I'm one lucky girl!

Earlier this week I had an interesting conversation with one of my best friends.  She has recently moved to a new location, leaving family and a relationship behind.  She had hoped the relationship would outlast the move, but was shocked to see that the guy had different plans.  It really got me thinking about how lucky I am to have such a supportive fiance.

I'll be the first to admit that I love to observe how different people interact in relationships.  Everyone is different when it comes to relationships so obviously from the outside looking it, many might seem dysfunctional. It's easy to say that you think yours is the best way to approach a relationship, but in reality the only people it has to work for is the two people actually in the relationship. Until the conversation happened with my friend this past week, I took a lot of things that happened in Joe's and my lives this past year for granted.  Joe and I had been dating for over two years when WIKA offered me a promotion and a position in Chicago.  Although I talked to Joe about it, he left me mostly on my own to make the decision.  Because it was the correct decision for my career, I obviously couldn't give up the great opportunity.  It might be incredibly selfish on my part, but at the time I don't think I ever really thought about how Joe felt when I made the decision to move so quickly.  He could have easily told me that it was me giving up on the relationship or said that I was hurting the relationship.  More importantly, he could have been offended by me putting my career ahead of our relationship.  Instead, he stood by me and supported me, no matter what.  Even through my first couple of weeks in Chicago when the shock of the move finally settled in, he was the one that made me realize that it was the right decision for me.   He allowed me to keep an open mind and truly fall in love with the city and the people in it (especially my amazing neighbors!).  For that, I am eternally grateful.

Throughout this week I realized more and more that I am one lucky girl.  I know that no matter what happens, he is there to support me.  You never know what will happen in life, and you really can't plan for the future.  Because of that, I think having 100% support, no matter what the situation is, makes life that much easier.  Whether Joe agreed with my decision to move to Chicago or not, he supported me because it was the right thing for me at the time.  It's easy to look back and know it was the right decision for me, but he also made it easy at the time it was happening. In the same way, as other situations come up, he is always there to talk me through what is going on in my crazy mind and support me no matter what.  Trust is a key to all relationships, but I think as I get older, support becomes just as important.  Of course, they go hand in hand, but as the decisions become bigger and more important, I realize I am the luckiest person in the world to have that support from my fiance.  With that,  I honestly hope that Syd finds the love and support she is looking for, because more than anyone, she deserves it!  And with that...I still miss the day this picture was taken...

The day before moving back to Atlanta...playing in the wonderful city of Chicago with my two movers :)

And now...off to enjoy my weekend with my amazing fiance (and Rox).  This weekend won't be all consumed with wedding planning like last, but we will simply enjoy the time we have together after being apart this week due to my travels!