It was not exactly the perfect visit. I was (and still am) incredibly sick for pretty much the entire time. My SO was sick for most of it. We were both cranky and therefore fought over stupid things. But we got through it and ended up creating some amazing memories.
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Christmas actually ended up being great. My SO and I had the cutest little Christmas tree at the apartment (I'll post a picture below). We borrowed the stand from my parents so it was basically as big as the tree which was hilarious. My family was down in Florida for Christmas
so we went to my SO's dad's house in the morning and my SO's mom's house at night. My SO's mom has a big family gathering at her house every Christmas. All of my SO's aunts, uncles, and cousins from that side of his family attend. It was my third Christmas attending. My family doesn't do big family gatherings so I never really felt comfortable at his family's - until this year. I finally felt like I really belonged. My SO was able to leave me alone for a long time (to talk to his mom about the update on our relationship below) and I was able to talk to his cousins, aunts, and uncles and really feel like part of the family. I had a blast!
^ Our first Christmas tree! It's so tiny! And yes that's an American flag in the background - it's supposed to be hung outside but we can't find the appropriate size pole to hang it with so it's inside for now.
My SO works in the restaurant industry. His restaurant is in a mall so the holiday season is their worst time out of the year. He worked so much overtime that I rarely got to see him even though we were living together! But on my last night there he only worked the day shift, which never happens. We were able to go to Olive Garden, buy some baby clothes for his stepsister's new baby, see his mom's side of the family, and watch a movie before waking up at the crack of dawn to take me to the airport. That was probably the highlight of my trip.
Well, except for the football game! For our anniversary I bought my SO tickets to see the New England Patriots/Miami Dolphins game on December 30th. We were looking forward to the game for a longgg time - of course, not thinking about how freezing it would be! It ended up being about 10 degrees, 0 with the wind chill. I don't think I've ever been that freezing. The tailgating was not too cold because my uncle has portable propane heaters but in the stadium I thought my hands were going to fall off. But we did have an awesome time and the Pats won
^^ Us at the game
This is the most unflattering photo of me in the history of the universe but I still love it!Update on our relationship: My SO and I have been talking about getting engaged. We would like to get married when we close the distance in May 2014. By that time we will have been together for about four years, minus our short breakup between high school and college. We will also have spent about a year in total living together if you count breaks, which I think is pretty good considering we're long distance. We do plan on going through premarital counseling. My mom and his parents are very supportive of our decision. He has not asked my father yet (he wants to get the ring first and show it to him) but my mom is certain he will be fine with it. I am very excited and I can't wait to start this next chapter in my life - although I don't know when it will be because my SO is planning a surprise proposal.
^^ I just had to include this picture because I think it's hilarious! This basically describes my relationship - my SO joking around and trying to explain himself and me being like "OMG!" hahaha.
I'm so excited for you about the engagement planning! I would also love to get married in May 2014, but he's waiting to pop the question when he moves back so we'll see when that happens!