Has it been a while, old friend? You have to forgive me for this lull, because you see, we have been on a journey, her and I. And, here I’ve arrived again, to share with you, the things we’ve seen, the experiences we’ve had, and the places we’ve been to.

She came back at the end of February. We spent months apart, oceans apart, and continents apart. We celebrated her birthday apart, new year’s day apart, and valentine’s day apart. She was in Australia, then Bali, then Singapore, and then in the UK. And I was in Slab City, Joshua Tree, New York City, and San Diego. The distance between us was enormous. Throughout this whole time, we were there for each other, in the absence of Brad. There were rough minutes, hours, and days, when it seemed inevitable that there was going to be a breakdown between us. After all, we had only been together for a few months, and our close friend who brought us together, had decided to peace out. It would’ve been easy for that to be the end. But, we persevered. We persisted. We loved. Because, that’s what people, in love do. From November to February, we loved each other from far away, sending our care, admiration, respect, and adoration for each other through time zones, mountains, oceans, and deserts. And then, we reunited.

After her arrival, we traveled. We made up for lost times. We went to New Orleans. We saw Mardi Gras. We feasted in alcohol and meat and King cakes. We drank. It was a festival in gluttony. But, we also walked…a lot. We walked through the streets of New Orleans during the day, and during the night. We saw the sun, and paid for it through our sweats, and then enjoyed the moonlight in the evening, the cool breeze cooling the same sweats. We met travelers from Canada, Germany, Austria, and the UK. And we listened to music, and danced, a lot.

After a week, we continued our trek, and ended up in Puerto Rico. This has been my favorite place in the world, my escape from the mainland. Soon, it also became hers. We frolicked on the beaches on San Juan, Ponce, Rincon, Culebra, and Luquillo. We meditated under the new moon, and the full moon. We said gratitude for our friends and for each other. And, we traveled the whole island. In a tiny car, for eight days, we traveled from San Juan, stopped by the rainforest in El Yunque, spent a night in historic Ponce, and camped by surfy Rincon, with a stop in Culebra for two days. We had the most delicious acai bowls, a swim and yoga session just about every day, and mofongos and dufongos and trifongos to our hearts’ content.

And then, just like that, it was finally time. Time to say goodbye to the place I grew up in. Good-bye, Dallas…my first home in America. Good-bye, Los Angeles, where I went through my adolescence. And good-bye, Bay Area, my home, where I became myself. America, the only place I remember, the place where I have my friends, my education, my family…wasn’t the place for me anymore. It wasn’t the place for us.

One final trek through Minnesota to see Brad’s home, San Diego, Yosemite, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver has led us to Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. You see, we’re island people, and if we have to be in Canada, you can bet on us to find the warmest place, find the island, even here. And, we have. Now, we’re here. Let’s see how this goes.