I woke up two weeks ago today and was not only one year older but a California resident. After living my entire life in Massachusetts, I had been feeling for several years that I needed a "big change", something to shake things up.
I tried changing roommates/apartments, switching jobs/careers and relationships versus dating. None of those were big enough. Until, one day I was sitting in a coffee shop and happened to sit next to a man whom I would eventually fall in love with and move across the country for.
One year prior, trying to find this change, I had flown out to visit friends in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA to see if they were places I might want to live. I felt restless. I checked out different areas of town with my friends, restaurants, museums and of course, looked at the available guys.
While Portland was cute, it was too small for me and a bit "crunchy". Seattle was very outdoorsy and had some great restaurants/neighborhoods (and better guy potential). There were actually some high school friends there who I hadn't seen since then that showed me around. I might have moved there but something stopped me. It was probably the lack of cash or a well thought out plan.....or something else entirely. Instead, I ended up changing jobs and industries yet again.
Which brings me back to the coffee shop. I had realized that in order to meet people I actually had to leave the house and realize. No one was going to come knocking on my door. I worked at a bio-tech with 25 other people. Any eligible men were too old or too young. It was near nothing so meeting someone while at lunch was out (that is if I ever left my desk). So, most weekends could find me reading a book or on my laptop at a coffee shop in Harvard Square, Cambridge.
This particular weekend of which I speak was like most others. I was at my favorite coffee shop in Harvard Sq., Crema Cafe. The long table in front of the windows is the only place you can get a wifi signal. It was full so I sat at another table behind it. I saw this guy make a move like he was putting something in his bag so I asked if he was leaving, (he likes to remind me often that those were the first words I said to him), he said no. He must have been getting something out of his bag, my bad.
About 10 minutes later the girl next to him gets up and leaves so I snag her spot. He's cute, I hadn't really noticed before. He's obviously studying something intently. I think to myself, "Great, he's probably still in college, ugh". My friends would laugh at this since I've been called a Puma/Cougar, etc. He looked early to mid-twenties which would be too young (for a serious relationship) since I was in my mid-thirties. So I decide to start a conversation and see if my guess was right.
There was a paperback next to his textbook so I asked about that to start. We would chat for a few minutes then go back to our own work. Then we talked about what he was studying, medicine. I think, "Great, he's still in medical school, Harvard Medical School but still too young." Then he mentions his residency. Whew! He's out of medical school. So I not so subtly ask how long his career path takes and how long he's been doing it. I start to add up the years and figure he should be about 30. Bingo!
We talk on and off for about three hours, longer each time. Finally, I suggest we go get some ice cream, I'm not exactly shy if you haven't figured that one out. It's late July, the 26th to be exact, and we talk and walk around Harvard Sq. for another hour and before saying goodbye, I give him my name and phone number. He friends me on Facebook the next day and asks me out to dinner. The rest is history and I am now living with him in California while he does his Fellowship at Stanford. He's originally from California. I'm not sure if I can ever get him to go back to the East Coast with those long Winters.
I never would have thought that I would follow a boy anywhere, much less across the country. But he's not a boy, he's a man. I am so lucky to have sat next to him that day, I'd follow him anywhere. But don't tell him that.
We left Florence on Tuesday and got to Rome that afternoon. We are staying in a cute B&B near Piazza Republica called Gulliver's Lodge. The owner, Mary, is very helpful and serves us breakfast on a tray in our room every morning. Each room is decorated with a different color. First we were in a green room but the Wed. morning, some people left and because we're staying 4 nights, she upgraded us to a larger room that is red and orange with a tub (most rooms have shower stalls).
Mary, the B&B keeper, had given us a nice walk to follow so we followed it and took pictures and took a few wrong turns and saw some ruins and ended up at the Piazza del Quirinale. I said to Kei, "Why does that guard have a machine gun and why are there so many Carabinieri around?" We found out that it is the presidential palace and we were just walking about the piazza, unaware, snapping photos of a fountain.
We continued on our merry way and stopped to have dinner at a tiny restaurant on a side street near the Quirinale. After dinner we went to the Trevi Fountain to toss a coin in and wish for our return to Rome. Then we took some photos from the top of the Spanish Steps.
Yesterday, we went to the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's Basilica and Castel Sant' Angelo (from Angels & Demons). The Vatican Museum has some amazing art (about 4 miles of it). We had some fun taking photos on the repeating columns outside St. Peter's.
