This means war.

I stared down at the glass container with an aggravated frown. Two left. I did the calculations and assessed that I use one each morning, and he uses two. Which meant when he woke up, he would use the last two in the jar.

And probably leave it empty.

I crossed my arms in silent defiance and refused to cave and refill the container. It was my silent declaration of Q-tip war.

I arrived home from work later that evening, anxious to see the enemy's move.

Ah, just as I predicted: he left it empty.

I mean, I get it. Six feet is a backbreaking distance from the bottom cupboard to have to bend down bi-monthly, pluck a handful of misdirected cotton swabs, stand back upright and place them in the glass container. I can see how it's a struggle.

I stood staring at the container again, hand on hips, and frowned for a minute.

Then I thought about how he had made dinner every night this week, mowed the lawn, and prepared my coffee when he had to leave for work at 2am to work the night shift.

So I bent down, plucked a handful of misdirected cotton swabs out of the bin, stood upright and placed them back in the glass container, with an amused grin on my face.

Relationships are about compromise, right?

Two roads diverged in a wood

I woke in the middle of the night in the freezing cold tent, K curled up in the warm blankets like a drunk burrito. My hand immediately went to my stomach as the pain seared through my gut.

Guess burgers from Walmart weren't the best idea.

My eyes opened wide as I realized the urgency of my situation.

Frantically, I grasped for my pajama pants and clumsily fumbled for the zipper on the door. There was no time to find my glasses, but I remembered my way to the bathroom. As I stumbled down the dirt road past dark and quiet tents, I weaved and bobbed my way down the road, guided only by moonlight.

I made it safely to my destination and back out into the road again, where I suddenly came to a dead stop. The trees were a dark blur, and I developed a sense of vertigo in no small part brought on by the 10 beers I had consumed by the fire earlier.

Which way was the tent?? I squinted frantically, searching the skyline as as panic set in. I should have taken the extra minute to find my damn glasses. Or grab my cell phone to call for help, although that wouldn't have even helped since we had no service.

I started walking in the direction I thought I remembered the tent being. After tripping on several tree trunks and almost falling on my ass, I made it back to the tent.

But I'll tell you two things ill never do when camping again: forget my glasses, or eat burgers from Walmart.

Photo Shoot

I clutched my bags and stared up with glowing eyes as I took in the sights and sounds of the city. People streamed around me, talking on the phone, drinking coffee, rushing home from a long day of work in the city. They all looked tired and disillusioned, and my childlike excitement gleamed in stark contrast. But I didn't care that I stood out, considered a "country girl". My heart was exploding with pride, I had just finished art directing my first photo shoot. I thought back to my days at Cosmo, and all the scary choices I'd made between then and now. 6 years ago I moved to NY, leaving everything I'd known, and 3 months ago, I quit a job I'd been at for 5 years for the unknown.

Even this morning, as I made my way to a studio I'd never been before, to meet a photographer I had never worked with and actual stylists. Would they be bitches? Should I act like I knew what I was doing? But I didn't. I swallowed my pride, asked questions, and marveled at how so many talented people could come together and bring a vision to life.

We were shooting drinks and a very expensive necklace for an opening spread in one of our magazines, and I spent much of the day staring at the half-million dollar necklace lying nonchalantly next to a stack of napkins on the table. I wanted to put it on so badly, but the grown up in me thought better of it.

The day went smoothly, and as I walked out of the studio, i couldn't keep the grin from spreading across my face. Tears brimmed in my eyes as I realized that I finally, FINALLY found my dream job. And all of the scary choices I've made have begun to pay off.