feels a lot like spring...

Winters in the northeast leave even the biggest winter fan anticipating springtime. I love the cold weather...until the holidays. After the holidays, I can't stand the sight of dirty city snow and grey skies. Today it was well into the 50s and I spent the better part of my morning on the local beach with the bf and our dog. It's weekends where we can be outside and just enjoy the simplicity of a cup of coffee and each other's company that I enjoy most. Sure, having dinner plans or visiting with friends/family is fun, but when you can just roll out of bed and put on yoga pants, a sweatshirt and no makeup and be absolutely content in the moment - those are the things that truly make me happy. I am anxiously looking forward to more days like this in the near future - come on warm weather!! There's always something about Springtime that makes any relationship seem like brand new...  :)

where to begin?

...That is the question at hand. Where exactly does one begin? I'm supposed to blog about relationships and I guess all I can really do is write what I know, so here goes....a little background.

My current relationship - in April it'll be 4 years. 4 years of ups and downs, being certain of our future together to days of questioning whether we'll last another moment in the same room. It's been, well, quite a ride. We've been living together for almost 2 years, we share space, furniture and a dog. Yes, we're that couple. That couple who has been together for awhile and hasn't attended a wedding/holiday party/family get-together without escaping the "so when will you guys get engaged?!?" questioning. It's been an eventful 4 years and we've gone through a lot together...long-distance, graduating college or graduate school, new jobs, quarter life crisis(s)...you name it. And now, with the economy, it's just another thing we try to tackle together. I can't say it hasn't taken its toll on both of us - he's in the midst of a year-long personal crisis, not sure of what direction to take career-wise and me just trying to figure out life after college. Though there are 5 years between us, it's like we're fighting similar personal battles - trying to figure out how to find our way in such an economic nightmare. Seems like the economic conditions have put a hold on our plans - graduate school, moving out of our matchbox-sized condo, marriage and all the other things that come with growing up.

I think it's hard for all of us to stay positive when everyday it seems to get worse. For Christmas, my mother gave me something for my desk - Simple Things: 101 Thoughts Worth Thinking. Though it's a bit cheesy, I flip through a new "thought" everyday to try and be more optimistic and focus on what is good in life, not bad. Here is the one for today: 

If you cannot find happiness along the way, you cannot find it at the end of the road.