Me & Tennessee

Where to start, where to start?! I'm in a new city, job searching and apartment searching...again. Luckily I was able to pull some connections and was offered a job at a nursing home. I haven't decided whether or not to accept the postion, and I have over the weekend to think about it. I think I'll go for it. I've always liked working with people in the past. I think this time I was just wanting to try something different. A desk job, just to try it out...see how it fits with me. Naturally, a human services job found me first.

My first day back visiting my hometown was a blast. I was able to meet up with a few friends from high school and we went out for margaritas then looked at old prom pictures. We walked around the town, traded clothes, ate some good food, swam at the pool, and talked about how much has changed yet remained the same since we were all last together. I haven't talked much to any of them since high school, yet when we all got together it felt just like it used to, and not awkward or forced like it can be other people sometimes. It's nice to know you always have friends you can return to, and as one of them said "You guys are like my family that lives far away. Even if I hadn't talked to you in forever, I always knew I could call you and you'd be there for me".

I'm starting to realize that I have a lot of people like that in my life. And I'm ashamed to say that I took them for granted. It's nice to have reconnected with them. I like all the random texts I'm getting from them all now even if I now have to charge my phone three times a day. It's not just my hometown friends either. I've started talking to a few people from Cedar Rapids, Cornell, and childhood friends again, too. I haven't felt so loved in a long time.

Anyways, back to what I've been doing. After a few days in my hometown I drove to my new home sweet home. (Ok, not technically my new home sweet home yet as me and the roomie are still apartment searching.) We went out our first night to a small bar where it seemed like everybody knew each other, they had martinis for cheap, and bad karaoke. But I loved it. The next night we went out again with some of my friend's friends from work and that was a lot of fun as well. The environment at this bar was a lot different from the bar the night before. It was an outdoor bar that was jam packed and had a live band. Let me tell you what I learned after meeting a few people that night... it has been a few years since I've had to do the whole dating thing... and men are confusing. Can't say I'm too worried right now though because I want to get my life in gear and a relationship definitely isn't near the top of my to do list. Obviously. Although not having to buy my drinks is always nice, and getting a rose is nice as well.

The next few days have been an even rotation of job searching and laying out by the pool. We've been at the pool so much that I permanently smell like chlorine, no matter how many times I shower. My favorite memory at the pool so far was when this guy came up to us and said "Wow, there's a lot of water in this thing". I think he may have been drunk. Him carrying around a beer can in the pool was his giveaway. That and him laughing as his baseball cap sank to the bottom of the (deep) pool and floated around everybody.

Basically, I'm coming to peace with my situation. Yes, being with him was my dream. Yes, living in Florida was also my dream. So being with him in Florida, I was in heaven. But sometimes what you have planned for life, isn't what life has planned for you. Everything happens for a reason though, I honestly believe that. The timing for me moving to this new city couldn't have worked out any more perfectly. And honestly, I'm excited to once again, see where this next chapter takes me.