Oh, and in other exciting news, Military Wife is preggers, which means I’m gonna have my first niece in early July. I cannot even explain my level of excitement. Belly pictures to come ASAP!

Now comes the part where I gush about the boy, also known as S, well, because I can. You see, today is his 21st birthday and we’ve been through rather a lot together. As I’ve already told someone else’s love story, I suppose it’s now time for my love story. I met the boy for the first time I remember when I was 13, though our parents were friendly during the toddler ages of our lives, so I’m sure we met then. He had just broken up with one of my best friends and was about to start dating another, and I was on spring break and just wanted to meet up with friends at the park for a game of British bulldog. Terribly romantic, I know.

Over the following summer, we struck up a friendship that by December had turned into late night phone conversations. I love the preparations for Christmas, if only because they remind me of slowly realizing that I liked this boy enough to talk to him for eight hours straight. To make a long story short, on Christmas Day, 2003, we ended up on the phone until 4 in the morning, at which point we both came to our senses and decided that if we could talk all night for four nights in a row, maybe we should start dating. So we did. Our first kiss was the next day, while waiting for friends to come over for a movie night (oh, early high school dating). I remember every second of it, and it was perfect.

We’ve pretty much been inseparable since. So much of my identity is tied up in our history; I’m sure I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him. We learned to drive together, took SAT prep courses together, even visited colleges together, three short years ago. We now live about two hours apart when on our campuses, though over the past year we’ve lived on three different continents between the two of us, and almost never at the same time. I’m immensely proud of how strong our relationship has been through all of this.

In a very short and very busy few weeks I’ll be back in the States, back in Texas for two days and then promptly making a several day long drive up to Boston, where we’ll be living together for the first time this summer. I couldn’t be happier or more excited about moving in together. I’ve decided, therefore, that in honor of our future, I’d give you guys out there a glimpse of our past:

So, happy birthday, my darling, my love. You are my favorite co-snuggler, ice-cream-flavor-dreamer-upper, plaintain-making-wedding-shower-setting-up-partner, ecologist, animal-lover, gamer, science-fiction-reader, tv-show-marathoner in the world. I love how passionate you are about everything you do. I love watching you wake up in the morning. I love our silly jokes together, our insane email history, our past, our present, and most of all, sharing our future. You’re my best friend in the world and there is not a single person I can imagine wanting more by my side for the rest of my life. I love you (bunches and bunches and international space stations and universes).

Love,

S

On a side note, the official hiatus will be over in about a month, when I’m back in the states. Until then, you’ll find my usually scheduled programming over at An American Girl in Paris.

I’m leaving for Paris in 2 weeks and have officially switched over to blogging only at An American Girl in Paris. That blog doesn’t mention this one for various keeping my family out of my life at school reasons.

I’m hoping that sometime in the next few days I’ll put up a photo summary of my summer, but given the insanity of preparing to move to another country, I am making no promises.

Until then, good night and good luck, as it were.

One thing that is eventful is my best friend’s upcoming wedding shower, which is this Saturday. I gave her the option of picking the theme by sending her these two polyvore collages:

She obviously is awesome cause she chose the first one. I’m planning spicy, girly, and fun with just a kick of naughty. I’ve put the rest of the info under the cut, because I know she reads this and I want to keep it a secret.

Some of the games I have planned are:

• Two truths and a lie
• Trivia about the groom
• What’s in your purse
• Toilet paper story telling game
• Paper bag peek-a-boo: Place all the guests in a circle. Have them place paper bags over their heads. Instruct them to remove everything they’re wearing that is not absolutely necessary. The person with the most items off in two minutes wins the prize. When guests begin to remove all kinds of clothing items without realizing you can remove the paper bag, too. All guests that figure this one out before the end of two minutes win a prize.
• The worst chore: The chore is then replaced with the word “sex” and reread aloud. They then end up with . . . “I hate sex because (the reason they hate their chore)”

For food I’m doing tacos al pastor with tostones, jicama-melon salad, guacamole con frutas, mango salsa and coconut tres leches cake. I’m thinking mocktails for drinks, since the bride doesn’t drink. I want to have one each of a green drink, a orange drink and a pink drink. The current plan is virgin margaritas, safe sex on the beach, and a spring-y punch that I want to make up a cute name for.

The boy was super duper sweet and offered to help me cook and set up since “she’s my friend too and I want to do something even if I can’t be there.” I’m going shopping tomorrow, so I’ll be sure to post back the goodies.

On a side note, the boy is in the process of packing up his dorm room forever and was faced with the dilemma of shipping his old plastic plates home or just getting rid of them, as the next time he will be back at school, he will have an apartment and will need more than just 1 dinner plate and a mis-matching set of bowls. So we were on the phone last night and he told me that it wasn’t worth keeping them since when we are planning on moving in together next summer (!!!!! so excited !!!!!) and I’d want to get a whole new set that matched and was my own.

He officially knows me better than anything and it made me fall in love with him even more.

We also may or may not have spent 3 hours on the phone and on skype lusting after modern furniture we can’t afford.

She met her boy at a church retreat right before our senior year. He is really nice and makes her so happy, which is really all I could ask for in my best friend’s partner. Aren’t they cute:

Anyways, they started dating the summer before our senior year of high school and have been pretty much inseparable since. He joined the Air Force last fall and is in training in Florida. They had a quick-y courthouse wedding when he was on Christmas break with just family and me and the boy present. They’re planning on doing a more formal church ceremony and reception. In honor of that event and in celebration of their new life together, I’m throwing her a shower with our friends.

And to leave you, here they are in the most adorable e-pic ever:

So, hopefully sometime this weekend I’ll take a break from my finals studying to post about the wonderful shower I’m sooo excited to be planning for her.

P.S. All the picks came from her facebook, natch.

Spring on campus is ridiculously beautiful. The school has an amazing garden and a bulb area that is blooming with crocuses and daffodils. I am always amazed by just how many people make the rush outside to work and eat and live. That just doesn’t happen when you don’t live in an area covered by a foot of snow for 5 months. People seriously freak out here when it gets warm. The boy and I might even go canoing this weekend. I’ll post pictures if we do.

Another part of spring on campus is something that goes up every year around one of our main lawns. It’s called The Clothesline Project. Every spring, the lawn gets surrounded by these t-shirts. Each one is from a student here and each one is about sexual abuse, physical abuse or rape. Students are invited to make their own and add it to the collection, which is about 10 years old. Though the shirts are sometimes difficult to read, they are incredibly powerful. The shirts range from simply saying survivor to detailing years of sexual abuse to showing support for friends who have been raped. I’ve posted a few on Flickr. Here are the shirts flapping in the wind. They go all around the lawn.

I used to think that this project marred spring. I would be walking home from class and all of a sudden they were there, reminding me everything isn’t sunshine and warmth. Then I was walking back from class and ran into a friend who happens to be a first year. She had just stopped in front of the shirts. We talked for a bit on the way back home. And that’s what the shirts are really about. Not horrifying people, or upsetting them, but for opening up a dialog, because as long as we don’t talk about rape and abuse, it continues to be something shameful that people try to hide. So maybe it’s best that the shirts come out in the spring. Because the shirts aren’t something that should be hidden away, they are something beautiful and brave that should be waving in the spring breeze.

I’ve decided that it has been far too long since I’ve posted. There is no real excuse for this except for that the internet is crack. I recently discovered Google Reader and it has consumed my soul. I would show you a picture of my room to illustrate what I have been living in, but it is too terrifying to show you. Instead, this is my door. Look on my flickr if you want descriptions of what everything is. It all has a story.

In honor of my internet addiction, I’ve decided to show some love to my favorite sites. Some are small personal blogs, some large editorials, but all are blogs I love. Check them out, they’re awesome.

Cooking Blogs:

101 Cookbooks – I am way jealous of how well she photographs her food.

Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit – All cupcakes, all the time. What more could you really want?

Smitten Kitchen – I can’t wait to get home this summer and start trying out some of these recipes.

Vanilla Garlic – Delicious looking recipes peppered with hilarious commentary from a fellow food snob.

Yumsugar – Food and parties in one place! Everything I love!

Health Blogs:

FitSugar – Cool health stuff.

Shopping/Decorating Blogs:

Delight – Daily deals and great gift ideas.

Oh Happy Day – Adorable stuff every day.

Oh Joy – Gorgeous pictures that light up my google reader.

Outblush – Clearly at this point you are realizing that I have a shopping problem.

Sharp Lily – Great cheap finds.

The Bag Snob – Because I enjoy lusting after things I can’t have.

Wedding/Hostessing Blogs:

Hostess with the Mostess – A hip, young Martha Stewart.

Wedding Bee – The best idea ever. A bunch of women come together to create one mass ongoing wedding blog. Be still my beating heart.

What Junebug Loves – Gorgeous inspirations.

Sustainability Blogs:

Eco Chick – Proof that being sustainable doesn’t mean giving up being stylish.

Re-Nest – Living sustainably in a very small space.

Celebrity blogs:

Jezebel – Celebrity news for smart girls.

Cool Chicks:

Girl’s Gone Child – Proof become a mother doesn’t end your “cool” period.

Metalia – See above. Also, pretty freaking hilarious

Secret Agent Josephine - Seriously amazing graphic designer and super mom. Check out her adorable etsy shop.

She Likes Purple – Me in a few years – J. Crew lover and dog fanatic with an adorable husband in Texas. Makes me be a little less homesick for the south.

The Post Apocalyptic Workout – She designed a fitness plan around surviving the apocalypse. Enough said.

Whoorl – Hair diva extraordinaire.

I hope all these links gave you some idea about me and what I’m interested in. I also have way more to talk about, but I am trying to spread it out over several days. Here’s a taste of posts to come:

Coming out of the closet…

and

A sad but beautiful spring…

Friday my mom and I spent the afternoon at the outlet malls shopping and was reminded how much I love shopping with my mom. We both always have so much fun. It’s really our only time to hang out relaxed together. I got two really cute Banana Republic tops, both cotton tanks with a gorgeous rose pattern, one in peach and one in brown, a whole bunch of basic tees and tanks from J. Crew, a gorgeous chocolate brown skirt with cream embroidery from BCBG, and the crown jewel, a blue embroidered cotton BCBG strapless dress that ties in the back. The funny thing is that I fell in love with this dress last summer, but wasn’t willing to spend $250 on a day dress. I was about to leave the BCBG outlet and I spotted it. It needs a few alterations, so I won’t be wearing it until summer, but I am super excited.

Saturday morning my brother and I baked lemon curd filled cupcakes with lemon and raspberry-lemon glaze, which turned out amazing. I used this recipe from Chockylit for the cupcake and the curd and this recipe from Bon Appétit for the glaze. If you decide to make them, I would recommend having extra lemon juice on hand for the glaze. The Bon Appétit recipe made glaze that just kind of clumped into a ball and was unworkable. It was fine with a bit more moisture, but I think they may have their ratios off or I messed something up. Here are some pictures:

Hanging out at our house during the endeavor was my mom’s friend’s new Bichon Frise, Julio. The only dog I have ever had was a Bichon Frise named Buttons, who very sadly died in February 2007 of cancer at the age of 8. I may be a little biased, but Bichons are probably the best dogs in existence. They are so intelligent and expressive, even if they can be a bit mischievous at times. If you want a smart pet with a lot of energy who will definitely make himself part of your family, Bichons are the way to go.* I still have my two cats, KC and Rose, but I am honestly much more of a dog person. Probably the first thing the boy and I do when we move in together is get a dog. Here are some pictures of Julio the cutie, who looks like a 13 lb. lighter version of my baby.

Sunday morning we had Easter brunch with my godparents, my dad and my mom’s friend. As you can see from the pictures below, my mom goes crazy about holiday decorations. The cupcakes were a huge hit.

And to leave you, my Easter outfit:

*Small disclaimer/public announcement: Bichons have gotten really popular in the last few years. Be really careful about finding a good breeder. Also Small Paws Rescue and your local animal shelter are amazing places to get a rescue Bichon if you can’t afford the often high price tag of a Bichon from a reputable breeder.

The boy and I spent last weekend in Cambridge, due to a mix up regarding when his dorms opened (his spring break was last week) versus when mine closed. Long story short, we got to spend two nights in a pretty sweet hotel thanks to his wonderful parents. I’ve been to Cambridge many a time since my entire mom’s side of the family lives there, but this was my first time there for more than a day without the goal of seeing relatives.

Friday night we discovered the most amazing tapas restaurant called Small Plates. They had a pie of the day that was some sort of banana cream with chocolate and a graham cracker crust. Think a grown up version of banana pudding with nilla wafers, one of my childhood favorites. Saturday’s highlight was the Harvard Natural Science Museum, which has amazing fossils and animal specimens. The boy, who is a conservation biology major, and I, who grew up in science museums, had a lot of fun looking at the animals. Unfortunately, my camera died while we were having lunch at Bartley’s (which you absolutely must go to if you are ever in Cambridge), so I don’t have any pictures.

Sunday we went for dim sum on our way back to the boy’s and ran into the insanity that is the Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade. Now, you need to know that I am 3/4 Irish and have what is probably more than my fair share of Irish pride, thanks to my mom’s giant Irish Catholic family. However, this was insane. The entire Park Street T station was packed with people in approximately 50,000 shades of green and glitter and drunk. We’re talking open bottles of Guinness on the T. We eventually made it to dim sum and then back to the boy’s place, where I hung out and played way more Smash Bros. Brawl than any girlfriend can ever really be expected to play.

Yesterday, I made the arduous (15 hour) journey home, thanks to my mom’s immense desire to see me for what she is sure will be my last Easter at home. Now, you may say that there is no reason why getting from New England to Texas should take 15 hours, but then you would clearly not now my travel history. I have possibly the worst travel luck on the planet. I have yet to pull off getting to or from college without a hitch. Flying up to school for the first time, my plane literally caught ON FIRE in midair and had to be turned around. That is the level of my bad luck traveling.

Yesterday wasn’t so bad, I just got stuck in DFW for 3 more hours than I should have, because, get this, they couldn’t find a pilot! I eventually got home at 9, after leaving the boy’s at 6:30 am eastern time, which means 5:30 am home time.

Today, therefore, was made up mostly of dealing with stuff that my mom and I wanted to do yesterday, like running errands and figuring out the rest of the week. I don’t mind this though, because much of my mom and I’s relationship is based upon shopping trips. Every Sunday I’m home in the summer I join her in going grocery shopping and we talk. It’s fun and gets me free food!

We also went to a benefit today for the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, which had tons of delicious local food for a 10$ donation, plus great live music and a cool booksigning. Afterwards, I went to my dad’s and had dinner with my dad, my little brother and my dad’s best friend. It’s sad to say, but I much prefer my dad’s home cooking to my mom’s, if only because my dad doesn’t really understand the concept of low fat or low sodium.

And to end this post on the topic of cooking, my brother and I are going to try to make these delicious lemon curd filled cupcakes with this raspberry and lemon frosting for Easter brunch. I’ll let you know how it goes!