Life is beyond stressful sometimes right now.  With Mark and I both graduating in May, not only is the job hunt on, but so is the process of making sure that our" separate lives" come together in three months.  After over a year of distance, we are both very ready for it to end.  The struggle right now is us both finding jobs that we will love, or help us advance our career goals in the same city.   It sounds easy, but it's not.

I'm probably untraditional when it comes to the whole marriage / relationship thing.  Poor Mark has been blessed with someone is not very good at the "homemaker" things.  I don't cook.  I don't get joy of out cleaning. And my idea of ironing is throwing the clothes in the dryer.  Sad, I know.  On top of my lack of household skills, I want a career that at first will require long hours, weekends, and even some traveling.  What makes it hard, is that getting into sports information / administration is not a general field.  It is very, very specific.  And, also very competitive.  The jobs that are available for me are in college towns scattered across the US, where as Mark's job opportunities lie in more metropolitan areas.  Of course there a lot of colleges in Nashville, Atlanta, and the areas we would love to live; but it seems these universities don't have any internships or available right now. My lack experience makes it harder for me to be picky about where I take a job too, considering I will only have 4 months of sports information experience when I graduate and most schools want at least one or two. That's why I have to look for a post-graduate internship and make almost nothing!  Oh dear...

 We only live once. And, life is short.  I want so much for Mark & I to be able to pursue not only our dreams as a couple, but our dreams as individuals.   It's such a hard balance to find. Mark's dreams are my dreams, and vice versa.  One of the blessing of being in such a wonderful relationship is having the unconditional support of someone who truly cares about you.  I know that if the job hunt gets stressful, or interviews don't go well and I get discouraged, Mark will be there to pick me up and push me along.  And, I hope I can do the same for him.   I know that both of us are willing to make sacrifices for each other, but everyday as I check my e-mail for responses to my job hunt, I hope and pray that something will come up for me in a city where Mark has opportunities also.  I don't want to have Mark follow me to a city where he doesn't have  the same career opportunities, and I know that he doesn't want to do that to me either.  

The thing is, I know my life wouldn't be the life I want without Mark in it.  I was reminded today through one of my favorite singer/songwriters, that although our careers and goals are very important, so is experiencing life with the person you love.  The song is by Joe Purdy, and it's called Mary May & Bobby.   It's a beautiful song that talks about letting the one you love go to "fly away" and experience life and pursue your own dreams.  As years go by though, and goals are check off, at the end of all the dreams come true, Mary May finds herself alone... I don't want to give it all away, so close your eyes and listen to it.  Click here to listen and enjoy the story of Mary May & Bobby.  I hope that it reminds you that success is nothing, if you don't have someone to share it with.   That vacations and travels, aren't nearly as fun without someone along for the ride.   Sometimes life surprises us, and the things that we thought we wanted, really aren't what we NEED. I believe that we need love.  And that we need to pursue our dreams and our goals. But I know that just as I have dreams of a career, I have personal dreams of my life with Mark.

I'm so thankful everyday that I have Mark.  I have hope that Mark & I will find that balance between personal goals and our relationship goals.  I believe that we can have careers, along with the old city home (still working on that one with him) with three dogs running around enjoy this life TOGETHER.  Although I'm finding this job hunt difficult with two people, it's completely worth it.  I know that life without the ones you love, is no life at a