The Countdown

I figured that knowing what day Emily is leaving for Austin would make it easier but I am finding that isn't exactly the case.  I can't imagine what it feels like for her, knowing that her life will be going through such a big change in twelve short days.  But it is also a big change for me.  I was telling Brett about it tonight and I think it finally sank in.  We have always had a distance relationship and it hasn't always been easy but we have made it work really well.  But Austin is on another level.  I am excited for her and excited for my chances to go visit a city like Austin because I love new experiences.  With that being said, it's still scary for both of us.  In twelve days I will not have the power to run to see Emily on the weekend if I want to, or run to see Emily if one of us is having a bad day.  Skype will keep us close and I think that will allow us to survive it.  

I never wanted another long distance relationship but I think that it has allowed Emily and I to become best friends over the last few years and for that I am very thankful.  We can really spend time together knowing that we are not taking each other for granted.  I may not always be the best at communicating, but I am confident that we can have a great relationship while we each finish out our schooling.  I think that is the beauty in my relationship with Emily, being best friends allows everything else to just fill in the blank spaces.  Loving her is easy to do.  

But knowing that the countdown has begun I am starting to be overwhelmed.  But that pales into comparison to how she feels.  

Twenty + Seven

I turned 27 two days ago.  It came and went like a summer's breeze, mostly without it every feeling like my birthday.  I kept to myself, stayed at home and that's about all of the excitement of my day.  People have asked what turning 27 feels like, probably to be polite, or to strike up conversation, but the answer remained the same: turning 27 feels no different than turning 26 or 25.  I honestly wouldn't have noticed if my mom hadn't been asking all day what I wanted to to or what I wanted to eat.  I celebrated my birthday a few days early by going to Colorado with my parents and Emily to see The Avett Brothers and the mountains so I shouldn't say that I didn't have an exciting birthday.  I had one goal in mind for my birthday and that was to work on the desk that I am building.  I was home alone so the project didn't go like I had wanted but I got a majority of it done by myself.

The most interesting thing about my birthday was seeing how many people remembered that it was my day of birth.  Most people know what it is like to have a birthday if you are on Facebook; notifications all day long from people you know and some you don't really know.  As Brett put it, "It is nice to feel like a celebrity for a day, but it is annoying." I have taken my birthday off so I had a record low for notifications this year which was honestly kind of nice.

I would consider the past year to be one of great productivity for myself and one that has seen many happy memories.  My friends got married, I started dating Emily, I went to many great concerts, I decided to move to Manhattan, I worked on many big projects around my house and school was better than I imagined it would go.  So thank you to everyone who made the year special.  I don't feel any older, and I don't feel any different.  I am just thankful for another year to enjoy my friends and family.