It’s amazing what can change in a short period of time. I’ve been in Texas for a month now. I’ve been at my job for 3 weeks. I’ve gotten my car insurance updated, car inspected, and will be registering it this week. I’ve lived with a friend and moved into my own place. I’ve started over from scratch and thanks to the generosity of my friends and co-workers, I’ve been able to furnish my apt and make it comfortable. I got a library card so that I can have access to books, movies, and cd’s without having to spend any $ on them. I took this past weekend as a chance to relax in my own home and kind of push pause for a day.
There’s generally a lot to process when making a big life change. The funny thing is this doesn’t seem all that big. I moved back to a place that I know and a company that I’ve worked at before. Most of the changes that have been made around here have been positive, and I’m excited about the direction we’re trying to move toward. I’m living alone again and while the apartment isn’t amazingly luxurious, it’s affordable, clean, and comfortable. There is no direct sunlight coming in, which in TX is a VERY good thing, and it’s a quiet apartment complex. They are a little crazy about parking, IMO, but I can live with that for the price I pay. (Seriously, for kicks I was looking at one slightly closer to work but much newer and they want $1500 per month for a one bed, one bath. WTH!?)
My friends helped me move in (one being duped into helping, it seems), and I am eternally grateful to them for that. It was a busy 2 days of carrying things upstairs… thank God it was only one flight – next time, MOVERS. I’d say moving in was super stressful and based on how I felt for the following week, it took quite a toll on my body as well. The thing was in just a weekend I got to see 7 of my favorite humans, have food at my favorite brewhouse AND my favorite Mexican place, and be secure in the knowledge that I made the right decision for myself. Yes, I do miss WY – I miss my family, my adopted families, and my friends. I miss the scenery though I do NOT miss the weather. I miss being able to have lunch with Mom and dinner with Dad and Carole. Living back in R-town wasn’t all THAT bad. However, the people that I’m closest to are in Texas (or come here more often than WY). So, coming back to TX really was more like coming home than being in WY was. I guess being here for 12 years will do that to you.
All in all, I’m happy to be back. I’ve still got a few things to sort out for my apartment, but they are small and mostly cosmetic. My old boss has a dresser for me, and I still need a table and chairs but that’s not a huge deal. There’s some other stuff I’d like to get – displays for my necklaces and earrings comes to mind – but it’s not really a priority. Really, I’m at the point where I’m going to be filling up my fridge and cupboards once I get paid. I did get some frozen pizzas last week and it was nice to be able to use the pizza pan from my childhood again. Also, the stove and dishwasher both work! I think the stove/oven is from the 80’s.
I didn’t have much energy this weekend, but I’m chalking that up to needing to refresh and relax. I did get up early on Saturday to get my inspection, which required also getting 4 new tires, then coming back to actually GET the inspection. It was a busy morning, so I took the rest of the day to rest. My mental state seems to be in a weird place – almost stasis when I don’t have anything to do. I finished one of my books (Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett, a favorite) and started another (Lovecraft Country which looks fun). Adjusting to getting up early hasn’t been as difficult as I thought it would be. During the week I’m up at 6am, have my coffee, out of the house and on the road by 7. I get to work around 8-ish and start my day. I get off around 5ish and head back home, sometimes stopping in Cleburne to get groceries or run thru a drive thru for dinner. I am happy to report that I’m back to ADF and it’s been working as I’m back below a certain weight. I still have 30 to go to goal 1 and 50 to goal 2, but I’m mostly focusing on the fact that I’ve kept 50 from when I started doing IF. Apparently the 2nd 50 just comes and goes as it pleases. I did get down to close to my ultimate goal in Korea (within 10 lbs.), but I think the last 2.5-ish years of being constantly under stress ended up taking a toll. I must give a shout out to my bestie for reminding me about the stress every now and then. I tend to downplay it; she reminds me it’s a thing and has significant effects on the mind and body. I gotta say, the woman has a point.
As I get more settled in to work and the routine of life, I figure I can reassess. In my experience, it takes about 6 months after a huge change to feel that I’m established again, so I have that to look forward to. Life in TX is way more expensive than it was in WY, but all in all life here is more suited to my psyche. I love my office, my bosses are great, my coworkers are chill, the commute isn’t horrible, the weather is nicer, there’s more music and festival opportunities, and I’m closer to some of my favorite humans (let’s face it, I’ll never be around ALL my favorite humans – darn it all). I feel like I’m in a good place and that I’m where God wants me to be. Now, if he could just drop my future husband on my doorstep with a neon sign that would be greeeeat. LOL
And maybe he will....So glad you are settled in a d happy.
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