Love and Other Distractions

So I know that for the past few months I have been more than a little M.I.A. and honestly the past year has been a growing year from me full of many ups as well as downs. I think I've grown a lot, experienced a lot and been stretched a lot beyond my comfort level. As I mentioned before, I experienced the new normal - being laid off and then the struggle of searching for just the right opportunity. The exhaustion of "being on" all the time and putting out my feelers in every direction. The fear of having to give up my entire way of life and move cities. The challenge of making the tough but right decisions when more than one opportunity came my way. Adjusting to a new job and everything that comes with it.

And somehow in the midst of all this chaos this past year I learned what falling in love was all about. I never shared until now but my life that I knew changed once more and I am so happy it did. I have been distracted because I am now engaged to a far better man than I could've dreamed up.


It all sort of came when I least expected it and when I had in some ways given up on love...for myself anyways. I always thought of myself as a hopeless romantic until New York City came along and then after years of dates that went nowhere I was beginning to see my romantic life as just hopeless. I made a decision for myself - that I could be happy on my own and to not stop living life by waiting for love to happen. And so I did, I lived on and I was happy enough - my life is really so blessed in so many ways and even in my lack I feel like I have everything that I need to live a good life.

15 months ago, I forgot an umbrella at a housewarming party. Who would've guessed that would be the catalyst to spark the beginnings of a relationship where two acquaintances began to email. And email some more and then even more until we finally decided to go on our first date during Open House New York where we ended up in the most unlikely of locations - Greenwood Cemetery. We explored, got lost and found our way again before grabbing some hand-pulled noodles and bubble tea. I was hoping I wasn't the only one who had fun and I wasn't sure if it was even a true date but just at the very moment that my brain started running away with questions while standing on the subway platform the Mr. texted me to say, "That was so much fun, what should we do for our next adventure?"

We've been going on adventures ever since - little and large. 13 1/2 months of inseparable companionship, laughter and the most fun I've ever had, we found ourselves in front of my favorite Christmas window displays in New York at Bergdorf Goodman after dinner at Cipriani in Grand Central. After I oooed and ahhhed my fill at all of the sparkly things that filled the display, the Mr. presented me with my very own sparkly in front of the final display. Not a sparkly dress or shoes but a sparkly ring that is so very perfectly me.

So there you have it. The reason I've been so very distracted and a bit neglectful of the blog, shopping and other things. I'm planning a wedding and being the non-typical girl I have very little idea what that means or what that is but I am learning as I go. I will try to be better as I go though my journey of it all.