I am not the most romantic person but here’s a secret – I love a good love story. I don’t need a fairytale but when two people who generally dig one another get together and it all works out – I think that’s really groovy. When I like the two people involved, it’s even groovier. Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are one of those couples for me. Ellen is on the cover of People magazine this week. In her interview, she discusses how much she appreciates everything in her life but especially her relationship with her wife Portia.

Ellen DeGeneres is nothing if not grateful.

From her Emmy-winning talk show, to ED by Ellen — her line of clothing, accessories and home goods — the Finding Dory star is the first to admit her life is blessed. “I’m grateful for everything. I’m grateful for my health, and I’m so grateful for the love in my life,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “Because not everybody finds that. Not everybody finds that best friend.”

Having married actress Portia de Rossi in 2008, DeGeneres, 58, insists she has learned to never take their relationship for granted. “Portia and I constantly say to each other, ‘We are so lucky.’ Sometimes it’s lying in bed at night before I go to sleep, and I just say thank you to whatever, whoever is out there,” she says. “I’ve gotten to a place where I really am just settled. Really. I know that I’m not going anywhere. She’s not going anywhere. I’m not saying the relationship took a while; I’m saying in my life, it took a while to find this.”

DeGeneres defines family as “people who get you. I think the word ‘love’ is thrown around, like, ‘I love you’ is great to hear, but you want to feel it,” she says. “You want to feel that you’re understood, and they know exactly who you are, and they know how to take care of you. That, to me, is family. I don’t think it has anything to do with blood relation. Family for everyone is different.”

So what’s the best part about being married? “There’s no best part. It’s everything,” DeGeneres adds. “I can’t imagine not being married. I have my best friend, the person I want to spend time with more than anybody else in the world.”

[From People]

Like most of you, I don’t think a partnership has to be sealed with a marriage certificate. But when Ellen speaks specifically of marriage, let’s consider the source. For much of her life, she believed she would never be allowed to marry so the fact that she is married is a HUGE deal. I remember the day she announced their engagement on her show. Ellen said, “So I would like to say right now, for the first time, I am announcing, I am getting married.” She even squealed just the slightest bit after she said it. I was so happy for them – Portia’s reaction is enough to melt even the iciest heart.

Ellen and Portia have been plagued with marital strife rumors and cheating allegations for years, just like most successful Hollywood relationships. I’m sure they’ve had their ups and downs like everyone else. But based on what Ellen says here, it sounds like the foundation is good and that can weather most storms. I especially like what she says about family not being blood and throwing ‘I love you’ around. I believe there are people who fall in love – both platonic and romantic – easily but I am not one of them. As a matter of fact, I have only been romantically in love once in my life. Once it finally happened, it took a while to impress upon him that saying it was like giving him a piece of me. Not painful, but profound. I get mad at Ellen occasionally but I like her and I adore Portia. If they split, it would break my heart.

On a completely superficial note – remember their wedding outfits? They both were so gorgeous. I would have worn either of these outfits in a heartbeat.