Take a Chance --> Sometimes Love is Crazy

           For those of you who personally know me, you probably also know Austin...my 6th grade crush that lasted 4 straight years, the boy who I fought with all throughout middle school, the boy who then liked me throughout high school, the boy who then joined the Marines, and since then we've driven across the country together, spent a weekend in Vegas, and most recently attended a Marine Corps Ball together; the boy, and now man, who has, through all of that, always remained my best friend.  Well ladies and gentlemen...I am excited to say that my best friend, is now my boyfriend!  Yes, that's right, after 10 wonderful years we finally decided/realized that we've been fighting and putting off something (feelings), that were definitely happening between us.
           Now, some have jokingly said "oh, so now that you're on opposite sides of the country you finally date" (he's in North Carolina, I'm still in Oregon).  And yes, I'll admit, the timing isn't the greatest, but I've finally learned to accept that I can't plan everything...you can't plan when you'll meet someone, or in this case when your best friend becomes more than that.
           This all started the weekend I went to visit him in North Carolina for the Marine Corps Ball.  I left for India soon after that, but right before that we had a talk about us, and pretty much just talked in circles.  Now, I had A LOT of time to think about things while I was in India...I thought about the timing and how I needed to just get over my control issues, I thought about the fact that I'm still in college and how some people (including ourselves) might think that a long-distance relationship would be "holding me back", but then I realized that there was really no one else I wanted to be with and that I'd either spend the next year and a half alone and waiting for him, or I could spend it "with him" and waiting, I thought about the distance and how things would be hard, how there would be days where I'd miss him a lot and be sad and angry all at the same time; and as crazy as it is, I realized I wanted all of that, because I wanted him.
           If you find someone who you care a great deal for and want, and who cares, wants, and is there for you...then you would be stupid not to be together.  No matter the distance or the circumstances.  So on Christmas day, after 5 hours of discussing life and goals, and feelings and what we want, we finally decided that what we both really wanted was each other.  So call us crazy.  There will be hard times ahead, but I have no doubt in my mind that in the end it'll all be worth.  The distance between Oregon and North Carolina (and soon to be half way across the world) has got nothin' on us :)


less than three <3

PS.  Don't worry, I'll probably write a book about this someday