A summer spent apart 7.30.16

What a summer this has been. I thought I knew busy..

My mind is used to being spread thin with priorities that all seem to need to be number one on my list. This summer is proving to me I cannot do everything, but I can do everything I set my mind to.

Nicholas has been the best these past few months. This summer has been harder than I imagined, especially when I was finally getting used to being around him all the time living together. Currently, we are at the point in our relationship where we won't talk for days because we are each on our grind simply trying to get through the time left we have apart. I won't pretend like it does not suck to not know how his week is going because my day begins at 5 a.m. when he is asleep and my day ends at 10 p.m. before he gets home from work, but I cannot be upset when we are both doing our best to make money and improve our situation together.

We surpassed three years together on July 18, 2016 and if you have hit this monumental moment in your own relationship, you know it literally feels no different than year two because at this point we are best friends.. Years don't seem to matter when I feel like I know this wonderful man inside and out, yet at the same time I can't wait to dive deeper into his soul and learn more about him and his passions. These are not the best years because we are young and in the "honeymoon" stage, they are the best years because we are still learning and growing together through young adulthood.

I miss his positivity, his face when he has finally had enough of me talking over the TV, his goofy expressions when he tries his hardest to lift my spirits, his annoyance when I ask him to hold my hand right before we walk in a door and he has to maneuver himself to get us both inside as a human chain because I wanted him to hold me, his passion when I ask him to play music and he jumps right on SoundCloud to school me, and his extremely pale skin that challenges mine for the whitest person ever in July.

But this is my summer. People like to say they love being single because they have the freedom to be themselves. But I think the most incredible thing is being able to be in a positive relationship that you are always able to strive to be better for yourself and for your partner. It is not that I cannot be alone, it is that for the past three years I have chosen not to be, because being with Nick is better. I like how we spend our days - sometimes doing absolutely nothing, sometimes doing more than we should. In the end, things are not perfect because we are not perfect people. We fight a lot, but when it comes down to it, I know he is on my side and I am on his.

This summer spent apart has been eye-opening for me. I have been able to throw myself into my internship at Washingtonian Magazine and thrive. I have been able to spend quality time with my best friend, her fiancé, and their little bundle of joy. I have been able to practice my photography more than ever before. I have been able to spend more time with the person I sometimes forget I need to spend time with: myself.

23 more days and I will be reunited with the love of my life. 23 days can't go by fast enough.