A New Grown-Up Adventure Awaits

It still seems a bit unreal. Perhaps when I start working again, it will finally hit me. I'm finally "on my own" again. It took 11 years to get back to this place. Of course, I have a lot of help from my amazing boyfriend. Without him, I don't think I would be able to get started so quickly.

I cannot believe it only took 8 months for my life to change forever. I did not realize blatant, harmless flirting would lead me to this point, but here I am. I am ready, but I am scared to death. It wasn't too long ago, I posted about the woes of long-distance dating, and how he and I were able to cope. I didn't realize until one week ago that we would be saying goodbye for the last time so soon.

Me and my guy at my birthday party in Feb. 2012. My last big gathering in my hometown. :)

So I left all of the familiarity and comfort of home and ventured into a new city. I have to start all over and really put into action all of the "adult" things I've been putting off for years - like planning a wedding, buying a home, saving money in general. I have to go from eating food out almost every day to planning trips to the gym and planning meals at home. 

It's daunting, because it's all happening at once. I think people expect me to be flipping cartwheels in excitement. Instead, I've been doing nothing but thinking, planning, jotting notes. There's no time for cartwheels. If it wasn't for my boyfriend, who manages to find many moments to pause and just look at me just for pure enjoyment, I'd probably be pulling my hair out. Ah, and Pinterest helps, too. :)

(In fact, my attention was diverted for a good 20 minutes just then looking at budget blogs, HA!)

What makes my guy also great is that he appreciates the little things. I folded a little bit of his laundry yesterday, and he told me this morning how much it meant to him. Who knows how long this beautiful attitude will last, so I have to soak it up as much as possible!

There are so many things I'd like to do, so I figured I would jot a few of them down now, and see how I progress in a year.

1. I am so tired of bland employment reviews. I want to come up with something to revolutionize my new job and get an outstanding review!
2. I want to get married, and do it in a way that saves money, but still honors my family and friends. It will be tough, but I have to do it for under $3,000 in order to be content. I just don't want to spend a lot when that money could be used elsewhere.
3. I want to get a house with my man. Number 2 may need to be reduced in order for that to happen, but that's okay. Whatever sacrifices I have to make to have the home of my dreams with the man of my dreams, I will do.
4. I'd like to make at least one good girlfriend here. One that I can depend on for a spontaneous evening out. I will still have my besties at home, but having one to spend time with here would be fantastic.

I'm really overwhelmed with the "newness" of everything, that I'm even finding it difficult to blog everything that's rolling around in my brain. For now, I have to again thank God for allowing me to catch up so quickly. I have a lot of growing up to do!

Charleston "Single Lady" Trip - Day 2

So my heart was sinking a bit, because I realized I needed to leave today. I wanted to get the most out of my journey. I finally made the connection that I had an iHome in my room, so I listened to my iPhone for about an hour and napped a bit. It was a bit too relaxing. I overslept past my check-out time and had to rush out.

I went back  to Tanger Outlet and bought a pair of shorts, sandals and a ton of cute goodies for baby Carter Parrish. I'm not much of a shopper, so I felt like I accomplished a great deal.

At first, I was going to stay at the mall for a couple hours then head straight back to the hotel I stayed at to meet my friend Aaron who works there. But I instead decided to take advantage of the gorgeous day and go to Partriot's Point. I had originally planned to take The Ex there a couple weekends ago. I almost thought I should avoid it for that reason alone, but thinking back on it, that was a completely silly idea. It was an absolutely spectacular day, and because I took my time, I was able to get some really interesting shots of the USS Yorktown and the surrounding area.

 Taken just outside the USS Yorktown

Hangar deck

Outside the entrance/view of Ravenel Bridge in background

I returned to North Charleston and spent time with my buddy Aaron before I made the trek back home. I was sad to be sure, but it was great to come back home and spend time with some friends in West Columbia and then return to my home and to my bed.

Charleston "Single Lady" Trip - Day 1

My experience in Charleston so far has been nothing short of magical. Sure, I love traveling alone and I've been to Chucktown by myself several times. But there's just something extra special about this trip. Maybe it was because the ride up was smooth and almost worry-free, save for the hotel being listed incorrectly and getting a bit lost. Maybe it was the fact that I was able to find a decent pair of shoes in six minutes flat at a giant outlet mall.

Then I realized that's not it at all. It's simply because I was able to spend time with my extended family that I haven't seen in many years.

I arrived at the Make-A-Wish Foundation's wine tasting event at Freshfields Village about 30 minutes ahead of them and was able to try about nine different wines. I tried one of the last tables first, just because it was the closest to me and found two of my favorite wines right off the bat: a crisp, fruity riesling and a sweet, smooth muscat canelli.

I was surprised and elated to realize that my Uncle Fleming and Aunt Lee McClinton were there with my cousins Melanie and John Richardson. I hadn't seen my aunt and uncle in many, many years, and they looked just as I had remembered them. Seeing all of them brought back great memories of having slumber parties with Mel at her parents' place. It was such a beautiful experience. Of course, all of Mel's kids were an absolute joy. Kai was the unwitting star of the day and seemed to act like it, even though she didn't know she would get her wish granted.

 Aunt Lee and Kai

Little Kai was diagnosed while Mel was pregnant with a heart condition that only allowed three chambers of her tiny heart to work properly. At just three days old, she had her very first surgery. The countless hospital visits forced my cousin's family to move to Charleston. She was put on a waiting list to receive a new heart and, at just five years old, she had a heart transplant. She is now doing really well and is able to keep up with her three brothers.

Kai playing

We all grabbed food and started doing some more wine tasting. I realized that this was the first time in about 20 years I had one-on-one time with my cousin Melanie and the first time ever I had with John. It was absolutely fabulous. One vineyard owner must have noticed the attention the Richardsons were getting from the Make-A-Wish folks and stopped by, grabbed our glasses and said "We are changing lives one glass at a time." Oh, how right he was. He poured a private label "Disney World" wine called Abrazzia Magicale Brachetto. It was a sparkling red and it was absolutely divine.


Then the wish-granting presentation began. The family gathered in front of the stage and I joined the "paparazzi" in the front row. For the most part, the children were calm and, I think, a bit in shock as they realized that they would be going to Disney World the first week of summer vacation. They will have a special meet-and-greet with Princess Tiana, Kai's favorite from "The Princess and the Frog." Little Kai received, as part of her wish to be a princess, a Tiana costume. However, the balloons she received were her favorite part of the gift.

 Kai's silly face while playing with her balloons

As I reveled in this moment, I was reminded of the importance of appreciating not only the gift of life but all of the small things that make people happy.