Beautiful chaos.

So... it's been awhile. 4 months with no posting is simply unacceptable and I apologize. But, in my defense, it's been a wild 4 months.

Last you heard from me, I was still an inhabitant of New Jersey and somewhat bitterly, with a sprinkle of cleverness (maybe?), attempted to make light of the twist and turns that consumed my life whilst living there. Well, let's catch up.

Jason and I now live in California again. We found a cute apartment, unpacked our things and our cat, and have been settling in here. I'm not going to lie; I miss our old apartment sometimes. I think mostly just because it was our first home together and so many memories were made there-- good and bad. But now, as is life, we have entered a new chapter and it took a few months, but we are finally getting into our new groove.

We've seen all of our family and friends numerous times and have seemingly scooted ourselves back in to our old lives, but in a new way. (If that makes sense.)

The wedding planning is full-fledged now. We have a venue, food, alcohol, a DJ, and a photographer. All of which happened within the same week. Not stressful at all. Just a few more grey hairs. It's fine.

No, but seriously... it makes the fact that we're getting married feel so much more real. I realized that when we got engaged last May, we were so far from everyone that by the time we saw them in person-- it was as if it was "old news" for them and not all that exciting. I mean, I wasn't expecting anyone to jump and down over it (or maybe I was), but a little bit more enthusiasm would have been nice.

Now, here we are, over a year later and we have a date. We know exactly when and where we're going to say our vows. (September 17th, 2017 at 4 pm, OMG.) We know who is going to play the music and who is going to take the pictures. And suddenly this idea of getting married has become a shocking and beautiful reality and I get butterflies in my stomach every time I think about it.

There is so many unknowns in the air right. Including, but not limited to, the fact that we were screwed over by a selfish and immoral woman at the bank making it much more difficult for us to figure out how we're going to pay for this humongous, life-altering event.

When we were in Jersey, all we had to worry about was ourselves, which was admittedly lonely at times-- but it had its perks. It was easier than trying to juggle the personalities of everyone you know and love on a day-to-day basis.

I am officially a senior in college and loving every second of my time at my new school. The professors, the trees in the quad, and the fact that it's a simple 20 minute drive away versus a 2 hour train ride. But that doesn't mean that school is easy, either. It's a LOT of work.

And still, in the face of all of this, Jason and I are happier than ever.

My grandpa told Jason, warming my heart as he put his arm around him and I watched two of the most important men in my life share a moment together, "This is a beautiful time in your life, you guys. Soak in every second of it."

And soak, we will.

New year, same me.

I'm a very nostalgic person. Jason tells me this often, and he's right, but just as he tells me and just as I know myself- being a nostalgic person is not a bad thing. When I was in high school, and even after I graduated, I thought it was just teenage adolescence. That I was being a dramatic teenager who had had her heart broken one too many times and found solace in becoming a tortured artist. Maybe that was part of it, but as I have grown out of my teenage years and slowly but surely into adulthood, I've realized that it wasn't teenage dramatics at all. I'm simply just a nostalgic person. And, okay, a little bit of a tortured artist.

I say all of this to talk about the fact that as I have been on a break for the last couple of weeks, patiently waiting for school to start back up again, I have been heavily reflecting on my life thus far. I have taken notice of how much I've learned, how much I've grown, and realized that I will never really stop growing. So many different chapters in my book already written, and so many blank pages to go... It can be overwhelming. But in the greatest way.

Sometimes, though, in my reflecting... I feel inadequate. As if me going to school full time in order to (hopefully) graduate before I'm, like, oh I don't know, FORTY, somehow makes me a lesser person. I just feel like I should be working and contributing, but I know that as long as I attend school here, there's just not enough hours in the week for me to even think about getting a job. Maybe when we move back to California while I finish up my last semester or so...

Nonetheless, I also panic about my future career sometimes. It's intimidating being engaged to someone who already has his shit together. He knew what he wanted to do since high school, graduated, went to college, and did it. Why can't I be more like that? If I was, I could be in my own career right this very moment. Which brings me back to my nostalgia- my tortured artist soul.

I love so many different things. And not really any one of them more than the other. Which makes it hard to decide which of those things I'm going to choose, run with, and make a career out of. So much pressure, I feel like a tea kettle about to blow sometimes.

The thing is, though, that I put the pressure upon myself. No one else is pressuring me to figure out my career path right this very second or telling me I'm not good enough because I don't have a part-time job at the local Dunkin Donuts or something... I'M telling me that. Which means I'm already going against my very first New Year's Resolution.

1. Be happy with exactly where I am.

I want to appreciate the time that we have left living here, and not worry so damn much. I miss home, I will for as long as we live here, but we'll be back home soon enough. And I sure as hell don't want to look back on our time here and wish that I'd been more present. I don't think it's very "present" of me to be so hard on myself.

2. Do more of what I love.

I got this amazing camera for Christmas. (Thank you, dad!) And I have not put it down since. I have always loved photography and taking pictures and now I know I can take it to the next level with this camera. I love being behind the frame and hearing the satisfying click of the shutter. I love it more than I knew I would.

I want to finish my book this year and TRY to get it published. The manuscript is nearly done, but do you know how scared I am to put my story out into the world? It's so personal... I've of course changed the names and embellished for dramatic effect, but it's still my story. It's my heart. How do authors do what they do? They're heroes of their own kind.

3. Lose weight.

Ha. Just kidding.

So I'm a nostalgic person. Hence, the book I'm writing on mine and Jason's entire love story. I'm a tortured artist who loves too many things to know what to do with. I'm a bit of weirdo, a little crazy, and a little scared. But it's a new year, and even though I'm not going to pretend like so many others that the sheer changing of the clock over to a new year on New Year's Eve makes me an entirely new person, I do believe in clean slates and starting fresh. So I'm going to take the person that I am, continue to grow, continue to do what I love, and see what the hell happens.

Who's with me?!

Thanks for reading, as always.

Xoxo,
City Girl from Cali

Reflecting amongst the stars.

Finals are officially over. Which means that I have successfully completed my first semester at a real-life University. Red, cobble-stone walkways and all. Well, somewhat successfully. I don't really consider getting a B+ in English successful for me, but I digress. I'm still waiting to know how I did in Economics and, sadly, hoping I passed with a C. That professor was a real piece of work with his impossible-to-decipher accent and ridiculously worded tests. Economics is hard enough to understand, now I have to learn whatever language you're speaking and trying to pass off as English, as well?

Other than that- all A's. I even got a 99% on my math final. MATH. If you would have told me that I would do better in math than English this semester, I would have said you were insane. 

Now, finally, I am sitting on the plane next to my sweetheart and we are on our way to California. Where the weather is warm and so are the people. My people. People I've missed so terribly for the past year. I've dreamed of running into their arms and laughing amidst their laughter for months now, and the time has finally come. 

What a year. Can you believe that it's almost been a year that I've lived with those that dwell on the East? I can't. I mean, don't get me wrong, some days felt like years in and of themselves. But all in all, this year has flown by and I've learned and grown so much. So I thought that I would take the time I have now on this flight, flying amongst the stars and looking down at the perfectly tidy and lit up world below me, to talk about what I've learned and how I've grown.

I learned about snow this year and we ended up having a love/hate relationship. I had to put layers upon layers just to take out the trash and scrape ice off of my car's windshield. But let's face it, snow coats the entire world and makes it absolutely beautiful for a little while, allowing you to forget about all of the crap that lies beneath it, and that's pretty awesome. I learned how important it is to step outside of your comfort zone. Because moving across the country was not the end of stepping out of my comfort zone, it was merely the beginning. Then I had to grow accustomed to a new house, new streets, new grocery stores, new Chinese food. I had to learn how to take the train and NOT hyperventilate. It took a few months, but I'm proud to say that I can now ride the train without feeling like I'm going to throw up. I found my way around the train station. I found my way around New York City and actually look like (almost) not a tourist when I go there. I learned that you can't take anyone personally here. Literally, not a single person. They have there own way of looking at the world and it doesn't coincide with my way of looking at things, but that's okay. I had to learn how to live with them anyway.

I got engaged this year. Like, holy crap. Not only did I get engaged, but I got engaged to the love of my entire life. The person who makes me melt and still gives me butterflies. The person who can frustrate me beyond belief and then minutes later make me laugh until my stomach hurts. Someone who just gets more and more handsome every day and always holds my hand. Someone who got down on one knee in Central Park and asked me to be his forever. That really happened, believe it or not. (Sometimes I can't quite believe it myself.) And it happened this year.

I learned how important it is to follow your dreams.Yes, this year has been terrifying. It has scared the absolute shit out of me (sometimes literally... kidding. horrible visual. moving on.) on more than one occasion. My heart ached more than I knew it ever could this year with this horrible thing called homesickness. But if I'd have allowed myself to be ruled by fear one year ago, I wouldn't have any of the memories I made this year. I wouldn't have New York. I wouldn't have had a proposal in my favorite place in the world. I wouldn't have had any of it. I was braver than I was scared and that made all the difference. 

More than anything, though, I learned one thing. The most important thing that maybe I've ever learned. I learned how important family is. Love and laughter and being around people who make you feel good and happy and alive- that's what's most important. Everything else is temporary. Family is infinite. It's everything. My grandparents, my parents, my aunts, uncles, cousins, my best friend, my fiancé, my dogs, my cat... All are my family. I also learned that I am so excited to have a family of my own someday.

Christmas has always been my most favorite time of year. And I know that people say that from time to time, only half meaning it. Well, I mean it wholly. I think, though, that this particular Christmas is going to be my best one yet. I've grown. I've learned. I've thrived in a new place with new people doing things I've never done before. I'm different, I can feel that. And I'm excited for my family to see that. I'm excited to be where I am within myself right now with all of the people who mean the most to me in the world. I can't wait to smell that familiar smell of lasagna on Christmas Eve and sing drunken Christmas carols at the piano with my cousins. I can't wait to drive the streets of my hometown, knowing that I've been driving streets of my own for an entire year. I'm excited to appreciate everything. Really appreciate everything.

So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and much love to you and yours.

Thanks for reading.

XOXO,

City Girl from Cali (on her way to Cali)