Movin' on up!

Last weekend was moving weekend! It is so nice to have my own place! I got the keys to the new place at around 10:30am on Saturday and then my Mom helped me pack-up and unload several car-fulls. She was such a big help with my move and I can't thank her enough! FB came over in the afternoon and helped with the little furniture that I do have. We stopped at about 5 and enjoyed a nice Mexican dinner, margarita and all! He had to head into work that night so I just stayed at home and started unpacking & organizing. Sunday I was back at for a few hours with my Mom's help again. We were able to get all my stuff out of Miss 3D's place and cleaned my room & bathroom there. It was so nice to be done with that place! I still get to carpool & workout with her so I'm happy about that. On Sunday night, I headed over to FB's place for a swim, pizza, and a night out with some friends. We hit up two of my favorite east side spots...the patio at Fishbones, then Jack's. It was nice to relax after two days of moving. To celebrate Memorial day we went to his aunt's house to have a BBQ with his family. I had a good time with all of them. I took Tuesday off to finish moving, and I'm so glad that I did. I was able to move out of my storage unit and also did some shopping for the new place. My new family room looks like an episode of hoarders since that is where I've piled most of my boxes. My goal is to go through one or two a night until it's all done. Then I'll have room for a new couch!

Big Decisions

I strongly believe that everything in life happens for a reason, sometimes it just takes longer for us to figure out what that reason is. I was lucky enough to be able to move in with my parents for a while when I left my ex-husband. My parents still live in the same house that I grew up in and it's just a half an hour drive from work. And they have a nice fenced in yard for the dog to poop in, I mean play safely in. About 2-3 months after living with them I was getting antsy to move elsewhere. One of my running buddies suggested that I move in with Miss 3D. She needed a roommate, I needed a place to live. She has condo that is just 4 miles from my parents. It all worked out and for a good price for me. It's now approaching a year since I've been living with her. I couldn't ask for a better roommate, but more space would be nice. I feel cramped living in a medium sized bedroom while I've had to keep on renting a storage unit.

A few months ago I decided it was time to move on again and that buying a house was the way to go. I wanted my own place and I wanted to have a fenced yard for the dog. After the ups & downs of house hunting of the past two months, I've really started to think about this whole house thing. I know that I could afford it now, but there are so many variable in my life right now. One of which is continued talks at work of budget cuts which have involved talks of lay-offs and salary cuts. The areas that I can afford to purchase a house in would still give me about a half hour drive in to work. There have been days where an accident on the expressway or bad weather has doubled that drive. That can take a tole on a person after working all day. There is so much work that goes into a house too...yard work, snow removal, basic maintenance & repairs. And to be committed to something that big when Michigan is getting hit so hard right now is so scary.

So lately I've been thinking that renting a pet friendly apartment might be the better option. I was thinking that I could rent one closer to work and I would be able to take a bus instead of driving my car. Ann Arbor has 2 dog parks, and there are others in neighboring areas. Plus Ann Arbor has so many great parks to walk/run in with the dog. I would have the comfort of my own place and I'd be able to get rid of that storage unit. Which by the way, I had to sign a contract that I would not store live or dead bodies in. Creepy. The downside of this is that my favorite gym is near where I'm at now and so are my parents, and most of my friends.

This week, Miss 3D & I started carpooling. Why it took us so long to figure that one out, I have no idea! It made me rethink an apartment in Ann Arbor and consider an apartment in the complex where 3D's condo is. My life would then change very little from what it is now, but I would still have the drive into work. And I don't know how long this carpooling thing would last.

I'm at the point now where I need to create some sort of geek spreadsheet weighing the pros & cons & costs of all of my options.

But I know in the end that whatever decision I end up making, will be the one that was meant to happen.

Struggle

A year later, I still have days where I struggle. I'm still friends with my ex-husband on facebook. I can't help sometimes but to look on his page to see what he is up to. Sometimes, it makes me fell better about the decision I had made a little over a year ago to leave. Sometimes, I long to see him. I'll start to miss him, then I feel all sad and empty inside. In someways life was easier then...I had a house that was a mile from work, there was a fenced yard for the dog, he took care of paying our bills, our combined salaries permitted us to travel regularly, I didn't have to worry when I went to the mall if I could afford the new pair of pants that I needed since I somehow manged to eat a few too many pieces of pizza and my old ones got tight. Maybe if I saw him just one more time the past would fade and life would be just how I dreamed...a happy couple living together and compromising with one another when disagreements came about. And then I take a step back and start to think about how completely miserable I was. How every time we had a family vacation planned with my family, he somehow found a need for us to leave a day early. How he hated my friends for no reason. How I would ask politely if he could mow the lawn since I just cleaned the kitchen, only to be cussing and swearing a week later while I was stuck cutting through the jungle that become the front yard. How I was constantly criticized for eating something, doing something, saying something, that just wasn't within his views. I think of how much fun I had with my family last year over the holidays when he wasn't around. I think of how proud I am of myself for staying true to my beliefs and surviving the first year. I think of how the dog is thriving and now getting the love & attention he needs. Oh, that little dog, I just think of him now and it puts a big smile on my face. I know I made the right decision and I know that I am better off, but sometimes I just need to remind myself of that.