Grateful and Blessed

I am so thankful for my family and Josh for being a part of this second relocation of my life. The first time I left home was for college in UW-Whitewater. When I decided to move for my job, I felt the same fears as I did the first time, but just a little bit heavier. Rent was no longer coming out of my student loans or refunds; that means I have to work and be good at it to have a stable and consistent income to provide me housing until the lease is over. You see, in college, you get a chunk of money (applicable to only a few), then you use it. In real life, you work first, and by the time you get pay, life happens and your pay is gone. I wasn’t worried about rent, because it was easy to save a chunk of it first hand. I could do the same thing with my current situation, but it’s different than college; student loans + car loan + car insurance + rent. Back in college, all I had to worry about was where the next adventure was.

Reflecting on my parents, I am so amazed at how they did it and still continue to do so. Let me also top that with little to no English literacy and speaking skills. Seriously, I get pay more than she does, but I am failing at life :(. Ok fine, I just need a few months to be financially comfortable.

I’ve been really emotional, as you can tell in my previous entry and lion photos on my FB, because I just can’t believe and soak in the willingness, distance, and heart my family and Josh has gave to me in this transition. I try to do as much as I can alone, so it’s rare that I ask for assistance. “But if you don’t ask, the answer is always no,” and I finally asked because I was in need. Parents were understanding about my car. Sister #2 saved a dresser for me. Sister #3 picked up a dining table set. Sister #4 + brother-in-law let me stay at her place until I found an apartment and helped financially, along with Sister #6. Josh’s sister’s bed.

When I compare my first apartment experience to this one, it doesn’t even compare. Back to the whole “Miss Independent” thing, I didn’t ask anyone for help. I had to carry and assemble my dining table. Only a few people were nice enough to help me move the sofa; haters gonna hate. I was bed-less for a whole month because I didn’t have a car at that time to move at my own convenience, so I didn’t want to nag anyone. And oh gosh, financially was I hurt. Any kind of shopping sucked. I biked to Wal-Mart for pretty much everything, which was about 15 minutes away. I couldn’t buy much due to only whatever I could fit in my backpack, but it’s ok and it worked out anyway. Although those were horrible days I lived through, it made me a stronger person.

“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.”
I’m so grateful for the support from my family and Josh at this change in my life. Every time I reflect on the struggles I've overcome or even when I'm going through one, I think of this quote as a coping mechanism: