New Friends, Old City

Isn't it funny when you meet new people who are from the same city you once were that they instantly make you feel like home again? Last week I had the opportunity to meet a coworker who I've been working with for over a year now but had not actually spent any time with in person. We met for dinner - me, her, her bf, and my new sidekick puppy. It was as if we had known each other for years and immediately stepped into friendship. The best part was, my new "long lost" friend and her boo were from my old hood - NYC. And sitting and enjoying a meal with some NY-ers was just so God damn good, there are no words. It was like a breath of fresh polluted air, complete an imaginary scent of freshly urinated city blocks. It dawned on me - when we spend time with people who are where you come from makes it makes us feel rooted, grounded, and most of all...at home. Coming back to these people, even if they are new to our lives - it feels like they know us. We are in good company and being with these people who just seem to get us and what we are about - reminds us what we were made of. We all know at this point I'm a Cali convert - dog, "bummer" phrase, yoga teacher, and all and so of course I'm hoping to convert my long lost friend and her boo as well. But for now, I'm just glad a little bit of old NYC crossed my path. San Diego has my life, but NYC and its peeps will always have my heart.
xoxo,
- AM

Make-shift Love Languages

Sometimes when the person you love - you're better half, your soulmate - isn't physically present or can't be emotionally present you have to call on reinforcements to love. My hubby's love language is physical touch and mine quality time. The 2 worst love languages for couples who experience deployment - go figure! Fear not gentle people of the world, we got this. For me, writing this - expressing how I feel about it in hopes that the hubs reads (yaya shout out if your eyes are on this Hubs!) is a way to temporarily fulfill my love language of quality time. It fills up my love tank to know my hubs is caught up on all my thoughts, feels, and inner deep emotions. And trust me...there are a lot of those! Thank God the internet. Any who - how am I speaking his love language while he's gone? Photos! Keep your minds out of the gutter dear readers (only temporarily of course). Sending hubby photos and videos of me, the pup, our daily life, and sometimes furry challenges together - makes him feel like he's physically included. I get to fill his love tank by just sharing images and clips of our life back at home until he returns. So for me - I need to commit to something else here. With literal physical touch and quality time I need to give myself a task. I'm a process oriented, scheduled, type A kind of gal for whom structure provides comfort. So in lieu of the other love languages, I'd like to pull on acts of service and gifts (love languages that didn't pop for either of us on the quiz). Daily, I'd like to DO something for Drew. Anything big or small - send a care package, listen to a vent sesh, or put together a photo book (a pic of me and the pup a day so he can track growth). That way, I'll feel like we are still connected but in new ways. I'm more of an accountability gal hence why I'm sharing my commitments in writing - that way you can keep me to them. :)
Until next time! xoxo
- AM