one step back, two steps forward.

As most of you know by now, I've moving back in with my parents. This move came at a time when I'm in a job that would likely keep me around for the next few years (barring anything unexpected), I'm making more money than I've ever made, and HotCop and I had really hit our stride as roommates. (She dealt with my shoes in the front hall, and I dealt with her dishes in the sink.) All my furniture and kitchen stuff is in boxes and shoved in their garage, I call it the Pile O Crap. Beatrice has a restricted area of the house to run around in.

However, this is all in preparation for a move to CO later this summer. You knew it would come so now you can stop asking me about it. In anticipation of your next question: This means that Joe and I are moving to the next step in our relationship: Living Together. No, there is no Ring involved right now. I'M FINE WITH THAT. Eventually, sure, for legal and child-rearing purposes we will likely get married. The hows, whens, and wheres are still TBD.

The truth is, since Joe moved to Colorado, our relationship has felt alternatively lonely and crowded. I keep telling myself that people have tried to predict the Next Move because they care about us--and that had it been one of my friends I would have tried the same predictions. I do have to wonder what our relationship looks like from the outside when people are saying everything from "he's moving to break up with her" and "he should have just proposed before he left." Really? Am I that scary that he needs to move across the country to get rid of me? Am I that old-fashioned that I need to have a Ring to pursue our relationship to the next level? We all hate it when people make predictions about our lives or ask the hard questions. Why do we continue to do it?

The truth is, when we were at the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert (not kidding. We were there with HotCop and P-Har), and he came back in (after he left to take a phone call, which irritated the heck out of me) and told me he got a job offer in Colorado, my first thought was Oh, no. He's going to move and we're going to break up. I've always said I could never be a sailor's wife. That the long distance thing would never work for me. But, I've also always tried to deal with things that come my way. To maintain my priorities. So we made it work. We both knew it wouldn't be forever, and didn't know how long "not forever" would be.

Turns out, it will be a total of about nine months. That is plenty of time. The only question I want to answer now is: When can we come visit?