Let’s start from where we left off, shall we? The last time I updated y’all, there was very little to share. The U.S. Government was still processing mine and James’ VISA and we hadn’t seen one another since we first met with no plans of that changing. Well, perhaps you can tell by all the past tenses in that sentence, but we have some updates! A few weeks after that update was posted, I booked James a flight to Florida to visit me over the holidays. He and my best friend Nicole - who I should probably be able to just mention by name at this point as she’s the only friend ever mentioned in these posts, but I digress - both flew in for a few weeks for my birthday and James stayed until after New Year’s Eve. Nicole and I attended a Jake Paul boxing fight in Tampa and had one of the best visits together, ever. I love seeing that girl; she is my entire heart and soul. Then when James arrived, we went to the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday, took James shopping at some American stores, and made memories that I’ll cherish forever. She then flew home to spend Christmas with her wonderful family, and then James and I got to play house for Christmas through New Year’s Eve - rounding out our time together with the best night of my life drinking and listening to music at the cute bar in downtown Jax. As many of you know, I loathe the Christmas period, but last year, I definitely saw a glimpse of what everyone else sees - my time with the two loves of my life was the merriest and brightest few weeks ever. Thanks to you both for making the trip and giving me so many things to be grateful for during the holidays.

After the excitement of the New Year had subsided, I decided that my next goal was to find a way to go back to school for fun and that I did. I have missed studying since I graduated in 2017 and I’ve been looking for a way to scratch that itch ever since. Then, I stumbled upon this Master’s program in Viking Studies at The University of Highlands and Islands and I just knew that I’d found what I was looking for. As of May, I’ve finished my first semester there and I am absolutely LOVING it. I’ve taken two courses called “Discovering the Past” and “Small Island Governance” so far - learning about history, archeology, and the governing authority of small islands around the world from some of the most interesting (and adorably accented) speakers and professors out there - and now I’m off on summer vacation. Fall term resumes in September and I’ll keep you all updated on the courses I end up taking, but I couldn’t be more excited to keep dipping my toes back into academia. I’m still undecided if I’m going to do another Master’s dissertation or stop after I get to the Postgraduate Diploma level - I really don’t fancy another 50-page paper… but who knows where my mind will be at by the time I finish.

Then, I’ll be honest, February, March, April, and May have been a total blur. As always with me, things have been moving so damn fast that I can barely keep up with my own life. So, be patient with me while I stumble through the happenings of the last few months.

Somewhere along the way, I got it in my head that I needed a new job - for a variety of reasons from culture, to compensation. I spent a few months applying all over the country and I’m happy to report that I happened upon the most WONDERFUL company and opportunity that I could have ever asked for - officially making the switch in early April. The company is called Polen Capital - they’re an asset manager in Boca Raton, FL with a company culture that is absolutely unheard of, not just in finance, but in general. Not only are the employees helpful and kind, but we work in a ROWE working environment which allows me to adjust my hours and working location as I see fit to get my best work done. Over this past week, we had the entire company fly down to Boca for an all-company event with speakers and a fun cocktail party in the evening. It was a blast meeting everyone and I already feel like I made a switch that will change my life for the better for years and years to come. Thanks for everything so far, Polen friends, if you’re reading this. 😘

This obviously means that I’ve relocated, too. I’m now in South Florida and OMG what a lovely place this is. Before moving here, I’d spent all of two or three days here on a business trip with my last company and I knew I loved it here then. The apartment is lovely and I’ve got a big saltwater pool and gorgeous new gym here! Plus, I’m only a few minutes from the beach. I’ve managed to see my first iguanas and Coconut Trees and I am truly living the Florida life. I love it here and CAN NOT wait for James to move here and enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather and cool vibes with me. I’ve not spent a ton of time exploring the neighboring areas yet, but Nicole comes down to visit in a few weeks and I’m going to use that as an excuse to hit Miami, Delray Beach, and Fort Lauderdale and really see what South Florida has to offer. I have made it to the Hard Rock Cafe in Fort Lauderdale for a Post Malone concert, which was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done on my own. The entire place is shaped like a fucking guitar! How badass is that? If that’s any sign of the cool shit to come, I couldn’t be more ready.

Before I moved, though, I took a brief trip to Chicago to see Nicole and spend one of our most cherished holidays together - St. Patrick’s Day. We’ve been partaking in fun St. Patrick’s Day festivities since we were at Uni together - even though neither of us has any connections to Ireland. All in all, the trip was truly chaotic. American Airlines lost my luggage for two days and left me with only the clothes I had on my back and nothing else and I nearly went into hypothermia - literally, not exaggerating here - waiting for the parade. But ignoring those two factors, the trip was amazing. I got my Eataly and Nandos fixes and Nicole and I looked mighty cute in our outfits. I tried a Ramen Noodle restaurant for the first time, discovered my new favorite alcoholic drink - a Moscow Mule with extra lime - and decided I need to get a hand tattoo because the little temporary ones I put on for our night out had me feeling some type of way. The trip also gave me the perfect excuse to wear my new Ārdēo Studios harness that I’ve been lusting after for months. I managed to snag one in the last drop and won’t lie, I feel like a total bad bitch when I get the chance to rock it.

I also got yet another tattoo - this one being the largest of the lot. A big thank you to Alex at East Coast Worldwide for my new ink. It’s gorgeous and even cooler than what I wanted. I can already tell that getting more and more of these is going to become a permanent and large part of my personality, so buckle up. 🤣

So, that’s been my last few months. As if that wasn’t enough, now let’s talk about the things that are coming up hard and fast in the future few. So, apologies for burying the lead a little bit, but as I mentioned earlier, James and I finally have a VISA update!

We still haven’t set an official wedding date yet, but we do have one in mind… I won’t spill just yet as we’re waiting for confirmation from our lovely photographer if he’s free on the day we’re thinking of, but assuming that’s a goer, we just have a few small details to iron out and we’re locked in! Either way, we are 100% going to be married before the end of the year and I am beside myself with joy to finally be able to know and say that. We have a crazy, crazy few months ahead of us, but we've paid our dues and waited long enough and WE ARE READY.

So, that’s that on that. We’ll keep you all updated as things progress, but for now, we’re just happily sorting flights and cabins, counting down the days, and preparing for the happiest day of our lives. 🥰

And while it’s not nearly as important as James’ flight to America, it’s worth noting that that isn’t the only trip or event we have booked coming up over the next 6 months. 2022 is packed with enough excitement to make up for the two years of it that I missed because of COVID-19 - and to be honest, I kept pretty busy and even traveled a fair bit during the pandemic, so honestly, this is just above and beyond. First, Nicole comes for a week and a half in June and we’re going to do South Florida for real in Miami and anywhere else our heart takes us. Then, a work conference is taking me to Toronto, Canada for a few days right after she leaves. I get home long enough to unpack my suitcase and repack to fly to Auckland, New Zealand for three weeks to see James!! That’s right, I’m going on my first long-haul flight and going to be seeing the Southern Hemisphere for the first time! I’ll meet his Kiwi parents and see the majority of the North Island before heading home. Finally, I get to tick another country off my 100-countries list! I am losing my mind with excitement. Oh, and on my way to him, I have a day layover in Vancouver, Canada. I’m planning to escape the confines of the airport long enough to get some amazing pictures and see a few of the sights, just to add another cool city to the roster. Then, a month later, another work conference takes me to Cleveland for a week and two weeks after that James and I both head off to the U.K. for his brother’s wedding, so we’ll spend a week in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Oxford, England for that! Then, after James arrives here and we both take off for another conference of mine that I’m bringing him along for in San Deigo! I’m there for a few days and if all goes right, we’d leave San Diego and head right up north to Seattle for the wedding! Nicole will meet us there and we’ll spend a week in Seattle and Olympic National park living our Twilight fantasy before finally flying home and settling down for the rest of the year. Does your head hurt? I know mine does. I’ve missed traveling, but this is going to be insane. Someone send me a year’s supply of Emergen-C, please? I’ll be blogging all the adventures, so you’ll get to come along for the ride with me. If anyone has any recommendations for the locations I mentioned, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments below or send them to me with the contact form or links here.

Well, that’s about everything I can think of to share. I hope everyone enjoyed this lengthy update. Just know that I’ll do my best to make these more frequent so I can keep the long bibles to a minimum.

Thanks as always for coming along with me on this crazy life ride that I’m on. I appreciate each one of you who keeps up with my comings and goings. Sending love to all of you and I’ll see you all in the next one!

Xoxoxo

Write on!