no Saturday night plans = a good thing?

This past Saturday was the first night I wanted to go out but couldn't/didn't because I had no one to go out with or do anything with. 

I ended having a relaxing night in, catching up on New Girl before the season premiere, and wining and dining myself with cheap wine and popcorn. It was actually really nice. 

I've spent a Saturday night in before, that's not the point. But this morning when I realized that I am starting to feel at home in my apartment it crossed my mind that staying in Saturday was in a way one of the last things that has helped make me feel settled down here.

See, I've been living in this in-between state in preparation for my move for so long (4 months now) and I have always been on the go in some way. Breaks were so few and far between that I would almost plan out how I would spend my downtime, which sort of defeats the purpose. Having almost a solid week of doing nothing after work and THEN a night over the weekend to do nothing was in a way exactly what I needed to feel like I was unwinding in my own, new space.

I am sure that over the next few weeks if I were to have more and more Saturdays like this it would get old but for now I am reveling in the calm-ness that a more toned down social life has been affording me. 

first time back in the old hood

I wrote this post Sunday on the way to the airport after my first trip back to DC after moving. 

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It's only been 3 weeks since I moved so the trip back may seem soon but I had a Bachelorette Party for one of my best friends. (Yup, it was a blast. Nope, there weren't any strippers)

I was wondering if (actually anticipating that) I would have feelings of being SO glad that I left DC or overwhelming feelings of regret or sadness or really any sort of feelings on the topic. I really had none.

It was amazing to see so many close friends and it was an awesome weekend. I definitely missed the ease of public transportation in DC. But I wasn't especially torn up about leaving nor was I overly assured by my decision.

I think I was trying to find or place some big meaning on this trip back but really I'm realizing that I should just let it be what it is/was: an epic, alcohol-filled girls weekend with some of my best friends in a city we all love and have ties to. Sometimes there is a grander meaning for a lot of things and sometimes there's not, and that's okay.

exhausted

I am exhausted. 

I have been busier down here than I was in DC. That's probably because I've been cramming a ton in socially while getting back into the swing of a 9-5. I've intentionally made myself crazy busy based on experiences of others moving long distances and being bored or lonely. But man, I could use a break.

Largely I boil it down to this: I don't want to turn any offers to meet new people or go out for some irrational fear that if I say no I will never get invited to hang out with that person again. But also since I am super excited about this new city so I WANT to always be doing something. 

For the past few days I have been looking forward to coming home today, going to the gym, showering, making dinner, then painting my nails and watching my DVRed TV. Basically getting back into the routine of a normal work week.

It's important to put yourself out there and make the extra effort to meet new people even when it's a little bit inconvenient or you're not totally in the mood. But it's also important to remember things take time and to relax and take care of yourself! It's a balance that I continue to learn to figure out!

second Thursday in Atlanta

I was going to write about my first few days of work (which have gone really well!) but I realized that, that isn't what has been on my mind. It's been my living situation that's been on my mind.

I love my apartment building: location, amenities, layouts, but I am coming to admit to myself that I really dislike my actual unit. It's super close to the street and is really noisy, like REALLY noisy. I signed my lease sight unseen which I think is something that can come with the territory of moving long distance (though I would encourage others to take a moment and ask friends or contacts in the area to look on their behalf). Needless to say I wouldn't have chosen this unit if I had seen it in person.

I have been trying to convince myself that it would be okay and I would simply get used to the noise. But in reality I've been really stressing out about it and have found my anxiety of living there bleeding into others areas of my life (this tendency probably wouldn't surprise my close friends). Finally I decided that I would raise my concerns to my leasing office and simply ask if I had any options to move within the building. 

Turns out with a few fees I should have some options to move within the next few weeks or so. I should learn more details tomorrow. 

Of course this is a simply thing to do but being in the middle of the situation I couldn't see that clearly. Meanwhile this small annoyance was turning into the enormous concern that was taking over too much of my mind. And learning that I had some options to change my situation was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. 

Later today I chatted with a friend who has also done a recent move and I reluctantly told her about this experience; reluctantly because I was almost embarrassed by the situation. She told me that she ended up crying herself to sleep the first night in her new apartment after moving cross-country because she walked into the place only to find that the dishwasher leaked, she had no shower pressure, and one of the sinks sprayed water. She was overwhelmed by thinking about how awful the next year would be living in that apartment. But after letting her landlord know the next day he fixed everything. Magically all the stress about a part of a move that really shouldn't be of any concern disappeared. 

We joked about how we both immediately went to the worst case scenario but also how easy it was to get lost in the intensity of our moves and life changes and to not see clearly. This is one thing I am going to do my best to try to avoid doing through the rest of my transition, and I would encourage others to try to do the same. I'll keep you posted on how that works for me!

give yourself time

I've been in Atlanta for just over a week now and I've been settling in nicely. I've gotten together with friends and have knocked off a lot on my apartment to-do list. 

Hands down the best decision I've made so far (aside from making an appointment as an "out of state" transfer to cut the line to get my Georgia license..) has been opting to start my new job a week after moving.

I'm lucky that I had the flexibility to give myself this extra bit of time since I know that not everyone has this option, but for anyone who does I highly recommend it.

I have a friend who relocated to Colorado around the same time as when I moved to Georgia. She drove across the country and across two time zones then had to start the following Monday. Her transition is going smoothly though she's been pretty overwhelmed. I also know someone who moved to Minnesota last summer who started work the Monday after his arrival to town late Saturday night. He lived in a hotel for a few days so even the simplest tasks of stocking a kitchen or putting together a coffee table had to be done late at night or took up a lot of his time on the weekend.

Just being able to go back and forth to Bed Bath & Beyond and Target to get curtains or a new ottoman has been so helpful and has made my first week in Georgia surprisingly very stress-free. Whenever possible giving yourself this extra time is something I highly recommend factoring in..