B&A Take O-Town!

And suddenly you know, it's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings

Continuing on...
In December, Bradley got a phone call that would change our path. Prior to this, I had looked into moving over to the east coast and being with him full time. I would miss him terribly during the week (corny, I know) and I wanted a real relationship. Not just a part-time boyfriend! While at work, he told me he was being transferred to Orlando and asked if I was ready to join him, I was ecstatic and scared! I was born and raised in the same place, the fear of a new area especially somewhere as big as Orlando was the first thing that came to mind. Also, how on earth was I going to tell my mom! Christmas Eve with my family was trying, we knew we were moving, even my work was given notice but I couldn't bring myself to tell my family. Casually during an evening phone call, I told my mom and she was a little surprised but supportive. It went much better than I had anticipated. With that, arrangements went seamlessly and we relocated to O-town on January 18th of 2015.

With Brad starting work right away, I unpacked and settled us into our new home. I had been applying for jobs everywhere with no luck. Frustrated, I would sit and apply for the entire 8 hours that he was at work. Both of us getting agitated with the pressure of bills and the stress of a single income, I decided to work as a bartender instead of my passion in the medical field. We did all of this for quite sometime; I finally completed my associates in general studies online and looked forward to moving on. Bartending wasn't consistent, some days I would come home irritated and with less than enough to contribute. I really felt like I wasn't doing my part, which I wasn't and Brad tried his hardest to be supportive but we were both getting burnt out. Finances are important and usually the main reason for relationships ending, I was determined that we would not be another statistic!

Our first home

It was tough being away from my hometown, my sister had her second child in the first few months after we moved and I couldn't just take off to visit. It was stripping away my security and what I felt was my ugliest parts began to show. We would fight about stupid things and, honestly, I really didn't notice it until we had a friend stay with us for awhile and he pointed it out. The fights were based on anything I could use to knit pick, and boy did I knit pick! Bless Brad's heart for all the stupid fights and predictable makeup texts I would send the next day while he was working. He had gone through what I was going through already and was as patient as he could be with me. I tried to make us seem perfect, behind the scenes I was struggling. We were simultaneously learning about each other while getting used to a new place. It was something that made us strong but we had to work at it. 

Country girl in the city

When you are raised in the South, you are taught to provide for others in a loving way. In our relationship, we choose to respect each other and have values that new-age couples don't agree with. Most people joke about the man "wearing the pants" and the woman "belonging in the kitchen". In our home, Brad was in charge and I made things run smoothly. Our transition from a part time to a full fledged domestic home went seamlessly! In the mornings, I would get up with him and make his breakfast and lunch to go. Kiss goodbye and out the door he went! Then, it was my turn to work or not depending on the day. But without friends, boredom was inevitable; friends were never something I had struggled with making. Being away from your best friends can definitely change the relationships. I had some people get mad that I couldn't come home for every little thing, some just cut me off, and a few stayed true. We made a few friends based on work but they slowly fizzled out. No one tells you that when you are growing in your twenties, some people aren't and you pick quality versus quantity. This was a hard learning experience for me. We chose to stay in more nights, go to the gym, and have most meals at home. We were becoming a family.

Thinking this was our routine for life, I got comfortable. Motivated to just live day by day, I took for granted the simplicity of our monotonous lifestyle. We would have friends come during the weekends, do the 9-6pm schedule during the week, spent the night watching dvr and the weekends doing things just us. However, God had other plans once again. Bradley wasn't meant to just be a salesman, he was created to lead and build an empire; I was happy to support him and be by his side. After celebrating our one year anniversary and a year of being in Orlando, a position became available on the New Store Development Team. This was a promotion that Brad wanted, he came to me and explained how our lives would change. Never wanting to hinder him, I agreed that it would be a good idea for him to submit his resume, honestly not thinking that changes he told me about would be our future.

To be continued...where you lead, I will follow.

..xobb