Growing Pains

Well, it's that time of the year again! School is about to start back up! I personally can't wait to get back to classes on Monday! I'm especially super duper excited about my Gender Communications class because I mean.. Duh.

But that's not important.

I thought I would take advantage of this season to talk a little about growing up and what I've learned since I moved out of my parents' house. (Because now that I'm 20, I'm so wise and grown up!)

1. Adults make their beds and clean their rooms. When I was younger, my room was always messy.  But as I've grown up, I've started to get really obsessive about keeping my room clean.  That's gotten a little harder since B and I got married, since now I have two peoples' worth of stuff to clean, instead of just one.  And nothing makes a room look tidier than a made bed! Plus, it's so nice to get in a nice, tidy bed at the end of a long day!

Addy's still learning how to clean her room.

2. Adults follow the care instructions on their clothes.  RIP beaded top, cashmere-like sweater, and sequined dress.  But never again will I put anything in the dryer when it's supposed to air dry.

Also, adults don't put shower curtain liners in the dryer. (Update: I've learned you can put it on the no-heat/air fluff setting and it comes out perfectly fine! Yay!)  But I mean.. When the liner starts to get gross, it can't be ignored!

The first and last time I put a liner in the dryer!

3. Adults have bills. I LOVE my job.  I work with awesome people, it's not very labor intensive, and I've actually learned a lot about computers.  And having that job is necessary for the awesome stuff like oh, buying food and living.  I had always heard people talking about their money disappearing faster than they got it, but I didn't actually understand it until I started being in charge of paying my own rent and buying my own groceries.  Adults also budget.  As easy (and fun!) as it would be for me to go on a shopping spree and max out our credit card, I know that's not a good idea. Partially because that would be a huge waste of the money B and I are both working for, and partially because we have certain amounts of money set aside for certain expenses.  And if we go over on one category, that money has to be made up out of another category.

We're still working on eating out less.

Oh, to have this kitty's money!

4. If you want something done, you have to do it. Not long after I moved to my dorm freshman year, I ran out of milk.  I thought nothing of it, thinking my mom would go get me more.  When I got home from class that day, it hit me.  My mother was two hours away.  If I wanted milk, I had to go get it.  When there was a big spider in my room, I couldn't ask my daddy to kill it.  I had to be brave and smash that little sucker by myself.

I'm sure I still have a long way to go. I mean, I may be physically 20, but I'm mentally and emotionally 5. (And Blake is 7, which is why we work so well together!) But I can definitely tell I'm already more of an adult than I was two months ago when we got married (oh yeah, happy 2 months to us!) And I've definitely grown up since I first moved out.

But I think it's all about finding that balance of your inner Peter Pan and outer adult.

The Tao of Tiffany's

We're officially back!

I thought I needed a vacation from blogging for a little while.  I was worried I was putting too much effort and energy into it, when I needed to be focusing on something more important.  But recently, I realized how much I love it! In fact, I think I need it. Super personal: in my medical issues, we had a scare that I might not be able to ever have kids. Right now, it's not looking so bleak anymore! But that's not the point.  I could have used my blog as a positive thing to distract and calm myself, but instead I pushed it away. I drove myself crazy googling things and freaking out. I gave up something I loved because I thought it would help me. I was wrong.

Sometimes, we just need to take a break from something to realize how much we love it.

I would like to share a story with you.

For our two month anniversary, Blake bought me a necklace from my most favorite store, Tiffany & Co. (I know, a little bit fancy for only being together two months.. Like I've said, we both knew from the start.)

May I present, the necklace.

Not long after we got it, the necklace started problems.  We started having problems.  The blue part of the heart popped out of the shell, we just glued it back in place.  We would fight, but find a temporary fix.  Eventually, the chain on the necklace broke, and couldn't be fixed.  Then we broke too.

As much as it was a very painful time, looking back at it, our time apart was a good thing for us.  We had gotten to the point where we were taking each other for granted, taking our stresses and tiredness out on each other, and just not being very nice.

But, just like I returned to my blog, we returned to each other. (Not without much work, though!)

And here's where even more symbolism comes in. When we first met, we started really talking to each other when he sent me a picture that he drew of himself tracking me down after I stole his sunglasses in class one day (for that story, read my first blog post, "First Impressions!"

To think, this started it all!

Then, on Thanksgiving Day, I realized that I was supposed to be with him.  He had been trying to talk to me and convince me to at least give him another chance (I was trying to move on, even though I was always thinking about him too..) Finally, on Thanksgiving, he sent me a simple little "Happy Thanksgiving" text, and that's when everything changed.

It's crazy how much one text can change.. Twice. 

Fast forward to New Years' Eve, Downtown Nashville.  It was me, Blake, and his friend (and future groomsmen) Mitchell.  Right before midnight, I realized Mitchell was missing.  I was looking for him, and when I turned back around to face front, Blake was on one knee.  Strangers were taking pictures of us, we were kissing, it was beautiful.  Well, except for the fact that I had dumbly decided to wear high heels and my feet were DYING. 

The night all of Downtown Nashville knew we were going to get married! 

A lot of reactions about hearing he proposed on New Years' sounded a little something like this: "New Years' is so cliche I want my boyfriend to be creative I would be so upset, blah blah blah."

But, New Years had a big meaning for us.  It's the time we could start new.  We both had new feelings toward each other, new priorities, and new goals.  We were starting fresh.  We never wanted to lose sight of what we had.  We were new.

Fast forward to when my mysterious (It was supposed to be a surprise, but surprises are never surprises for us.. Something always happens and we end up finding out about them!) package arrives. My new necklace! HOORAY!

Please excuse my green shirt, I was in my lazy clothes when I opened it!

If you notice, it's basically the same thing.  But different.  Better. Like us.  It's strong.  It even had more work put into it than the first go around- he had my initials engraved on the back of the heart! He's perfect.  I'm more careful with this one than I was with the last- I don't let it get all tangled up in the mess of my jewelry, I don't leave it hanging in the bathroom while I shower to get all steamed. Blake takes care of it.

Like our relationship. We take better care of our relationship now.  We watch what we say.  We express gratitude.  We both have the marriage as our top priority. We've learned what we could lose if we don't take proper care and make sure to nourish the relationship.  We're the same people, just a little different now than we were even just a few months ago.

Sometimes, we just need to take a step back.  Maybe that step back lasts for a month, maybe for a couple of weeks.  It's like that overly used phrase "You don't know what you got till it's gone".. Except sometimes, it comes back, even stronger, better, and happier. <3

A Quick Update!

Well hello again strangers! I feel like it's been so long since I've shared my deepest secrets with yall!

I've actually been asked by a few people why I'm taking a break, so I thought I would just quickly let yall know what's going on in the beautiful life of Larissa.

Last September, I started having some medical issue stuff.  It was no big deal, I got some medicine and it went away.

But then it started coming back in June.  Finally it got to the point where I went to a new doctor, and while we don't really have any answers yet, the ideas that my doctor threw out for me were not exactly things I wanted to hear.

I'm going back in a couple days for more testing, and hopefully we can start to get some real answers.

Thankfully, I'm one very lucky girl who has a very loving, patient husband who is standing by my side through all of this and wonderful family and friends.

So right now, we're trying to be optimistic.  Worst case scenario, I might end up having surgery and some of the plans B and I made for the future may change a little. I'm trying my best not to freak myself out by googling stuff online before we hear a definite diagnosis.

Even though we are trying to be optimistic, if you feel so inclined and believe in the power of prayer, we wouldn't be opposed to people praying for us! Of course, that's all based on your personal religious/spiritual beliefs, so no pressure!

And maybe soon we will get back on a normal schedule of posting!

Thank you all for your love and support! It really means the world to both of us!

Here's a picture of me dressed as a Christmas tree for a work party! :)