It's about time

I'm well overdue for a new blog post - by about 11 months, if we're counting. 2010 has been a pretty nutty year but I wouldn't take it back for anything. Life just feels like it has some sense of normalcy to it and that is comforting. For the first time in a long time I don't feel like I have any surprises being thrown my way; surprises in the sense of "oh, crap, didn't expect that to come" - and I'm 100% okay with it. However, there are still plenty of exciting moments in each and every day and that is what I'm grateful for.

Bill and I have been dating for almost 10 months and I am truly happy. Every relationship takes work and a bit of compromise here and there but 9 times out of 10 it's just so easy for us. Everything flows. And fits. I don't think I've ever had a relationship like that and it's one of the reasons I know this one is so good. I'm not a very gushy person but when you have someone that loves you so much and the feeling is mutual it's hard not to be that way on occasion.

Fortunately, Bill shares my love of traveling and we've done a decent amount of it together this year - including several trips to his hometown of Philly, upstate NY, Boston, Dewey Beach, San Francisco, and a planned vacation in January to Las Vegas. It's fun to have a travel companion and he definitely helps to calm me down as I stress over every little detail when it comes to flying or driving on long trips. (It's also an added bonus to have someone who can watch your luggage for you in the airport when you need to use the bathroom rather than trying to squeeze all your personal belongings into one tiny stall ;) ) I also think traveling together makes you pick up on your significant other's quirky habits. I for one, have been informed that it's not necessary to put a death grasp on the passenger side door each time it looks like we're coming too close to the car in front of us.

Being in a long(er) term relationship makes you consider the future a lot more and its one of the things that I remind myself isn't necessary to think about on a daily basis. Still, there's a lot of what ifs that float around and I'm curious to see how things pan out 5 years from now.

I moved into a new apartment at the end of July with a good friend of mine, Erin. She is a fantastic roommate and I am still in love with our place even though we've been here for 4 months now. It's so open and awesome to each have our own space. I'm fortunate enough to live with someone that is not only a roommate but also a friend. I also started a new job in September as a Catering Sales Manager (so if anyone is looking to get married, have a holiday party, or any other type of social event in the DC area, please let me know!) at a hotel located convienently across the street from my new apartment. The hours are significantly more stable than at my old job and the biggest benefit of all is there are no weekends to work. It makes having a life so much easier! Ironically enough, Erin and I also work together but still manage to lead separate lives and have zero drama at home. It's nice.

This past weekend, I spent about 5 days (including Thanksgiving) with Bill and his family up in Philadelphia. It was my 4th visit up to see his parents and brother but the first time I met any extended family. I celebrated my first Italian Thanksgiving with them and successfully managed to consume a 5 course meal without exploding. (Did you know you can make your own meatballs for Italian wedding soup?!? I had NO idea!!) We also both caught up with old friends and managed to hit up a brewery tour at Yards Brewing Company - a fun afternoon adventure for anyone close to Philly. We were also adventureous enough to head to King of Prussia Mall on Black Friday - which surprisingly wasn't a mob scene - and I was able to accomplish a good chunk of my Christmas shopping. One of the nights we just ordered in pizza and rented Toy Story 3 - great movie but be prepared to sob. Overall, it was a relaxing trip and nice to get away.

It's really tough to sum up 11 months in one blog post but all I can really say is in the spirit of the holidays, I am so incredibly grateful to have such wonderful friends, family, boyfriend, a job, and happiness. I wish you all holiday cheer!