Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Everything Happens for a Reason

the roses Dustin had sent to my work today
card reads "Just Because...Love, Dustin"

Well in the past couple days, Dustin and I have received news that we weren't exactly planning for. Since we began dating 2 1/2 years ago, we have talked about Dustin coming out to Arizona for Grad School. We've talked about it ever since we've been together and I guess you could say we were counting out chicken's before they hatched but I think we just wanted to know there was a light at the end of the tunnel of distance.

Well...Unfortunately Dustin was not selected for the graduate assistantship at ASU. the news was hard for the both of us to deal with but we knew we couldn't dwell upon it. I knew bottom line I did not want to be away from him for any longer and would go wherever he went.

Right now, Dustin is deciding between 2 good schools to continue on with his education and athletic training. One is closer to Arizona and one is closer to Indiana. Either place would be an adventure and an opportunity. I am supportive of whichever school he chooses and which ever is the best for him career and education wise. So I suppose I will be moving sometime before august...

It will be difficult for the both of us to pick up and go to a brand new place, but I am happy and confident that as long as we are together everything will be perfect. I am glad I get to share this experience with him. I am so proud of Dustin for everything he's accomplished and he should be very proud of himself as well. I just know with the dedication and drive he has for his field that he will be very successful.

I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and while it may not make sense to us right away, there is a plan and everything will work it self out for the best.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Spending the Holidays Together

Gina in the snow (far away)
Jets vs. Colts game

Us playing pool


Gina flew in on Christmas Day this year so that we could spend our first Christmas actually together. It was nice to spend the holiday together and with the snow it made everything perfect. It was nice to be with Gina for two weeks but then again it is harder to say goodbye when you are together for an extended period of time. On Gina's visit back home (inside joke) we spent Christmas Day evening exchanging gifts (no, no ring yet), drinking hot chocolate, and staying warm inside while it was snowing outside. Then on the 26th we went to my Melvin side Christmas and that experience kept with us through the 28th. Let me explain.....On the Melvin side Christmas no one really made a meal, there was basically just salsa cheese dip, meatballs, chips, wieners, and other snack foods. But luckily when we went to the Cline (my mom's side) Christmas we had a Christmas dinner. Not to take anything away from the Melvin side because we had fun but the food was not too pleasing in many ways. So on the 27th there was a Colts game and they were playing the Jets at home. So since I did my intern with the Jets, I was lucky enough to help them out during the game. It was an amazing experience working on the field with the Jets and helping out on a regular season game. But it was really tough watching my favorite team on the other side. Either way the game was fun. My mom, sister, her boyfriend, and Gina all had tickets right behind the Jets sideline on roughly the 25/30 yard line. They were really good seats but unfortunately Gina was spending half the time getting sick and becoming close friends with the ladies room toilet and no this wasn't because I left out detail of a "fun" night the night before. It was for still to this day some "unknown" reason. Once the game was over I meet the fam back at home to see Gina and my sister on the couch in a blanket. Both were sick and had it bad, especially my sister who couldn't get to the toilet in time (another inside joke but for now.....enough said). So while the were sick I was thinking I was in the clear because I had my flu shot. Well I thought wrong because roughly around 2 am me and the toilet became good friends for about 30 minutes. Anyways come to find out almost everyone who went to the Melvin side Christmas got sick and all about the same time too. A lot of us think it was food poisoning because we all had the cheese dip with hamburger meat in it and that had to do it. So we spent the 28th recovering.

On New Year's Eve the fam went to Weber Grill in downtown Indianapolis and had a really nice dinner and evening. Gina and I spent the night in and just enjoyed the final minutes of 2009 together and welcoming in the New Year. We were debating on going out but decided staying in was best. On New Years Day we went to Dave & Busters to play some arcades and watch the Purdue vs. West Virgina game (Purdue killed WV).

Then another night my mom and I took Gina a night out to the L-Town bars. This experience was my first too and for good reasons. We went to a bar called Big Daddy's and it was full of rednecks and just plain out different people dancing while "The Cornfield Mafia" band was playing. Gina and I just sit and laughed the whole time at the experience. Then we went to a more low key bar and played pool. It was maybe Gina's first time playing pool, if not, it sure looked like it ( I love you babe :). Gina would try to hit the cue ball hard and it hardly ever worked out for her. Most of the time she would hit the side of it and the cue ball would just roll 12 inches to the left or right. But either way we had a lot of fun and probably won't do that again.

On the 6th I took Gina to a really nice seafood restaurant called Oceanaire. This place fly's in fresh seafood daily and has the best crab cakes ever!!! Me and Gina always have a "Date Night" when we come see each other and it is a nice tradition and something that we will always do when we are long distance anymore.

We then had a lot of snow come in on the 7th, so we decided to go outside and play in the snow since it is something Gina isn't use to. Gina had about 20 layers of clothing on and looked like a penguin when she walked due to all of the layers.

Then came the 8th and that is when Gina left. Like I said before, it is always harder when you are together longer and then have to leave. But we always have something to look forward to when we leave each other and that is knowing that we will see each other again soon.

This is both our last semester at college and is weird to think that we are almost done. These past four years have flew and have been an amazing 2 1/2 years of my life with Gina in it. I am still waiting to hear back from ASU for grad school and if things don't follow through then I'll try other schools. Either way Gina has made it easy on me by letting me know that where ever I go she goes. The next time we will see each other is in the near future, Valentines Day. So until then we go back to our long distance but even bigger hearts.