Six years. Honestly, writing the title of this blog post made it feel so much more real. There are days when six years make total sense. And then there are days where I can’t believe that it’s been that long. Jon and I have been through so much together, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I was surprised when I polled you all on Instagram stories that one of the things you want to hear more of is my relationship. But it makes sense because Jon is such an integral part of my life. So here it goes, six years of my relationship summed up in one post.
IN THE BEGINNING
Jon and I met while living in Colorado Springs, CO six years ago. I was there training for competitive ice dance, and he was in the Army.
Believe it or not, we actually met on Tinder. It was in the very early days of the app, and both of us were on it for fun with no intention of meeting up with anyone. We ended up agreeing to meet for coffee at 2pm on a Saturday. Jon was convinced he was going to get catfished, and almost left before I showed up.
DEPLOYMENT
Three months into our relationship, Jon deployed to Afghanistan. Neither of us were prepared to be in this long distance relationship, but we also knew it wasn’t worth letting go. We often talk now about why the deployment so early in our relationship worked. A large part of it was that we were both so focused on what we were doing. I was at the height of my training, preparing to head to the US Championships, and he was in a war zone.
If either of us hadn’t had such major life focus at the time, I’m not sure things would have worked the way they did. At the time, while our relationship was important, it was always just a little behind our careers.
COLORADO TO NEW YORK
Jon and I spent another year or so in Colorado while he finished up his time in the Army and I finished up college at the University of Colorado in Boulder. My figure skating career had come to a screeching halt (read more about that here). Jon was my rock and support through one of the toughest times in my life.
When Jon’s time in the Army finished, he ended up moving back to New York for work. I stayed in Colorado for a few months after graduation, until I was able to find a job at an advertising agency in New York. At this time, I moved to the city and moved in with Jon. It felt like our real life had begun.
NEW YORK TO AMSTERDAM
Jon and I spent nearly two years in New York. It was and still is one of my favorite cities. I treasure the time that we had there. It was a real growing experience in our relationship because from here on out all our major life decisions would be made as a team.
Which is why in March of 2017, Jon shared the news with me that his company wanted him to move to Amsterdam at the end of summer. We had both known it was an eventual possibility, but didn’t expect it so soon. We made the decision as a team. I had an amazing job in New York and wasn’t ready to leave the city. But I also couldn’t give up a chance at this life adventure.
TODAY
Jon and I have officially been in Amsterdam for a year and a half. We’ve been building a wonderful life together and going on so many adventures. If you’ve been following along, you know that the last year was rough for me since I was out of a job for six months. But it just showed me once again how I have such an amazing support system in Jon.
WHAT’S NEXT
There are a lot of unknowns in our future. Jon’s contract wraps up at the end of the year, and we aren’t really sure what that means. Will we be moving back to the states? Staying here? Going somewhere else? Only time will tell. But the one thing I know will be constant is Jon and this relationship. We’ve built something so good. Of course we have the occasional disagreement, but I couldn’t have picked a better partner.
Here’s to six years and a lifetime more.
