Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plains...

Well its official.....Dustin got a job offer from Oklahoma State University and we're moving there later this summer! I'm so glad and relieved that a decision has finally been made and proud of Dustin for all of his accomplishments.

When the notion of Dustin not going to ASU first became reality, I knew that no matter where he was I was going to go with him. We've been in a long distance relationship for 2 1/2 years now and while we could go more time, its something neither of us wanted to do.

Moving to Oklahoma means that Dustin and I are leaving everything behind, family friends, the comfort of home. But going through this process together is going to make it much easier.

When I tell people I'm moving, one of the first questions is about marriage. Are we going to get married before we leave? When will we get married?

Dustin and I have come to the decision that we want to wait to get married until after he is done with Grad school. We're not going to rush into a marriage just because we're moving . I don't think it would be a wise decision for either of us because we've never lived in the same place before.

Some may think I'm crazy to follow my boyfriend to another state without being married (or engaged) but I'm confident in our relationship and am completely assured by him and my feelings that we will be together.

The plan is to fly out to OSU (located in stillwater OK) over spring break to check everything out. We need to find a place to live and just get a sense of our new surroundings. I'm not sure of the exact date of the move, but we're thinking sometime in early July.

It's a big step for the both of us and one that will not be easy by any means. But we will be together and that means absolutely everything to me.

"What are you doing here?"

So since the last post, dustin made arrangements to go out to the 2 different Grad schools he's looking at. At first he said he would have to be gone Valentines day weekend ( the weekend I was planning on visiting) and I said it was ok I'd just come visit the following weekend. Well turns out he needed to go to the 2nd graduate school the following weekend so it wasn't going to work out either. We had basically come to the consensus that we weren't going to see each other in the month of february. We knew it wouldn't be ideal, but it was manageable and we've spent much more time away from each other than that.

Well cut to 2 weeks ago, as the Indianapolis colts won the AFC championship game against the Jets. Dustin had the privilege of being able to work the game with the Jets and was very happy he got to be there to see the Colts win. (Yes he worked for the Jets but has always been a Colts fan). Well after the game I kept thinking to myself "Wouldn't it be fun to go out to indiana to watch the colts in the super bowl?" Literally a few minutes later I get a phone call from Dustin's mom and she asks me "So are you coming out for the Super bowl?" Well I guess it was more of a command than a question but I responded "I can" and she offered to buy my plane ticket for me. Well of course I'd agree to that! We then both decided that we weren't going to tell Dustin I was coming out that weekend and surprise him.

So for 2 weeks I had to keep my mouth shut about my plans. It was so hard not to talk to Dustin about it and be excited with him. But I was able to hold it together and not reveal anything for the 2 weeks.

On thursday I told Dustin I had to pick up a shift at work and work basically all day (to give me an alibi for when I was on the plane) So I left Phoenix that morning and arrived in Indy later that afternoon. His mom picked me up from the airport and we proceeded up to Purdue to surprise Dustin.

Well when we got up to Dustin's apartment. His mom went to the door to have Dustin come out and help "unload things" and I hid in the back seat of her car. As he opened up the trunk to unload, I popped up and yelled (what else?) "SURPRISE!" He stopped for a moment, then stared then it finally registered who he was looking at and he said half excited and half in still disbelief, "What are you doing here?" . It really was one of the most exhilarating things to be able to surprise him and pull it off (Even though he claims he had hunch...riiiiiight).

I was able to spend the weekend with him and even though the Colts unfortunately lost the Super Bowl :( I am still so thankful that I was able to be with him. I really think it was so important for us to see each other before Dustin left for his Grad school trips. Both for encouragement for him and for reassurance for us. its been a hard couples weeks trying to figure everything out but no matter where he decides to go, I know he is making the best decision for his career and I will be right there next to him.

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.

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.

Well both Dustin and I are finishing up the semester and we each only have one left till graduation. Dustin is still waiting to hear back from ASU and we're still confident he will be accepted there for the graduate assistantship. So Dustin has his plans set for after graduation, but as for me, thats another story.

People have been asking me for the past year what my plans are after graduation and I have absolutely no clue. The only thing I have so far is hanging my degree on the wall so I can see what I just spent four years doing. Who knows what I'll do.

Dustin is the type of person with the plans, but as for me I just go with the flow. It might be a bad thing that I don't know what I'm going to do, but I don't look at it that way. I see it as an opportunity for discovery.

With my educational background I am flexible enough to go wherever Dustin needs to go in terms of jobs. I am fully supportive of his work and understand the passion he has for what he does. I can make that commitment to him to go wherever he needs me to go.

I am excited for what the future brings and I know there are going to be a lot of positive changes in the next year ;)

Meet The Parents (continued)

So this past week my mom (Sandy), sister (Dominique), and myself flew to Arizona to meet Gina's parents and sister. Gina (as you can tell) was very nervous and anxious about this event and there was no calming her down :)

We flew in mid-afternoon on a Tuesday and things already felt weird to actually have my parents with me in AZ. We first went to visit ASU (hopefully my future place for Grad school), but not until eating at Oregano's. It was a must to introduce my family to the all famous "Pazookie" and both of them fell in love with it just as I did when I first ate it. We had a nice lunch and some Chicago stuffed pizza that had way too much "stuff" on it. After we left there we went through ASU to show my mom and sister the sights. We also looked at apartment's while we were there. It was weird looking at places to live because I'm not even sure if I'll get the GA spot with Sports Med there (but I'm keeping positive.....gina). We looked at a place called the Grigio and it was defiantly a nice place. We also checked out a place called Grigio Metro, which was on a later day, and was nice as well. Once we were done at ASU we went to the hotel and just relaxed for a while before we made our way to Gina's house. On the way to Gina's house she was freakin out and getting all excited while the rest of us (Melvin's) were laughing at her. When we arrived, we were casually walked through the garage (inside joke) and into the house. To make a long story short everything went well, both parent's talked and enjoyed each other's company and really went smooth. Dominique would occasionally get bored and start texting (your average 15 year old teen girl), but she did enjoy the stay in AZ and loved everything about it.

On Wednesday we went hiking in sandals. Gina took us to some area where there was mountains and cacti. My mom and sis both wanted to see cactus's and take pictures so we ended up just walking around and next thing we know we are on top of a "mountain" (more like a big hill). The sight was amazing and was worth the hike. Afterwards we went to Gina's house to meet Meredith. My mom and sis stayed over there in the evening while I took Gina out for dinner. At this point I have to get off subject a little bit because this is the moment EVERYONE thought I was going to propose to Gina and sorry if I let anyone down but that did not happen. So to say the least Meredith was quite upset about no ring on Gina's finger (haha). But to get back on track....we went to the Melting Pot and this place was really really good. We could have just went for the cheese and chocolate but it was our first time so we had to go all out. The place was nice and we got to sit in a booth with a curtain cover so it was very romantic. Once our date was over we went back to the house and talked for a little with the parents. Then later that night we went to watch "New Moon" and I watched Gina and Meredith go crazy during the movie like 13 year old girls at a Backstreet Boys concert. But the movie was good so I can't rip on them too much :)

Thursday we had Thanksgiving dinner with the Amadee's and it was very nice and again everything went smoothly. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome than what we had. We all had moments to share and had good laughs.

Friday we went shopping because of BLACK FRIDAY. We went to a lot of places and spent most of our time at the Fashion Mall in Scottsdale (I think that's right). The mall wasn't too packed and everyone did their thing and got at least something for their selves. Later that night we went to Rustler's Rooste to eat and we basically went here for my mom and sis to eat somewhere new and fun. We all had a good dinner and ate SNAKE, plus we got T-shirts to prove our gutsy act.

Saturday me and Gina went to IKEA and some other places to shop. IKEA was HUGE and we basically went there to look at furniture for hopefully my future apartment :) We then went to the Amadee's and said our last goodbyes since we were leaving in the morning. The day before I leave is always the worst cause you have to pack your stuff and it's just a depressing moment.

Sunday came too quick and that is when we had to depart in the morning for Indy. The trip out was perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better outcome from the whole experience. So as many can see this was a big step in Gina and my relationship. This brought us closer, as does anytime we see each other and now we just have to see if ASU calls and hopefully everything falls into place :)

Meet The Parents

So Dustin and his mom and sister will be here tomorrow (well I guess it's technically today). This will be the first time our families have met and even though I'm excited I can't help but be a little nervous. I mean its a big deal when the families meet and I want to make sure everything goes well. It's so weird to think about it and every time I do I start to have a lil panic attack worrying and making sure everything is perfect. I know it'll be fine, but still.

So we will have thanksgiving all together at my house and I'll take them around to show them the sights of Az.

Its hard to believe that the day has finally come. We will see how much sleep I get tonight because I'll be running through plans in my head. I'm probably just psyching myself out.

Happy Thanksgiving!