Rob and I had a weekend full of good food, cocktails, apartment decorating, IKEA, lots of episodes of House of Cards and a few skits from Portlandia, farmers' market wanderings, and an amazing Saturday evening spent on our patio with Thai takeout.

Now that there's a definitive date set for me to move in, this visit to the Twin Cities felt even more special than the other two. I packed a suitcase full of things and left almost all of them hanging in the closet or nestled in a newly-claimed drawer. I felt less like a tourist and more like I belonged, with a list of favorite places already. (Hint: one of them is the patio.)

This place is pretty amazing in the summer.

 

 

I'm visiting Rob in Minneapolis this weekend, which will be the last time I visit before I live there.

It's hard to believe that almost half a year ago, Rob booked a one-way ticket to take advantage of a great opportunity and that, for the past five months or so, we've been separated by airports and layovers. And it's even harder to believe that it was a year ago that he packed up and moved to DC, and I made the decision to stay put and see where his first project would be located.

Minnesota was never something we planned on, but it happened, and in the long run, it's going to be so, so good. I am thankful for this year of distance--it gave me the opportunity to land a great job, make some amazing friends, and become more independent than I ever thought I could be.

There is a lot of joy and excitement in this move of mine, but that does not mean that the transition will take place without some sadness or a few growing pains. I've never lived much more than a two-hour drive from my family and most of my friends. And then there's Rocky. The past year that I have spent at home with that dog has been such a gift.

In January, a vet diagnosed him with kidney failure and gave us a grim three to six month life expectancy. Now, six months later, he's no different. He runs, plays fetch, swims in the lake, and makes me laugh every day. Sometimes he has trouble getting up after a nap, but he's 14 years old; and although I tried, there's no use putting my life on hold to maybe watch him die. I think he'll be around for plenty of visits to come, and I have to stop making decisions (or, rather, refusing to make decisions) based on fear, which is something I have become very good at so far in my adult life.

So here it is! I turned in a formal letter of resignation at work yesterday. I'm hitting the road with my mom and my brother at the end of July and should be moving in (and seeing The Postal Service play live!) by August 2.

Minnesota will be my--finally, our--home for at least the next year. I am excited and scared and so incredibly happy. It's bittersweet, to pick up and leave everything you know to be with the love of your life every day. To be in Virginia with your family, and say "Minnesota!" without any knowledge of what comes after that. But I have faith in so many things, and there's room in my life for a new adventure.

*Custom image c/o Purple Duck Handmade.

When I think back to that weekend leading up to that Monday when we got engaged, less than a month ago, my heart just swells up.

Planning our wedding is going to be so amazing, but those days and moments before the afternoon where Rob asked me to marry him mean so much to me. Just another weekend, I thought, with iced coffee mornings and cigars shared, where I would photograph everything and then push for group pictures and couple pictures, and he would tickle me as usual.

To know that the whole time, he had a ring in his pocket and a plan up his sleeve is enough to make me feel downright blessed and lucky and all those things you feel when the person you love asks you to spend the rest of your life with him.