One full year later

So much can change in a year.

March 5, 2010 I was in Cape May, New Jersey waiting to see my brother graduate from bootcamp. I remember being nervous and not really knowing why. I felt anxious, I hadn't slept in days. I had flown from Oahu to Los Angeles, spent the night in LA and boarded an early flight to Philadelphia the morning of the 5th. We drove from Philly to New Jersey and spent the night in Cape May. I was jet-lagged, cold and feeling a little out of place. But something felt RIGHT.

I was in the middle of a horrible and volatile breakup, stuck somewhere where I couldn't see the beauty of my life in front of me. I was still living in Waikiki but dreaming about coming home because I couldn't stand my living situation. I had been writing religiously to my brother in Cape May because I felt it was a way to escape from my reality. A way to encourage someone who was following their dreams. I would tell him about funny things that were happening, things that were bothering me. He didn't have enough time to write me back, but I didn't mind. It was like my problems were going out to the universe, being read by someone, and were no longer my burden to bear. Being in Cape May to watch my brother accomplish his dreams meant SO much for me.

As the Coasties started to march in, I remember the crowd screaming and cheering. I saw my mom and Paige start to cry. One graduate, one graduate, one graduate, MICHAEL! There he was, proud and tall and walking like a man. I was so happy! Everyone looked the same, there were blurs of faces and muffled sobs and cheers. Than there was this boy. I watched him walk by and sat down quietly. Who knew that my life was about to change.

I was introduced to him in the parking lot of the hotel we were staying in. I shoved my way out of the rental car like a creep and made up an excuse of changing my shoes to talk to him. He was so handsome (looked like he needed a sandwich) but I was infatuated. In the five minutes I stalled putting on a different pair of shoes I learned he was stationed in San Francisco and was a reservist. When I walked away, I walked away grinning from ear to ear. This totally random stranger in the most random parking lot in the most random town in New Jersey, left me feeling like my life wasn't as bad as I thought it was at the time.

We talked on facebook while he was in Virginia and he visited me when I moved back to California. He spent days with my family and was introduced to them all as a trial-by-fire brunch (literally the WHOLE family...extended and all!) and passed the "Disneyland test". He was deployed to Alabama and once again our relationship was spent more in different time zones than face to face. I was so in love with this boy I was completely ok with doing a long distance relationship. Luckily for us, that didn't end up happening. I got a job in San Francisco and moved in in October.

When you know, you know. We lived together up through January, than I accepted a job in Honolulu. I moved to Oahu January 24 and spent another three grueling weeks away from the love of my life. When I picked him up in the airport in Honolulu, I was so nervous I was shaking and peed at LEAST five times...like a nervous Chihuahua. But there he was, more handsome than ever and I knew again, that I was the luckiest girl in the world.

I've come back to a place that I left on bad terms, ready to start over again. I am very successful now on Oahu and enjoying it more than I did the two previous years I was here. I feel like THIS is where I am supposed to be at this point in my life. THIS is the person I am supposed to be with. You live and you learn and we all go through rough seas to get to the calm water. I have unfinished karma here on this island, there is a reason I am here. And there is a reason that he is here with me.

One full year ago I would not believe anyone that would tell me that I would be this happy right now. But one full year later, I am blissfully happy and I wish this happiness upon everyone in the world. Tyler Scurti, I love you. You mean everything to me and I am so happy that I climbed my way out of that car in Jersey.

Life is beautiful and it's crazy and everything happens for a reason. You just have to open yourself up to the signs.

:)