I can't go with you and stay where I am... So you move me.

It has been an interesting week to say the least. I moved into the Rose's home last Saturday, and have been readjusting and getting to know the area of Falls Church ever since. Thomas is back to working at the office, but luckily my dear friend Rowdy came to town to keep me company. The traffic here is awful, and I have kidnapped Thomas' GPS so I can learn to navigate the roads, and confusing intersections (including one called seven corners... it is 7 roads that intersect, I am not exaggerating).

So the big question: How is it being close to one another and NOT doing long distance? It is wonderful, but like everything in life it comes with a new set of challenges. I am on the job hunt, still haven't started substitute teaching yet, and Thomas works everyday like a normal person. So making time for one another, and also figuring out each others routines has been a new experience for the both of us. We also both cope with all this change in very different ways, so that in itself has been a learning experience. 

Thomas has had to put up with a lot from me lately, I am moody and cranky because I am, for the most part, out of my comfort zone here. I grew accustom to the Nashville way of life, my schedule, my friends, and most of all being single and not having to answer to anyone. Even in a long distance relationship you SCHEDULE your partner into long weekends, or trips taken together and still are able to maintain a level of freedom you enjoyed as a "single" person. Long- distance relationships are the loop-hole that allow people in relationships to still feel single.  For two very strong willed, independent people that we are, we are quickly having to learn patience and selflessness. I seem to be having to learn these lessons the hard way, and need them the most. After all, I have always preferred being a soloist in all areas of my life; my favorite sport was figure skating because I was the center of attention and only had to rely on myself,  my strengths and weaknesses. I never joined a band, never co-wrote and preferred to play most of my gigs with just my voice and my musical abilities on a guitar because I didn't want to depend on anyone else's talents or flaws. The list goes on. Those days are long gone, and for good reason... because that is not the way we are meant to function and to love. 

God is teaching me so much about love, forgiveness and grace... and sometimes he has to drag me kicking and screaming. So far it has been fun, but also agonizing because of the vulnerable place I find myself at. The place that exposes my greatest flaws to the person who I love the most, and I want him to see me as beautifully and as wonderfully as I see him. So this is love, this is grace, this is life. Everyday we have to start over and try to do better and love one another better than we did the day before, and when we let the other person down we have to confess that and ask for their forgiveness and try again. We don't always get it right the first, second or third time, but we can only hope that we have it in us to keep trying and keep improving and continue to build one another up in love and in God's grace and promises. That is all we can do.