things have been rocky for a while with my family & me. i don't always mention it in my blogs, but it's true. we're all five of us very passionate & strong willed people which can create problems when we come to a situation with very different points of view. a lot of my problems with my family have been a lot of my own doing. i have not necessarily been very happy with myself, which makes it hard for me to be at peace with those closest to me, if that makes any sense.
it's been over a full year now that i've been out of my parents' house, the longest that i haven't lived there since the year i lived in the dorms at hamline. & that has helped a lot. i think we needed the space to strengthen our relationship, if that makes any sense at all. i talk to my mom quite a bit. we email each other at least a couple times a week. i also try to stop at their house once a week, or every other week, just depending on what's going on.
while living in the suburbs was a big mental adjustment for me, it's been really good too. i live close enough to my parents that if there's an emergency i can still get there in a reasonable time, but i also live far enough away that no one ever just drops in because they're in the neighborhood. i live about 25-30 miles away depending on the exact route, which, given gas prices, is a pretty long haul. a round trip to & from their house is two gallons of gas in my car, more than that for any of their trucks, & when gas was around $4 a gallon it would make me seriously consider if i wanted to head out there or not. luckily E lives in minneapolis, so i'm not too far from him at all.
my apartment rocks. i like the fact that it's MY place. i don't have to answer to a roommate. if i want to leave my laundry sitting in the living room until i feel like folding it i can. i don't, but i could if i want to. i'll admit, it's a bit cluttered because it's so small & i have ferret toys all over the place. i pick them up each night before i go to bed, but when the fuzzies are running around they need to have access to their toys!
i'm even getting used to the burbs. there is a 24 hour perkins & a 24 hour holiday just around the corner. the grocery store is less than a mile from me & that's also 24 hours. i have a movie theater, post office, & lots of restaurants (both fast food & sit-down) near me. even target is just one exit down 494 from me. it kind of sucks that it's all "BIG BOX" stores in the 'burbs. i like going to unique mom & pop stores, but those are becoming more & more rare. when i make it to st. paul i go to those quirky places (i've even introduced E to little oven & he LOVES it!). i especially like the woman i rent from. she's really nice. i also get along with her daughters, who are just a few years younger than me, & their friends. it's a very harmonious living situation. i credit a lot of my being able to write to my living environment. i have my space. but i can be social when i want too.
it's also really awesome that this is only about 3.5 miles from my full time job, so i save money on gas & commute time. if i really want to i can head home for lunch & then go back to work. i don't do that because i would want to stay home just because once i'm home i like to hang out there for a while. i know i've said it lots, but i just LOVE where i live. it's perfect for me right now. it's a cool little place that is just me. totally me.
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