The last time I used Tumblr was right around this time last year. Maybe itāll become a pattern! I really loved reading old text posts from the past, so Iām going to make an effort to write more so I can have more reminiscent moments. I donāt actually think I have any friends who use Tumblr any more though, so this update is probably more for myself than anything else.
Itās ironic, actually, that the last time I wrote an actual post was right before I was headed for Hawaii. I had written about how I was pretty much going to Hawaii because I didnāt have anything lined up and I was pretty lost. I didnāt know what city I wanted to live in or anything. It was a veryĀ āJesus take the wheelā point in my life. And now, Iām living it up in Brooklyn and fulfilling dreams that Iāve had since middle school. I have a job that I love entirely, and get excited for every morning. Iām physically in the best shape of my life, which isnāt really saying much if youād known anything about my lifestyle in the past. But Iām still proud. I can run decently far and pick up pretty heavy things. I found a Crossfit Gym that is ALMOST as great as the one I went to in Portland. Iāve finally found the perfect apartment in Park Slope. So much better than my first apartment in Manhattan. I got promoted! Iāve worked on some AWESOME clients that I would never have dreamed of while in school.
Eric even moved up here, in the middle of February 2015.Ā
That was a big deal! Actually, let me get this out and tell the story so I can remember it in the future. We donāt remember things. We actually hadnāt remembered our anniversary for nearly two years, until I found an old journal that I wrote in the day he asked me to be his girlfriend.
Eric always knew that I wanted to live somewhere else after graduation, and supported it 100%. Our plan, I think, was for me to do the internship in Portland and give the long distance thing a try. We definitely didnāt want to leave each other, but we also werenāt down to really commit since we hadnāt even dated for a year. Those three months were hard. I actually remember crying myself to sleep a few times. It physically hurt sometimes too, which is RIDICULOUS. My chest and my heart would literally start throbbing and get really tight. RIDICULOUS. I am not that girl.Ā I always told myself that I didnāt need no man, and those feelings really made me question my independence. He flew up and visited a few times, and assured me that if I wanted to stay in Portland, heād move there to be with me. ~~SUCH ROMANCE~~Ā
Most of our relationship until that point was made of fun and adventure. We travelled A LOT, made new friends, found out more about each other. For the first year, there werenāt talks of him ever moving to be with me, no I Love Youās, no talks ofĀ āforeverā. Just a lot of beer drinking and hand holding and camping.
I ended up moving to New York. Iām really proud of myself for making that independent decision, because NYC was pretty much the one place Eric said he wouldnāt be okay with moving to. I knew that and still went, because it meant a lot to me to fulfill this thingĀ Iāve always told myself I would do. As advised by my mom, at this point in my life, boys will ALWAYS come after my career. This was one of the few times that we agreed :) I worked too hard to notĀ move to my dream city, just because of some boy.Ā
Somehow, it worked out. Maybe we missed each other too much, Iām not sure. But he ended up moving here, after visiting just one time for a few days. Itās probably one of the greatest acts of love Iāll experience in my lifetime. He had a fantastic job in Austin. He left his lovely family and his friends for a dirty, smelly city that made him anxious and uncomfortable, where he knew no one but me. He left his perfect house with a backyard firepit in East Austin for a tiny apartment in an awful neighborhood, with no heater, A/C or WiFi for double the rent price. From time to time he assures me that heās really glad he did this, and I really hope thatās true.
This is the best adventure Iāve ever been on. Moving to New York City makes you grow up SO. FAST. Apartment hunting is the realest game ever, as is budgeting and time management and pretty much everything. I canāt think of one thing that isnāt just generally amplifiedĀ by New York City. Prices, options, people, number of people, smells, things to do, opportunities, shows, food. Some good and some bad, but it all adds to the experience. I also think that there are so many things to argue about here - thatās one thing that is also amplified here. But somehow, I love him more every day. I HATE THAT I JUST SAID THAT. I guess this is a āprivateā post, so itās okay. Sometimes we disagree, but not often. And at the end of the day there is just so much love and affection that it overpowers pretty much everything else, always.
2014ā²s ābig thingā was me moving here, and 2015ā²s is Eric joining me. So though this post has become 90% about Eric, another thing Iām really proud of is my independence despite his presence. When he first moved here, we were together 24/7. I pretty much lived in his apartment. I think it was a combination of FINALLY being in the same city, and Eric literally not knowing one person in the city. We both talked about needing to become our own selves, so we tried devising a plan to be more independent and it actually just happened naturally!
Fast forward 10 months later...
I have my friends, and heās made some too. We used to belong to the same gym, but I wanted to get into lifting and some higher intensity stuff, so I left for Crossfit. A few times a week he goes and jams on the guitar with some friends in Bushwick, and Iām usually having an early night (I get up really early) or painting or something. Ultimately, we see each other briefly a couple times a week and then spend most weekends together and with friends. We actually planned separate trips for the holidays and New Years, which Iām really excited for! Weāve found that being apart more often makes time together so much more special, and surprisingly, important! He does such a great job at making it a priorityĀ that we see each other more. Itās very endearing, and something Iāve never had the pleasure of experiencing before.
I think that just about sums up my 2015. I was going to get into some work-related stuff, but it might be a little confidential. Again, I realize this post was 90% Eric, but him moving here really was a very defining moment this year.Ā
This is a photo Ā that some random guy on the subway took of Eric and I, and somehow got sent to me (from an unknown number) through a friend of a friend. Creepy.
