One Year

Happy One Year Anniversary of moving to Florida to me!!!!

I am going to spend the day relaxing on the beach next to palm trees, swimming in the clear, blue water. Maybe go out on the boat with some friends. Pack a cooler with beer and snacks, and a Tervis cup full of vodka. You know, the usual.

... jk, I'm actually right back where I started this day a year ago: my computer chair in the Jerz. Hahahahah go figure.

But this time, I am just here as a visitor, with a job, a home, a life to go back to in Florida. Last year at this time, I had been engaged for two months, had just quit my job, and was getting ready to live as a hobo in Kristin and Ben's house. I showed up with nothing but a suitcase and an optimistic attitude. And Kristin told me she was pregnant when I got there. And now, they have little Chloe, and Eric and I are getting married in two days.

Eric recently asked me if I feel like Florida is home yet, if it feels real yet that I live there. He has adjusted much better than I have to the move, surprisingly. I have moved around so many times over the past eight years, so you would think I'd settle right in, but moving so often has actually caused the opposite to happen. I still have a hard time justifying hanging paintings on the walls of our apartment, buying cabinets for storage, and putting things away, because I feel like the past year has just been another phase of my life that will end with me moving back to Jersey.

Each phase was some sort of challenge. Each semester of college was a phase, with exams and papers. Once exams were over, I looked forward to going home for a couple months every winter and summer. Grad school was a phase, with papers and internships. I knew I never wanted to stay in Baltimore. I always thought I would move back to Jersey, and I did, for over a year. Then, Eric and I got engaged, and went to Florida for vacation, and decided to just drop everything and move there. Any vision I had for my future went completely out the window in a month's time.

So now, this phase has felt like: get engaged, move to Florida, plan a wedding from a thousand miles away, then you'll get married and things will go back to normal.

But they won't. I will get married and go back to Florida. Probably look for a house since we like it there so much. This is my new normal.

I never thought anywhere other than Jersey would be my normal.

Along with moving away from my home home, my family is also getting rid of my home away from home. The Longport house is sold. The new people make settlement September 15th. I went there this past Saturday to say my goodbyes. I am very sentimental when it comes to places (and life in general, let's be honest). I had so many good memories there: slumber parties with my cousins, riding bikes with the neighbor kids, playing in the flooded street after storms, walking to the beach and the bay, eating cotton candy on the way home from the boardwalk, hot fudge taste tests, "fancy drinks" on the porch, monkey man fan blades, molasses pops, everything Aunt Joyce, creepy dolls, walking to Maynards with friends when I got older, Eric proposing...

I still remember the first time my family pulled up to the house, and I asked if it was the white one with pink shutters. And it wasn't. It was the one with black shutters. And I got really pissed because I wanted the PINK shutters (opposite of how I am now, how silly).

Little did I know how much that place would come to mean to me and my family and friends. I will miss it more than any other place. Even more than this house where I'm sitting now, if it were to ever be sold. I will miss the Longport house most out of anywhere.

Enough of my tangents. Things change. People move on. Such is life. I am getting married to Eric in two days. We've been going nuts the past couple weeks trying to get the last details together. I have my hair trial today, and we are meeting with our day-of planner tonight to go over every detail. We are bringing all our supplies. After tonight, things are out of my hands. This is where my Type A-ness kicks in, and I truly freak out because I have no control over the situation.

BUT, if the past year has taught me anything, it's that losing control can be the best thing that happens to you in your life. It's time to sit back, relax, and go along for the ride. Good thing this particular ride includes lots of dancing and drinking :)

Okay bye, talk to you when I'm a Mrs.! Stay tuned for a picture post of my time in Jersey, the wedding, AND the honeymoon :)