Easter: Meet the Family

I still remember the first time I really walked into my boyfriend’s house, alone. It was last Summer when his mom invited me over to get to know me more, I was so nervous. There was much more to that visit, there was a connection and she helped me get through my mini depression episode that I had when our young man left to the service. It was her, her daughter and I sitting in that living room with a box full of pictures. Within the minute I walked in I felt at home, they didn’t look down on me, they didn’t make me feel like a stranger, I was like family.

Over the last couple of months they’ve given me the chance to meet the whole family in a more intimate way and I’ve been so thankful for that opportunity. It’s very nice to be able to go over when our Corpsman is away, spend time with the family. Today my family got together to celebrate Easter with a small BBQ and an egg hunt for the kids, even pool time and they asked me to invite my boyfriend’s family to join us.

Honestly, I was scared. Knowing how my family is, they are very shy and my mom rarely has a conversation longer than a minute. Mostly, I was scared that our families would shy away from each other or not get along because of language and such. I was a bit scared to do this on my own without my boyfriend around. In the end, it turned out to be a great success!

Yes, our families got along so well I was shocked! My brother was shocked to see my mom talk for hours and hours, my nieces and nephews got along with my boyfriend’s siblings, and his family met my whole family even my sister’s-in-law’s family. I’ve got a big smile on my face, couldn’t ask for more than two see harmony between our families. The best part? It wasn’t even about my boyfriend and I, it was about all the things they all have in common; we just happened to be the connection.

Smile, sometimes you fear the worst only to have the best happen.

Destiny or Another Beautiful Surprise?

I don’t believe that we are destined for something, that our lives have been planned out way before we were even created. I like to believe that we all have free will, but every now and then something happens that makes me question my beliefs or lack there of on fate. Is it possible that we were destined to be with someone? Took me nearly a decade to go on a date with my childhood friend. After all those years being friends I’m still learning so much about this incredible man. Coincidentally we were born a few hours apart, moved to the same city where we first met within a few weeks, and went through heartaches at the same time. We complained about the crazy things that had placed us in all these situations and places until we realized that if these never happened, we probably wouldn’t have met.

I still remember a few years back he asked me for a kiss, but I said no because in my rule book kissing a friend was a no-no. Looking back I can’t believe I didn’t appreciate the gesture of him asking me for a kiss, that was a very gentleman-like thing to do. While I still feel bad for turning him down those few years ago, I feel like it was meant to happen. Weird, yes. Back then my heart was elsewhere, my head was in a state of confusion and I was aching over ghosts of the past. I had to practically go through my own hell to learn to value and appreciate the important things in life again.

Sometimes I feel like those years in between prepared me for a lot of things. I don’t know if it was destiny that crossed our paths so many times at very important points in our lives. I still remember him telling me, “Take a risk with me” but my stubbornness and rules got in the way despite of how I felt. It wasn’t until I realized that in life we must take risks and then it reminded me of that quote from ‘When Harry Met Sally’, “…because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” Destiny or not, I am a very lucky woman who loves and is loved by a truly wonderful man.

Smile, because life is filled with beautiful surprises. 

The Bittersweet Feeling of Nostalgia

    There’s these tables in the middle of a school. Its a middle school, to me its the best middle school in the world. By those tables are these big and tall trees that give the nicest shade on hot days. Its on those tables that I used to sit down when I was a little kid to talk to my sweetie about books, and the nerdy things we liked.

Back in the day we were just friends, he was a very shy boy, he was new to the school for that year. He was mysterious in a very captivating way. His brown eyes, his black hair, that thoughtful look that he still does when he’s thinking about things. Looking back I was (still am) a very nerdy girl, quite the weirdo if you ask me. I started to talk to him because we found out we had some books in common, and well mostly I just liked to bug him. At one point I had a crush on him but only to find out that all the other girls had a crush on him too. Being his friend is all I wanted, all that really mattered to me, we remained friends for years after that.

He captivated me from day one, always made me think with his questions and observations about life. During lunch we would sit under those big and tall shade giving trees, on those blue tables predicting what was to happen in our favorite book series. Here we are nearly a decade later, with many miles apart and very close at heart.

Whenever I pass by that school and look at those tables, those trees I get this bittersweet feeling of nostalgia. Remembering how it all began all those years ago, seeing how much we’ve done in the in between time, and where we are now. I’m not going to lie, going back always gets me teary eyed (in a happy way) whenever I think of the good times I had under those trees. It never hit me that that shy and mysterious boy I met all those years ago would end up being the man I want to keep growing old with.

Smile, any little moment can be THE moment that changes your life forever. 

Who Does That? – I Do!

     I was watching the news recently when they started to report on the downsizing of the post office [Article from the Washington Post "]. Interestingly one of the news anchors said “Who does that?” in reference to who still wrote hand written letters and sent them through the post office. Immediately I thought, I do! So this downsizing of the post office is a very sad thing for me.

Every week (sometimes twice a week) I use my walks as a way to go drop off my letters to my sweetheart, its one of the things I always look forward to every week. I love writing him letters, people always ask me how I find a way to write something every day. I just do, since I can’t talk to him the way we used to I take it all to my letters and write what I would be telling him if he was here. All in all it makes me feel a lot closer to him. makes me feel that whenever I am writing he is there listening to what I’m saying.

What happened? I often ask myself why must we be such a sucked-into-technology kind of society, ironic since technology is basically my life (career wise). I wish more people wrote hand letters to other people instead of using E-Mail or text. It shows people you care, to take the time to actually write down words, its a rare act nowadays.

I LOVE snail mail, seriously love it! (Why I Walk On Sunshine, Snail Mail) Even more so now that it has a whole new level of meaning to me. Whenever I get an envelope with my sweetheart’s name my heart skips beats and beats faster, and well it just goes crazy. It gives me great sadness to know that people are not using the post that much now. (WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!) Look at how many jobs are getting lost just by having so many post offices closed. Yes, I know the budget… its still very frustrating. The wonderful people at the USPS have kept me sane, delivering my letters and bringing me mine these last couple of weeks. I smile whenever I see a USPS truck because I know that one of those trucks will one day bring me another letter from someone. With all this said, I hope that everyone out there that reads this post will write at least one hand written letter to someone, surprise someone! Make someone smile! And if you know someone that works at the USPS let them know this crazy girl thanks them for making me smile everyday.

Smile, be that person that says “me!” whenever someone asks of who still writes handwritten letters.