Turning the Page

I'm a newly-married woman :-) I still have no idea how I got so lucky. I know, it's corny, but true. I can't imagine a day of not being thoroughly in love with my husband. Nothing or nobody is perfect, but I end each day feeling grateful, loving and loved. He's not only my very best friend, but truly the most sincere and nicest man I've ever met. Of course, his being cute and incredibly smart doesn't hurt.

We had a small wedding, but I loved that I could see people I actively miss!

So, tons of changes since my last update... I'm out of the city, we've moved into our new place, tied the knot and so much school has passed that I'm already staring down the barrel of finals. I can't believe how quickly time has flown! I swear it was just summer. The whole "easing into school" thing was over before I could fully form the thought. I definitely had to hit the ground running. I'm working my butt off, realizing that studying in my 20s was far easier than my *ahem* current decade. Balancing a full life and a full-time course load has its challenges, but I'm figuring it out, learning from mistakes and celebrating the victories.

In addition to the new things I'm learning and starting on the latest chapter of my life, I'm loving meeting so many new people. I'm making some great friends along the way.

I'll admit I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving break next week. Sure, I have a paper to write, a project to do and an exam for which I'll need to prepare, but I'll have a few days off from classes, get to spend some time with loved ones, and hopefully get to push the "reset" button on my current level of exhaustion. Oh, relaxation, how I miss you! I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted for a couple of hours over banana bread, hot cocoa and snuggled up (in my new footie pajamas!) in front of the Macy's Parade on TV. (It will be weird not hearing the parade live on my corner, though, for the first time in several years)

Moving from the heart of Manhattan to a small town is definitely an adjustment. I remember when "slowing down" in my head meant moving to Queens. It's funny that living near Main St. actually means something here. Yeah, only pizza and Chinese deliver (and only during certain hours... what's THAT about?), but on the other hand, we have so much space! We not only have a quiet house with more than one room, but we occupy multiple floors. And while there aren't nearly as many restaurants (nor is there Ethiopian, sushi, Vietnamese OR Moroccan food), there are a handful of wonderful, independent eateries within walking distance, whether we want high brow or low budget. There's even pizza that rivals that of NYC!

By the way... white Christmas?? It's already white before Thanksgiving! Things are definitely a little ahead of the curve upstate. I've never really minded snow. We'll see what my attitude is about that *after* my first winter (full-time) up here, but comparing summers (strictly on weather), north will likely almost always win. Any way you slice it, I'll be grateful not trying to do the back-and-forth visiting thing during winter storms.  That was consistently massively inconvenient for both of us.