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.

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.

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.

Saturday Night Confessions

• I like stress. Seriously... I do. I feel that my brain fires on all cylinders when I'm completely stressed out. If you asked my boyfriend, he would probably tell you the complete opposite, but my friends who have been with me for years would tell you that I'm a nut for stress and that I thrive on it. So it only makes sense that my life is high stress.

• I am a simple girl. Yes, I realize it contradicts my high-stress life, but I like certain simplicities. For example, I get so giddy when I get a text message from Boston telling me that he's thankful to have me in his life and that he loves me, or like today when he called and said he could use a hug from me. He doesn't say these things all that often, but when he does they are usually simple, and yet they fill me with the GREATEST joy I've known.

• I need to quit procrastinating. This again probably leads to my high-stress life, but I'm a huge procrastinator. It's my "thing." Procrastination for me usually leads to the high stress and when I perform my best work, so it seems to me that my procrastination leads me to great work. One day I'd like to test this theory by getting something done BEFORE a tight deadline, but then I'll probably put that off too.

• I love reading other people's blogs. For me, this is like peering into the lives of others without having to get involved. It's gossip for me, and I love it. My favorite blogs are reading about people's struggles. I feel bad saying that, but I think it's human nature to want to read about other's struggles so that we have something to measure against ours. Lately I've been reading a lot of blogs, and I'm starting to find my favorites. I've posted one or two on my links, and as I find more, I'll continue to post. I imagine that one day I'll want to get involved with these people, to comment on their blogs, invite myself into their lives, but for now I'm quite content just to read about their fascinating lives.

• I'm scared. I'm scared about a lot of things, but I'm really scared about the changes coming in the next few weeks. I am trying to play off how scared I am by telling everyone how great this is going to be, but the truth is that I'm scared because I don't know how it's going to be. I am always optimistic, and I'm trying to remain optimistic tonight, but it's hard to let go and put this in God's hands. I'm getting rid of everything I've ever known, and moving across the country to a city where I know no one but my boyfriend, to start a job that I'm not sure I'm qualified to do, and we don't even have a place to live yet. I'm trying to put my faith in God, and to trust that He will not fail us, but that's proving to be much harder. Then again, it could just be that I like the stress. :)

Things to be Thankful For

Since it is the day of giving thanks, here is my list of things that I am thankful for:

• God - While I (try to) give thanks to Him every day, I'll start off by saying I'm thankful to God for giving me such an amazing life and filling it with great challenges and blessings. Everything I have, or have done, is because of the gifts he has given me.

• Boston - and I mean the boyfriend here. Ever since he walked into my life eight months ago, I've been thankful for the gifts he has given me, the wisdom he has shared with me, and the willingness to let me into his heart. He is sweet and kind, and loves me even with my obvious shortcomings. He has opened up his life to me, and given me the courage to leap into the new adventure I'm about to take. He has opened up a new world to me, both intellectually and spiritually; he has renewed my faith in God -and man- and I will always be thankful for that.

• Family - They are my foundation. Coming from the self-proclaimed "most functionally dysfunctional" family isn't an easy thing, but my family has given me the tools necessary to grow into a reasonably healthy functioning member of society. They've supported all my decisions in life, and make sure to tell me all the time how proud they are of me, even when it means that I'm moving halfway across the country from them.

• Friends - They are the ones who tolerate my absence from their lives on account of school and support me. They are the ones who ask if they can attend my graduation... and everyone knows how boring those are. They are excited about the next journey in my life, even though it means leaving them behind. They have comforted me in troubled times, and support me as much as my family. In reality, they are my family too.

• Work - I am thankful that my current job and colleagues have provided me with the tools to make a contribution to the field of public relations, and to take that next step in my career. I am thankful that Moroch showed me what a real work culture looked like, and that you can absolutely have fun while working your ass off. Finally, I am thankful for Emily V., the most amazing boss I've ever encountered. Never does she have a bad word to say about anyone, and it will hurt the most to say goodbye to her. She has shown me where you can go with hard work, and it is her work ethic that I hope to channel in my new job. She has served as a mentor to me for almost two years now, and I know that she will continue to serve as a mentor when I move into my new job.

I know there are a thousand other things I am thankful for, and rightly so, but these are the high, fast ones. I love everything about my life - where I've come from, what I've become, and the possibilities of what I will grow into. So on this day of Thanksgiving, I realize I have so much to be thankful for.

Life As I Know It

Is about to change. The news I've been waiting for came, andwhat I've known will never be the same again. I got a job offer in Boston and will be moving there in 7 weeks. That's right... 7 weeks.

I'm so excited and at the same time so incredibly nervous! My life is changing so quickly and I'm struggling with how to handle it. In the next 7 weeks I'll be graduating with a Master's degree, leaving a job that I dearlyl ove, taking the boyfriend home to meet my family and then moving to Boston. Yikes! Plus I have to sell off everything I own so that I only take the bare minimum across the country.

On the plus side, the boy and I will finally get to be together, I have a great job opportunity waiting for me, I have an actual winter to experience, and I get to take a cross country road trip! How exciting is that?

Anyway, I'm so thankful for these opportunities coming my way, and I'll post more as everything gets closer.

A Pretty Good Week

This week has been pretty amazing. The greatest news is that I passed my exams. That's right, I'm graduating! Only 5 more weeks! w00t! It's hard to believe that I've been in school for two-and-a-half years. As I walked my final paperwork to the graduate school with my goofy grin plastered on my face, I remembered that day over two years ago when I walked my registration papers to the grad school. How quickly time flies! And what will I do with all my free time when I have it again? I have no idea, but I can't wait to find out.

Also, just got back from Michigan, where I met the boyfriend's friends and family. Everyone was so awesome, and Michigan was amazing! Here's a picture from the tailgating festivities

That's Melissa, Sheryl and me having fun.

And here's me and Sparty - don't we look good together? :)

I had no idea that Michigan was beautiful, and I can't wait to go back! So, Baby, you better take me back there soon! Next up is meeting my family, which we're talking about for Christmas. Hopefully he'll be able to make it home.

So you can see it's been a pretty busy, but great week. Next up is graduation! WOO HOO!