What Makes a Family

Relationships change you, give you new and interesting perspectives on life, and some even deliver that hard pill to swallow kind of lessons we don’t want but need to learn. I am happy to say that my relationship with Mrs. Right has been nothing but a positive experience all around, and despite everything in my life that is stressing me out she is the one thing that brings me peace, joy, and ultimate happiness.

Another person that makes me happy is my Pumpkin! As I mentioned before, Mrs. Right has a beautiful daughter who turned 8 this July. Before I met my Pumpkin I was excited about her and I spoiled her just as much as I spoiled her Mother. Mrs. Right and I have been doing a lot of planning for our future and she will be a part of my pregnancy journey next year so rightfully I asked her when she planned to talk to my Pumpkin about us. Because lets be real here, we can’t be okay with planning our lives together when her daughter will be a huge part of this relationship. To my surprise Mrs. Right suggested that we have our first family dinner so that my Pumpkin and I could start bonding with each other. Perfection!

The day before our scheduled dinner, I was at work caring for an elderly Italian man who tried to set me up with one of his sons and promised I’d be taken care of for life. I thought it was cute (and the typical encounter I have with male patients who find me to be attractive) so I texted Mrs. Right about the funny experience and her response brought tears to my eyes. She said “tell him your daughter already is…” It stopped me in my tracks, I was literally in the middle of the hall speechless. I read her message again (hey sometimes your eyes can play tricks on you) and the tears filled my eyes. Why? Because for Mrs. Right to speak of me and my Pumpkin in that regard means she’s totally onboard with us being a family. And I know it’s not easy but that’s a big step. So of course I showed my Pumpkin off to my patient.

Our first family dinner was a blast! My Pumpkin and I bonded immediately and I could tell that Mrs. Right was at ease that things were going so smoothly. My Pumpkin is a very smart and very inquisitive. During dinner she asked if we could do a sleepover on Friday since she had a soccer game that I promised to attend on Saturday. Mrs. Right and I worked out the details and our Family Girls Night was fun! I got to assess how Mrs. Right and I would maneuver with kids as a family and everything was perfect!

This entire experience has been a reality moment for me because my thinking and priorities are now adjusted. I no longer desire to work the overnight shift because I’d rather be home with my family. Sometimes I pass up on opportunities to have a night on the town with my friends because I often work on the weekends so my overnights with Mrs. Right have been scattered and I know the value of quality time in a relationship. It’s very important so I give to her what she needs.

I finally have the one thing I have always wanted…a Family…

All Roads Lead to New Jersey

Just when I thought life could not get more hectic, August 5^th hit the scene and it has been a whirlwind of studying, employment orientation, and barely sleeping nights. The shining star in all this madness is my wonderful, loving, supportive girlfriend – Mrs. Right. A supportive mate is hard to come by but she has been nothing short of understanding regarding the demands in my life.

It looks like I have secured my nursing future and one of the best health systems in PA thus eliminating my need to head for the southern border once I have my RN license in hand. Mrs. Right and I have been talking about our future a lot. Yes, I know we’re only almost two months in but we’re definitely on the same page in terms what we want and where we want to go in the future. And quite frankly it’s not like we’re planning on getting married tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. We just have a clear direction of where this relationship is going.

I’m over living in Philadelphia and PA in general. I’m watching areas once safe and livable decline into drug and violence infested gang territories. So where do I go? New Jersey! That’s right, the Garden State, the home of the infamous Jersey Shore aka Snookie show. Why New Jersey? For one, Mrs. Right resides there and I spend my weekends with her (unless she comes to Philly to be with me for a weekend). I love to escape from the city and be with her is domestic, peaceful, bliss. The areas I have considered moving to are close enough for me to get back and forth across the bridge to work in Philly without too much of a hassle. When considering the long haul i.e. children, family, etc., New Jersey has some areas with excellent school districts, parks and recreation centers, and affordable homes in safe, clean areas. And my personal favorite – The Vineyards! New Jersey has plenty and I plan to discover them all.

I'm excited about life, I'm excited about my future. The remainder of 2013 will be spent exploring New Jersey and deciding where to move May 2014...