Don't Cry Because It's Over

My best friend Kelsey is moving away on Tuesday. She and her husband are moving about 18 hours away and I'm absolutely dreading it. We've been friends for about 8 months now and trust me, those 8 months have flown by! When I met her, I never would've guessed that we'd become as close as we did, as fast as we did. She is one of the best friends that I've ever had and I feel extremely blessed to have had her in my life at all. She's done so much for me and she's always been there when I needed her. Thinking about her leaving next week is heart-breaking for me.

But even though I'm sad because she's leaving, I know that I should just appreciate the time that we've had together. Because of social media, I know that I'll still be able to have her in my life and keep up with what's going on in hers, even though it won't be the same. Nonetheless, now that she's in my life, I can't imagine it without her. Saying goodbye to her on Tuesday morning is going to be extremely hard for me but that just shows how much I love her and her friendship.

I want her to be happy and I know that she will be once she starts her new life. And I'm happy that she's starting this new exciting chapter of her life. She won't be living next door to me anymore and I won't be able to spend every day with her. But over time, I'll adjust. So, even though it's hard, I'm going to tell myself, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

So thank you, Kelsey, for all of the memories, all of the smiles, all of the laughs, all of the advice and all of the other wonderful gifts that you've given me. I'll miss you!

What I Miss About Home

I moved over 1,300 miles away from my childhood home about 3 weeks ago. Since then, I've been adjusting to my new life and learning how to live on my own. It's been a transition but I'm loving my new home and my new life.

But sometimes, I start thinking about what I left behind and I start to miss my old life, or at least what Florida had to offer.

• My family- I have absolutely no family anywhere near here. On one hand, it's nice that Kris and I have some privacy and a life that's all our own. But on the other hand, I miss that familiar sense of family and being around people that know and care about me. 
• The beach- There are plenty of lakes around here but they're too cold to swim in. It doesn't get warm here very often either. I miss going to the beach with my family and friends and soaking up the sun.
• Girls Flag Football- Where I'm from, flag football is a big deal. Everyone is into it and the parks are always flooded with people who came to watch the games. I played for 10 years and my sister still plays. There are parks around here but none of them have girls football leagues. 
• The memories- It's weird learning where everything is and not having any major milestones here yet. If I was driving around Royal Palm Beach, I could drive by Veteran's Park and say, "I got married there." Or I could drive down my first boyfriend's neighborhood and say, "I got my first kiss there." I don't have a special connection to this place yet and I miss being surrounded by my wonderful memories.

Despite all of the things that I miss about Florida, I love my new life with Kristopher and I know that we will be able to make this place into a beautiful home. I'll still miss everything every day but I'll take in all of the positive things around me and enjoy this adventure.

-Chelsea 

Adjusting

So far, I'd say that I've adjusted pretty well to my new surroundings. Being from Florida and moving up north means that I've experienced quite a drop in temperature; and as the months go by, I know that those drops are going to plummet even more.

But, weather aside, I'm loving married life. Now that I finally get to experience it, of course. Kris and I were separated for 11 months (due to him being in the military) but now I get to wake up to his face every morning, cook with him, go on walks with him, enjoy movie night in our own place and kiss him whenever I want. That last part is my favorite.

Being away from my parents and also being responsible for myself is definitely an adjustment. But I'm loving it so much that the hard days aren't actually that hard. I struggled a lot with the idea of leaving the nest and to be honest, I'm still pretty surprised that I did it. But my mother told me that no matter what, I'd be okay in the end.

And, as always, she was right. It's been just over a week and we're both still alive and well. So that's a plus. Kris and I are still in the blissful stage where everything is new and exciting for us because it's the first time that we can do something in "our place".

I do miss my family a lot and it's weird not seeing them every day. But since I get to call them every day and live this life with Kris, I'd say that I can't imagine being happier.

-Chelsea

Our Last Day

Kris and I are moving tomorrow, so this weekend has been full of emotional goodbyes. Yesterday, we spent the afternoon saying goodbye to my dad's family and last night, we said goodbye to my mom's family. Today we said our goodbyes to Kris' family and my dad. My dad couldn't get tomorrow off of work, so we had our tear-filled goodbye today.

My mom took us out for brunch today and is making my favorite dinner tonight. It hasn't quite hit me yet that I'm leaving. It feels a bit too surreal, like tomorrow actually isn't going to happen. But I know that now that I've said goodbye to my dad, I'm going to have to say my goodbyes to Kelly and my mom. Then it's really going to hit me.

I'm a bit stressed out because of the move and I'm feeling all kinds of mixed emotions about actually leaving. Scared. Excited. Happy. Sad. Hopeful. Anxious. But even though this weekend has been hard, I'm looking forward to our new lives together. I know that this is what's best for Kristopher and I. And I know that one day, it won't be so scary anymore.

But tomorrow at the airport, I can guarantee that there will be a lot of happy/sad tears.

-Chelsea

New Beginnings

Right now, my family is going through what I'd call a "transition period". Everyone is going through a lot of changes. My sister just made her JV sports team at school, my mom has a new job and plenty of new friends and finally... I found out where Kris and I will be stationed! I'm not going to divulge where we're going but now that I know, my life feels like it's been flipped upside down! I can't contain my excitement!

The things that I listed above are just a few of the many changes going on in our lives and it's so refreshing to feel like things are changing and that we're moving forward. This year, I've really tried to make a strive towards a more positive lifestyle/attitude and I feel like now I can really practice what I preach! Things are really looking up for us and now that I know where Kris and I will spend our first years as a married couple together, my excitement is building!

I don't know everything that life has in store for me but right now, it seems like life is just getting better and better. I'll be forever grateful for all of my family's blessings and look forward to starting these new chapters of my life.

-Chelsea

Moving

I'm in the process of moving right now. My lease for my apartment is up in just a little over a month but I'm someone that always does things way ahead of time. I hate procrastination and refuse to wait to the last minute to do anything. So anything that can go in a box, is going in a box. If it's not an everyday necessity, it's most likely sitting in my garage right now.

And as I'm looking at my nearly empty apartment right now with bare walls and no pictures put up, it feels empty but exciting at the same time. I didn't actually enjoy living here and honestly can't wait to leave. I'm excited for the next chapter in my life. Every day that goes by means that I am one day closer to living with Kristopher and starting our married life together, officially.

So even though the moving process, for lack of a better word, sucks, it still manages to bring a smile to my face every morning when I start packing away more stuff. :)

-Chelsea