I'll start off with the best part of my life. Ryan. Ryan and I have been dating for a little over 3 months and we couldn't be happier. As I'm stuck in Omaha, I'm dealing with the intense grief of being away from him. He was the only thing that was truly holding all of my pieces together. The countdown now stands at 66 days. I will see him in October when we are to depart for a 7 day Caribbean cruise. I'm hoping it's going to be pretty dang romantic. White-sand beaches and tropical sunsets...how could it not be?
For a few weeks, it was looking as if my time at Creighton and my life as I know it was over. I told my dad of my future intentions of getting married and whatnot, and he pulled the plug on my education. How sad that a father would give up his daughter's future all for the false sense of protection. No worries! I was able to convince him that life can go on with a spouse, and here I am in Omaha.
Relief set in, but worry was weighing on me most. I knew that being away from my family, mainly Ryan, would have me struggling to be happy. Ryan, my mom, Angel, and I all made the trek to Omaha. And what a trek it was! I slept most of the way and the 13 hour drive felt more like 2. Seriously, one second I was looking at the mountains and the next, waking up to my mom saying "We're here!"
The apartment is perfect for me. Nice and cozy. And complete with the world's best landlord. He cares for my safety and checks up on me all the time. Probably because he felt bad that I had to witness the FBI crashing into my neighbors apartment at 5 in the morning. Nothing says "Don't worry, you're safe here. I do background checks on all the tenants" like an FBI invasion on my first morning alone. :P
Omaha feels strangely familiar. I lived here for so long, hating every glimpse of this place, and now that I'm back, it feels like home somehow. I'm no stranger to the killer humidity and the strange faces walking the streets. Sitting in my apartment for the next few weeks is going to kill me. Once school starts up, I know I'll have plenty of friends and homework to keep me distracted. I just have to make sure I don't die of boredom before then.
Angel handled the move quite well. So well. I didn't expect a 13 hour car ride with a cat to be so quiet. She slept on my lap the whole time. Now that we're moved in, I am finding immense joy in seeing her bask in the sun. For 3 years she was locked in a cold, sunless basement and my main goal was to see her enjoying the comforts of home again. I think she is. Nights are rough. We had to get her shaved (a desperate attempt on my part to get rid of the severe clumps that she was accumulating) and as much as she loves it, I don't think she's used to feeling so cool. She insists on sleeping under the covers. If I move, she jumps out of bed and it takes her another 5 minutes to get comfortable. I feel like I have a little whiny baby. Haha. Last night she spent the better part of the evening howling. Adjusting to this new home and getting used to the idea that this is where she's staying is proving to be rather hard. She's been a tough kitty though and her companionship is keeping me sane. I hope my neighbor below can't hear me talking and singing to her. :P
After my parents left, Ryan and I had 3 days to ourselves! We filled these days with enjoying the not-so-many fun things to do in Omaha. We went to the zoo, we walked around Creighton's campus, we walked around Downtown/Old Market, and we even went to Buffalo Wild Wings (BDubs, as it's referred to by locals). The humidity made most of the activities absolutely miserable, but we still had a good time. Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I've had to do for awhile. But, just think of how amazing the next meeting will be!! :D
Every day I feel stronger and more capable of being able to endure this time alone. Life has come full-circle and I'm back to my old self, with all of my great opportunities once more placed before me. It feels great to be me again! I have so much to look forward to. If I wasn't so dang impatient, the next 9 months wouldn't be so tough. I'm finding strength in what I've been through and have to keep reminding myself that I've been through worse. Ryan gave me a house warming gift; a quote from President Hinckley. I keep reciting the first line of this quote over and over again..."It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is...." It's so NOT as bad as I think it is.
I promise I'll try to keep up a weekly blog update. So much has changed in my life in the past few months. Let's get movin' on this journey and have some fun doing it!!
Here are a few pictures to describe my journey...
Angel's new look! Furless!
Here's my living room. Good thing I didn't buy any more junk, or else it wouldn't have fit.
Love the curtains! I almost had to give up on hanging them because of the unique window coverings that were installed. Thanks to Ryan for being my very own MacGyver.
Here's the tiny kitchen. When the fridge opens, the door hits the counter on the other side. Haha. No worries! I'm not going to be doing any cooking in here anyway. The first night here, we returned to the apartment to find Angel sleeping in the cabinet above the fridge.
My dining nook. Ha, apparently shopping for furniture online has its downsides. This table only sits two. :P Oops!
I've been hoarding these dishes for months. I fell in love!
The bathroom...again, small. Love pink and brown. SO nice to finally have my own bathroom, away from stinky boys that leave the toilet seat up.
My room! Again, MORE PINK!! Ryan and my mother made fun of me for the gross amount of pink. Hey, I like it! Imagine my horror when I showed up and had my father saying "Oh, I'm buying you a bed off of Craigslist." All I could think was "You're buying me a USED bed?...IN OMAHA?!?! GROSS!!" Thank goodness it turned out okay and we found, not only a queen sized bed, but a brand spankin' new queen size bed. :D You got lucky this time dad!
Angel claiming her territory. Haha, doesn't she look like a little lamb?
This is seriously my most cherished item in the apartment. On our last night together, Ryan surprised me with a scrapbook of all of our firsts. AND HE MADE IT! I know I've found the one! This boy scrapbooks better than I do. I cried when I read all the sweet notes that he stuck in it. Ah, amazing!!
The plaque that Ryan gave me. He received it on his mission, from his father, when he was having a hard time coping with change. It brings me strength and I love that he was willing to give it to me. Hopefully it will reunite with him one day...in OUR house.
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