I miss having a core group of friends. I miss having a wonderful group of girls to go to for everything, from parties to problems. Now, in a new city, I'm struggling to gain the friendships I once had. New people. New relationships. New rules. I've met so many awesome people in Phoenix. I've truly come to like almost everyone I've met here. But....it's not like home. Ha, it's funny I still call Ohio home. And now I feel a sad realization that it isn't anymore. I think this how I felt when I first graduated from Ohio State. I wanted so badly to go back there. I wanted all the things I had there and the experiences that went along with being a student at that amazing place. What I was truly longing for was the place I felt at home. At school, I was a student. I was a part of a huge organization, a group who bonded based solely on our shared institution. I still miss that, being a part of OSU. Time though, time has softened the blow, the desperation to get back to Ohio State. A lot of that came from new experiences. I found new interests and even a few new friends. And the old friends, they didn't go anywhere. They stilled loved me after college. They were there for me. And still are. Just because something in life changes, it doesn't mean life is going to get worse. I honestly miss my friends so much, but they haven't gone anywhere. I still talk to them. I still need them, and I hope they still need me from time to time too. I know eventually I will have close friends here, but I will never not be friends with my Ohio girls. I think Carmen Ohio says it best, "time and change will surely show, how firm thy friendship, OHIO."

Haveeeeee Fun

There are some really important things in a successful relationship. I don't profess to know even half of them. But there are at least two things I've realized about relationship success. The first is having fun together. To me, this is so, so, so important. I love going out and having a good time with Matt. We go to dinner, get drinks with friends, hike, explore, or watch a movie on TV. The activity doesn't matter as much as just genuinely having a good time. Of course there are boring times too. No one's life is pure fun all the time. I just think that when you get stuck in a rut or a pattern of boringness, that's when it takes a toll on the relationship. No one wants to be stuck forever in the same blasé pattern. Why would anyone? So I really think that having fun together is part of what makes a relationship worth having. The other really important thing--have fun apart. At first that almost seems to contradict my first point, but it doesn't. While your relationship should be fun for you as a couple, I don't think you should become so attached to each other that you are unable to have fun apart. Today I saw someone tweet that she had separation anxiety from her husband. Is that not a little weird? Of course I love Matt and miss him when I don't see him, but if he's gone I don't mope around like it's the end of the world. There ARE other people outside of your couple. There should be! If you don't think you could function as a whole person if your significant other wasn't in your life, then you should reevaluate the way your relationship is running! I believe there is a wonderful love between two people, but I don't think it is the only thing that matters. So, go. Have a night out by yourself. Visit your parents by yourself. Go hiking with friends. You're dating/engaged/married, but that doesn't mean you are sewn together. And at the end of the day, you still really love and care for each other. There's no reason to feel like you can't do things on your own. So there is a brief overview of a few important things. Obviously there is more to a relationship than pure fun, but hey, it's not a bad place to start!