Your'e never going to know all the answers.

Hey there Loves, Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was a great one, I know it was for my fellow New Yorkers as our beloved New York Football Giants will be making their way to the Superbowl, how very exciting! Because of the time difference Kyle and I couldn't watch the game, so it was a really nice surprise when we woke up to see that the Giants were victorious, it's the little things like a football team winning a game that can make you feel closer to home and proud to be (for us at least) New Yorkers. 

Photo compliments of my cousin, Sammy Long.

Today is a special day in my life, it's my brother Brendan's birthday. Now if you grew up with Brendan and I you would know one thing, we used to fight like cats and dogs on a daily routine, my poor sister and parents (haha). I felt like he thought I was always his 12 year old little sister and he thought I was always his 12 year old little sister, you could now understand the battle. We annoyed each other, picked on each other and were just plain mean to each other at times, oh sibling love! However, over this past year, my relationship with my brother drastically changed. I think it began when we started commuting into Manhattan together, everyday we learned a little more about each other and who we really were, for example he knew I needed to be off the first one off the ferry in the morning and I knew that pissed him off (haha). 


We both experienced big things over the last year as well, we both moved. He moved across the country to Portland, Oregon and then back to New York, while I moved to Greece, then moved out of my parents house in New York and then to France. I think over that time, our respect for each other grew tremendously. This past summer when we both moved back to New York and found ourselves commuting into Manhattan together again it was very comforting, a routine I believe we both missed, which as I sit here in France I can say I miss terribly and look forward to doing it again in the future. 


I am extremely proud of the man my brother has become, in this last year alone he got a huge position at a company, which was the reason he moved back to New York and he also became a father, an amazing one at that. I can't tell you how many people after seeing Brendan with his son say to me, "He's a great dad, I hope I can be that way when I have kids." That's something he should be extremely proud of, I know I am. 


Maybe it took me 26 years to realize how great a guy my brother is and maybe it took him 32 years to realize that I may be his kid sister but I'm not a baby anymore. No matter how long it took, I'm happy we are at the place we are today, sharing commutes, Sunday Brunches and random weeknight dinners. I'm also so lucky that he chose an amazing woman to be his wife, who I look to as another big sister and feel so lucky and blessed to have in my life. So happy birthday Brendo, have an amazing day and Starbucks is on me when I get home. Love you!

Me, My brother Brendan and My Sister Becky this past Summer in Long Beach Island.

As of late, the manfriend and I have been talking a lot about the future and our plans. This can get a bit challenging because just like myself, my guy has many interests, so when it comes to deciding what to really focus on, it can get a little hazy. We know the life we are living now isn't going to last forever, so it is important that we have a "plan". Part of me believes in plans, while the pessimist inside says, "No matter how many plans you make, you really can't predict the future and what is to come." I do know one thing is for sure, the day our feet are settled on American soil will be a day I will treasure forever. 

Now let me be clear when I say, I do not hate Europe, Kyle and I have had the chance to experience and are still experiencing so many amazing things, to be able to see the world has always been a dream of mine and we are getting the chance to do that. However, at the end of the day Europe isn't home. For two people who are complete homebodies, I have to say I am so proud of us and what we are doing. I know Kyle wants a life in the States as well, so it is a constant conversation we have. Where do you want to settle down, what are our options, what would make you most happy. 

That's where today's quote comes in, I'm telling you there really is a quote for everything you are going through in life. I found this quote while reading Bethenny Frankel's, A Place of Yes, which is an absolute must read. This quote is about life and how it can be a complete mystery but that can't stop you from living it. You are never going to fully know the outcome but you can't be afraid to get in there and try. What's the worst that can happen, you fail, maybe or you might find exactly where you belong. I know Kyle and I have to stop worrying as much as we do about the future and trust our guts and mainly our hearts which have led us on one amazing journey thus far. We need to realize that we are in this together, which makes the scariness fade away knowing that we are never going into something alone. Life can get bumpy but you just have to trust the process. 

Enjoy and have a great Monday!

Life is a mystery sometimes, and not knowing all the answers is exactly why you can stumble right into the life that's meant for you in a way you could never have planned out in a million years.

-Bethenny Frankel, A Place of Yes