Checking In!

How are you? It's been four months (!!) since my last log-in on spacehey, and I miss it! There's something to be said for accessing social media the way it was originally intended: on a desktop computer, with a mechanical keyboard, scrolling and interacting with people you may never meet again. 

The sense of detachment it provides is strangely comforting, and almost addictive, and basically this is a really long-winded way of saying I know I'm not active on here but I love the feeling of coming back to it every now and then!

Anyway, life has been crazy in this neck of the woods; I graduated with my bachelor's degree, made my very first solo drive longer than half an hour, got fully vaccinated (YAY!), reached near-conversational status in American Sign Language, met my partner's family, started physical therapy for the surprisingly-horrible scoliosis that's somehow managed to fly under the radar for the last ten years or so, and took a two-week roadtrip around the western U.S. with my family, and I'm now getting ready to (temporarily) move my partner in with me before I move out-of-state for the first time in my life!

And now I'm here, ready to share some of my thoughts and feelings and what-have you with anyone out there who'll listen. This may be a long one, but I wanna really catch up with where I am in this crazy journey, so buckle up!

First and foremost: graduation! I've spent the last four years earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre, and it's been the most intense labor of love I've ever undertaken. It's been challenging and exhausting, both physically emotionally. Sure, STEM classes are tough - there's a reason I knew I wasn't cut out to be a chemist - but try going from a 2-hour tap class straight to an acting studio where your most important assignment is digging up your own trauma three times a week and get back to me, lol. But most importantly, it was hugely rewarding to spend all my time pursuing the passion I've had my entire life.

That move I mentioned coming up? I'm heading to New York City, to actually put that degree to use! I've got the training, I've got the passion, I've got the drive - now all I need is the address, and I can start auditioning and actually working toward my goals! 

With that said, this does mean I'll have to leave my partner; remember that cute set shop manager I mentioned a few entries ago? Well, I don't know whether I mentioned this on here or not, but a few weeks later that same shop manager became my boyfriend! He's wonderful, and so thoughtful, and I've never felt so secure in a relationship before. We're moving along at just the right pace - not so slow that I'm worried it's not going anywhere, but not so fast that it feels like a terrifying whirlwind of infatuation (I've had both, and trust me, they're both awful in their own unique ways).

Anyway, the relationship is going really well, and we're very happy (at least I am - I hope he is, too!), but with my impending move things are about to get shaken up. We also have cats (he has one, I have three) and I can only take one with me, so he'll be taking care of the rest of them while we're living apart! In an attempt to get them all comfortable living together, he's moving in sometime this month, and we'll spend about a month all living under the same roof before I go. I'm sad to be leaving him (and the kitties!) but I'm also really excited for this little trial-run of cohabitation! It's a good way to build our relationship a little more before I leave, and this way we'll know what to expect when he relocates to the same area himself in about a year!

Now, I want to talk a little bit about my adventures in ASL (aka American Sign Language)! My partner's parents are Deaf, so when we first started officially dating I had already decided to learn sign. I feel it's just something any decent person should do - learning the language their partner's family speaks. I was terrified to meet his parents, though, because of course it's going to take me a LONG time to be anything more than bare-bones conversational. I didn't want them to think I'm stupid, or slow - I want to be able to actually get to know them without a language barrier!

Then, a few weeks ago, we traveled to his hometown (that's the long drive I mentioned; I had to come home earlier than him) and I met his family, and they were all so kind and complimentary about my sign skills! I felt way more confident than I'd expected, and his mom was totally fine with slowing down and finger-spelling words for me when I didn't already know them. I also met his grandparents and siblings, and got along really well with all of them. All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and I feel like it was really great for our relationship for me to have their approval.

Finally, I just got home from two weeks of adventure (read: disguised torture) with my mother, father, brother, grandfather, and maternal aunt. We traveled out to the Pacific Northwest and roadtripped around several national parks. It was incredibly beautiful, and I often found myself just staring at the mountains in awe of the incredible power and force that the planet is capable of. Climate change is terrifying, and the last few years have made the future seem seriously bleak, but it's so important to look around and witness the beauty all around us.

Okay, we've made it to the end! I'm home now, the muscles in my back and legs are intensely upset with me after that vacation (as is my physical therapist), and it's date night! So before I traipse off to inhale some pho with my love, I'll leave you with this:

Life is insanity. It's fast-paced, and it'll throw things at you that you never could have expected. But we as humans have such a tendency to be so focused on our immediate surroundings, our immediate problems, that we forget to look at the big picture and what an incredible gift it can be. Every day is a chance to build a new connection, discover something about ourselves, enjoy the world around us. And at the risk of sounding like a suburban mom, I want to focus more on chasing my own peace and watching the flow of the world without allowing it to change who I am.

With endless love,

Rhowyn :)