Thirty-Three

As I write this post we're a short 33 days away from getting married. 

WHAT?! When did that happen? Didn't we *just* get engaged? 

The answers are yes, in the blink of an eye, and yes - 3 months ago. 

The truth is that I couldn't be happier or more excited for what happens in 33 days. We met just over one year ago. We've had the craziest, fastest, whirlwind adventure since then. The journey we're going on now - planning a wedding in a few months - is crazy, fast-paced and whirlwind, hence the blink-of-an-eye timing. 

The reality is that even though it's only been one year that we've known each other, it feels like it's been forever. As I've been writing my vows, the one thing I can't shake is that I feel as if my life started the night we met in Munich. Yes, it's only been one year, but there were 33 years before that led me to this moment in time. 

It took 33 years to find my partner, and in 33 days I'm going to marry that man. We are partly stressed (planning a wedding around the world when you're half a world apart is hard!) but mainly eager - we are both ready to begin our lives together. This morning I received a letter from my stressed beloved, and it started like this: 

"I love you more than everything! You are the best wife-to-be and I am so happy to become your husband in 33 days. Je t'aime comme un fou (I love you crazily.)" 

When I wake up to notes like this, it's hard not to be excited for what lies ahead. And thankfully I only have 33 days left to find out. 

Captured by Kristen of The Boston Fashionista at the wedding of our beautiful friend Marissa

Finding Mr. Right Where You Least Expect it

In my last post I talked about my trip last year where I met W, aka soon-to-be Mr. Muses. Since this is a trip down memory lane, forgive the long post. A girlfriend and I opted for a girl's week in Paris, but since it was also Oktoberfest, I thought a second week in Germany would suit me well. My friend opted not to go to Munich, so it was just me. Alone. In a country whose language I don't speak one word of. Talk about getting out of your comfort zone! 

So, one week after arriving in Paris, I took the metro to Munich. On the train, as I was studying my German phrase book, a nice German couple struck up a conversation. That couple's kindness proved that I was going to be ok in Germany traveling alone. 

Sunday morning I headed to the science museum. On the train, I noticed all these Germans dressed in their traditional Oktoberfest garb. I thought it would be a good idea to take a quick detour and see where the Oktoberfest tents were, so I jumped off the train and followed everyone out. What awaited me up the stairs  was beyond my comprehension. 

I'll skip the boring details of what happened over the next few hours, and show you in pictures instead. Suffice to say, I ate and drank my way through Oktoberfest and never made it to the museum. 

The halls of Hacker-Pschorr, one of two of my fave beers. 

Sunny and bright, how can you resist?

The halls were packed at 11 am. 

Late into the night - well into too many pints

Too many pints, but still standing and still going strong

So here's where meeting Mr. Right comes in. When Oktoberfest shut down, the two German women I had spent the day with invited me to this "club" they had been at the night before where they met these two Frenchmen. Having nothing better to do, I joined them. And that's where I met him. We spent the next 6 hours chatting and dancing at a club, exchanged emails and promised to see each other the next day. The next day we met up, at the science museum (side note, it's not the spectactular - skip it if you're in Munich), and awkwardly spent what we refer to now as our first official date. That evening he hopped a plane back to Paris and I thought I'd never hear from him again. How wrong I was! But I'll save those details for another time. 

For now, I'll leave you with the first picture of us from the night we met in Munich. 

    

Notice the flower he gave me? So romantic, even having just met. 

Numbers

Holy wow, it's been so long since my last blog post!! It's not to say I missed blogging, because I did. I've had so much to say, and so much change has taken place since the last blog post. I have been writing this "welcome back" post in my head for MONTHS! I wanted to think about not just what I wanted to say, but how I want to say things. Since it's been so long, I thought it might be easier to look at the changes that have taken place by looking at numbers. Don't worry, no complicated math here. Read on for more. 

18 - the number of months since my last blog post (yikes!) 

5 - the number of years I devoted to a relationship that ultimately failed (after one brief attempt at reconciliation) 

2 - the number of weeks I spent on my first trip to Europe last year "to find myself" aver the failed relationship

2 - the countries I visited - France and Germany

1 - the incredible man I met in Germany (who's French)

 

34,460 - the number of miles we've traveled from Boston to Paris since December to see each other 

3 - the number of times I've been to Paris since my first trip last fall

1 - engagement

1 - upcoming wedding in Paris

1 - one half marathon run this year, and the next one being run on 10/13

7 - months I've been taking French lessons (and I'm barely speaking)

In my upcoming posts, I'll share more details about these past 18 months, and focus on the exciting adventures ahead. It's been one hell of a bumpy ride, but I've emerged happier, healthier, and far more excited about the future. 

So on that note, I'll leave you with a picture from my first trip to Paris last year - the trip that changed everything for me.