Every love gone wrong is one step closer to your own true love- Unknown

Part of life is the dating game. When we're young it's fun and carefree, like the game Sorry. We try to make it around but someone always sends us back to start. We get over the breakups and look back years later thinking "What in the world was I thinking back then?!?!". In college the game turns more like the game Life. We go to college and get our degree and date with a little bit more seriousness so we can find our blue/pink peg to sit in that car next to us. For some, they finish Life and that is pretty awesome for them. Then there are those of us that decide to skip over Life and go for Risk. We try to get our lives in order and if the other person doesn't want to come with us then we obliterate them. Sometimes we get hurt along the way but we get back up and keep going. In the end, we'll eventually end up on top and maybe the other player will be an ally instead of an enemy.

Risk is the route I seemed to have taken. I continuously move and date and make up and break up. The last breakup kind of hit me hard because of the length of the relationship. In some ways it really tore me up. I felt like I had lost a huge part of who I am and I wasn't sure I'd find someone who would understand why I react certain ways in certain situations. I feel pretty confident when I say I think I just lucked out.

I think I found someone who may not necessarily understand my feelings but he respects them. This past weekend really showed that. He didn't get mad at me or tell me I was acting like a silly girl. Instead he just said he was sorry and hoped that we could move forward and it's ok for me to just let out my thoughts but I shouldn't always expect a response. I'm ok with that, which is a huge step forward for me. I felt so much better after that. I feel like I can go out to Washington knowing that things are working out.

That being said- The real test will be when I bring Jake back to Kansas with me for Labor Day weekend. He will have to don a purple K-State shirt (yes, Julie got Jake and me matching shirts) and cheer on the Wildcats. He will get grilled by Chris and Julie (ok, mostly Julie and probably Belle). He will get slobbered on by Sassy. If he can survive that he can survive anything. He has already earned some points by accepting my MINI obsession, laughing at my silliness, doing his best to catch me before I face plant into the ground, and shaking his head with a small smile while I make my lists, refuse to start my shopping down a middle aisle, and frantically rearrange the groceries so like items go together. Yea, I definitely got lucky with that...