This winter has been tough. The weather has been unbearable and the changes in my life have brought on a lot of stress… Good stress. I have yet to write about it, but in the past few months I have bought a house, moved in with my boyfriend, adopted two puppies, leased a new car (ok, so the car factor isn’t much to stress about) and endured multiple “polar vortexes”.
Without going into details about what a pain in the ASS the house buying process is, I will say that I am a homeowner! I put an offer in on a house back in October, went through the closing process throughout October and November, and was officially a homeowner as of November 22, 2013. The initial plan was for the original owners, now my tenants, to have 90 days occupancy of the house prior to me moving in (around February 7, 2014 was when I’d take possession). I was ok with this because it gave me time to get some things purchased for my new home, and still be able to spend the holidays with my family at their house.
Anybody who knows me well enough knows that I am a person who likes to not only have a plan, but also likes to stick to that plan! It was bittersweet for me when the sellers called me less than 12 hours after closing on the house, to tell me that I could have possession of it in less than 2 weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I was very excited to own my first home, and start in the next new exciting phase of my life. But another part of me was terrified to leave the place that I have called home for 23 years, to start this new adventure.
Joe and I officially moved in on December 14, 2013… Naturally, this would be the day that the first BIG snow storm would hit Michigan (I swear I haven’t seen the grass in my yard since we moved in).
It’s March, and things are now really starting to feel like home. It took me a couple months to get used to being on my own, with Joe, and taking on all sorts of new responsibilities. I would be lying if I said that it wasn’t (emotionally) difficult for me at first. I missed my family, I missed Riley and I was somewhat overwhelmed with the idea of stepping away from my “norms” and creating new routines.
Throughout the past couple months, Joe has really been there for me. He has moved several different times over the course of the past few years, so it didn’t wear on him as much as it did for me. The one mutual thing that was new and different for both of us, was living with our “significant other”. We went from seeing each other several times a week, to always being with one another. I can honestly say that I am really enjoying living with him. We both understand and respect each other’s time, yet still love hanging out when we are home.
Back in January, we adopted two Black Lab Mix puppies from a rescue organization called “Home Fur-Ever”. We named them, Dack and Dexter (they’re brothers). They are about 4 1/2 months now, and truly are great dogs. Joe and I have been working very hard to maintain a strict training plan with them, and I can honestly say it is going very well. They boys were potty trained very quickly, and know their boundaries within the house. Obviously, there is an occasional accident, but that comes with the nature of puppies… they are still babies!
We love our pups, and knew what kind of responsibility and time commitment they were going to be. I would be lying if I did not get stressed out on occasion, but the joy that they bring to our lives is well worth it. We just can’t wait for this damn cold weather to go away, so we can enjoy the outdoors with them…
Which brings me to my next topic… weather. I’m sorry, but FUCK this winter. If anyone is reading this, and is from Michigan or any part of the Midwest/Eastern part of the country, you know that this winter has been the worst in years. The unbearable cold, obnoxious amounts of snow, etc. etc. have put a lot of people into a state of depression. I usually do not hate the winter, but I am not too proud to admit that I have a severe case of the winter blues. I am going to just vent for a second, but I honestly do not remember a winter where I have been more sad, angry and just pissed off about the weather. It is amazing how this awful weather plays into my overall attitude about everything. I have been doing my best to stay busy and positive, but it is hard when it is flat-out miserable to be outdoors. I know I should be positive and happy… I have a new house and new puppies, and a lot of other great things going on… but jeeze, give me some sunshine and a straight week above 40 degrees… ok… that’s enough bitching about the weather!
This post kind of goes against my traditional “inspirational” update… but it’s been awhile since I have written about anything going on my life! This was kind of a way to catch up on the past few months… more to come soon 🙂
Stay warm!