Saturday, November 30, 2013

Last day...but only for a little while...

Yesterday was fun, it was simple, a little lazy, but fun.
I brought Tom's Christmas with me and decided to give it to him early
because i wanted to be there when he opened it up.

His family has a tradition of filling a sock with fruit for christmas day..
While my family has a tradition of giving stockings with random fun things inside.
So i decided to give Tom a stocking.

It was big and red and all christmassy and his face lit up when he saw it.
I turned on Christmas music to set the mood and he went for it.
He got some ninja turtle bandaids, a camelback water bottle, some candy,
goldfish {the crackers} an ornament for his tree and a few other things.

Tom also likes maps and has always liked globes so i got him
a little mini globe that he could put on a shelf.

So after we did a mini early Christmas we went bowling...
yes bowling and we had a blast.
Tom beat me...of course but it was still so fun!





We then walked down the road to the movies and saw Gravity.
Which made me hate space because it's so scary...
But it was actually a really good movie.


Then we came back to the house and literally
filled every part of our bodies with cheesy pizza
cheesy garlic bread, cheesy chips...so much cheese...
I think i'm still in a cheese coma.

And now we're awake on my last day here.
We're going to go see a cathedral today and eat out
and then Tom has to work tonight...boo.

It might be our last day together but we'll be seeing each
other again real real soon!!!

...

Before Tom and I had even met last summer
we knew we were serious about each other.
We even started thinking of ways that we could see
each other for longer so that we could really feel like we were 
dating in the real world.

Even though everything bloomed over the www.com
we knew that there was a lot more potential for this relationship.
And as usual...we were right.

We started throwing out ideas like...
I'll come see you for half of the year and then
you come see me for the other half...

Sounds perfect but actually getting it to work might be
a different story completely.

However, being the smart cookies that we are...
We realized that since i'd be graduating in December
that it would be the perfect opportunity to do something a little crazy.

I mean yea, normal people get a job right out of school 
but i am by no means normal.

Personally i loathe the idea of working a job you hate.
I think it's a waste of your life...
THE ONLY LIFE YOU HAVE!!!

I know i know, sometimes you need a job to live
and you might hate that job but it's viable to your survival...
Well i still suggest you look elsewhere or create your own job
rather than hating what you should be loving.
Ok...rant over...sorry...

Anyways...I have 0 jobs lined up after graduation.
Could i get a random job? Sure....but i'm not going to.
Instead i'll be flying back over to England in January 
and i'll be staying till June...

You might be thinking...
"Whoaaaa girl, that's a long time to be away from home"
My response...sure it is, but it's an adventure.
And when adventure calls, especially at the opportune time...
who am i to turn it down??

So our brainstorming worked.
I bought my flight a few weeks ago
and i'll be spending 5 months in the UK
with my stud crumpet and his wonderful family.

Thank goodness for Skype though...
that way i can still see my lovely family back home
whenever i want to, or whenever they want to.

Next year will be amazing...Epic even
which isn't a word i would normally use ;)

So that's why tomorrow will be sad but not quite
as sad as our last goodbye...

We had to wait over 4 months last time...
Now it's just over 40 days ;)

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend.
See y'all back in the states.

-Em

Friday, November 29, 2013

Let's just not talk about it...


Last night Tom's family hosted their very first Thanksgiving.
I think they all really enjoyed it, i mean they were all stuffed afterwards
so that means our first British Thanksgiving was a success.




I haven't really had a chance to say what i'm thankful for on here.
So better late than never.

I'm thankful for my family, for Tom and his family
and for all of the friends in my life.

I think we get wrapped up in the idea that "things"
are the most important items to us, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

The people in our lives shape us into who we are.
They are what's most important

And i'm feeling very thankful to have all of these
extraordinary people in my life.


Now it's friday....and i don't really want to talk about
what's coming up sooner than i want it to...

I leave on Sunday and even though i know i'm coming back
VERY soon i'm still getting sad that i won't be in the same place as
Tom for a while...this is when things get hard :(

But i still have 2 days left here till i'm off again, so i'm soaking it up.

P.S. I'll be back in England at the beginning of January....
and i'm not leaving till the beginning of June...

hehehe

So i can't be too sad ;)
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Stay safe on Black Friday
and have a good weekend.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving and a photo dump

Happy Thanksgiving from England!!
This trip has been so amazing and now we're celebrating
Thanksgiving which makes it even more amazing!!

Tom's family has put together this whole set up.
We have decorations and turkey and all sorts of yummy food coming.
I think i can say for certain that this is going to be an excellent day!

Also can i just say how incredible his family is.
I feel so welcome, they are the best!!


Below is just a whole lot of photos over the past few days.
We've done so much: Afternoon Tea 34 stories up,
drinking coffee and eating croissants at cafe's,
sightseeing, burger eating, shopping.
It has been so wonderful!

And if I haven't mentioned it yet...
I love Tom!!

He is just the best guy in the whole wide world!!
I am so happy i'm here with him for a few more days!















Hope y'all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
Eat lots of food and take in the family time.

-Em

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Liverpool Livin

Liverpool has seriously welcomed me with open arms.
It is now officially one of my favorite places in the world.
Partially because of that handsome fella i'm dating 
but also because it's charming and cute and historical.
AND...there is some serious shopping opportunities.

Yesterday we went to the cinema and saw the Hunger Games.
It was so much better than the first one, at least i think so.
I forced Tom to watch the first one so we could go see this one together ;)
I actually saw the first one in Paris, and now this one in Liverpool...
I'm on a International Hunger Games roll.


Then we walked around Liverpool and saw this gem.
I still haven't been back in here, but we will probably go in today!!
Is it weird that i'm obsessed with a supermarket??
I don't think so...


Today we're going to take the town by storm.
Tom is taking me shopping and to some yummy restauraunts
like Wagamama and Whats Cookin.
I'll report back on our findings.

It might be a little slow around the blog for a day or two
but i'll be back around to share all of the fun things we're up to soon!! :)

Have a great day!!
-Em

Monday, November 25, 2013

Blind double date

This is day 4 in Liverpool and it's been so amazing!!
It's just exciting that i'm here, i'm back with Tom and we're 
literally right back where we were when he left America.
I think that's a good sign that we're doing something right!!

So Friday and saturday were spent lazing around the house 
just enjoying being back together and meeting his family.
Saturday night we went into town for some tea or (dinner).
We went to Pizza Express which i was SUPER excited about
because it was one of my favorite places when we were in London.


So Tom and I stood in the line that was out the door
waiting to get in and get a table, we were at the door and the
guy in front of us was holding it open when one of the hosts came over 
and asked him to shut it because the customers were getting cold.
So the guy shut it which left me and Tom out in the cold.
I was a little offended but we decided to stick it out
and wait to get in, that's when things took a strange turn.

Once we finally got inside the entrance the hostess came and asked
if there were any parties of 2...so we're like...heck yes we're a party of 2.
Then she said "ok would you mind sharing with another party of 2"
...........
We agreed because we were under the impression that it wouldn't be 
a small intimate table, we thought it might be two small rectangular tables
pushed together, where we could sit across from our significant other
and just be close to this other couple.

But instead we were sat at a small round table with only four chair.
So literally we were going to have to eat dinner with a random couple.
It was the strangest experience, and it was awkward...we're already awkward
so that just kind of sent us into awkward overdrive.

We said a few words to them and we kind of all just realized it was
going to be strange so we just kept to ourselves mostly.
Then we ordered appetizers and they brought the other couples
appetizer and put it in front of me and asked if we all wanted plates...
So that was a bit strange...but then the food came and it was pretty nice.
It wasn't until it was time to leave that i felt the awkwardness come back
because what is the protocol when saying bye to a couple you were
forced to eat dinner with?? We just left without a word...i regret it to this day ;)

After dinner we walked around Albert Dock which is beautiful at night.



We went into the shopping area and got MILKSHAKES!!!
I have a serious love for milkshakes and when we came across
a shake place that reminded me of moo-moos in Stratford upon avon
I dragged Tom in there and bought us both delicious shakes.
It was super magical!!

On Sunday Tom had to work from 5-9 so i got the chance
to stay at his house and hang out with his family which was wonderful.
We had dinner and desert and just chatted about everything.
I felt like i was so welcome and it just made me really happy.
His family is just the sweetest people, they're hilarious too
which is perfect because i've been told i'm quite funny myself ;)

All in all it's been amazing!!

Today Tom and I are going to see the Hunger Games.
And then we're headed to a nice restaurant to meet up with his
family and have a meal together, so it's going to be a great day!!

-Em

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Tom and Emily reunited!! :)

I made it to Liverpool, England yesterday!!
The flight was pretty good, the trip was quick and easy.
And now i'm here and i'm so happy!!!



I'm happy to say that even after a four month separation
I still really like Tom a whole lot ;) and he really likes me too haha
As if there would be a different kind of result ;)

We're having the best time being back together.
Yesterday Tom picked me up at the airport with his Grandad as the chauffeur.
It was so nice to walk out of my gate and see him standing there...
Oh wait that's not what happened ;)

I actually for a split second I thought he wasn't there.
But i had to collect my luggage before i went out to meet him.
As soon as i went out there he was waiting for me!! :)
It was perfect, and we were instantly right back where we had left off.

I had to go through customs which was a lot of fun.
Actually it wasn't too bad, no line and the lady was nice...
intrusive but nice...I mean i think the only question she 
didn't ask me was my favorite flavor of ice cream.

Now i'm sitting at Tom's dining room table 
writing a blog in Liverpool, England.
How crazy is that!!!

We are terrible people and have no pictures yet
but that is because i could hardly keep my eyes open yesterday..
like i was seriously suffering the entire day but after a good night
sleep i am all ready to go and we'll get some good pictures in today.

I am just SO happy!
Tom's entire family is just amazing.
They are the sweetest people ever and i'm 
so happy to have finally met them.

And i'm SO happy to be back with Tom.
Hope y'all have a great weekend!!
-Em

Thursday, November 21, 2013

And i'm off {To England}

Hey! I'm going to England today.
To see this guy...


hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe
I am so excited!!!

I'm all packed up...
i think i may have packed too much...ok, I probably packed too much...
but the suitcase is zipped and i'm not unzipping that thing ;)

I don't even really feel like it's happening...
probably because i know i have a LONG trip ahead of me.
BUT IT IS HAPPENING...
eeeeep it's happening!!!

It's been 4 months since we've seen each other
in the real world and i'm SO happy the day is finally here
when we get to be reunited after so long!!

It's funny because I remember how hard it was to say goodbye
and yet here we are ready to say hello again.
Time just flew by.

if you're interested in keeping up with us over the next week then just
follow us on our little adventure through these sources ;)


Catch ya on the other side of the pond ;)
-Em

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

I LEAVE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok...
So this is a totally different experience
from when Tom came and visited me this past summer.

Now i'm doing the visiting and it's way more stressful.
Last time i got to sit back and relax and watch
this little plane move across my computer screen.
That was my job...i was the waiter.

Now i'm the mover/shaker/flyer/packer/etsyowner/student///
I have SO MUCH HAPPENING....

Yesterday i posted that i had 3 sales...
I got 2 more yesterday...which is GREAT!
I am so excited that i'm selling stuff.
Here's what i made yesterday.

I'm loving the gray w/ deer head!!


TCU {below}


These are just too fun to make :)
I also sold one of my feather garlands :)
I feel like i'm on a roll.

Now that i've got orders completed 
i just need to ship them, make it through class tomorrow
pack, pack and pack....and pack some more
and then sleep...and then go get on a plane on Thursday!! :)
So much is happening and it's so wonderful!!

I'm sooooo ready to see this face again!!!


Remember if you want to follow along on the happenings
of this week and next week then keep following the blog
and follow my instagram emily_hopefulwandering

I am sooooo ready for FRIDAY!! :)
Hope you all have a wonderful day!
-Em

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

{Three} days and {Three} Etsy sales!!

This week is off to a great start.
I'm basically finished with school for the week.
I have to go to a few classes but there are no big projects 
or tests that i have to work on or study for so my now i'm just
focusing on all of the exciting things that will be happening in...
THREE DAYS
I'm a little excited...


ALSO...I've sold two of my Canvases on Etsy.
That brings my number of sales to three :)
This is pretty exciting stuff!!


Connecticut on a navy chevron canvas :)
I love it, and i get to make a Texas one tomorrow 
for a girl who goes to TCU, Purple chevron with gold Texas.
I love that i am getting to do some crafty stuff again.
It just makes my heart all happy.
And it does nice things for my wallet as well ;)

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!
-Emily

Monday, November 18, 2013

I'm going to England this week!!!

I leave for England on Thursday.
My flight is at 3:00pm and i land in England around 3:00am.
Which will be around 9:00am in England.
Which means my brain is going to be so confused
but oh so happy at the same time because....
I'LL BE BACK WITH MY TOM!!!!!!
And i'm so so excited.
I'm giddy!
I'm ready!
I'm happy!
Giggly!
READY!
Oh i already said that...
Well i am ready, i'm so ready!
It's been too long since i've seen him
and i am so so ready to be back with him again.

I mean just LOOOOOK AT HIM...no no stop looking at him like that!!
hahahaha ;)


If you're interested in following along on our adventure
over the next week or so then make sure you're
following the blog...duhh ;) And you can also follow
me on instagram: emily_hopefulwandering
I'm inviting you to stalk us soooooooo yea...

I'm going to be posting on instagram like crazy.
Sorry i'm not sorry, i won't even feel bad about the 100's 
of photos i'll be taking and posting.

I also want to do a vlog with Tom.
Let me know in the comments if you think that's 
something you would want to see.

And I really want to do a video of our trip.
I really like making videos for things soooo i'm making 
it a mission of mine to create a little video of some of the fun
things that we will be doing while i'm there.
You know...like frolicking in fields and dancing 
in castle ballrooms....i mean normal everyday stuff.
I'll post the video once i'm back!

Can you tell i'm excited?
Because i am!!

...

I did end up going home this weekend.
I pushed through the sickness and made a trip
to my homeland of Texas to hang 
with the fam and get my hair done!

I Just decided to go a little darker. 
It's a chocolatey brown with a little red tint 
when it's in direct sunlight.
I LOVE it.


Now i'm back at school until thursday when i jet
off to England for ten whole days ;)

Then it's back to school for 2 weeks and then graduation.
It's a crazy whirlwind of events but a good whirlwind ;)

These next few weeks are going to be SO exciting!
I hope you'll stick around for all of the fun!!

-Emily

Friday, November 15, 2013

Etsy Discount {Tilissimo}

This is my last friday in America until December ;) 
Next friday i'll be in England, next next friday...i'll be in England.
This time next week, i'll be in England.
Have i mentioned that i'm going to England?
Because i am...going to England...in 7 days!!!
Holy moly!!

hopefully by now i'm on my way home.
I was sick last night...my nose was like a waterfall..
a disgusting waterfall that would not stop flowing :(
And there was fever...i'm going to need to get this under control.
I have a lot to do next week ;)

Anyways...Today i want to introduce you to an Etsy shop!


Maya runs Tilissimo, she lives in Athens with her Greek husband and their two daughters. 
Ummm hello, what an exciting setup Mrs. Maya has ;)

Her shop is all about coasters.
Little squares of happiness. 
She Re-purposes ceramic tiles into beautiful coasters.
Whether you like modern or vintage inspired pattern, geometric or floral, 
quirky or classical design, you will find them all in one place! 



Maya is giving my readers a 20% off discount code
to her shop until the end of November.

The code : HOPEFUL20

So head on over to Maya's shop
and get set up with some beautiful coasters.

Have a wonderful weekend!!
-Em


Thursday, November 14, 2013

a lot of randomness and a serious hair decision...

Lots of exciting things are happening
I made my first Etsy sale last weekend and i shipped
the order out on tuesday, and the money i made
was transferred into my bank account yesterday...
Which made me feel really important for some reason.
I had a blast making more feathers for Chelsy over at B Couture Photography
She is so talented and i am SO excited to see her use my feathers 
as a backdrop to her amazing photos!!


School is basically done now.
I mean there's still a few weeks until graduation
but i'm basically done...i still have projects and tests but....
the senioritis is taking a serious toll on my productivity..so i'm done ;)
Also i just came to the realization that life is like the hunger games.
Think about it...you go to school from age 5-22 so that you can 
get a degree in a specific field, once you have that degree
you are thrown out into the "real world" to go get "that job"
and in order to get "that job" you basically have to beat out
all of your competition...which means the other 10 million
people that just graduated at the same time you did...
It's one big hunger games arena out there..
which is why i'm going to England for a while haha

I'm going home this weekend :)
Last trip home before graduation and a nice chance
to hang out with the Fam before i head to see Tom 
NEXT THURSDAY!!


8 days people!!
8 DAYS!!!

On Saturday i'm getting my hair done :)
And lets just say it's about freaking time...
I need a haircut so bad and i'm toying with the idea
of changing up the color a little.

This isn't my first rodeo with changing hair color.
I've been extreme blonde and extreme brunette and i've even
done a little red here and there.

I'm really loving number 2, 6, 7 but i can't decide what i want to do.
I feel like I really want to change things up because i'm about
to graduate and start fresh and i want a fresh look.
What number is your favorite?
Help a girl make a decision...
Let me know in the comments :)



Have a wonderful Thursday!
This time next week i'll be on a plane ;)

-Emily

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

100,000 Blog Views & 9 days

I've been blogging for 11 months now.
I'm not sure i've ever stuck to something for 11 months
so the fact that i'm going on a year with this blog
is pretty exciting stuff.

What's even more exciting is that HW just hit 100,000 views!
Now i'm not really that worried about keeping tabs on page views
but this one is pretty special, it's a nice milestone for my little blog.

Blogging has become a serious love of mine over the past year.
I think that mostly has to do with the fact that i get
to talk about my relationship with tom 90% of the time.
It doesn't hurt that he's fun to write about ;)

I can't believe we're in the single digits now.
I'll be headed to Liverpool in 9 days..9 DAYS!!
This past monday marked the 4th month that we've been apart.
4 months too long if you ask us.

I can't wait till next year rolls around.
The plan for next year is to spend as much time together as possible.
And we're off to a pretty amazing start since i bought my flight on Monday.
I'll let you in on more plans the closer it gets but for now
i'm just excited about what's in front of me.
And that's England in 9 days!!


I'm so ready for more pictures with this handsome fella!! :)

Have a great day
-Em

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Hey Emily, Paris or England?

It has been a crazy past few days.
I'm not even sure where to start...and when that happens
i decide to just make a list of past events to make it more clear.

NOVEMBER 6th 2012 - PRESENT DAY

 Hey Emily meet Tom
"Oh Tom is pretty stinking awesome"
Hey Emily come to Paris
"Shut up...for real??? Me?? Paris??"
Hey Emily recruit for Paris
"STUDENTS EVERYWHERE....GO TO PARIS"
Hey Emily that Tom guy is pretty snazzy
"Mmmhhhmmm i know he is"
Hey Emily I love you
"Ohhh Tom I love you too"
Hey Emily how's recruiting going?
"it's going....meh"
{In the airport} Tom says Hey Emily
"Holy moly it's TOM, he's here"
Hey Emily welcome back to school
"Hey thanks, i'm graduating this semester"
Hey Emily {says Tom} come to England at Thanksgiving
"hmmmmmm YES!!!"
Hey Emily how's recruiting for Paris going?
"Great, we have 10 people...9...8...7...6...7...8..yea 8 people"
Hey Emily you didn't reach the quota for a free Paris trip
"Darn, what's a girl to do...oh right go to England"
Hey Emily i can't wait for you to come to England
"Hehe i can't wait either Tom"
Hey Emily please don't say no to Paris yet, here's a new offer...
"hmmm ok what's your offer?"
Hey Emily we need this much money for Paris
"haha...wait...you're serious?"
Hey Emily you should just book a flight to England
"ding, ding, ding"

Paris wasn't meant to be y'all.
So next year i'm headed to England to spend time 
with my hot TOMale for a few sweet months.
I feel sad that Paris didn't work but when i think about it
these couple of months with Tom are going to be so great
for our growing relationship, and i'm so happy it's going to happen!!

PS
10 DAYS TILL I SEE TOM AGAIN!!!!

Yippee :)
Have a wonderful Day!
-Emily

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Two Weeks until England

Yesterday was such a great day.
Would have only been better had i been with Tom.
But our time is coming...IN FACT...two weeks from today
I will be boarding a plane and flying over to Loverpool ;)
haha..see what i did there ;)
I crack myself up!!

Two weeks until England.
Is this real life?

The last time i was in England was April of 2012.
It was our last day as Study abroad students.
I remember that we wanted to see London one last time
however we were unaware that we were about to 
run smack dab into the London Marathon.
That was an interesting experience.

I love England, i know it's a little gloomy
and cold most of the time but it's full of amazing history
that we just don't have here in the USA.

Plus my boyfriend is a Historian!
It's true, he was a History Major in Uni.
So I've got my own personal Historian to show me around.

I keep telling Tom that we should be tour guides.
I can make snacks for the tour group and he can give
them all of the historical information that they could ever want.
We're basically the Dream Team!

ALSO...Since it's November
Tom is growing his beard out again.
We're documenting the progress with a picture a day
in hopes that by the end of it we can create a flip book
for Tom to keep as a memory and also as a test of
how fast can his beard actually grow ;)

Yay Beardy Tom!!


I hope that you lovely people have a wonderful Thursday!
-Em

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

ONE incredible YEAR!!!

In this post you will find non-stop sappiness.
You have been adequately warned.

You will also find two stories.
One story in my point of view and the other
story in Toms point of view.

Thanks for following along with us on our journey
with each other over the past year!
Your love and support has been amazing!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TOMILY
yippeeee :) :) :)


Tom's POV

This time last year I was, well I wasn't doing an awful lot really. I’d just started a new job and that was really the most exciting thing happening in my life at the time. Bored surfing the net one night I decided to toy with the idea of a penpal and after signing up to a few websites I was meeting new people from across the world. When I say meeting I mean stalking peoples profiles.... y’know.  I mean this was a big deal for me. One thing you should know about me is I don’t really do social media, like at all. So this was a push for me, I even went as far as to use an alias! But I’m so glad I did what I did because after finally building up the courage to actually message someone 
I started talking to a girl named Emily..

That was a year ago today. And looking back between now and then so much has happened. I started talking to Emily more and more, eventually leaving that penpal website behind. We’ve skyped, texted, sent letters and boxes to each other. We've called as she’s driven back and forth between Texas and Arkansas (sorry about those phone bills David) And it hasn’t stopped there either. As you know during the summer I got to go finally meet Emily and stay with her for a few weeks. And I got to do so many things while I was there. I felt the Texas heat, shot a gun for the first time, surprisingly ate some of the best vegetarian food I’ve ever had and even took a trip with Emily, driving through California taking in the sites like Hollywood, Yosemite and the golden gate bridge. It was a life changing trip.. but not because of any of that, but because I was finally with the girl I’d been thinking about for the past 7 months. Me and Emily hit it off in person just like we had online 
and by the time I left Texas we were closer than ever.

So here we are a year later and what an incredible year it’s been. Emily and I are going strong, missing each other like crazy but we’re still doing are best with skype, texting and we’re even watching shows together these days. Emily’s become such a big part of my life over the past year. She's gone from the girl I was talking to online, to being the girl I see pretty much every day, the girl my family now constantly talks about. She’s my girlfriend and the girl I love and If there’s one thing I want for our next year its to make Emily an even bigger part of my life. And this will be happening because we have some exciting plans! Emily will be here for my first ever thanksgiving In just a little over two weeks now AND she will be back again next year so we can spend some serious time together. This year has been the best year of my life, and I know the next is going to be even better.. 
Because we’ll be spending it together.
 Happy Anniversary,
I love you Emily!


Emily's POV

If you read the blog two days ago then you would have read about my first
online encounter with Thomas. It was cute and sappy and silly and a really really
great start to a relationship that i didn't even know was on the horizon. Actually it's 
funny to think about because i just remember this nice guy taking the time to talk to me,
not even realizing that this one conversation would completely change everything.
When i ask Tom what he was thinking when he started talking to me on that day 
he says i was cute and he thought he'd just say hello and see what happened.
Well i saw his message, creeped on his penpal profile {lolz} and once i realized that this
British stud crumpet wanted to talk to ME i was like...ohhh heeeyyyyyyyyy booyyy ;)
And i started talking back...which turned into a skype date...which turned into another
skype date which turned into us entertaining each other over skype with magic tricks 
and jokes and other silly things. Once a week Skype dates turned into three times a week
skype dates which turned into daily skype dates. All of those hours over skype turned into
plans, plans to get this handsome stud crumpet {that i had only met like 2 months prior}
over to the USA so we could officially meet in the real world. And it's funny because 
like I've said in the past...I'm so awkward around boys...like i am SO INCREDIBLY
AWKWARD!! Awkward to the point that i have indeed cried on the way to a date
because i didn't want to go because of the awkwardness..i mean it's that bad...{True story}
But from day one with Tom i have never felt even a twinge of that awkwardness...
Tom has a way of putting me at ease. He even did this before we were an "item".
The only time i can remember feeling a little awkward was on that first skype date
which is totally expected because skype is like kryptonite to an awkward person.
5 minutes into that first skype date i felt less awkward...still a little awkward
but it had subsided quite a bit. I realized...hey, here's this really handsome guy who
is taking the time out of his day to skype me and get to know me a little bit better.
This realization just made me feel special and made me appreciate him that much more.
Fast Forward to February and we're sending each other valentines boxes through the mail. 
Fast forward to June 17th of this summer and I'm picking him up at the airport in Dallas.
Those three weeks would prove to be a game changer. We were obviously in a very special position
having met online and meeting for the first time only after getting to know each other
through the lens of a webcam. You now have to take that relationship and make it work
in the real world. Lucky for us we had no problem doing that. Ok so the first 48 hours were
a little iffy on my part, not because i wasn't still head over heels for him but because
the transition from webcam to real time was a bit overwhelming. But we got the hang of
things pretty quickly and we were inseparable the entire time he was here. 
Basically like Noah and Allie from the Notebook...wait.....WE ARE TOTALLY
NOAH AND ALLIE FROM THE NOTEBOOK...we're in love...we're currently separated..
we write letters...whoa baby...ok sorry, i got off topic ;) (Can you tell i'm an ENFP?)
All of that being said...his time in Texas brought us even closer..
so close that we decided to book another flight so i could go see him
over Thanksgiving break...which is in 15 days. But you are all aware of that because i don't think 
i've stopped talking about it ;) This is like one big giant fairy tale except for the being
apart thing. But we're working on that. Basically what i'm trying to say with this novel 
of a post is that this guy randomly popped into my life one year ago, and oh how i love
him for it! He has changed my life in so many wonderful ways, ways i didn't even
know needed to be changed...Tom is handsome and British, those things are
very very true and important...but this guy is so much more than an accent and a handsome face.
He is the most caring and loving guy, with the kindest heart. He's also hilarious
which is one of my favorite qualities about him. I probably have a million giggle fits
a day because of stuff he says or does ;) Tom swooped in out of nowhere and continues 
to sweep me off my feet daily. I am so happy to call this guy my boyfriend of a year and 
i am so excited that i get to be with him for a lot longer than that ;)
Happy One Year bug, I love you!!

-Tomily