Blessedly, we accustomed shockingly easily to our new place and our jobs. I was able to get most of our belongings put away before we even moved in, and I hung pictures all over the walls to make the space feel more and more like home as quickly as possible. Having an apartment that felt home-like rather than living in a maze of unpacked boxes was definitely more calming for us.
We took advantage of our last couple weeks of joblessness with a rock climbing trip, some afternoon jaunts to ArtPrize, and time with friends. And soon our first day of work arrived. It was a bit complicated with both of us needing our one car on the same day, but we worked it out. Then my weekly work schedule changed, and Brandon got stood up at his Monday morning meeting in Lansing (they changed the start time to 8:30 instead of 8:00 without telling him). But, after that bit of chaos, generally everything went smoother than we ever could have expected.
Brandon has re-connected remotely with his co-workers and is back into coding and fixing bugs. It is a time of transition for TechSmith as they just had a big release and are now planning for future products. This can be a time of frustration, but also a time of good idea generation that Brandon can contribute to.
I love working as a physical therapist again, and Owens Physical Therapy has been a great place to work. My co-workers are easy-going, and I have a lot of autonomy in how I practice. Already, I'm starting an orthotics program, which I'm incredibly excited about. My 8 hour days fly by. Working 20 hours week has been great as well, though I definitely would not mind having more hours at some point. When I'm not working, I've been able to do all the day to day tasks, like buying groceries, paying bills, doing laundry, etc, so that when Brandon is off of work we can do fun stuff together rather than all that other stuff. I've stuck to my goal of making one new recipe each week, which has produced delicious results. Regular exercise has been easy to make time for and satisfying. And, I'm in the process of completing all the paperwork and screening to begin volunteering at a pro bono physical therapy clinic.
We've made a point to stay around Grand Rapids this past month and not do a lot of traveling. This has opened up our schedule for time with friends and family, and helped remind of us why we chose to live in Grand Rapids and why it's a great place for us to be right now. I stole the idea of an activities list from my friend Christie, and it's on our fridge reminding us of all the things we want to do in the area. We have purposefully checked out restaurants in walking distance, gone to shows at Pyramid Scheme, and explored our neighborhood while being on the lookout for cats. Being intentional about being here on the weekends, has also allowed us time to check out churches. We don't have a church to call home yet (Grand Rapids has a crazy amount of churches), but we're working on it.
Overall, we're thankful for this place in life we're in right now. We're living in the present and remaining open to whatever is next.
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| Brandon harnessing a dragon kite in a neighborhood park |
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| Our fun activity ideas list |
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| A neighborhood cat that Brandon has named Gordon |