Spring Break Countdown .

Some schools are (amazingly) already having their spring break. Perhaps Clemson is just an anomaly  just like for other holidays. Most other holidays we either have no day off at all or a shortened day or something like that. But never have we ever had a winter break that was just shy of five weeks. This year, I'll be visiting my girlfriend in Naple, FL. Let's juist say, the countdown is now under two weeks, and I'm definitely counting down the days! It'll be great to spend some time with her; by the time we see each other it will have been almost 8 months! Honestly I don't mind having a later spring break. Just means that there is less time after that before the end of the year!

Merry Christmas .

Christmas went swimmingly. Gave some cool stuff, got some cool stuff, drank some 'nog, drank some Bailey's, ate desserts and had a wonderful dinner. Had the girlfriend over, enjoyed the tree, relaxed all day and watched movies. Here's to hoping all of your days went great as well! Happy Christmas!

The Comforts of Home .

Well, the semester is over, the exams all taken, and I did quite well for the semester; we already got all our grades back. I'm happy, and though the drive home took us longer than anticipated (we wanted to take some time on the drive up to drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway) we made it all the way in one day. We, meaning my brother and I, because he is now in college, going to Virginia Tech, and thus the exit off of I-81 for his school is literally on my way home. It's not a short drive, 750 miles if you take all highways. Since we meandered around a bit, probably was more like 8 or 900.

advice for the LDR enthusiast .

Long distance relationships are not easy. But there are things you can do to make them easier... much easier. And so, given that I've been experiencing these things firsthand, I thought it would be nice to share them.

Greenville and a lunch .

So I'm behind on writing these, but it matters not. On Saturday Courtney and I made our way to Greer to visit my boss, Carl T. Smith. Carl actually is an author, and I do some marketing and PR work for him. I knew he'd been wanting to get together, so this was a perfect opportunity for him to not only meet my woman, but to go into downtown Greenville and visit Falls Park. It just so happened Greenville was having their Fall Festival that day, so Main St. was closed and there were people a-plenty.

2 month success !

On Thursday, Courtney came down! It's the first time that we had seen each other in two months. It was truly incredible that the time felt like it took forever, but at the same time that it went very quickly. It's great that we were able to make it this far and I'm really proud of us! Each day may have been a challenge, but we were able to get through it and not worry about anything. The most amazing part? We haven't really fought about anything. One of her major concerns was that if we fought about things we would give up valuable time to talk or what have you. But we've been able to always keep a cool head and just calmly talk about it until we've worked everything out. Yes, some disagreements carried more weight, but that's to be expected.

saying goodbye .

Saying goodbye is one of the hardest things to do. When you meet someone you really click with, and that you really enjoy spending time with, it's even harder. It's easy to say that you'll be okay and all will be well when you meet again. But it is easier said than done. That last hug, that final kiss... it's so hard knowing that this is the last time you'll have that luxury for several months.

first kiss .

It was a date for that night, and I was a wreck
And by that I mean my heart was aflutter
Was hoping I wouldn't miss or stutter
Or embarrass myself because I was so nervous

pure kindness .

It's been awhile since I've been back home, and actually hung out with old friends. I did that tonight, and it was nice. But what has struck me lately is a sort of attitude change that was in my friends. They seem different. Or maybe, I'm the different one. Maybe I've been a better person lately. Either way, there is a noticeable abundance of kindness, selflessness and generosity from these people.

right in front of you .

I feel like a lot of girls are always looking for that perfect guy, always looking for someone special, always looking for someone to not just take their breath away in some sort of fantasy, but to be a realistic and practical person; an all around good person. Why is it that they are always looking? I think that girls are more prone to want to be with someone than guys are. That's my theory, anyway. Granted, I may not be grouped in with the male majority -- I am a huge fan of relationships. I think it's a wonderful opportunity to be able to exclusively share your life with someone, and over time build an incredible emotional relationship with someone. But that's another subject -- we're talking about the people who are always looking.