Few weeks in, few weeks left

Still getting used to work, graduated life, and living close to Jill again. It’s a groove, and I’m falling in pretty well. Don’t want to call it a rut yet, because it ‘s enjoyable. Jill plays a big part in keeping it that way. I do need to get in touch with more friends around here though. Sean Sullivan moves in tomorrow, starts work at Delphi sometime later on. I’ll help him get set up at his place, and then this weekend I’m having folks over to my place for a BBQ/apartment-warming party-ish event. I’m not a “party” person, more a “get together” person.

Marriage counseling with Pastor Mike is going great, and I actually look forward to it every week. It really opens up communication between Jill and I, and quite a bit of good has come from that.

Bought the basics of a kitchen full of groceries today. All the basic cooking needs, including sugars (white, powdered, brown), flour, bread, lunch meats, oranges, some frozen meals from Stouffers, milk, and a variety of other things. Cost me a pretty penny, but it’s a base to start on and I can just stock up smaller from now on.

One of the things I highly suggest for folks looking to get married is to set up a joint financial account before you get married. Get used to working with money together. Set up a budget and then try to stick to it. Use online banking and spreadsheets to track spending and make sure you communicate between each other to get everything recorded properly. It is working for us right now, and hopefully we can keep it up.

This abbreviated week looks pretty normal. Work as usual, 7am-3:30pm each day. Wednesday I am going to help move in Sean, and Thursday is a date night for Jill and I (as well as my payday, conveniently enough). Tomorrow is a cleaning day, and I will be hitting up the gym as well. Gotta get rid of all the boxes in the dining room and get stuff set up in the rec room/music room/study room/computer room. Workout schedule is rough, but essentially is as follows:

• Monday: Cardio, arms, abs, chest
• Tuesday: Heavy cardio, abs
• Wednesday: Cardio, arms, abs, chest
• Thursday: Cardio, legs, back, abs
• Friday: Cardio, arms, abs, chest
• Saturday: Heavy cardio, free day to work any muscle group not sore

I like working out with Jill. It’s nice to have her with me pushing me. However, she doesn’t take too well to my pushing her just yet. Gonna have to get used to it, that’s for sure.

Youth Leader retreat writeup coming.

Weddings, work, and leadership

Transitions: I has them.

Been quiet lately, I know. I’ll pick up writing (as in, writing, not just life status updates) soon. For now, let me fill you in on what has been going on here.

Jill and I are together (proximity-wise) once more. It is an odd feeling to be close to her constantly, and not one bit bad. I can comfort her when she needs it, and her smile no longer appears to me as this: 🙂

It’s a bit jarring getting used to a regular relationship once more after a four year long long term relationship. It seems out of the ordinary. We have joked that we should just not see each other at all for the next two months just to make it seem normal again (NOT gonna do that). But I feel extremely close to her right now, and our love is maturing and evolving in a way that I don’t believe we have ever had the chance to permit.

Work with Hemlock Semiconductor has also started. I am known as an “intern” but I have some (limited) roles I am expected to fill. I have yet to flesh out these roles, but already I feel as if my schooling was not in vain. I have noticed several times areas in which had I not taken a specific course and learned about something (RFI’s or the basics of contract administration, etc) that I would be in the dark asking dumb questions. The area this stands out to me the most in is the scheduling duties I am asked to fill. The company might want me to go to a training seminar for the scheduling software I am supposed to master, but, with package-specific features aside, I know how a lot of the main scheduling software works (by NO means am I saying I cannot benefit from training. I readily welcome it because I really NEED to be GOOD at what I do).

There’s more to it than that, but I want to just hit on a few more things before I hit the hay.

Jill and I are getting involved in the youth leadership at Sunrise Baptist Church. It is a delight to be back there, and just being there for one night makes me remember why I went. It was a time to have fun and grow quite a bit spiritually. It kept me grounded. Now we are back as “products” of the youth group. There are a lot of awesome activities planned (they did a Ninja Warrior course [replicated the real one!] among other things [The Amazing Race, Michigan edition]), and this weekend I get to be a part of planning more summer and fall goals.

In a total love daze right now. “Love daze” is a term Jill coined when we were both just so absolutely content with our relationship that just being together doing absolutely nothing in a boring room made us happy. Add in Iron & Wine, and it’s pretty much the best feeling ever. There is no real reason for this love daze, other than the change of mentality I have put in to our relationship. It’s good, and maturing daily.

I miss jill right now, even though I left her less than an hour ago. It’s so odd.

The Graduate

All I have yet to hear is what I got on my stats final. But I think I rocked it. I needed a 30%, which I am sure I beat. Final grades so far:

• Planning and Scheduling – AB
• Senior Design (aka Project Sim) – AB
• Weight Training – S (Passed)

It feels odd, nothing left to do but pick up tickets and then go to the ceremony on Saturday. But it feels great! I’m gonna miss the UP though, that’s a fact. But starting life out with a good job, a supportive family (two of them!) and a great girl definitely trumps that.