Wednesday, December 19, 2007

GIDDY!!

I have been so exhausted today, and all I dreamt about today was sleeping when I got home tonight. Instead, it's almost midnight and I'm so giddy that I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. Boston and I found a last minute, CHEAP flight to Dallas that arrives tomorrow afternoon and leaves again on Jan. 2! So I'll not only have two glorious weeks with my boyfriend, but he'll be home for Christmas and New Year's. He gets to meet my family, which is a big deal since this is the first man my dad has ever invited home. I know they'll love him as much as I do!

I can't believe how awesome my fortune has been lately. Everything is falling into place, and God is blessing me more than I could ever have wanted. I guess when you do let go and give to him, he will take care of you.

Anyway, I know I need to talk about graduation and all the exciting events of this past weekend, but it is almost midnight, and at some point I have to try to sleep. I'll write about it tomorrow if I have a chance.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

13 on the 13th

I came across another blog through a Google alert today searching for a client mention and noticed a post about "13 things to be thankful for on the 13th." So, drawing inspiration (and procrastinating on work that I have to do tonight) I decided to list out 13 things that I'm thankful for today.

1) Graduating in 2 days. It's the crowning achievement on my academic career, and could possibly be the last degree I walk away with. Eh, who am I kidding? I want an MBA even more than I wanted my MA. Regardless, I am proud to be walking that stage in just two days and getting hooded. M.M., M.A. It's kind of catchy. :)

2) My wonderful friends. I got to see two friends this evening whom I haven't seen in a few weeks, and I'm so glad we got to spend time together. I'll see them again on Saturday for my post graduation par-tay, but still, it was nice just sitting back and drinking wine with them.

3) Boston (the boyfriend.) Our story is funny; of course it has bumps and challenges, but it's ours. We've survived those challenges, and we've survived them being 2,000 miles apart from each other. Not many people can survive their challenges being in the same city together, but somehow we've managed to do just fine. Our story is funny; if we do end up married with children one day, it's a story we won't be able to tell until they're well into their adult lives, but it's still a good one. And we need each other. A friend of ours commented today that Boston needs me, and that my move to Boston is going to be a good one not just for me, but definitely for him. So that brings me to:

4) Being needed. Having someone rely on you entirely is one thing, and I'm not talking about that. I mean, having someone need you around. Their life is just fine without you, but it's that much better with you in it; and they need that.

5) The kitties. It's silly, but I need them. They are the first things I have in the morning, and surround me in warmth and love in the evening. They are so amazing despite being neurotic, and I can't imagine how my life would be without them; definitely not nearly as fulfilling.

6) A good economy. It's blessed me with a great job for the past two years, and been good enough to provide me with not just one, but two job offers in Boston. How many people actually have to make a tough decision and choose between their top 2 job picks? Not many people have the chance to even pick their top choice.

7) Seasons. I'm looking forward to going somewhere new where I actually get to enjoy four seasons. I'm not sure I even know what that looks like, but I'm thankful for the chance to find out soon enough.

8) Literature. I'm thankful for people who are talented enough to write a good book, so that I have something to read in my new found spare time.

9) A great job. I'm thankful to have an amazing boss, who has been completely supportive of my leaving the agency, even though I know it pains her to see me leave. I'm going against everything both of us believe in, and yet she still supports my decision, despite thinking I've made the wrong choice. I'm still part of the team, and I think on some level, I'll always be part of her team. I hope that I have the opportunity to work with her again one day.

10) my bed. It sounds silly, but I'm so thankful to have a new bed that actually gives me a good night's sleep. I paid out the wazoo for this bed, and it was worth every penny.

11) Christmas cards. It's the one time of year that people actually make an attempt to hand write thoughtful notes and send them your way. In the digital age, no one actually writes anymore except at Christmas. I remember how excited I used to get to receive hand written notes from my grandmother; it's not the same now, but I still get excited to get a written note from a friend.

12) My large apartment. Now that I'm moving to Boston, I will never live in anything this nice for a while. I'm going from a huge one bedroom with granite counter tops, Berber carpet, garage parking and a massive walk-in closet, to an apartment crammed with 4 people and two cats, not to mention no off-street parking. I complained about my rent more often than necessary, and in less than a month I will be begging to have the luxury of living in a one bedroom larger than 500 sq. ft with a walk-in closet and not paying two grand for.

13) lastly, my family. They have made me who I am today. They are awesome. I'm so thankful to be going home in another week and seeing them. It's the last time I'll see them for a while, and I can't wait.

so what are you thankful for? leave me a comment and let me know.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The Dream

I am getting frustrated with the first question that seems to always come up when someone hears that I'm moving to Boston. That question: "So, are you and Boston getting married?" or "Are you and Boston engaged?"

For everyone who doesn't know me, I know it may seem like I'm packing up my life and moving across the country for a boy that I'm NOT marrying (not to say that we never will, but that's not a conversation we've had yet) and that may seem like a bad idea, but for those of you that do know me, you understand - which is why that's not the question you ask of me. For those of you that don't know me, let me explain.

When I was 19, I had this thought one day that I was going to end up in Boston. I can't explain it, I don't know where it came from; all I know is that one day I felt like the place I was going to end up was Boston. I've spent a majority of my life talking about my east coast dreams and Boston was always at the top of that list. So when he got the job offer in Boston, I thought maybe things were about to change. When he invited me to join him, I couldn't. I still had to finish school, I loved my job (still do!) and we had just started to date. I thought it would be best if we tried the long distance thing for a while and see how that went. Obviously it's gone well, and when I went to visit in October, I set up a couple interviews with some agencies to "get my name out there" and see what my chances of getting a job were. I made it very clear that I wouldn't be able to even move until January and assumed that I wouldn't even get serious consideration until January.

Clearly things didn't work out the way I had supposed. Things happened MUCH faster than I expected (need proof? I had to break the lease on my apartment, which was set to end in March) and I'm moving to Boston months before I ever thought I would. I'm so happy about this opportunity, and I'm really excited that Boston and I will get to date in the same city again. I admit, his being in Boston gave me the courage to make the leap and take the chance on making significant changes, but I'm going into this very realistically. I'm stoked just to be dating my boyfriend in the same city; marriage is the farthest thing from my mind right now, and I'm tired of people looking at me like I'm crazy when I say that. You see, this move isn't about him; it's about me and doing something I've been wanting to do for almost 10 years now.

Just thought everyone should know.