Being in love is sooooo much different than just loving someone. If you know the difference, can still say you are head over heels and madly, crazy in love with someone, then it looks like you just found yourself a keeper (presuming if they feel the same way).

To me, loving someone is "Relationship Level 65" and being in love is like "Relationship Level 100." Things get deeper and better. I think when you are in love there is a bigger need and stronger feelings toward this person. I also believe that being in love comes with a sense of ease and comfort. Being in love keeps your heart full and happy, even in the bad times.

Some people think that they are reversed and you are in love before you love someone, BUT do you tell your friends you love them? Yes. Do you tell your friends you are IN love with them? Hopefully not. See, there's the difference.

As I sat here and contemplated the differences between loving someone and being in love with someone (and thought about Bradley the entire time), I decided to write an article about the differences between saying "I love you" and saying "I'm in love with you."

1.) When you love someone, you can choose to love that person. When you're in love, there is no longer a choice to be in love. That's why they call it FALLing in love. You fell in a hole. But thankfully your significant other is in that hole, so now everything is okay.

2.) Being in love means putting someone else's needs first. It means you take the dog out in the morning so your boyfriend can sleep in. It means eating the red bag of Doritos (even though it burns your mouth) because your boyfriend likes them. It means he tries your vegetarian meat and looks for the vegetarian option when he takes you to restaurants.

3.) Being in love means you are willing to do anything and everything for this person. It means chipping in over a thousand dollars for a flight to South Korea to see him, just like how he spent a bunch of money on a last minute flight to see you this past midterm break. It means you are willing to do anything they ask because they are them and, to you, they are perfect and deserve the world and the moon.

4.) Loving someone means accepting their flaws. My friends have flaws, I accept them for that. I accept my boyfriend's flaws. But being in love means more than accepting their flaws, it means loving those flaws.

5.) When you love or are in love, you don't want to lose your person. But when you are in love, you are willing to do anything to not lose them. When you love someone, sometimes you aren't willing to do anything to not lose them. My friend isn't dating someone from her school anymore because she wasn't willing to let go of something and there's the line. When you are in love with someone, you are willing to let go of whatever that was so you can keep your person.

6.) (This one is my favorite.) Loving someone means you need to be by this person's side. Being in love means you are happy knowing they are happy wherever they are. That hits home for me right now because my boyfriend is 450 miles away from me. But, I am happy knowing that he has some really cool friends down at Fort Lee and he likes what he's doing down there. I know most of his daily routine and he knows most of mine so it's kind of like being together (right?), but I am happy with knowing he's okay.

7.) Loving someone is about how they make you feel, but being in love means putting their feelings first. Being in love means making sure THEY know you love them. It means both of you sending good morning texts and goodnight texts to make sure the other knows you are thinking about them. Brad usually texts me a good morning text and before bed I shoot him a goodnight text. Sometimes, one of us will hit the other up with a random, middle of the day, super cute text. One day I was sitting in class and got "I hope you know I love you more than anything in this world and any other world. Just thought you should know that." I sure knew he loved me that day. <3

8.) Loving someone is imagining your future with them. Being in love is envisioning and actually seeing a future with them.

9.) Loving someone is making sure you still look amazing so they can't really see any of your flaws, but being in love is not wearing makeup for four days and sitting there in sweatpants and his t-shirt. Being in love comes with a sense of comfort.

So, to me, those are the nine differences between being in love and loving someone. As I sat here and thought about the differences, I thought about my relationship and how my boyfriend told me he is in love with me this past weekend. I am so glad he did because I have been wanting to tell him that I am crazy in love with him, too. Thanks baby, for both saying that and for giving me something to write about.