Crossroads

My oh my, so much has happened during the past year! It would be far too hard to recap everything that I've experienced in the past 12 months, so I think I will just share a short summary of the main event...

WE'RE ENGAGED!

In October of 2010 Stewart and I embarked upon an absolutely amazing adventure... We spent three and a half weeks winding our way across Europe, with stops including: London and Bournemouth in England – Dingle and Dublin in Ireland – Rome, Cinque Terre and Pisa in Italy – and Paris, France. Many people predicted that Stewart would propose on the trip. I adamantly disagreed, knowing that he was "not ready." However, this did not deter me from tossing ten pence into the fountain at Buckingham Palace with a brief, "I wish he would propose!" thrown to the heavens.

I had to wait almost three weeks for my wish to be granted.

The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of the coast on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region of Italy and is composed of the coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillside. Stewart has often said that it's one of his favorite places in the whole world, so I was really looking forward to finally seeing it with my own eyes. It was absolutely the most breathtaking place I have ever seen. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea, and part of its charm is the lack of visible “modern” development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside. A walking trail, known as Sentiero Azzurro or “Light Blue Trail” connects the five villages.

I was really looking forward to the hike and at this point had put getting engaged completely out of my mind. I was enjoying the sunny day and absolutely fantastic views when Stewart suddenly dropped to one knee and pulled out a gorgeous diamond ring... he had been carrying it around Europe during our entire trip! I could barely answer, "YES!" through my shock, tears, and laughter. It was one of the best moments of my life.

So here we are... happy, in love, and planning our wedding, which we have set for Saint Patrick's Day next year (exactly five years to the day from when we first met).

And here I come to a crossroads. I feel as though this blog is a reflection of me as I once was...

It's been an amazing five years and I've documented almost everything: the good, the bad and the ugly. But I'm not sure if this blog is necessarily a reflection of who I am today and where my life is headed. So I've started a new blog to go along with this new chapter of my life with Stewart. From now on it won't just be about ME, it will be about WE, and all the exciting places that life will take us together. I hope you will continue to follow along with me on this crazy journey.

Stay tuned for a link!