First Date Anniversary: An Escape to the Beach

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To celebrate our one year first date anniversary, I created a photo book to document our fun trip last summer. :-) I love photobooking. :-)

Playing Catch Up

Hey everyone! Ok – so I realized today that it’s been exactly 4 months since my last post. OOPS! Where the heck has time gone? So, I figure that before I go back to my normal random postings, I should probably catch up on what’s happened in those said 4 months.

Here’s a brief summary of what’s been going on:

-       Warsaw/Prague Trip – As expected, the trip was fruitful. It was awesome to go and spend time with family. With my Marriott status, I was able to score us some great rooms with an amazing view! For the first time, I was able to spend a lot of time with my cousin and his family. They were wonderful in the fact that I just came over, hung out, and I got to see the little one lots. And then of course, there’s my grandfather, who still cracks me up, and I know I’ll relish the times I am sitting around eating and drinking vodka with a 90+ year old man. The other accomplishment is that my parents, through a lot of hard work, are establishing my brother’s and my Polish citizenship. It’s a big deal to us, and we’re on the right track. As of right now, I’m officially a dual citizen minus some of the necessary documentation. Prague was gorgeous – short and sweet, but we saw a lot and enjoyed ourselves.

-       Holidays – wow, these are always hard and busy. I forgot that when you have a boyfriend with his family including kids – things get complicated but even more so with all the different schedules. We worked it out pretty well, I think, but it was a struggle at times to get everyone on the same page.

-       Work – as always, takes up a lot of my time. There’s a lot of new stuff going on for me with the role that I took about a year ago. A LOT less travel THANKFULLY, but busy has taken on a completely different form. Managing my stress and happiness here is a bit of a struggle… More on that in a separate blog.

-       TV – I’m not one to watch a lot of TV, but I have been enjoying watching Vampire Diaries, Parenthood, Grey’s Anatomy and The Mentalist. Old and new seasons are fun to enjoy by myself or with the boyfriend and kids… and they’re a good way to relax. Netflix and Hulu Plus are wonderful for cutting out those damn stupid commercials. J

-       Working out – this one has been a bit of a struggle. I keep reading an old coworkers blog to stay motivated – she has so much more on her plate than I do, and I admire her devotion. I got myself into a routine of going to Kickboxing and Body Pump regularly starting in June and onward, but the interest and motivation is fading again. Grrr… right now I’m hoping to focus efforts on going to Kickboxing and Bikram Yoga regularly.

Running is still something I struggle with getting back into. I guess you could say that I’m still traumatized by my disappointing FINISH of the marathon. Yes – I am disappointed that I finished my first marathon in over 6 hours and can’t seem to get past it. Someone once told me that sometimes you just need time to face your internal doubts – we’ll just file this issue with that thought. I’ll face it soon though, because I miss the runner’s highs.

-       The Bf – Being with him has been a blessing for my last year. He’s officially single as of late last year, which for me (and probably others) was a tremendous relief – more so than I expected. We’re happy together, and I feel like I have a partner to share and relieve many of my every day stresses. He and I work together, which has proven to not be a conflict (phew). We do talk about work at home more than we should, but it’s also nice to not have to go through 15 minutes of explanation and build up before I finally get to my point. He and I know what’s going on. We celebrate our one year next Tuesday (the 31^st). He spoils me in many more ways than I ever expect, and I know I’m lucky.

-      The Bf’s kids – Because of the Bf, I am now learning the joys of being around kids (teenagers) on a semi-regular basis. It does make me think more on my own actions, choices, etc. However, what is incredibly important to me is that I can find the right balance in my relationship with them. I never want to overstep my bounds, but I care about them a lot and want to be a part of their lives in the best way I can be. I think we’re working towards that and the last few months have brought us closer.  

-      Reading Blogs – I’ve really started reading a lot of blogs. Friends, old coworkers, comedic ones. It sometimes makes my day to hear other peoples’ internal thoughts, projects, plans, etc. Even sharing an experience with a Pinterest project seems to inspire me to do something similar – thanks Missy!!!

So what’s in store for 2012 for me? Lots I hope!

-       My best friend’s wedding – it’s in 3 days, and when your childhood best friend gets married, well – it’s just a big deal. I mean – we used to talk about this stuff for years (I know I did – she may have not), so it’s just hard to wrap your brain around the fact that that someday, is … today. I can’t wait to see her get married even if I get teary-eyed just thinking about it

-       BIG 30 – I’m turning 30 this year – enough said.

-       Italia – Bf and I are planning a BIG trip to Italy. I’ve never been, and it’s my gift to me for my BIG 30.

-       Other Trips – Poland, Seattle (?), Vegas (?), I want to go somewhere new but gambling seems

-       Craft Night – I need more girl time, and I’m really tired of not making the time to enjoy the right side of my brain.

AND, I think that brings everyone up to speed… for the most part. And to those that care, I promise, I’ll be better at blogging. J  

Warszawa – here I come again!

So for those that don’t know – I’m Polish. :) My parents are both from Warsaw, came here in 1981, and ended up settling because of various circumstances – including me, job and then my brother. My Polish heritage – upbringing, language, customs, history, etc – are a very important part of my life. It’s something that I identify with daily.

Most of my family still lives in Warsaw, including grandpa, uncles, aunts, cousins and their families, and lots of other family (that I honestly can’t keep track of). I do have family in the States, but not a lot. In NYC, I have my mom’s sister and husband plus some distant cousins in the Detroit area. We have family in other places too… distant cousins in the UK and South Africa… a second cousin in Australia… I think that covers it?

I have made it a point in the last 7 years (since my grandmother passed) that I make a trip every calendar year to get out to Warsaw and see people. It’s a bit more difficult and expensive for any of them to come to the US because of visas and such, so we all go there… as frequently as we can. I have cousins who now have adorable kids too, and they can’t forget that they have an aunt!!! Oh – let me explain that for a second. Since there are really only 5 of us at our generation – me being the only girl I might add – we all call each other brothers and sister. So, Bruno and Filip are my nephews. Bruno is now almost 3.5, and Filip is almost 14 months. Since last year I was in Poland in July, I haven’t met Filip yet. I’m super excited to hug, play, and tickle the little one!!!

So, long story short – I’m going in just a little over a month!!! My mom and I are going to make a little trip through Prague on our way back to the States as well, so it’s going to be a little bit of extra fun.

Going back is such a weird feeling. It’s like I’m going back to my motherland, although I was born here. I’m excited and overwhelmed all at once every time. I have so much fun going, getting back into the language, the culture, and seeing my family. At the same time, every one of my trips seems to bring about a lot of drama. You have however many months of their family life to catch up on (this time it’ll be 14 months). Trust me, when you’re jet lagged and after a couple of mulled wines (yum!!!), it gets a bit overwhelming. The whole experience makes you realize that even though you live half way around the world, these people are your family, and I identify with them so much.

Either way, I’m already getting ready. You have to plan a lot of things – where to stay, who to see, time for different family, taking care of some random errands (like trying to get my papers in order to get my Euro passport finally), etc. The only thing I need to figure out for our trip is the hotel that we will stay at in Prague. I bought a cell phone for myself to use out there – that was a feat after years of using my parent’s phone. Finally. I bought a brand new camera that I’m SO excited about. Canon 510 PowerShot Elph with 12.1 megapixels, 12x zoom, full HD… Oh and I have a new winter coat… 

I’m so ready to go even though I know my time there will pass quickly. I’m also looking forward to some time off… But in the mean time, I’ll keep planning and getting more excited. :)