So we made it to Texas. Holy crap was that a long drive............9.5 hours the first day. 10 the second day, and 5.5 the third day. I never want to drive again. Ever. But we're here. Well, technically we made it on July 11th, but I needed some time to unpack, decompress, and sleep, which is why my writing has been on hiatus for a bit. For the love of God.........sleep............it's such a wonderful thing. I've been missing it SO badly for the past month or so. But we're here...........and it's beautiful. The condo is exactly like the pictures and the pool that always feels like bath water is a two minute walk away. There are palm trees everywhere and the beach is within walking distance. There's a catch though..........turns out the beaches in Laguna Vista and Port Isabel aren't for swimming and such -- they're for fishing. So we can technically walk to the beach, but not the right kind of beach. So we have to drive a whole 25 minutes to get to the beaches on South Padre Island. Ugh. Life is so hard. (*sigh*) If you want to punch me right now, I totally understand. I'm not really whining about having to drive to the beach, just for the record. I just felt like being an a-hole. A 25 minute drive is freakin' awesome. And we're finally going to go to the beach today. Yay! If you still want to punch me, I also understand. I think this is where I say "neener neener neener." Or something to that effect. Everyone has been incredibly nice and hospitable so far. Our neighbors are great and everyone in our community waves at you, even if they don't know you. Things also seem to be slower paced down here, which is actually a really nice change. The stress of the constant "go, go, go" mentality was starting to wear on me. Granted, we've only been down here for 2 weeks, but the vibe is just different. You can feel it. It's nice. So while I'm looking for work, I'm getting back on the exercise train and enjoying the sun. I fell off that train so hard while we were packing and moving. I think I gained about 10 pounds through everything. Stress, fast food, not enough time for exercise, and drinking with friends................I drank more beer during the month leading up to moving than I have in a long, LONG time. Case and point, I am certainly not beach ready. But I feel like I'm sort of on vacation at the moment, so I don't care. Everyone will just have to deal with my extra 10 pounds and my pasty northern ass. Imma enjoy the beach in my bikini as I please -- thank you very much. I actually have already lost a few pounds since we've been here, but it's probably just the sun zapping my water weight, which is cool. Regardless -- definitely getting back on the exercise train. Woof. Fun thing I discovered................ Want to know how to make an already needy dog even needier? Move. But before you officially move, confuse the hell out of him by crashing at a friend's place for a few days, then going to a cottage on the lake, then to your future in-laws' place, then to your parents' house for a week. But if you REALLY want to top it off, put him in a car for 3 days, sprinkle a couple hotels in there, and then stick him in an unfamiliar place with crunchy grass and palm trees. BOOM. Needy dog becomes the neediest of all dogs. Mozzie is my freakin' shadow. I can't pee without him following me into the bathroom. If I try to go without him, he scratches at the door and whines. If I leave for an hour to exercise..........oh my god........the way he acts when I come back.......you would think he'd been alone the entire day. It's insane. He's real cute, and I love him to death, but he's definitely confirmed that I am not ready for children anytime soon. Whoa. I digress. Anyhow............more on Texas later. Imma go to the beach, son! Jamie out. This is the front of our condo. There is a palm tree right outside the front door. It's awesome.
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I. Hate. Moving. More specifically I hate physically packing and moving. I actually really enjoy unpacking and getting settled in a new place, but the whole packing and schlepping of things leading up to it? Ugh. Hate it. I like things a certain way, but it would take epically longer to pack everything to my OCD standards. So some things are sort of organized, but the rest of it is just shoved into boxes and bags and I have no idea where about 90% of my stuff is. Hate. It. Seriously, I've been so tired and stressed lately that I feel like I sound like Gollum when I talk about it...... But for real......I hate moving. After running through the list, I've figured out that I've moved 21 times in the past decade. Don't believe me? Check this out: 1) Fall 2006 -- Moved into freshman dorm 2) Summer 2007 -- Moved out of dorm and back home 3) Fall 2007 -- Moved into sophomore dorm 4) Summer 2008 -- Moved out of dorm and back home
6) Summer 2009 -- Moved out of apartment and back home 7) 1 week later -- Moved into friend's house for the remainder of summer 8) Late August 2009 -- Move back home 9) Fall 2009 -- Moved to NYC for internship 10) Winter 2009 -- Moved back home 11) Winter 2009 -- Moved into off-campus apartment with friends 12) Summer 2010 -- Moved back home 13) Summer 2010 -- Moved into friend's house 14) December 2010 -- Moved into Clintonville townhouse 15) March 2013 -- Moved in with Will (Campus apartment) 16) Summer 2013 -- Moved into Millersport apartment temporarily 17) August 2013 -- Moved to Nashville 18) August 2014 -- Moved back into Millersport apartment 19) August 2015 -- Moved into Worthington condo 20) June 2016 -- Moved out of Worthington condo (currently in limbo with family) 21) SOON -- Move to condo in Laguna Vista Some of you may not consider the moves in and out of dorms "real moves," but I do. It's amazing what you can cram into those small spaces............I still had to pack and schlep each time, so therefore it was a "move." That list was fascinating, wasn't it? Regardless.................since the place we're moving into is already furnished, we've taken this opportunity to purge. We've been hanging on to SO many things we don't use, don't need, or have kept for reasons we can't even remember. Papers, old clothes, knick knacks, certain kitchen things I never use...........just things that waste space. We have had a giant box of miscellaneous cords for probably 3 years. To my knowledge we haven't used any of the cords in that box for the entirety of those 3 years. We have like 5 coax cables.......why??? We haven't had cable in like 4 years. There are old apple cords that don't fit any of the devices we have...........and so many freaking AV cables that we will never use, it's ridiculous. We've just schlepped the box from apartment to apartment -- from Columbus to Millersport, to Nashville, back to Millersport, and back to Columbus. USELESS. I have absolutely no idea why we've kept even half of what's in there. So we've donated as many things as possible, and sold things and thrown out the rest. We still have a decent amount of stuff, but it feels really good to "lighten the load," so to speak. It's forced me to be really honest with myself about what I actually use and what I've been holding onto for no good reason. It's been freeing. I think life is kind of like that in general. Sometimes we hold onto things (and people) for no good reason. I'm not advocating that you purposefully burn bridges or tell everyone to go screw themselves.........but some things and people are toxic, and it's not healthy to hang onto them. Sort of like that saying, "The hardest thing in life is learning which bridge to cross and which to burn." I'm happy, and my path in life -- although kind of squirrelly -- is the path I was supposed to take............but that doesn't mean that I haven't picked up clutter along the way. There is physical clutter in my life, but also emotional and mental clutter. Sometimes spring cleaning needs to go beyond our homes and physical belongings. I'm ready to burn down some stuff in my life and start fresh. And I don't mean that I'm going to leave with middle fingers raised -- it's not like that. I just need to lighten the load in many ways and free myself from not only the burdens others have placed on me, but those ones I've placed on myself. So even though I hate packing and moving, this is the perfect time to not only purge the physical clutter in my life, but start to let go of the toxic things in my life that have been holding me back. We're not even done moving yet and I already feel a little lighter. It's freeing. Texas here we come. |
JamieI'm an "adult," or so I've been told. I do "adult" things, I have an "adult" job, I pay bills, and I drink bourbon and wine. I have great friends and family, an amazing husband, and generally a pretty good life. I have achieved many things, yet so little at the same time. I'm in my 30s, yet I feel more clueless than when I graduated college. This is how I "adult." Archives
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