Homeowner!

                                                                Front door of my building!

When I wrote my previous post about the home buying experience being a roller coaster, I really had no idea what I was talking about. The past few weeks have been nothing short of awful. I was in an awful mood and an emotional wreck. I never cry (it’s weird…only movies usually get to me) and I cried daily, and not just tears, but sobbing breakdowns. My original loan company told me that they could not do the loan after all, even with all the extra paperwork/documents they requested and received, and that they didn’t even know if I could get a loan period. Then the next mortgage company they contacted said they could probably give me a loan but their interest rate and closing costs were higher, which I couldn't afford. I also kept being told that I would know 100% the next day if the loan(s) would happen…and then the next…and then the next…and next next next next. I basically told my realtor that I wanted out. Safe to say I lost my mind- I even put a deposit on an apartment in desperation.

But it did work out. I heard on Friday that the loan was *officially* approved and I closed yesterday (getting that cashiers check for the down payment was an interesting experience…who knows if I will ever have that much money in my savings account again- definitely took a picture)! I am officially a homeowner! I have been slowly moving in the past two days and will continue to do so for the rest of the week. But I am taking a day off tomorrow to have furniture delivered/internet and TV set up!

Inside pictures to come- I gotta decorate first. But email me if you want my new address- it’s super pretty!

                                                             My building containing 8 units

                                                            The pool for my summers off:)

                                            The view from my bedroom window- not too shabby!

Running Richmond

It's my annual post about the amazingness that is the Monument Ave 10k! It is my favorite race of the year, is one of the greatest events in Richmond (hence the 41,000 runners) and is the reason that I have become a runner. It was the race two years ago that inspired me to start my running journey! This year's race was no less of an amazing experience, and it was the first time that I lived on the route! My roommate and I walked out our door to the starting line, and I was able to watch the later waves after I had finished from the corner of my street. I knew this was the only year I would be able to experience living so close, so I really took it all in an enjoyed it. I did not break my record from last year, but I had to walk out a cramp for about .4 miles, so I actually had a faster mile pace when you don't account when I had to walk. Unfortunately, I tend to get plagued with this type of cramp every once in a while when I run and I have yet to figure out how to prevent it, but walking it out makes it go away, so at least there is a solution. My time with that walking period was only 1 min and 49 seconds slower than last year, and I had so much fun and felt really good (muscle and endurance wise), so it was still a success. The chilly, drizzly weather also made it very comfortable.

Next up- Purcelville 5k with Nate on April 21st (around a winery where the last mile is straight uphill) and the Carytown 10k May 6th!

What I've Learned

I am coming up on the 4 year anniversary of my college graduation. That's right, I have almost (as of May) been out of college as long as I was in it and as long as I was in high school. I don't know how different I am being almost 22 versus almost 26 years old (frankly, much of me is still very much the same), but I have learned important lessons being in the "real world."

1. Life IS still fun after college! I was never a huge partier, but I did it because it is what you do in college, and it was fun, but I don't miss it. I do like to let lose once in a while, but not in the extreme that you do in college. Give me a good dinner and movie and a good night's sleep over staying up until 2 AM at a crowded bar almost any night. The occasional night out is still enjoyable, though.
2. While marriage is still not in the near future, I am better at being in relationships. Sure I still have work to do, but I am more comfortable with dating, with who I am and the type of person I am looking for. We'll see what the future holds.
3. I have also learned, though, that life does not become better because of one thing (i.e. a job, relationship, house, ect). That I will be miserable or face the same difficult issues unless I deal and work with them regardless of what I try to add to my life to fix them. Issues can be covered up by exciting things, but to truly get rid of them, I have to work on myself deep down.
4. Friends make life. I am so lucky to still be constantly meeting new people and forming new friendships. One of the many pluses of working in a high school is that there are 100+ faculty members and faculty changes happen every year, so I am always meeting new friends.
5. Who you are friends with can be surprising. There are people I thought I would  stay close with forever that I lost touch with and those who I never thought I would speak to again that I do. Friends come and go, and like any relationships take a lot of work, but the important thing is to never count anyone automatically out or in your life. People can really surprise you.
6. Where you live doesn't define success. In college so many of my friends went off to big cities and I felt that by me going back to Richmond, where I mostly grew up, something was wrong with me or I was missing out on something. I have since learned that it doesn't matter where you live- it's what you make of your life there. I live in a completely different area than I did growing up and due to my new circle of friends, do completely different things than I used to. I <3 the fan.
7. I get bored easily. I LOVE being busy. I hate having a day with nothing planned or when work is slow or when I have nothing to do. Sitting around watching TV is not something I can do all the time. Yes, I love my leisurely time but to a certain extent. I am finding I enjoy being active and busy much more than I thought I did.
8. I cannot live a meaningless existence. Going back to my favorite show Bones here, there is a quote in an episode that has resonated with me- 

Brennan: Why didn't I go with Sully? Sully is perfect. He invited me to sail around the South Seas in a beautiful yacht for a year. I mean, why would anyone turn that down?
 Gordon: In my opinion, you are unable to lead a purposeless life at this stage of your psycho-social development, which by the way is an issue you should address, because a certain amount of purposelessness is necessary to lead a full life.

      9. A walk/run on a gorgeous day can make almost everything perfect. 'Nuff said.

1.  Life will never go as planned. I am still working on this one, but if anything the past 4 years (or even 4 days) have taught me, is that even when you do everything as you are supposed to, life has it's own way of surprising you. You need to let go and be ok with not having everything in your control. That's what makes life exciting (see- I can't even control the numbering system on this freakin' blog)!

So we shall see what the next 4 or 5 years bring, but I hope I will keep learning and living and just getting better at being true to myself and developing a better version of "me" in this crazy life.

Throwback to spring of 2006

Winter Socializing

Winter is definitely a slow period in my social life, mainly because I hate the cold and the dark. Well, it wasn't very cold this winter and I live closer to bars (aka within walking distance) so you would think I would have been more social. I think I was, but I just am leaving the phase of my life where I take pictures of everything, so sometimes it is hard to tell because I don't have as much physical evidence of my socializing. But I have felt plenty busy! So in between out of town trips for work and family, pet sitting, many movie nights at the Byrd, and babysitting, here is a little bit of what I have done outside of work!

Oh, hey, Bieber, please do join us in our very own private movie room

So sexy

Pretty ladies

Bride-to-Be!

Bridesmaids

St. Patties and March Madness

Joe's Band- "Social Phobia"!

And with that- happy SPRING this week!!! It's made an early arrival in VA, but I'll take some more:)!

Roller Coaster Ride

Oh my goodness what a roller coaster the past week and a half has been!

All I can say is just because you have a contract on a property, does not mean it is smooth sailing until you move in. I was informed at the beginning of last week that my loan was not yet finalized because the bank could not get approval for the condo complex due to occupancy rate standards and the classification of the condo (i.e. “gut job” or “non-gut job”). I was told every day last week that I “would find out tomorrow.” It was not looking good. I even went to look at an apartment because I was so sure none of this would work out. And I was less than 3 weeks from closing.
  
So it has been a waiting game all week. My loan officer met with the complex’s developer yesterday and it was decided they could do the loan if the developer sent a letter to the bank saying it was a “gut job” (meaning the complex had been gutted down to the walls and foundation and been redone completely, which it was in 2007…but at what point does a complex go from being a “gut job” to a “non-gut job?”) and the appraiser putting that it was a “gut job” in the appraisal (the appraisal was good- I am buying it for less than it’s worth). Whew.

So while the final “ok” has not yet been said, all the calls/requests have occurred and it is looking 99% likely that this will all work out. But my god, I have been going insane. I have felt very out of control of my life, which is one of my least favorite feelings. It has not only been in this house business but in my work and social life too, so I have not been a happy camper. I really need to work on going with the flow more, but it is so hard when issues are arising in multiple areas. My OCD kicks in and I become frantic. My roommates told me a good saying- decide if the thing bothering you/stressing you out will matter in 10 minutes, 10 months or 10 years. Obviously the housing situation is an issue that falls in the middle, but it can be applied more so to the daily small stressers. That is my new saying to calm myself down when I feel like I can’t get off the roller coaster of life!

I promise I do have good house pics, but I don’t want to jinx anything until I move. So look for those in the next few weeks!

Target Women

Happy "snow day" Monday to those of you in central Virginia! It's a whole 1 inch of snow that is NOT even sticking to the ground, but I'll take it. No snows days all winter= a freakin' long winter for educators.

One great thing about having an unexpected day off (today specifically) is that I was able to attend a lecture at VCU on body image that I couldn't go to without taking personal time as it was from 9-11AM. Anyways, it was really great to be at an educational lecture about a topic that is very close to me. I also have been wishing I could take a course at VCU, but since my county does not offer tuition reimbursement at the moment, this is something that I can't do financially. But I SO miss being in the academic environment of learning, thinking, discussing and discovering. I know I am not done with school forever! I should probably be a professional student.

Anyways, it was a great lecture and gave me some good ideas about programs to run at the high school if I ever get time. That's the one thing that I struggle with at the high school level- I can never do everything I want to, because there are so many things that I HAVE to do that take up a lot of time. I did get good ideas about little things I can do though.

Anyways, among many of the great things we were shown was this video and I just had to share it:

And a more serious one to take away with you this week:

Be a positive role model this week!

National Peanut Butter Lover's Day

Hi my name is Robyn, and I am addicted to peanut butter.
 
This day seriously exists. Ironically, as I was making dinner tonight and my lunch for tomorrow, I was thinking that I am a peanut butter addict and I didn't even know what today was. Literally, I eat peanut butter everyday and sometimes have it more than once a day. My weekend lunch is preztles dipped in peanut butter and if that is not what I have for lunch, it sometimes is a snack and/or dinner. And nothing is better than a bowl of cereal with a scoop of peanut butter on the side. Or a banana with peanut butter after a hard workout or apples dipped in peanut butter as a snack. And honey peanut butter is my drug. Seriously. I. Could. Eat. The. Whole. Jar.

You know that saying "If you were on a deserted island and could only bring one thing with you for the rest of your life to eat, what would it be?" (or maybe it is just me that has played this game). Mine would TOTALLY be peanut butter. I never get sick of it. I have to buy the all-natural kind just so I will eat it less since it is richer and harder to scoop. I also have an odd compulsion to make the peanut butter in the jar look smooth and not have knife/fork marks or divets. If it does not look smooth, I have to eat enough until it does (and usually this is aided by a finger or a spoon).

I think I need therapy. This national holiday is a drug.