created my hotmail account 10 years ago and when I created my CERB handle 3 years ago it didn't dawn on me to sync up with my email. I saw an escort site and I said cool, lets join and see what that's all about :)

All I am recommending is that if you have other alias's on other sites it would be common courtesy to inform the lady of your other username's. Pretty simple and vise versa for SP to hobbyist,

Our justice system is also a joke. How is this tool not a threat to minors? I cant believe they are allowing him to mock our city and endanger and profit off our high risk children and teens! It makes me ashamed that I live in such a city. If we don't protect those who cant protect themselves, then the individuals responsible for his release are just as guilty as he is for whatever happens after this point. Disgusting! Posted via Mobile Device

:biggrin:We all need to take time to relax, for body and mind. some of my favorite ways to relax are: go out to one of my favorite restaurants with a good friend spend a few hours at my favorite spa walk my dogs watch a good movie what are some of yours?

I LOVE Dorinda!!! Well... for a thousand reasons.....

Having done the drive more times than I would have liked to, I would say after 7 things should have settled down.

apologies for providing the name correction, RG, however, my experience with the 'lot' is over 25 years old, so maybe there's hope!

Never said he wasn't a "good guy" and I wasn't chastising him only pointing out that his chosen words can (and are by me) be perceived as "hurtful or damaging" more to a ladies business and reputation than to my feelings. As you said we are here to have fun and "help one another and make suggestions" so I assume suggesting that ones words are inappropriate is acceptable, yes? Long of the short he probably meant nothing BUT if those words were spoken by a new member that new member would be responded to quickly and decisively by the rest of the board. Words often can mean one thing but imply something different!

A great thread, and needed by this junk food junkie, your knowledge is appreciated and admirable.

I have many little things that I do.... 1. painting:) I love to paint when the house is quiet and birds are singing to me:) I have been doing this since I was 6 years old, lol....not sure if I am good yet, hahahah. People say i am and should sell my work...I am not convinced yet and will keep trying to reach that potential... 2. watching my fish swim, sounds funny, but really is soothing. The sound of the water in the tank, watching the 2 gold fish I have frollic about, doing their daily chores cleaning their home, hahahah, there is something about it that I love:) 3. just sitting in a quite house, I am a big thinker and find I need to do this for at least an hour to gather my thoughts, gage how I am doing in my projects, etc.... 4. And then when it is too quite, I like to sing...sing and sing!! I think some of my clients have snuck up me as I was singing before a date, LMAO...it helps to release tennsion for me:)

I've seen you how many times now Amelia??? Never ONCE have I had any indication that you were drunk at all, or even had a single drink. The first time we met I made you that drink with the blue passion-fruit liqueur too lol That was the first and ONLY time I could taste alcohol on your breath...and it was my fault for making you the drink!

What a shame. It sounds as though he wasn't trying anything underhanded, just mixed up his handles. He could avoid this next time by PMing the lady he is using as a reference as well as the lady he wants to visit on EACH site to clarify that he is both member ABC & XYZ. Then they will both know he is the same person, as opposed to someone trying to produce a false reference. So much wrong with this, I am at a loss as to where to begin. So I will start from the bottom. An SPs business strategy is just that: Business. Hers, not all of Halifax. A Hobbyist HAS no business agenda. And while he may not be trying to be deceitful, but like Billybob, unable to secure his favoured handle on CERB, his identity or any other information she requires is for her safety & comfort. And I imagine SHE cares. So if she asks for 2 references, provide them or move on. Also, I have yet to see a website where a lady who requests references does not provide alternate options. If you have none, that's fair, but follow her secondary protocol. No shit! If he had none at first, where did he suddenly find them only after she declined an encounter? And who is to say they were legit? Him? Another SP? If she now requests more, provide it or move on. And seriously, who really cares if he is Elite? By virtue of his behaviour, that is the last word I would use to describe him. As a long time member, he should know the score. If not, hardly her concern. It's very gracious of you Steve to assume this was not the intent from the onset & I am sure you are sincere. I on the other hand do not possess the " benefit-of-the-doubt-it " gene. And right now I am too incensed to wait until my little yellow pill kicks in. I find the entire post was in poor taste. And quite obviously deliberate. Of course, I am ALSO working under the assumption ANY of this is true & not just an attempt to slander a touring lady. Wouldn't be the first time. That said, I highly doubt the man in question ( real? ) will be happy right now! Although I have little sympathy for him. ( should he exist ) Or, frankly, respect for either party. Firstly, a hobbyist with Elite status discussing with one SP another SP, to the point of naming her, stating that he was declined by her, is not only immature, whiny & classless.... .....it is really pathetic. Have you no decorum? Have you no pride? Lastly, have you not the ability to discern the difference between an SP who can keep secrets & one who....well.......clearly cannot? It's no wonder she said no!!! I hope it was worth it. Because if this attempt at an encounter was real....& now you are known to talk out of school with less than circumspect women.....good luck with all the other touring ladies.... ...because bad news travels fast. On that note, said SP, coming to an open forum, detailing another SPs security measures, trashing them, then alluding to her identity with this, is inflammatory, beyond unprofessional & potentially dangerous to the SP. But don't you just love irony? By doing that with the presumption of impunity, she has shown ALL of Halifax, CERB & by extension Canada, she also has no problem discussing publicly what her clients tell her. Makes me wonder what she says without an audience..... Sandi P.S. My regards to NM. I happily take responsibility. For this time & the last.

My Dear Amelia, I remember in the beginning, when we first met. You were so nerved up, and yes we did drink a few lol...but You have come along way in feeling more confident and comfortable with this. I even still get nerved up when meeting a new client, and it has been over 10 years for me in this! I always have an exciting rush of endorphins before an encounter, I think this actually makes me even strive harder to provide the best service I can! Being my friend, I showed you the ropes a bit, you had learned what can happen if an SP is hammered while working, and I know that you know how to handle yourself with this now. You are a smart business women, street smart as well, and you will never put yourself or clients in harms way. I would never want to be drunk for an encounter, but yes I will have my champagne before they arrive to loosen me up a bit. At times I have even gotten a pretty good buzz with my clients ( providing they have a way home) Most of these hosting style dates are looking for a social time with you, and want to have few drinks together, There is nothing wrong with this at all. If you are not abusing it. If I had a lady working with me, and I seen that she needed to be drunk to work, then I would not accept her as my SP client at Miss Sophia V's! I would not want to represent a lady that did not like what she does. If she felt the need to cover her true feeling up with alcohol or any drugs, this would break my heart. If you truly do not enjoy this, you will end up in a cycle of self abuse:( This is not directed at you Amelia, but for any SP out there that is going threw this. Years ago before I had fully accepted myself as an SP, I too had a problem with self loathing. But things changed, as I took control of my life and proudly can say..." I am an SP...and I am great at it!" I am proud of my chosen career and I am happy to be apart of a community that wants to change the way society views us! You are alright hunni...no worries:)

Wow this thread went not the way I was hoping at all lol...I ment one drink before my first date of the day(not necessarly in the morning)and only that one date..Yes its a nerv thing for me.(My own preferences)Usually a cooler or cocktail is what I have.(For example) It could be a sunny afternoon and im getting my nails done before a date and the salon offers a cocktail with your mani/pedi... Thats not wrong to have a drink I dont think..I would never impare my judgement in situations like this,as yes I have to be incontrol for many reasons... I rarely drink with clients but some have brought bottles of wine and more often then not I decline to have a glass with him. I have never been drunk in front of a client. Also like to add I understand clients do not want alcohol on anyones breath or smoke for that matter.. I just wanted to know if you indulge in a beer/glass of wine before your date but now I would like to take that question back haha..

I would not use the word better, as in some cases you simply do need the conventional medicine. However, Relflexology and many other holistic arts; is effective, preventive and complimentary to all forms of medicine and treatments. Our bodies have it own self healing kit built into us. Some of us can access these natural occurring endorphins, pain killers and anti-inflammatory. By using holistic methods, we can kick start these natural pain killers. For people who suffer with chronic pain, it may take extra effort in access these, but can still be done with repetive treatments. Adrenal overload is a problem that 80% of population suffers from and do not even acknowledge it. This is the Fight or flight chemical our bodies send out in a crisis. This why stress has become the culprit to almost all diseases in our society. With the adrenal glads overtaxed, and for such a longtime, we see a rise in Fibromialgia, high blood pressure, depression, just a slu of issues will arise from this. That being said, then the most preventive form of therapy is one that induces total body relaxation! This will help turn off the Flight and flight responds to a Rest and Repair mode:) Lower stress means healthier bodies!

This is a bit of a precautionary warning. It is something that I hope never happens to any of the member of this board. It was something that happened to me and although it was detrimental to me it was far worse to another person. I have use G mail for all of my private communications for a number of years. A few months ago Google changes some policied with reguards to G mail. I was perfectly fine with the way G mail worked in the past so I told myself that I didn't need to accept this change, I would simply change to a different e mail service and I choose hotmail because I observed that this was the service that many members used. Everything worked fine for a few months and I continues my private correspondence. Then something changed. I don't know why, I don't know how and I may never know. Frankly, now it doesn't matter. Some how and for some reason someone broke into my HOTMAIL account. All of my correspondence was copied and forwarded to the email account that I share with my wife. Which she read and which she down loaded and printed on paper. I can only think that the person that did this thought that she was doing my wife a favor. It was a very hurtfull thing to do. My wife was very hurt and continues to feel hurt to this day. She confronted me and I admitted everything without giving names. Was it hurtfull to me. Not as much as one would think. My wife appologized for allowing our sexlife to decline to an non existant level. For the first time in 20 years she wanted to become involved in my sex life, to the point where I can hardly keep up. Where previously she was only good at recieving oral sex, she is now an enthusiastic particiant, giving some of the best head that I have ever recieved. She now participates in all sorts of variations that I have explored over the last few years. I am still a little hesitant to describe to her all of the practices that I have involved myself in in the past few years. They were plentiful and they were fun but I don't think she is ready for that. I have only this regret. While in the hobbie I met a number of ladies that I liked and respected, not only for their sexual expertise but also for their personalities and friendship. I would have liked to continue these relationships. I have very few complaints about my present sexual satisfaction. I hate giving up my friendships and I hate what this person has done to my wife. Honestly this ' do gooder " has saved me thousands of dollars in my personal sexual satisfaction , but they have cost me much in my relationships and have done a great deal of hurt to my wife. Since that unfortunate event I have learned that HOTMAIL is an easy target for crashing. I don't understand the reasoning behind what happened to me. I am confident that the intended result were not to improve my sexlife and to save me thousands of dollars, but that is not what upsets me. By this act of intrusion the perpitrator has done a great deal in injure my wife. Now the other little (I hope little) problem with this incident this that my email identity that I used for hotmail was stolen. My password was changed and I cannot enter my hotmail address to retrieve mail or respond to mail. This part isn't a real problem because I prefer my G mail address anyway, but if the perpitrator is responding to my mail and sending mail with my identity , he/she can cause a great deal of problems. This is the caution: If you are now useing hotmail for your private communication, maybe you should consider a different email provider. ... chavez

Mine tonight has been sitting on a deep freezer with my laptop so I can get an internet connection when I should be surfing online in my bed. lol. It's cold down here!

Amen Sister!

Really not the question. Are there any SP's that are willing to spend time in Moncton period . My experiences in Moncton have been very frustrating and unrewarding over all. Many other quality SP's will probably agree. All the best in your search!

Thank you very much for the good time. I would definitely recommend Amanda to everyone. And do yourself a favor, book the 1 hour session and you will thank yourself for doing that afterwards. She is a clever, welcoming, sexy, and very accommodating. Her massage skill is fantastic. It was my very first time visiting any MP and the experience was definitely positive. She made sure that I was comfortable throughout the whole session. Thanks again, Amanda!

That will HAVE TO BE arranged at some point in my lifetime :)

I am sorry you have to deal with this, Emily. I know just how frustrating and time consuming it can be to deal with plagiarism and copycats. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do to prevent it (even if we copyright everything) but there are steps you can take to prove that your website text and ads are yours... Once my ordeal was over with my last Cerb copycat, I hired a paid professional to do a few things for me; I first start out by writing everything I want to publish online in a word doc then I send him the documents and the links to all my ads (not just the Cerb ones). He converts them into PDFs files, 'time stamps' them and takes screenshots of my ads. Once everything is complete and put together, he sends it to my lawyer for safe keeping. Screenshots of my entire website are also taken on a weekly basis and also sent to my lawyer. This way, I can at least prove that my work is mine and mine only and that plagiarism was used by someone else to advertise. (A few more things get done but I won't discuss it publicly- PM for details). So, basically, after the first and only request to take down my text, the copycat has three choices: pay me for my work, remove my text, or get ready to go down by K.O. in the first round :) This could be with or without the help of my lawyer depending on the circumstances. I wish I could give you better advice or more ideas, Emily but unfortunately, I don't have anything more to offer... At least, not publicly ;) Trust me when I say it is not! ;)

I think the point's worth making, though. Different people do have different ideas of what "just one" drink means. And sometimes one drink arrives in many glasses...

Posted in the wrong spot and now my words my be considered high jacking . Katherine has re thought!!

Okay I've noticed that everyone here starts out their reply with " I dont have an issue with one drink but if she was intoxicated.." All she asked was what is your opinion if the lady has A Drink, not a few. just one, I dont mean this rudely at all I just feel like what she said was taken way out of context

I don't think a single glass of wine or shot before an appointment is a problem if the provider is low volume. If she's seeing 10 clients for 15min appointments a day...that could be an issue. The bottom line is that she is comfortable with it. I don't indulge before guests because there are no jitters but a photo shoot? I start with 2 shots of tequilla before I'm out of the shower! Then I continue to sip from a flask until the ordeal is over. I don't get drunk but I definitely mellow out and don't throw up during every costume change... cat

Game of Thrones True Blood Six Feet Under Essentially, all of the HBO shows are amazing ;) Nurse Jackie is great too.

Going grocery shopping with rollers in my hair and seeing a 70 plus lady doing the same. She gave me a wink and said "guess you have a hot date tonight too!" definetly have a perma grin for the rest of the week. Posted via Mobile Device

Lucky for you I am a jack of all trades and look pretty sexy with a hammer and a tool belt. Let me know if you'd be interested in me replacing your deck wearing the tool belt .. only the tool belt hahah jk. SO would defenitly be asking some questions than eh haha

I completely agree Cristy. I understand that everyone has their reasons, but an issue with men doing this has become a real problematic situation for me recently A man had used me for a reference for a reputable lady on cerb who requires references from fellow SPs on CERB. I had not originally met him on this site but on another one (didnt even know he was on here) and when she had requested info regarding the username he had provided I had no idea who he was and told her just that. Turns out I had seen this fellow several times but under a different name from the other site, and he missed out on seeing the lady when she was on a tour here because of this issue. I understand everyone has their reasons to use different alias's but life is much easier when we use the same one lol

You will not see this very often, they are rare albino seahorses.

Thats riiiiight.....HEADS up.....way up ;) I will no longer be available on BANK Street as of September 1st. And I will be AWAY From September 1st til September 10th! Cum taste, touch and experience heaven while you can! Rrrrrroar baby rOaR! MISS INDEPENDENT!! 613-899-5879 Come PLAY HARD With Me All Week (Monday-Friday) at a DISCRETE fun location DOWNTOWN or in the WESTEND Great Rates for an AMAZING time together, NO hidden fees, Just PURE FUN. From Erotic and Kinky to Relaxing and Sweet... I aim to please... from A-Z. Join me in the Shower... RRRRoar! See an outfit in my pixxx that ya like?.....Tell me! and.... we'll play with it on...and off! PLEASE TEXT TO BOOK 613-899-5879 --NO FULL SERVICE-- AVAILABLE THIS WEEK (Downtown & WESTEND) --Claire Heavens Schedule- 613-899-5879 MONDAY-FRIDAY :icon_wink: Duo's available! August 20th-24th Monday-BANK st. - available at 1030am and 230pm Tuesday- Fisher- BOOKED! Wednesday-Fisher- 9 til 11am only Thursday-Fisher at 9am-noon and Bank st. 530pm Friday-Fisher or bank st 9am-6pm August 27th-31st Bank street Monday-Friday 9am-630pm September 1st-September 9th - OFF! Available again on Monday September 10th (DUO'S Available on Fisher only) A DUO LIKE NO OTHER...... Get Lucky With Lilly and exxxperience Heaven with Claire .... Roar!

Butterman, Although I understand your personal reason behind being shy to ask for a specific service, please don't think that this is something that an SP would be teasing you over. As long as asked in a respectful manner, any SP you ask will provide you an honest answer on if they will or will not provide this service for you. Trust me being asked for a prostate massage wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've been asked to do, and it should be nothing to be ashamed of. That is the general area where the man's "G-SPOT" is so why wouldn't you want to feel the stimulation of the best part of your body!!!! Good luck in your search and hopefully your shyness will wear away which I am sure it will as you endure the best experience of your life ;)

This has always inspired me: Man In The Arena It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt

We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. (One of my favorites)