Monthly Archives: January 2014

1st Month Down

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I’m now nearing the end of my first month living in St. Pete and it’s been quite a delight. As I’ve said before, my now 15-min commute makes my old 60-min+ commute seem so very long ago. It’s almost like it never happened.

But it did. A slight PTSD-shiver will run through my body when I have to get on the interstate (to go 11 miles as opposed to 62). The last few weeks of that hellish commute were probably the worst. Three Fridays in a row, it took me nearly 2 hours to get home. TWO HOURS. The last day of the week, you’re fatigued and ready to drink, then your commute home happens. Worst feeling ever.

But now, I get home and I’m like, wow, there’s literally ANYTHING to do right now! And I have the energy and time to do it! I can go to yoga after I walk the dog, or I can nap, or I can continue my binge Law & Order: SVU watching on hulu, or work out in the gym, or…ANYTHING I WANT, I CAN DO. I can cook whatever and whenever I want (even though cooking for one is still a bitch), and feel satisfied at the end of the night when it’s time to go to bed.

We moved Timmy into his new place in Lake Mary last weekend, and it’s pretty awesome. It’s a 2.5 hour drive between us, which isn’t a bad drive every other weekend when you consider that it was a usual commuting day for us before. It’s a huge place where he now owns a big-boy bed complete with a headboard and footboard, as well as a power mattress that moves. Like in hospital beds. Because he’s an old man at nearly 31 years old.

He got the idea from our good friend Jake, who also owns the same type of mattress. Timmy and Jake had a good time spending the day in bed together a few months ago, in a very “I wish we could express our love for each other without people thinking that we’re gay even though we kinda are” way. Those two are so cute in their man-love for each other.

Surprisingly, I’ve found this January, unlike other Januaries, that I’ve been happier than I expected to be. Normally, this month kinda blows. You know it does. It’s that month that comes after all the holiday cheer and family/friend love and then you’re separated from all the happiness and back to work. You inevitably start comparing your life to others, thinking that this year, you’ll match up to others. You’ll become that “new you” you’ve always dreamed about in the new year.

But with all that comparing comes feeling like crap about your own life. Why can’t you get to where you want to go? Why am I here, again, another year gone, and I’ve really changed nothing?

But for me, none of that happened this month. I made the decision to move and I did. I made the decision to re-dedicate myself to our relationship, and I have. I compare my life to no one’s because that’s not fair. No one else has gone through what I’ve gone through the last year in the way that I went through it.

I’m 30 and no closer to marriage or babies or buying a house, even though the majority of my friends have reached one or all of those steps. But I’m closer to my partner. I’m closer to my goals. I’m happy. Truly and honestly, this is where I dreamed of being in my life at 30.

A year went by and I survived. I survived disconnection from my life in Atlanta. I survived commuting. I survived living in a town that sucked. I survived my relationship and the downward spiral it took. And even though personally 2013 was blech, everything else about last year was incredible.

This year is going to be even better. And I have the positive, not-hating-myself-and-life January almost behind me to prove it.

♥, VB

P.S. And to all my fellow Southerners who got caught in Snowmageddon ’14, particularly in Atlanta, mega props to you if you were stuck in your car for any amount of time trying to pick up kids, get home, get anywhere. I can’t even imagine. I only wished I could’ve been out there helping others in person rather than praying from afar.

P.P.S. If you’re friends with me on FB, you already saw this, but if you’re not, my mom is one badass mothaf*%a.

badass mom

Happiest Days of the Year

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Today is my parents’ 32nd anniversary. Holy cow, that’s a super long time to be married to someone else. Someone who is just as ambitious as you are, just as intelligent, just as motivated, and just as family-oriented. It’s even crazier when you are married that long to someone just as ridiculously good looking as you are.

Happy 32nd anniversary to my parents! If I can have half the type of supportive, loving, and deeply fun relationship that you two have, I’ll consider myself the luckiest person on earth.

Laughing in Love

Hats at a Birthday Dinne

Viva La Roja

We may not have gone skiing in Canada this year, but I don’t love you any less.

♥, VB

What the Last Two Weeks Have Been Like

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I don’t have too many updates since I’ve mainly spent the last two weeks blissfully happy and relaxed. What a difference from a year ago.

What life was like before the big move:

What life is like after the big move:

How excited I was to talk to Timmy on the phone pre-move:

How I am now:

Needless to say, things are G-DOUBLE O-D good.

♥, VB

An Open Letter to People Who Annoy Me

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To Taylor Swift: You are awful. You sing sharp every single time you sing live. Just stop. You’re not that cute anyways. How many blond-haired, blue-eyed, famous skinny females are there? You’re one among a million, not one in a million.

To people who don’t have their order even remotely ready when they get to the front of a line: Honestly, who still does this?!?! Why are you wasting everyone’s time? If you don’t know what you want, move aside. Or better yet, FIGURE IT OUT WHILE YOU’RE WAITING IN THE LINE.

To parents who want to spare their children the embarrassment of braces so you get them Invisalign: Way to set your child up to be the spoiled brat who doesn’t know how to deal with uncomfortable situations in life. Embarrassment comes with the territory of growing older. Horrible clothing choices? Check. Gangly limbs that don’t work right? Check. Perfect teeth? Yea right.

To Kayne West: Ugh, just stop. Everything, just stop. You are terrible. No one cares about your God-complex. You’re not a genius. Geniuses make scientific miracles happen. You rhyme words. Five year olds do that. Enough said.

To people who fad diet and/or cleanse: Have you heard of the Darwin awards? There should be a new one that states: “No Matter How Much Info Is at My Hands, I Will Continue To Do Stupid Things with My Diet Instead of Just Eating Less And Moving More”.

To people who get ass-hurt over every comment ever: Get a tougher hide. No seriously. Stop being so sensitive. Sometimes, things are funny and offensive at the same time, and that’s ok. We don’t have to pass laws and regulate everything and make everyone apologize for everything they say. Just get over it, and move on with your life. You don’t have to like what everyone says, so just keep it moving.

To the Kardashians: I kannot believe how ridiculous you all are. You are vapid and irrelevant. You kould use your fame for something important like spreading awareness of Armenian culture, but instead, you would like to be known for having large asses and no talent for anything beyond shopping and making questionable choices in men. Go away.

To people who use Facebook like it’s Twitter: OMG, I hate you. And so does everyone else. GET A FREAKING TWITTER ACCOUNT ALREADY.

To people who wear seasonally-inappropriate footwear: Do your feet live in a different hemisphere than the rest of your body? Probably not is my guess, so stop wearing UGG boots in hot weather. Stop wearing flip-flops when it’s cold. You look stupid when the rest of you is dressed correctly for the weather, buuuuuut your feet went on vacation somewhere else.

To people who post ridiculously dark and/or blurry photos from your nightlife adventures: No one is jealous of something that only eagles can see. Use your flash, get a better camera, or just stop taking pictures in really dark clubs/bars. It’s dumb.

♥, VB

High Five for Friday

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Welcome to Friday everyone! I got the idea for a “High Five for Friday” post from one of my favorite bloggers, Kate at The Small Things Blog. Today marks the end of my first full work week in my new place. Here are the 5 best things from my week:

1. I drive 15 minutes, to and from work. I’ll repeat that: I DRIVE 15 MINUTES TO WORK NOW. After a year of 60+ plus miles each way to the crapvilla known as Lakeland, I can tell you for sure that I’m a changed person. It’s only been one week, but man do I feel like myself again, instead of that crabby monster-she-devil that was posing as me for the last year.

2. I was a single mommy to Floyd this week, and while he wasn’t the greatest house guest (he woke me up multiple times over multiple nights because he had to go out and had diarrhea), it was such an amazing feeling to be able to drive home over lunch, walk him or play ball with him, then drive back to work, all under an hour.

With a rescue dog, we’ve understood for some time now that his anxiety is part of the package, and I’m sure that without Timmy this week, his head was crazytown. The pooping aside, lunch hours are awesome when you live close to work.

3. I’ve been able to cook meals at home now instead of having only Jenny Craig. Jenny Craig was kind of a necessity last year because I arrived home so late and didn’t have the time or energy to cook. And I love cooking, so not being able to cook for months on end just killed me.

I was able to make spaghetti last week, turkey breast taco salad, and salmon with brussel sprouts. Did I mention that I love living closer to work??

4. I haven’t had to fill my gas tank this week. I did last weekend after driving to Lakeland and back since Timmy’s still there while he looks for a place in Orlando. Before, I was filling up twice every week, which equaled around $400-$500 a month in gas alone. God, I’m overdosing on living closer to work.

5. I’m actually jonesing to see my honey. I know that for most of you, you’re thinking, “Aren’t you always? Why would this make her top 5 list?” And the answer would be no, I wasn’t always.

Not to sound like a bitch, but last year sucked, and many times, I wanted to be far away from Lakeland because I felt like I was going insane. Now that I have my own place, I feel more centered and just plain old happier. I get to do things on my own time, on my schedule, I get to decorate how I want, buy and not buy what I want. It’s like the greatest sense of contained freedom.

Now that I’m feeling more like myself, I’m itching to see Timmy. It feels like how it did before, when we had to do shack packs when we spent the night at each other’s places. When we both had our own spaces, we could live as we wanted, and seeing each other was special and something we looked forward to.

Now when we FaceTime, I’m excited to see his face, I’m ready to hear about his day, and I’m prepared to be a partner. That’s an amazing feeling, let me tell you.

Clearly, my first work week with my new commute has been kick-ass awesome. I’m nicer, I’m more relaxed, and I’ve recently become re-obsessed with Law & Order: SVU on Hulu (I had a moment during college, but I kicked the habit until recently).

That Mariska Hargitay is one strikingly beautiful woman. I’d like to thank her for keeping me company this week.

Hope you enjoy the weekend!

♥, VB