50 Shades of Terrible Literature

Here we are. Two young (well, I'm young) adults enjoying patio chairs in an under-furnished living room, finishing out the weekend with ham and turkey sandwiches and MLB and homework.

David is hyperventilating next to me; second guessing the answers on his math test; working fervently and asking me questions I don't have the answers to. I don't know anything but basic math and, strangely, extremely difficult calculus. What happened to the in-between? I haven't a clue. Thanks, Mr. Powers, for making calculus so fun. After high school, I took some calc classes at Florida State and basic algebra fell to the wayside. I can't understand the bottom from the top. Plain and simply, I am mathematically useless.

Leo is sleeping on the floor between our feet. He does a lot of sleeping. Sleeping and peeing and chasing his green ball. His favorite activities.

Check out my very happy man.

As a passing thought and the inspiration for this blog title, I'm currently reading the 50 Shades of Grey series. 

The writing is terrible. 

The smut is highly unrealistic and exaggerated. 

It's pretty much literary porn. 

I find myself rolling my eyes at everything.  

And I wouldn't give it my recommendations for a good read. 

The only reason I'm still reading it is because I've already purchased all the books. 

Poor me.

 *****

After weeks of being MIA from Nail Files, I'll definitely be posting next week with my latest nail creation. I've finally removed the acrylics and I'm back to my old ways; coming up with fun, lovely, tiny works of art. Without officially linking up, here's this week's:

Yes, thank you for noticing, I have a new phone camera. It's not an iPhone, but it'll do. I was due for a free upgrade on my Android. Honestly, I love it. I may stick with this one and avoid the iPhone all together. It has everything I want, everything is unlimited, and I'm only paying $50 a month. 

Today, I'm 22 years young. It's strange to think that I've surpassed 21 (shut my mouth, right?). So much has happened to me in my short years. Most significantly (sans the best and worst of people):

New Jersey

Soccer

Florida

Music

IB

Tallahassee

Bachelor's

Meridian Woods

Engagement

Lawsuit 

Disengagement

Master's

North Carolina

And so we find ourselves in the present. I've seen the best and I've seen the worst. I've had plenty of, barely enough of, and dangerously low amounts of money. I've partied in the coolest clubs, and sat through the most humbling worship services. I've seen God, and I've seen Satan. I've been lost, and I've been found. I've known love, and I've battled hate. It has been a most trying, albeit exciting, 22 years.

Today, we got a pot and pan or two after surviving for a week without any kind of kitchen hardware. The Hindman family threw me a wonderfully pleasant birthday lunch. We slept. We read. We homeworked. And hopefully this week, we'll start jobs, we'll find a church home, and we'll testify to the safety and security that God provides.

Thanks, everyone who gave me thoughtful birthday wishes.
Thanks, everyone who's helped with the moving and the finances and the tough decisions.
And thanks, of course, for reading.

xoxo

New beginnings.

Whew! So...my last week's freakout has not been lost on me. I'd like to blame it on my very carefully hidden Puerto-Rican-ness, but it was all me. Too real. A perfect representation of how passionate I am about what I believe in. After last week, I'll be lucky to get one or two readers from now on. But in all reality, I'm sure the haters will still read: that's just human nature.

Plenty of good news. A pinch of bad news. But mostly just good news. 

I'm currently scheduled to pick up two jobs. One of which I start tomorrow. I've still been applying for a bunch, trying to find the best fit for our budget. David is busy busy busy applying for the "thousands" of jobs here in banking city. So that's exciting. Prayers greatly appreciated.

Our home! It's wonderful! It's a 2/1 in an awesome, beautiful, friendly community. it's got plenty of space for all of our stuff, an awesome fireplace, a walk-in closet, and a balcony. Leo loves it. Especially all the food and shopping around us. Having limited funds does not help me (or Leo) here.

David's car, on the other hand, is somewhere in Georgia at the moment. No thanks to the u-haul man, we're now a car short. The entire trip up here ended up being a 17 hour ordeal after being stranded in B.F.E. for 7 hours. That's really the only bad news. Oh, and the fact that someone labeled one of the boxes Pots and Pans, only to discover that there were not actually pots and pans in said box. That and we don't have a microwave. So we're eating fruit snacks and cereal. Yay!

Only 6ish days until my 22nd birthday. Man I'm getting old! (David will resent that.) We anticipated company this weekend, but it looks like money is tight for everyone. So family time instead.

Loving Charlotte!

Pictures soon.

xoxo

Cohabitation, Judgment, and Wonderment.

WHY IS IT SO DARK IN THIS HOUSE?

I can never see anything. I'm always fumbling around trying to find a light switch, most of which don't even bother working. And the lights that do work are much the same as candle light. Stupid 1 million year old house.

Seriously though. I'm going to miss it here. I'm going to miss my roommates (however slobby) and the games we play. I'm going to miss watching GCB with Mal on the dankest couches I've ever had the displeasure of sitting on. I'm going to miss teasing Maggs about sleeping in her bed while she's away. I'm going to miss being able to vent about my day and boys and stupidity. Not that I can't do that with David, sans the high pitched voices and exaggerated excitement.

This week has been interesting, to say the least. I think today was the second time since I've been at my home church that I've felt trapped and uncomfortable. Both of which (not surprisingly) have had to do with my relationship with David. 

We've received a little backlash this week from people who don't agree with our living situation. The whole not being married, but living together thing really gets under people's skin. I suppose that's the danger of revealing too much of yourself to your church "family". It's no surprise that one of the biggest complaints that non-Christians have about Christians is that there is so much hypocrisy and so much judgment--most of which is unbeknownst to the offender. It's that boldness that encourages people to say what they want to say without knowing anything about anything. Sometimes good. But usually just bad. Though you really aren't entitled to this, know that David and I have a good, healthy, Godly relationship. And it's been that way since we started dating. Say what you will: your mistakes and inhibitions are not mine to bear. While I understand that *you* (ahem) might be concerned for me (us), and feel your opinion need be heard, there is a time, a place, and a way to communicate. Do be mindful of how words are quickly misconstrued and have significant impact on your Christian (or otherwise) relationship. Not to mention, I actually thrive on people telling me what I can not do. So thank you, doubters, for making it even easier for us decide. I'll close this rant by saying that all of the parents are 100% behind us, and that God continues to pour blessing after blessing upon us; reaffirming and solidifying our decision. He is SO good to us.

There's still so much to do! 

So far, we've started packing up our perspective places, and bought an awesome washer/dryer set for a decent price. For whatever reason, it finally feels real. Making big purchases and big decisions always seems to have that effect on me. Tomorrow it'll be all about securing a house (hopefully it's still available!!) and running errands. Friday, we'll pick up the UHaul and Saturday we'll be out of here. Sunday through Thursday, we'll be unpacking and getting settled. Friday will be my meeting with the family I'll be working for, and on Saturday, Lauren and Tyler will be visiting with us in our new place and helping celebrate my 22nd birthday. Still nothing in the way of exercising and homework. Hopefully, everything will go back to normal after the move.

More updates soon.

Stay classy!

xoxo

The newest news that I know.

Let's talk about what I should be doing.

WHY must I have homework due (and lots of it!!) when important things happen in my life?

Seven days ago, I was fired from a job that I hated. Today, I was called by two new employers looking to hire me; one of which was in Tallahassee, the other of which was in Charlotte.

For all those not up-to-date on our business, we have spent the last week putting in dozens (literally) of applications. To be safe, we put in a few for Tallahassee. But we'd been hopeful that God would give us the opportunity to use this "end" as a new beginning. For a week, I've been praying hard, and asking for direction. When I got the call today about the position in North Carolina, I couldn't have been more ecstatic...or more sure that this is what we were supposed to be doing. I was practically screaming my excitement at David. And the job is perfect! More about that when it feels more real. For now, I just want to cry. So much to do in so little time. Leaving everything behind. Moving to a new place where I don't know anyone. Ya know.

So now it's that really annoying part of reality where I have to start thinking about expenses and have to make sure we have somewhere to live in the next week. We've got lots to pack, lots to toss, and lots to prepare for. Coming to Tallahassee was liberating because I knew I'd be out of my parents house, and on to new things. But sh** just got real, fools! For the first time, I'm taking a [monstrous] leap of faith without having much security. Soon, I'll be catching you up from our (gasp!) couch in our new apartment. What?

Oh, and while I have you here:

WE'RE NOT GETTING MARRIED. 

That seems to be the real issue (for the people we've told) with this whole moving in together thing. *Gag* Dealing with his night gas is enough. To damn myself for the rest of my life is a big step that I'm not willing to take just yet. But seriously. Let me help you off that high horse. I've been there, done that. Everyone remember Justin? Too soon, people. Too soon.

Moving right along.

If you're local and want to help, it would be much appreciated. We need some serious lifting and packing assistance. I believe we were talking about getting the truck on Saturday morning (19th) and heading out the same day. Unfortunately, this cuts into our first 5kness. Obviously, we can't be caught up worrying about 5king when we're planning on moving the same day. Priorities, right? Priorities and sadness. Speaking of fitness, I haven't run in what feels like forever. Homework and working out. Two things I have not attended to at all this week. Excellent.

Blessings in disguise

For those of you who haven't heard...work and I broke up. A sad reality...or not? It is really quite hysterical since I've been droning on about how much I hated my job. Unfortunately, now, we're just two unemployed bums looking for the big break. Luckily, they "were not required to give me a reason for termination", so I could apply for unemployment. Still. You're taking away my livelihood. Some explanation would have been appreciated. Turns out that I'm not the first (and assuredly not the last) to get terminated for standing up to management (ie. making it known that I was unhappy about the way things were being run). I think the saddest part about the whole ordeal is how close I was with my supervisor. She knew that David and I were pretty much sharing my income. She knew how much pressure I was under both at work and as the sole provider. Point and case why you should keep your superiors at a distance. I get too friendly. I'm your average chatty Kathy. I crave those friendships. This is my first to have gone sour, though. Sometimes a power trip is just what someone needs to ruin everything. But what goes around comes around, darling. No hard feelings.

These types of situations generally have good outcomes for me. God is so good! And He blesses my life in the strangest ways. We're hardcore looking for cash. But most importantly, we're looking for a new start. Somewhere new. Unless something pops up unexpectedly, I'd like to be done with Tallahassee. So we're searching. Searching for jobs elsewhere. Determining our budget for cute houses and apartments much sooner than I ever thought we would. And like everything, He will show us the way. In the meantime, we have SO much time to spend together, complete with sleeping in (for like the first time ever) and having the entire day to just get things done. So far, we've managed to visit my favorite museum in town, spend time with friends, exercise, set up a (one time) job for easy money (any one else need a home cleaning service?), make plans, and stay up all night talking without feeling rushed or obligated to hit the sack before 3am. And now, as 2am rounds the bend, I feel sort of liberated. The taste of freedom is so sweet. Let's hear it for not waking up and hating my life. Woo!

Yea, we actually go out in public like this.

And the best part about it? My darling David has been so wonderfully supportive. Sometimes he knows just what to say. I'm lucky.

On a crappy note, the straightener I bought (before the break up, mind you) arrived on Friday WITH EUROPEAN PLUGS. I mean...really? Really. You're an American. Selling products in America. And you don't bother to put on the item description that the product will be pretty much useless unless I want to spend more money to buy a converter? Jesus. The nerve!

I feel like I'll be blogging less regularly since I'll be spending more time at home. I should be able to get more homework, cleaning, and reading done. Speaking of homework, I have a 7 page paper due tomorrow night (tonight?). I should probably start that. I could say that I'm torn up about my job situation and couldn't bare to think about academics, but I'd be lying. No matter what, I still would have left it until the last minute. World's best procrastinator, people.

Thanks for the continued support through this crappy ordeal, dolls!

xoxo

Not a song link-up

Hello, no-longer-link-up-Thursday. What a beautiful sunshiney day.

Seriously though.

I'm sitting at my desk contemplating why I still work here. And how much longer. Let's analyze:

• Yay! I have a job.
• Yay! Ability to pay bills.
• Yay! No credit cards = no credit card debt.
• Yay! Fun trips with the beau.
• Yay! Leo doesn't starve.
• Yay! I don't starve.
• Yay! New things to feed my shopping addiction.

Why is money an essential part of my life??? I should have married rich. That's what my momma always told me to do. Sadness. Instead, I'm fending for myself and David on a meager $12/hour paycheck. Pretty good compared to other recent graduates, but I desperately need want something new before I jump out the window of the fourth floor of this stupid building. I wouldn't even die. I might just break a leg or two...if I'm lucky. If I could even break the window. I think we have that thick, bullet proof glass. It's a pipe dream, really.

That awkward moment when:

Everyone understands that you hate your job.

You hear that your "friend" is not really your friend, but secretly bitter that you undermine their authority by sticking up for yourself.
You understand all the horrible things people said about working for the state.

You feel guilty because you should appreciate the things you have.

You fail at being grateful, so you go back to hating it.

That's enough for now. Enjoy this song.

xoxo