Another trip around the sun

Next week will be my 35th birthday. I've been having a pretty hard time this year. For my birthday last year, I received pending unemployment. Since then, I broke up with my boyfriend, was terminated from my job, spent a month unemployed, found a new job, relocated to another state, attempted a reconciliation with my boyfriend, broke up again, visited Louisiana, Texas, and Alaska (two good trips, one disaster), and have tried to keep my chin up.

Staying positive has been kind of difficult. It's really hard to meet people, make friends. I'm not religious, so meeting people at church is not going to happen. Now that I'm finally settled into a house, I'm trying out gyms. Not really thinking I'll meet a whole lot of people that way, since I prefer to concentrate on my workout than scoping out potential friends. I like to keep my personal and professional life separate, so it's not like I'll make a lot of friends there.

Dating is also something that has crossed my mind. I miss being in a relationship, but I hate dating. I hate the awkwardness, the games, the "trial periods." I signed up for Match.com (again). I met my last boyfriend on-line, so I thought I'd try it again. I'm also looking into Meet-Up groups in the area; maybe I'll find something that interests me there.

In the meantime, I'm trying to look forward to my birthday.

Settled... Finally

I'm finally settled into my new house. I've still got to hang pictures on the walls and finish breaking down the boxes for recycling, but that's it. It's so nice to be in my own home again. I was never comfortable renting. It's not your house, even though it's filled with your stuff. This place is all mine (mortgage included, which I don't mind since it's a hell of a lot less than what I was paying in rent).

I've got several long-range maintenance issues that I'm facing - A/C, roof, and water heater replacement- but I've got a few years to save for those. New furniture is another big-ticket item on the horizon. I'm sure I'll paint the rooms to add some flair to the place. The flower beds in the front and the back need some work. But right now, I'm happy to just look around and know it's mine.