Moments of Musing

Love on Valentine’s Day . . . & Everyday

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Happy Valentine’s Day! Some people don’t really like it because they feel as though people should tell loved ones they love them all the time. I, on the other hand, embrace this day because while love is present in my everyday life, I’ll never pass up an opportunity to make a holiday of it.
 
Why, do you ask? Because love it my favorite. I love being in love, expressing my love, and feeling loved. I love seeing others in love. And I have pretty kick ass people to love and who love me. Plus, other holidays I enjoy are commercialized, i.e. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, so I find no good reason for me to hate or dislike this holiday. It’s actually always been one of my favorites.
 
Growing up, my family always made it special. I got little Valentine hearts and cards and the four of us would go out to dinner, usually also with my cousin Patricia and her family. Speaking of Trish, my MOH, she kicked off Valentine’s Day early this year and spoiled me with this dozen of deliciousness yesterday (which isn’t so paleo …and which I scarfed down in 5 minutes):
 

 
To some, my enjoyment of this holiday might seem odd since I’ve been in a long distance relationship for over three years and thus haven’t been able to physically spend it with T. (You can read about our love story here, here and here). Sure there’s been distance and sure, it’s not ideal but that doesn’t mean I have to be a Valentine’s Day Scrooge because of it! 
 
The distance has only made us love harder and stronger. We’ve been fortunate in that sense, I guess. Plus, flowers, thoughtful presents, Skype dates and winning a pretty cool contest have provided for some great Valentine’s Days 😉 It also helps that the finish line of the end of distance is just over the horizon . . .
 
  And that we’ll be Mr. & Mrs. soon after! 
 

Is there an ideal age by which to be married?

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I recently came across a Times article about an application that purports to calculate the median age at which my Facebook friends are tying the knot. Later on in the article, however, it describes the age as the median age of my married Facebook friends. Whichever it is, I fit right in with the results I got:

To those of you who will not be married by this app’s median age, fear not. Continue experiencing life’s adventures and let the time come when it’s meant to.  

My fiancé, Tim, and I will be married in nine months. I will be 26-years-old, so I guess I am getting married right in the nick of time? You see, because the results suggest you are “left” with some time to get married to reach the median age of your friends. Not to worry though . . . it reminds you that others get married at an older age. And in the very beginning before any calculations are made the application reminds you of the median age of marriage in the U.S.:

 While I have to admit it feels kind of good to not feel like I am “dragging” behind my peers, I think a more important way of knowing when to marry is based on one’s experiences and maturity. More than the age at which I will be married (the “goal age” of which growing up used to be 25), I am happy to say that I have enjoyed college, explored three continents, and made it through law school prior to marriage. I have lived in five cities. I am gainfully employed. In fact, I am currently learning lots by living on my own and by myself in an amazing city I had never even visited prior to interviewing for my job. I have experienced heartbreak, trauma and loss, and I am stronger because of it all. I am more capable of loving myself and loving life. And I am able to experience this love, this great, sometimes trying, amazing love that Tim and I share. All because of the life I have lived.  
So, sure, while it will be nice to be married in my mid-20s like many other of my Facebook friends, I think the best of part of it all is that I will have had experienced so much of life by the time our wedding day arrives. I do not feel as though I will be missing out on anything–in fact, I am gaining a lifelong fellow adventurer. (Tim himself has traveled to many countries on three continents, and knows way better than I do about living on one’s own and in different cities.)
It is due to my experiences that I am readier for marriage than I’ll ever be–and, for me, that is more important than any age number.

 
 
P.S. Happy Wedding Wednesday!

Love Story Bloghop

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In honor of Love Month, I recently posted about my and Timmy’s love story. Laney gave me a great idea when she mentioned that there should be a bloghop for love stories. Alas this month’s bloghop was born!
city Night Owl Venting
                Bloglovin’                Bloglovin’
                Instagram                 Instagram

 

city

Paleolicous

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Happy #TastyTuesday! Yes, I just made that up and I’m now making it a thing.
I am really enjoying this whole Paleo lifestyle, as is Timmy! Sure, I had some chocolate cheat snacks this weekend and have put some Sriracha on my food . . . but other than that, I’ve been on my A game.  Here are some of my favorite paleo eats thus far:
Fruit with almond butter
Ground turkey with Sriracha, avocado with vinegar, and brussel sprouts
Kale omelet
Kale chips
And my FAVORITE so far: almond milk + banana + (100%) cocoa = paleo dessert shake

Being healthy feels so much better. Cheers to Paleo week #2!

 

Doubt your doubts

Filed Under: positivity //

My stomach does a little flip every morning when I walk in to work and hear “Good morning counsel.” Because I am at 25-years-old doing what I dreamed about doing when I was 15. 
Some days I want to tear my hair out. Some days, like today, I’m super duper nervous. But I try to think happy thoughts and know I can and will do great.
 
Most days this whole experience just feels surreal, and I think a large part of this is because of doubts I had (and that sometimes still creep up). 
Doubts about getting into law school . . .
Doubts about getting into a “good” law school . . . 
Doubts about passing my classes, doubts about graduating with a job . . . 
Doubts about becoming an attorney . . . 
And especially doubts that I would get the opportunity to do my job. 
With each doubting experience, I learned to trust myself and my abilities more and my faith in my potential to succeed skyrocketed. Most importantly, I realized I am capable.  
I’ve learned to fight my fears and my doubts, and to simply believe in myself.  
After all, we must believe in ourselves before others can believe in us.
 
Some Monday motivation 🙂