I’m standing in my boyfriend’s one bedroom apartment which
straddles the Madison Middleton line of everyone’s favorite Midwestern state…Wisconsin.
A week ago this place was, as he said it “four walls and a place to sleep.”
Somehow, and rather quickly I might add, it’s become our home. We have art on
the walls, food in the fridge…and of course a ridiculously crowded closet J
Eight days ago I got into my overflowing 2007 Toyota Prius,
and nineteen hours later I was at his door. And I puked in the parking lot. How
romantic, huh? A girl who’s lived on every continent except for Antarctica and
I’m nervous about America’s Dairyland….geez Louise. The truth is…this move was not
like all of my other haphazard plans and schemes. I’m here because I felt
something I didn’t think existed.
When I was a little girl I never thought of weddings and
babies. My happily ever after was a little different. I craved adventure, excitement,
a life of strangers and one way plan tickets that would make Carmen Sandiego
look like a stay at home mom. And for a
few years, I did just that. During college I had amazing opportunities to study
in Europe and South America. I spent the summer after college living the island
life on St Simons, and after that I decided to spend a few years in the
cultural melting pot of Orlando, Florida working at the happiest place on
earth. When that got a little dull I applied for a visa to Australia and bought
a one way ticket.
So how did I end up in Wisconsin from all that? Rewind to
summer of 2009 (or was it 08?), Scottsdale, Arizona. I represented GCSU at the PRSSA conference. I
was meeting and greeting with about 297 females…and six males. Clearly I ended
up at the boys table, because I had a conversation with one of them at the pool
early that day. And by a conversation I clearly mean a drink.
Our technical “first date” was at a place called Bada Boom
Pasta Room. As we were walking in the doorman said “can I see your ID?” and I
said “NO.” I can’t believe 20 year old me didn’t get questioned. Noah now tells me I said it with such
conviction that even he didn’t think to ask how old I was. After the pasta room
came margaritas at Salty Senorita and then the opening of a club called Cream.
And there was our ridiculous first kiss story…sorry guys not giving up all the
details J It was a weekend of working hard and playing
hard…and it was seldom I met people so great at both.
Later that summer, my new friend Noah invited me to his
friend’s wedding in Wisconsin. He said the wedding was on a Saturday so I
arranged to fly on Friday…the actual day of the wedding as I later found out.
Just before scheduled departure, they announced that Milwaukee was flooded and
my flight was cancelled. So there I am waiting in line to change my flight for
a weekend in L.A., when an older Spanish lady is frantically trying to be
reunited with her family. Trouble is none of the airline employees can
understand a word she’s saying. After
they repeatedly asked anyone and everyone in line to translate, I stepped
forward and used my terrible Spanish to somewhat resolve the situation. When my
turn in line came around, lo and behold it was the same non-Spanish speaking
Delta employee I had assisted in her crisis ten minutes prior. …so clearly I
flew first class on the first flight into Milwaukee that afternoon J
The adventure continued…a stranger came to get me from the
airport as Noah was actually IN the wedding…that was happening at that very
moment….so I was fashionably late to the reception but still managed to be part
of the maid of honor and best man’s speeches J
We enjoyed the zoo, caught a Brewers game, saw a few shows at Summerfest, and
went to some sort of street festival with lots of cheese. Go figure. Next summer, different wedding,
same story. Once he came down to Florida
to visit his grandmother for her birthday and we went to Disney and saw the
Magic beat the Lakers back when Dwight and Kobe were on different teams. Wherever
we were, good times were sure to follow.
In Australia, I got a package on the opening day of Brewers
season. A Brewers tee and a note saying see you next season. So clearly that’s why
I’m here. Dude owes me a baseball game. Okay, that’s a lie. I’m here because he’s
all I think about. After Australia he and I toured Georgia and Florida and had
an amazing time in Orlando, Palm Beach, St Simons, Savannah, and Atlanta. These
places all have special meanings for me and I loved letting him see those parts
of me. And I got acquainted with his family really fast as we all celebrated
grandma’s 80th birthday together down in Florida. He came to Atlanta
for the NCAA Final Four and to California when I was working out there last
month. For whatever reason, I feel at home with him…wherever we are.
So the past week we’ve made breakfast, gone to the gym, made
tacos, played catch, gone to the movies (a first for us as a couple), cooked
spaghetti, snuggled on the couch, went grocery shopping, and done those couple things I always thought
were boring. Turns out they’re not.
Are things different? Hell yes. He now has tampons in his
bathroom and 37 pairs of women’s size 7.5 shoes in his closet. And different
for me? In the corner of our living room sits an army green Mezlan shoe box
that once contained a pair of men’s size 10.5 dress shoes made in Spain but now
holds 47 miniature horse figurines all delicately wrapped in newspaper from
2001. After I stumbled upon this beauty,
I text his brother “why did I unpack?!” haha. Truth is, we both have our random little
trivia facts. He collected horses, I collect (yes, still, as in present tense)
elephants. We’re weird. Whatever. We’re weird together. For the first time, for
me at least, I am who I am, not who I think I should be. It’s liberating.
So here I am. With my love. In Wisconsin of all places. And its crazy .But life’s crazy. I always said
I would never change anything in my life for a guy. Some of you may distinctly
remember me saying something along the lines of “never change who you are or what
you do or where you live for a guy, because he’s only a temp.” Ouch. Eating my
words right now. But really the truth is, I still stand by that. I didn’t change
for just “a guy” being with THIS guy is the best thing that’s happened to me. I
moved to be with my best friend. And for
now, life has never been sweeter <3 font="">
**disclaimer: this story is also available in a 2 minute or
less rehearsed “elevator speech” as we both have been forced to tell it
numerous times to numerous people who don’t really care for the facts just the
hows and whys. Contact either of us in the event that reading the above is too
daunting J cheers
mates!
