Is this thing on? Oh hey. It’s me Chrissy.
DAMN 5 years has flown by and I still think about this space from time to time. I don’t know what compelled me to find my old password and turn this thing back on for a minute but, here I am. I’ve referenced this page from time to time over the last half a decade. Reminding myself of good memories, searching for inside jokes, and just opening it up like a journal under the bed to remind myself of someone I used to be.
So here I am 5 years later and so much has changed it’s hard to even fathom where to begin. After closing this down I dove head first into home ownership, got a dog that became (and still is) the absolute light of my life, and had another 2.5 years in Chicago with all my bests. I stood up at weddings, went on trips, had some dates and did all the usual things that I love so much.
And then COVID happened. I went home for 3 months to my mom’s house and realized I wanted to be closer to my family. As I approached 35 I was craving more space, a slower pace, and the suburbs that I used to see as where fun goes to die were looking mighty nice.
So I did what I always do and jumped. Got a job, sold my condo, bought a house (!!) and moved back to NJ. I had a few moments of “omg what did I just do” but just had a feeling that it was right. It felt right. I had no friends, a remote job with coworkers I had never met and a house that wound up having more than a few issues, but it still felt like where I belonged.
And then I met a boy. Not just any boy, THE boy.
A text from a friend with a random set up turned into a great first date, which led into a third date where I texted my friends that I found my husband. That turned into a summer of seeing each other whenever we could between planned trips and busy schedules. That led to a “I’m introducing you as my girlfriend, right?” in August, a trip to Columbus in October, “I love yous” in December, and kicking off 2022 with a calendar filled with weddings, trips, plans and fun.
The last 9 months have truly shown me why it never worked out with anyone else. That everything I always wanted and asked for is natural to some people. I have never felt more seen, loved, admired, supported, or treasured in my entire life. It’s everything I always wanted but could never find. And of course I couldn’t find it, because he was waiting for me back East.
It’s so, so easy because he makes it easy. He loves every part of me and tells me everyday. He really is my perfect match.
We went away last weekend to a cabin in the middle of the woods in upstate NY and between bottles of wine, cooking copycat Carbone spicy rigatoni and watching movies we talked about what we had both had in our minds for a while but never fully said. Jokes of “When we’re 80″ and “can’t wait to do this for the next 30 years” became a bit more serious. Talks about a timeline for an engagement, a note in his phone about a ring, an understanding that yeah, that’s where this is going. This is the thing we’ve been looking for.
I’m living the life that the girl who wrote that farewell post 5 years ago always wanted and didn’t even know it yet.
So I can’t even imagine what the next 5 years will bring.
I hope you’re all out there and living your best lives, too. xo
