Because you wanted to know.
Okay, so it's been an interesting couple of weeks, and sorry I've not been one to update. Here's kind of the run-down of what God has done:
The Apartment: I received only one response to my craigslist ad for an apartment. It turns out one was all I needed. The apartment is in a house just a couple blocks from The Capitol. Ben has a friend or two already living there, so it's not really all that worrisome that I don't actually get to see the place before I move there. The rent will be pretty much the same as I pay here, maybe $30 more. It's truly a blessing to be so close to where I need to be. It's even a couple blocks from the Starbucks I'm transferring to (more about that later). The girl I'll be living with seems friendly enough. Since I've lived alone, I've learned to keep to myself, so I think I'll end up being still somewhat reclusive. I'll of course spend a good deal of time with Ben. My bedroom has its own set of outside doors, and Ben and I will probably keep the keys to that for ourselves. It'll be convenient if he ever needs to stop by for some reason when I'm not there or if I want him to come over and tuck me in at night. Did I mention he'll only be living a couple blocks away, too? Seriously, the living situation probably couldn't get any better.
The Job: When I saw the Starbucks sign in the window of that abandoned storefront in January, I never dreamed it would actually be my store, but now over two months later, not only will it be my store, but I'll actually help run it. It turns out that the market in Ocala is so new that there are no baristas to promote or shift supervisors to transfer in. I'll be the only shift supervisor for at least the first couple weeks while we decide who we'll promote and I train them. It's going to be a very strange transition going from my training at my own, comfy store to a brand new store with brand new people in a brand new position that I'm not even sure I'm totally ready for. The rate of pay in Ocala actually starts out lower than here in Columbus since it's such a new market, but with the promotion I'll actually end up making more money than before. It's so scary, but I know God is growing me and pushing me to do more challenging things in life. Going up the ladder at Starbucks was never what I intended to do with my life right out of college, but if it pays well and the benefits are nice--which they are--then I'm okay with that.
The Venue:
I've been working as the Street Team Coordinator and I guess you could consider me the Director of Public Relations for The Capitol for the last month or so. It's been very challenging since I live so far away, but even some people who have been in it since day one didn't realize until recently that I didn't even live in town. It wasn't until they didn't see me at shows that they started to ask questions. I've been working with a designer to get t-shirt designs, although most of that has been taken care of and now it's in the design phase. It's mostly out of my hands and into Ben's since he runs the whole shebang. I was merely in charge of getting the arrangements made. Other than that, I've not done much. I keep the street team running, though I don't really think it needs me. I design a flyer here and there, though someone else has been doing it for some time now. I guess there will be more I can do when I get into town. Right now it's sort of a waiting game. I'm pretty used to that by now.
The Relationship: It's been a rocky couple of months. Not that our relationship isn't doing well, because that couldn't be farther from the truth. I think we're doing the best a couple can do when living twelve hours away from each other. We talk about the future with hope and optimism. We look back on the past we've shared fondly and appreciate the time we've had together. We experience the present only in part, because the truth is that no matter what we do in the here and now, something always feels out of place. I know I feel like something is missing, even in the most perfect moments, because I can't share it with Ben directly. I live a good portion of my life on the internet and on the phone. It's growing tiresome, and it makes us irritable at times. We went through a short-lived phase where we just couldn't seem to communicate properly. Someone's feelings ultimately got hurt, and our conversations would amount to nothing but, "I feel this," and, "Yeah, but I feel this." It's good to get our feelings out there. I think we're learning a lot just by having those little discussions. We'll be grateful we had them once we are able to talk in person again. We'll know better how to phrase ourselves so as to be careful not to hurt each other. It's tough being graceful, but when it comes to the people you love, it's worth it. And I certainly do love him. Very, very much.
The Rest: There are lots of other things that have happened. Right now I'm working on getting my friend Jason to sublease my apartment. It's pretty much the last thing to get taken care of before I leave. Today there was an interesting development involving the people who inspired me to relocate my journal a few weeks ago. That's why this is the first entry in several weeks that will be public. I think everyone has come to some understanding, or at least enough of one that I can feel comfortable allowing the world to read my ramblings again. I returned to the church I went to when I first came to Columbus. I don't know why, but I think it has something to do with the sense of comfort I get from being around people who have known me so many years. I've begun eating better. I was secretly getting into some bad habits and not taking care of myself like I should. I'm trying to get my acne under control, to no avail, and unfortunately it doesn't look like it will clear up before Ben gets here. I'll keep trying. I'm going to dye my hair before he gets here so it looks decent. I can't cut it, though, because he's my hair stylist and he won't let anyone else bring a sharp object close to a single hair on my head.
I think a lot about what I will and won't miss here, and to be honest, I think I'll be alright. I've worried a lot about what people might think about the fact that I'm moving so far away, but something I realized tonight thanks to a sermon by Matt Bartley is that the world has expectations for normal lives that are far different from the expectations God has for our lives. What may seem crazy to the common person may be exactly what God wants for me, and who is anyone to object to that? There is just a certain degree of trust you have to have with God that you can't have with other people. If anyone knows about it, it's me, because this last year has been nothing but trusting God. Sometimes I think I'll write a book. Sometimes I think I'll get too busy with my life and forget to write it.
There's still more to come, I'm sure. Hopefully I'll be more prone to updating my journal, though somehow I doubt it will ever be a regular occurrence. Too much to do these days! I should be in bed right now anyway.
Good night, world.
The Apartment: I received only one response to my craigslist ad for an apartment. It turns out one was all I needed. The apartment is in a house just a couple blocks from The Capitol. Ben has a friend or two already living there, so it's not really all that worrisome that I don't actually get to see the place before I move there. The rent will be pretty much the same as I pay here, maybe $30 more. It's truly a blessing to be so close to where I need to be. It's even a couple blocks from the Starbucks I'm transferring to (more about that later). The girl I'll be living with seems friendly enough. Since I've lived alone, I've learned to keep to myself, so I think I'll end up being still somewhat reclusive. I'll of course spend a good deal of time with Ben. My bedroom has its own set of outside doors, and Ben and I will probably keep the keys to that for ourselves. It'll be convenient if he ever needs to stop by for some reason when I'm not there or if I want him to come over and tuck me in at night. Did I mention he'll only be living a couple blocks away, too? Seriously, the living situation probably couldn't get any better.
The Job: When I saw the Starbucks sign in the window of that abandoned storefront in January, I never dreamed it would actually be my store, but now over two months later, not only will it be my store, but I'll actually help run it. It turns out that the market in Ocala is so new that there are no baristas to promote or shift supervisors to transfer in. I'll be the only shift supervisor for at least the first couple weeks while we decide who we'll promote and I train them. It's going to be a very strange transition going from my training at my own, comfy store to a brand new store with brand new people in a brand new position that I'm not even sure I'm totally ready for. The rate of pay in Ocala actually starts out lower than here in Columbus since it's such a new market, but with the promotion I'll actually end up making more money than before. It's so scary, but I know God is growing me and pushing me to do more challenging things in life. Going up the ladder at Starbucks was never what I intended to do with my life right out of college, but if it pays well and the benefits are nice--which they are--then I'm okay with that.
The Venue:
I've been working as the Street Team Coordinator and I guess you could consider me the Director of Public Relations for The Capitol for the last month or so. It's been very challenging since I live so far away, but even some people who have been in it since day one didn't realize until recently that I didn't even live in town. It wasn't until they didn't see me at shows that they started to ask questions. I've been working with a designer to get t-shirt designs, although most of that has been taken care of and now it's in the design phase. It's mostly out of my hands and into Ben's since he runs the whole shebang. I was merely in charge of getting the arrangements made. Other than that, I've not done much. I keep the street team running, though I don't really think it needs me. I design a flyer here and there, though someone else has been doing it for some time now. I guess there will be more I can do when I get into town. Right now it's sort of a waiting game. I'm pretty used to that by now.
The Relationship: It's been a rocky couple of months. Not that our relationship isn't doing well, because that couldn't be farther from the truth. I think we're doing the best a couple can do when living twelve hours away from each other. We talk about the future with hope and optimism. We look back on the past we've shared fondly and appreciate the time we've had together. We experience the present only in part, because the truth is that no matter what we do in the here and now, something always feels out of place. I know I feel like something is missing, even in the most perfect moments, because I can't share it with Ben directly. I live a good portion of my life on the internet and on the phone. It's growing tiresome, and it makes us irritable at times. We went through a short-lived phase where we just couldn't seem to communicate properly. Someone's feelings ultimately got hurt, and our conversations would amount to nothing but, "I feel this," and, "Yeah, but I feel this." It's good to get our feelings out there. I think we're learning a lot just by having those little discussions. We'll be grateful we had them once we are able to talk in person again. We'll know better how to phrase ourselves so as to be careful not to hurt each other. It's tough being graceful, but when it comes to the people you love, it's worth it. And I certainly do love him. Very, very much.
The Rest: There are lots of other things that have happened. Right now I'm working on getting my friend Jason to sublease my apartment. It's pretty much the last thing to get taken care of before I leave. Today there was an interesting development involving the people who inspired me to relocate my journal a few weeks ago. That's why this is the first entry in several weeks that will be public. I think everyone has come to some understanding, or at least enough of one that I can feel comfortable allowing the world to read my ramblings again. I returned to the church I went to when I first came to Columbus. I don't know why, but I think it has something to do with the sense of comfort I get from being around people who have known me so many years. I've begun eating better. I was secretly getting into some bad habits and not taking care of myself like I should. I'm trying to get my acne under control, to no avail, and unfortunately it doesn't look like it will clear up before Ben gets here. I'll keep trying. I'm going to dye my hair before he gets here so it looks decent. I can't cut it, though, because he's my hair stylist and he won't let anyone else bring a sharp object close to a single hair on my head.
I think a lot about what I will and won't miss here, and to be honest, I think I'll be alright. I've worried a lot about what people might think about the fact that I'm moving so far away, but something I realized tonight thanks to a sermon by Matt Bartley is that the world has expectations for normal lives that are far different from the expectations God has for our lives. What may seem crazy to the common person may be exactly what God wants for me, and who is anyone to object to that? There is just a certain degree of trust you have to have with God that you can't have with other people. If anyone knows about it, it's me, because this last year has been nothing but trusting God. Sometimes I think I'll write a book. Sometimes I think I'll get too busy with my life and forget to write it.
There's still more to come, I'm sure. Hopefully I'll be more prone to updating my journal, though somehow I doubt it will ever be a regular occurrence. Too much to do these days! I should be in bed right now anyway.
Good night, world.