If You Can Dodge A Wrench

Last night Stephen and I played dodge ball with some of my colleagues from work, and I can't tell you how much fun it was! It felt straight out of Dodgeball the movie. There was a guy on a team we played who had bigger man boobs than I have natural ones, and he reminded me so much of Ben Stiller's character! He straight-up cheated the entire time! Despite this, I was impressed with how many women were out playing, which leads me to an observation about the women up here.

For the most part the women up here are F-I-T. They're all toned and look like they spend hours at the gym. And it seems, for the most part, like most of them do. Many of the conversations I hear from my co-workers is that they're going to the gym after work, which has prompted me to want to join a gym (especially if I can start looking fit like the women up here.) My motivation has tripled since it was announced on Tuesday at our agency's kick-off party that one of our new benefits for 2008 is a $1,000 stipend for health and fitness. This is in addition to the $150 stipend I get from my health insurance provider. So the $1,150 I now get will surely pay my monthly membership dues at a health club, now I'm in the process of researching clubs in the area to see which option is right for me. In the meantime I'll keep playing on the dodge ball team and hopefully playing with Stephen's volleyball team at work; that should help start me on my way to becoming fit.

Adjustment

I'm not going to lie, living with someone is hard.
It's hard when you haven't lived with someone for years and you have to adjust to that person's idiosyncracies and ways of doing things.
Now, add to the equation someone you love. It's not just a friend or roommate, it's your significant other, the person you want to marry. Now living with someone just got even more complicated because you've got so much more at stake if things don't adjust the way you want them to.
Add the stress of moving across country, not having any friends yet, adjusting to a new culture, a new job and you get a recipe for potential disaster.

Living with S. is hard or maybe it's hard living with me. I'm so set in my ways and my type A personality makes it hard to let things go. I hate doing dishes, and I feel like I've done nothing but dishes since I've been here with no help. It hurts his back so he doesn't do them and then refuses to listen when I say that it hurts mine too. When I bring it up, it's "all about me" and "why can't I just cut him some slack?" It makes me angry and frustrated and irritated, and I don't want to be. I don't want to be angry with him, I just want him to do dishes every once in a while. And I want him to make the bed. I can't help it that I'm anal about making the bed, but he's the last one out of it, and he's usually still in bed when I leave for work so I can't make it; and I HATE coming home to a bed that isn't made. It's disgusting and makes the room look dirty.
I know... I'm anal (and a little crazy.)
A friend on his volleyball team asked him last week if we had broken up yet; that really pissed me off. When I saw her on Friday, she asked me the same question, and said that she and her b/f had quite an adjustment when they first started living together. I think her situation sucks even more because they have another roommate. While she phrased it in the worst possible way, I understand what she was asking, and why she asked it. I remember the last time I lived with the guy I was dating (which was also my first time) and how hard that was; she's going through that now, plus one.
Time will make this right. Soon enough we'll adjust to each other and our idiosyncracies. On the plus side, I love going to sleep in his arms and waking up in them the next morning. I love kissing him goodbye in the morning and welcoming him home at night. I love curling up on the couch and watching TV at night in his arms. I love our life and the home we're making together. I just... love him.

Let it Snow

It's been a while since I've posted a blog, but I did move to Boston and I've been running around trying to get things unpacked and get myself situated.

Every morning I wake up and am confident that I made the right choice. This feels more like home than Dallas ever did, and I'm so glad that I had the courage to make this move. Every step of the process went seamlessly and further justifies that this was meant to be.

Our apartment is fabulous (well, as fabulous as a house built in the 1850s can be!) and ridiculously huge. We got really lucky on this place. I'll post pictures once we unpack things and it doesn't look so wrecked.

Work is great! The people here are amazing, and the culture reminds me so much of Moroch. The one plus is that I actually work with PR people so there is no explanation necessary of what I'm doing and why it's a good idea. And there are no egos here either.

Ok, now the part that everyone in Texas has been waiting for. On Monday we got our first snow fall of the new year, and I had a few calls from parents and friends asking if I was buried. The area got anywhere from 5-15 inches of snow on Monday; we only got 7. Still, it was enough to cancel everything that day (including work - yay!) so here are the pictures from the snow!

Here's our house. Does this place not remind you of the Bates Motel from Psycho? That's the first thought I had when I pulled up to this place. Our landlord said the same thing. :)

This is Holly; my graduation present, and a great decision considering how well she handles in the snow. I had a great time shoveling her out of the snow on Monday, and realized that I need an ice scraper and snow brush with a longer handles because I can't reach the middle of the roof anymore!

This is our walkway up to the house. This is what I helped shovel with our landlord. I figured it would be great exercise... it was. Who knew snow could be so heavy?

And lastly...

me in my snow outfit, boots and all. Stephen took this picture from our kitchen because he didn't want to put on his winter gear just to take a picture of me in my gear in the snow. I love this new coat. It's very sip-hot-chocolate-at-the ski-lodge and more importantly it's so warm!

So there you have it. I'll be better about blogging more since I'll have tons to blog about on my new adventure. Till then...

Goodbye Dallas, Hello Boston!

It's my second to last night in Dallas and I can't help but feel a little sad looking around my empty apartment. I'm so excited to be going up to Boston in 2 days, but I'm so sad to be leaving everything I know and everyone I love behind. Work was especially hard. It's tough to leave a job you absolutely love and a boss who has been nothing but supportive and amazing through everything, even when you're leaving the company. Anyway, this happened for a reason, and I'm so lucky to be getting up there.





S. and I found an apartment, and he went there tonight to check it out and said it will work for us while we search for a house to buy. It's such a relief to actually have a place secured, and was one less thing to worry about.





Our Christmas and New Year's was awesome! We went home to El Paso so that S. could meet my family for the first time, and that went well. Everybody got along really well, and S. now knows where I get my quirky personality from. I got to take him around town and stuff him on Mexican food, although we didn't get Chico's tacos since the line to get in went into the street. We did, however, have the famous Pepe's tamales... yummy! :P We also took the tram to the top of the mountains. Here's a photo of us from that.

S. was really impressed by the scenery, and the views from the mountains.

Kelly and our friends threw me a surprise going away party on New Year's Eve, and it was so sweet of them. My friend Jean made it out, and I haven't seen her in years, so that was really awesome. I'm so thankful that S was able to come down and spend the holidays with us; it made the end of this year even better!

So this is probably my last post before I get to Boston. I'm already planning on taking a picture of the cats in the snow (I like to torture them from time to time!) so be on the lookout for that. And if you're in the Boston area, look us up; otherwise, plan a trip up there. We would love the company!

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.