Today: A preview

Today is going to be an interesting day.

Mostly because I have no idea when I'll actually be leaving the house, and because I have no idea what I'm going to wear. (#girlproblems).  I'm currently sitting here in tights and a soccer sweatshirt, staring at my three outfit options that are all laid out and ready to be tried on, each multiple times.

Tonight is my good friend Joe's Junior Voice Recital. (Click the link to watch it live at 8pm! You won't regret it!) I first conversed with Joe in the summer of 2010 on a message board about our college's theatre department. We found out soon that we were going to be good friends. When I actually met him, we hugged, and I knew it was friendship.
Through Joe, I became good friends with some other guys. All of whom I will see tonight at the recital. My heart is pounding in anticipation, but also part of me is trying to be reserved about the whole thing. Yes, some of these guys I haven't seen since 2011 or 2012 (they all travel a lot...), but I have to keep it real.
Tonight, I'm re-entering the "Bubble." But this time, I'm bringing a huge part of my life with me: my boyfriend. I don't know how to handle this...in a good way and in a bad way.
Seeing people today that I haven't seen in literal months is going to be wonderful for me, but it also has the potential to be bewildering for him. I'm also trying that whole "put yourself in their shoes" thing and remembering the time he first introduced me to all of his friends. I was overwhelmed, to say the very least.
I am excited to share with him the place I called home for 4.5 years. It's kind of a big deal. If I'm being honest, at the beginning of my freshman year of college, I expected to return to school with a guy that I had met there and fell in love with there. Turns out God was like "Just kidding. Here, try [this place] instead." It's going to be so fun to show him the building in which my life was changed forever. The stage where I left so much of myself, night after night. The theatre where I shed happy, stressed out, and emotional tears. To be able to show him a part of my life that he didn't witness will be extremely emotional, but at the same time, it's extremely necessary.

I'm of the belief that each person in a relationship should hold on to their own experiences, hopes/dreams, and passions. These things shouldn't fade away when you meet your significant other. Sure, plans change, but it doesn't mean you have to give up on achieving your goals. If you're in a relationship, and your boyfriend or girlfriend is into something completely different than you, support them. Don't push against their dreams, lift them up, and figure out how you can help each other reach these destinations. In the same vein, the positive influences who have helped shape you into the young adult that you are should not be forgotten. They don't have to become your boyfriend or girlfriend's best friend. But I truly believe that at some point, worlds should collide.

Tonight is going to be so much fun, very emotional (I will be crying a lot), and I'm assuming very eye-opening. I can't wait for my heart to be filled with so much joy that I'll feel like bursting.

I'll keep you posted.
Shine Bright!
-s.