Visitors make for GREAT weekends...

This past weekend we really didn't have much planned.  The week was filled with a sales meeting for me so that meant that Joe and I didn't get to see each other very much.  After a week filled with meetings planning out 2014, I was very ready for the weekend to get here!  After the meeting ended Friday it was time for my first tennis lesson!

Now let's back track a year ago.  A year ago I fractured and sprained my ankle playing tennis.  After some rest, I went against the doctors wishes and took a run on it and re-injured it pretty badly!  After taking a step back from anything that was hard impact on my ankle.  On the flip side, Joe had been playing ULTA tennis in the men's league and recently started on a mixed team.  I had watched him play the past couple weeks, and somehow got talked into joining the team since they were short on girls.  Although I was hesitant, I gave in because technically I was allowed to start getting back into running and such at the beginning of the year.  So, Joe and I signed me up, and I got the best ankle brace out there as well as real tennis shoes!  I was ready to go, but really didn't know how to play tennis or the rules.  A friend of mine that plays on Joe's men's team kindly offered to hit with me, so it was time to start learning the rules of tennis!  Friday we spent about an hour and a half learning tennis, and then I was sure I could handle anything thrown at me (really I wasn't convinced I would survive the real match!).  After tennis it was time to answer some emails before meeting up with Amber, who was in town from Charlotte!  We had some girl time as she got ready for the evening.  It was so wonderful catching up with her because it has been quite a while since we had seen each other.  After a failed attempt at shopping, Amber headed to dinner with some friends while Joe and I went to dinner since we hadn't seen much of each other all week.  After dinner, Joe had several friends come over, including one of his best friends that was in town from Florida.  After they headed out to the bars, we called it an early night because it had been a long week!

Two of my favorites hanging out by the fire :)

Saturday morning started with chocolate chip pancakes before we finished addressing wedding invitations.  We had planned to go to the Tech basketball game but changed our plans last minute and went to run some errands with Amber.  We went and bought some tennis shoes and a nice outfit for me to wear for my first match on Sunday!  After that we headed to lunch then got home.  It was time for tennis again so that I might not embarrass myself on Sunday! It was quite cold out but we survived and got a couple hours in of practice before it was time for dinner.  Joe had some friends over for dinner so we grilled out and enjoyed everyone's company.  Amber and I got some girl time in while getting ready, and then we headed out to the bars for a bit. We had a great night hanging out, but didn't stay out too late because we were all worn out!

Sunday morning started off with some waffles again and then Amber had to hit the road and head home.  It was sad to see her go but she is coming back in just over a month!  It's crazy to think that we simply hit it off as friends and it really does seem like I have known her forever.  I guess I should have known after our first 6 hour dinner date that we were going to be great friends!  Know I just have to work on getting her to move to Atlanta :)

After relaxing on Sunday, we headed to the tennis courts for my first tennis match.  After watching the other couples play, it was finally my turn!  After warming up, it was go time.  Unfortunately, the female on the other team got injured about 5 minutes into the match so it ended pretty quick, but hey I got a win!  After that, Joe and some of the other teammates hit the ball with me so hopefully if I keep practicing I can get better and more consistent with my hits!  After tennis we headed to Joe's parent's house for dinner before heading home to watch some football and get packed for the week.

The Tennis Courts!

Before I knew it I was flying to Chicago and seeing snow for the first time this winter.  It was exciting at first, but I must say, now I am over the snow and cold.  This southern girl needs to get back to warmer weather ASAP!  The trip has been very productive with calls and I am excited to see where this year takes me with WIKA!  And now, time to brave the snow once again to find some winter.  At least I am headed back to the south tomorrow!  Happy Week Everyone!

North Cleveland...my old home...

Outside of a customer visit!  Love the Red Berries!

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!