Our Problem ... Our Wonderful Problem

Pete and I have a problem, a good and incurable problem. We like to be with each other a lot. So, needless to say, as we are approaching the end to the distance part of our long distance relationship, we are having a really hard time parting our separate ways once Sundays arrive. So we figured out a solution, well the closest thing to it.

Giving up on trying to leave each other and prolonging our weekend stays began three weeks ago. Let me set the scene for you. We're in a small Italian restaurant in Pete's hometown, talking and eating (he's enjoying lasagna and I'm loving some spinach manicotti). Both of us have the gloom look because we know after dinner we are leaving one another and heading in opposite directions. I'm eating at a slower-than-life speed and even Pete is eating much slower than normal. I look up at him and simply state that I'm just staying another night and leaving in the morning. Only a tiny part of me was serious when those words came out of my mouth; the notion was more of what I was imagining and not really what I was considering doing. But that boy's face lit up like a Christmas tree and it meant one thing...he was very serious about the idea that I had just unintentionally proposed.

His pure excitement gave me that giddy 'is this really happening' feeling (just another of the many reasons I love him, because he can still give me butterflies). At the same time, I was also trying to suppress my joy, knowing full well what an early morning we would both be dealing with the next day. But if you know us, you know that nothing would deter us from more time together. And thus, we decided on staying.

Since then, we have chosen to leave early Monday mornings in exchange for just a handful of extra hours with one another, and it's one of the best decisions we've ever made. It's simple, we're crazy about each other.

This is how my morning started, with a 6:45 a.m. stop at Starbucks in Charlottesville. I think the baristas see me as a Monday usual now (that girl with no-makeup, hair tied back in a knot, and sleepy eyes). If you were wondering, that used to be a nonfat coffee frappuccino and a cinnamon chip scone, and yes it was delicious!

Then on I-81 I encountered this fellow...tractor trailers are my least favorite thing about driving, especially when they're in the left lane. But while stuck behind him, instead of wishing him out of my way, I couldn't help but wonder where I would end up if I followed...

And this was the end to my drive. As always, when I make it to this spot, I not only know that I am five minutes away from my apartment, but also 5 hours away from my best friend...I should have brought him back with me (*sigh*, wishful thinking)