Writing in Pencil: Being Known + More Apartment Photos

Is there anything better than being known and understood, and still being loved in spite of all that understanding? I don't think there is.

I'm a perfectly imperfect person, but there have been a few experiences lately that I want to remember because they made me feel so understood and so loved.

This past weekend, one of Mike's grandmas quietly said to him: "I think Kelsey is a person who needs to eat regularly. Make sure she gets some food." I had started to feel sick after graduation and being in the heat all day and, after she said this, I realized I'd not eaten since breakfast. I always feel like I know how I'm feeling, but his grandma was able to recognize why I was feeling sick before I was and that stood out to me as a wonderful feeling.
Mike and I went to a Children of Eden concert at the Kennedy Center this past Monday evening and, although I know I had very limited exposure to musical theatre when I first met him, I felt like our experience was very much a joint one. We are moved in similar ways in the music, if that makes sense and we have a shared appreciation for the experience. He can tell when a particular song makes me want to cry and I can tell when a note makes him grimace inside, even though nothing shows physically. (Btw, Children of Eden was awesome and we are now HUGE fans of Jeremy Jordan and Ashley Brown.)
My coworkers and I often have de-briefing meetings where we often coach each other through specific experiences in our lives. During yesterday's meeting, I chose to share an experience that made me feel very vulnerable and was instantly met with my coworkers sharing she'd had the same experience before. My vulnerability and honesty was instantly met with assurance and acceptance and I knew there was a reason I felt led to share with them.
Anytime I text Kelly anything starting with "This is going to sound crazy, but....." and she automatically responds with listening, understanding, and a Grey's or The Hills (shows that we 'grew up' to during our college days) reference that could not express better exactly how I feel.
I work in education and my sorority Little (who is getting married this summer) is a special education teacher. We talked recently and were both trying to describe how we feel working in schools towards the end of the semester, but we didn't need to use any real words besides..."yeah...it's THAT feeling".
My sister Kim can nail down what I'm trying to explain to her before I've even found the words to express it (and I go through a LOT of words in the meantime). I hope she goes into counseling work one day.
In general, whenever I'm around Mike's family, I feel as understood and uninhibited as I do around my own. There is lots of love and a lot of laughs and a lot of 'warmth'. I think I feel this more strongly because my extended family is very small. I only have one grandma left who I am close to. I'm so thankful for my time with his family from this past weekend.

Now, more future apartment photos...