Reality is beginning to sink in.

Brian receives orders next month. We're moving in August. Oh. my. god.

I've tried to not get my hopes up for my favorite cities (Boston and DC), but it's hard to not dream about living in those places and being young and wild in a brand new fabulous city. I'm trying to keep my mind open about the locations he requested, but I'm not perfect and I have my biases.

• Favorite locations: anywhere along the continental U.S. coast line. New England cities were our top picks, but the Gulf and the lower west coast would be fine by me.
• Not so favored: Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia, Tennessee, etc.
  

Before anyone accuses me of making uninformed judgment about the south, allow me to share that I have both lived in and traveled in southern states in the past. I won't try to defend my hesitation and unease with living in regions that still fly confederate flags and believe it's fine to have segregated high school proms. Call me a typical Californian, but I'd feel more comfortable standing on a street in Oakland at night than I would sitting in an upscale restaurant in Mobile. To each their own.

I've slowly begun sharing the news of my impending move with friends, family and even a select few coworkers. I worried that I'd be met with skepticism and doubt, but I found that everyone supported me wholeheartedly. Most of the people I care about have met Brian, and all have expressed confidence in the stability and strength of our relationship. That support is a huge help in calming my nerves. I'm simultaneously thrilled and terrified at the same time.

Logistically, there are a million tiny things to worry about. I've already begun preparing my résumé, and that in itself is a daunting task because I've learned and accomplished so much in the past 2 years. I've crossed content management platforms three times, designed and conceptualized several special projects and sites, and landed myself a job in the most precariously successful field of journalism - online.

Moving is a fine but chaotic art of strategy of organization, so I'm probably going to call Brian's mom for tips and help in tackling our townhouse. She has moved her family cross country 5 times, along with their move to South Korea in the 90's. Brian himself will be underway the entire summer, so it looks like the majority of packing, cleaning and preparing will be done by me - alone. I'm probably going to try to host a beer and pizza party to solicit help with painting the walls white again, but luckily Brian's military contracted movers will handle the majority of our furniture and boxes.

I'm already flustered, isn't that ridiculous?