It’s Hot…

And not the kind of hot where you bask in the sun, get your tan on, and rush to get outdoors just so you can enjoy the day; hot like you stay inside, are miserable outside (unless you are in a pool), and where your skin and hair are deteriorating as a result (ok, I’m overexaggerating). But really, I’m finding I have to work extra hard to keep my skin clear and my hair healthy because they sure aren’t responding well to this climate change. So in the last few months, I’ve experienced one of the busiest tornado/storm seasons, and some of the hottest days in June that Memphis has seen in awhile. My dad says that this experience will build character…we’ll see Frank:-)

Enough Complaining

In all seriousness though, I’m extremely blessed here – I’m loving my job, the new church we’re getting involved with, and the new friends I’m making (Really weird... I work with two girls from Southern CA who moved here for boyfriends-so random!) Not to mention, the money I’m saving because of the huge difference in cost of living. When you are born and raised in CA, you don’t realize that you really do pay for location; it’s crazy how far your money will go in other places and how much extra is left over for saving.

And the obvious blessing…getting to know my boyfriend on a whole new level and actually having a “normal” relationship. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little worried how this transition would affect our relationship because the time together would be so new to us, but it seriously could not be better. The biggest hole is not seeing my parents like I used to; I miss them very much – sometimes I crave a huge daddy bear hug and a big Italian kiss (mom, if you’re reading this, don’t get sad, I miss your kisses too…and Rileys’, and Sams’). But again, Andrew’s family is amazing – I couldn’t feel more supported and at home with them:-) It’s kinda scary how much our families are alike, so I definitely feel a piece of home when I’m around them. Many of you have seen the pictures I’ve posted of baby Owen on Facebook – he is Andrew’s four-month old nephew and I absolutely adore him. My family is yet to produce any babies, so spending time with his nephews is very special to me. I sign up to watch Owen as much as I can; he is the sweetest, cutest little angel and is such a happy little thing. Tony is 9 and has recently became very aware of females, so I’m learning a lot about that subject lately:-) Lukey bear is 6, extremely high energy, but also very loving and sensitive. On Easter, we were all playing baseball (boys against girls) and of nowhere, Luke bursts into tears. His mom asked what was the matter and he said, “Katie said the girls are the best and the boys are going down.” Of course I felt like a jerk, but we all couldn’t help but giggle at how cute and sensitive he is. So all in all, things here in TN have been fun and eventful.

Lesson Learned

I think each week I’ll share a learning tidbit from my experiences here. This week, I learned that if you are over 50, born and raised in one place, and have never left there before, you can become quite ignorant to the outside world (believe me, I’m guilty of this as well).   So on that note, Andrew and I met a lady yesterday at the beauty supply store and we got into a conversation about hair products. This somehow led to me telling her I was from CA—this usually elicits a good response, but not with her. She practically gasped and said, “Oh my, my son lived there and I just worried about his safety every single day; I just hated when he was out there.” “Why?” I asked. “Because of all the transients and crazy ideologies running ramped there! And all the diversity.” I obviously was immediately irritated and angered by her ignorance, trying hard not to be nasty back, but the best part was when I asked where he lived. “Beverly Hills, you know, like 90210?” WOW, really lady?