Oh Ho Here's to January

This year started off with a bang. Literally. Well, technically it was more of a ruckus. The various people in my living room all started hollering and making noise, just like anyone would had they loaded up on sugar and salsa and whatever else they consumed.

Me?

I spend the last evening of 2013 eating peanut butter, watching Psych, and fluffing the hair of my favorite Southerner. I stumbled around the downstairs. I almost fell asleep. And at the stroke of midnight, I was reminded that yes. Finally.

I could go to bed.

But no, 2013 was worth recognizing. It was a good year. And yes, 2014 will be a good year, too.

So here we go. Here's to January. Here's to the month that started the new year, that ended the old year, and the month that allowed me to see once again God is a little bigger than I originally credited him to be.

Hello from last January. Hello to the beginning of 2013. You're hooked on a dude from NC. Is that wise? There are a mere few months before you finally see him face to face. Maybe then you can tell him in person how nice his homemade cutoffs are.

Hello from last February. You just sprained your wrist really quite badly. You can't punch as well. It makes your work a menace. You have to tape it up to the point that parents at the dojo ask, "What's WRONG with you?" But really, all you're worried about is whether or not you'll be able to play flag football. Because yes. Next month, you're going to meet him.

Hello from last March. You've waited 10 months for this to be real. It's so real, you don't know if it's real. You feel strange and excited and what on EARTH IS HAPPENING. But it's real. He's real.

Hello from last April. Welcome to real world stuff. Crash land back in NH after your visit in NC and you're thrown right back into dojo life + now you're finishing school, starting full time work, and trying to settle. How can you? Life just got a little bigger. Time to try Crossfit for the first time ever.

Hello from last May. It's getting hard to be apart when you + he have only met once, but you're both as curious as cats. Bad days are all over the place, but God graces you both with a good deal more understanding than you deserve. Hang on tight, trip number 2 is on the way!

Hello from last June. You'll regret not having taken more pictures, and not regret a single dance in the 90 degree weather. You'll wonder how time flies and stands still all at once. You'll marvel at how this time last year, you just met him and would have no idea...

Hello from last July. You're furiously trying to get ready for your first Spartan Race. You're doing burpee runs, busting bum at Crossfit, and through it all... you're about to have trip #3. See that dock? You've been this beach since you were about 5 years old. But the memory is forever changed. He's been there, too. Just like so many other areas of your life.

Hello from last August. You survive your first Spartan Race. You do a bit better than survive, however. You finish 4th in your age group- and by a minute and 30 seconds. You finished in an hour and 53 seconds. It was hard. It wasn't pretty. But you did it. This month, you also spend your birthday with Jacob for the first time. Dual birthdays= epic. Dual birthdays in the same state? Perfect. Day before the dual birthdays football game? Even more perfect. Summer is over already!

Hello from last September. Is there something wrong with being best friends with the boyfriend's siblings? Because we're such good friends that we go from long (ish) runs and do oodles of squats. Good luck coming back from this trip. It will be hard. But good news! You get to go back to NC in October! Also, you realize that even though you've never really ever watched football that watching Jacob play is the best ever.

Hello from last October. You must decently enjoy Crossfit, because you've signed up (against your better judgement) a Crossfit competition. The Lumberjack 20. Ahh, you've never felt so sick as you did during that last round of squat cleans. Driving home you get lost and take about and hour and half longer than needed to get home from Portsmouth, but still. You feel accomplished... so you sign up for another Spartan Race in November. And oh yes! You get to see Jacob again. The year is moving right along... the question is... where to?

Hello from last November. This is the first time both of your families have been together in the same state. It's fun. It's wild. You're on cloud nine. You see Jacob suit up and play his last ever football game. He's injured and you don't like that much, but the way he still plays just as hard is very much inspiring. After it's all over, even though you've not seen him play from the beginning, you know it's the end of a chapter. You're glad to be a part of it. The rest of the trip? Beautiful. The next time you see Jacob will be the day after Christmas. Oh! And that Spartan Race? Smashed it. Came in 4th again with a 45:29.

Hello from last December. You've been feeling blah. And alone. And ready for Christmas to be over, because it just doesn't feel like the season without Jacob. You're in One Voice, you've got rehearsals, social obligations, classes, more workouts... but tis the season for missing Jacob. But oh yes! The day after Christmas is spent inflating air mattresses, vacuuming, and getting out in the snow and ice at 10pm to go pick up your favorite Carolinians in a fogged up Echo :)

Hello from this January. Oh ho here's the January. Because you've spent a year wondering and waiting and being patient and traveling and saving and crying and pouring out your heart and soul to a God who is listening... but it's very hard. Here's to this year, and a new timeline, and a wonderful maker who knows how silly I am when I cry over his perfect plans.

Here's to this. And that. And trusting. And faith. Have I mentioned what faith means? It's not faith if you use your eyes. 

Well. Here's to not using my eyes. Happy 2014!

Philippians, Peanut Butter, and Other Ways We Stay Sane, Pt. 2

Good days= together!

There are good days. There are bad days. And there are 'smack me upside the head and let me drown in a tub of sorrow' days.

Ah, sounds familiar yet? You must be in a long distance relationship. Me too! It's fun, isn't it?

And here comes the issue of coping with the miles. How do we do it? How do we stay sane? Earlier I covered some of the means of maintaining a somewhat normal life.

Ready for more?

-Find something funny. And no, I'm not referring to America's Funniest Home Videos, unless that's the only means for you to laugh. Read an entertaining book. Watch something humorous. Have a lively conversation with the family. Sometimes your mood needs a lift. No, you won't want to have a mood lift- you will want to stay mopey. Don't be mopey. Be happy.

-Plan ahead. This may or may not apply to differing degrees, depending on where you're at in your relationship. Obviously, if you just met, I don't recommend planning weddings or picking out beige carpets for the future home. However, be aware and don't focus alone on how wonderful the other person makes you feel. If things work out and you're pursuing a relationship with purpose, odds are you'll need more than love and cutsie feelings to keep you going. Use your brain, not just your heart.

-Be real. It's very easy to hide when you feel poorly, hide when you have a worry or a concern regarding the other person, or hide when you're not at your best in long distance relationships. I'm here to tell you for the sake of your relationship: don't. If you're not really happy, stop pretending you're happy. I'm not saying be grumpy, but let the other person know where you're REALLY at. If they can't handle you at your worst, they sure don't deserve you at your best... or so a certain blonde said, but I digress.

-Embrace the here and now. Do you know how much it hurts to be somewhere when that someone is so far away? It hurts a lot. But here's a change of perspective. Look around. Do you have parents? Siblings? Friends? Odds are you do. They care about you. Love you, even. Don't forget about them! Don't waste months, maybe even years of your life pining away! Remember to live with purpose in the here and now. Is it always fun? No. I've personally been feeling extremely demotivated because well- my main inspiration on this earth is far away and it just isn't the same without him. But don't forget those around you now. Do something amazing for them, for God, and in the end... that someone will be  proud that you are.

-Make a monthly goal. Maybe it's something little, like 'clean the kitchen every afternoon'. Maybe it's big, like do a Crossfit competition. Ahem. Either way, regardless of commitment, having a monthly 'something' will make time go by as well as keep you productive. For me, I do Spartan Races, Crossfit comps, musicals, and of course, (here we go again) work out. But what's yours? Maybe you have a reading list. A financial goal. Whatever it is, do it!

What are your ways of dealing with the distance? If you mention something magical, odds are I won't believe you. For the rest of you, I'd love to hear! Sometimes, we blow the whole long distance shenanigans out of proportions. Remember, God has a plan! No amount of miles can stop him. So... trust. Sanity or no sanity. He'll see you through!