How's it been going?
We've been in Columbus for two and half months now and we get this question (or something similar) pretty frequently.
Honestly, that's a good question and one that is hard to answer. It's like Columbus itself. Some days are sunny and other days are pretty gloomy. It just depends on the day. Are things falling into some kind of routine? Maybe? Do I get stressed out by the idea of running errands? You bet. (I cannot wait until going to the grocery store feels normal).
But I am making myself do things around the city that hopefully will help me build confidence with my new hometown. Blake told me that his friends (who happen to follow me on Instagram) are impressed with how much I am doing. So it must be pretty evident, at least on shiny Insta, how much I am trying. It's just taking some time.
Most days, I feel like I spend most of my time waiting, as if I am in an endless purgatory. Part of this has to do with my job not being challenging enough and I find myself with large gaps of time that seem to stretch on endlessly. But other than that, I find myself waiting for enough days to pass until my next baking project or my next city adventure. Simply being in the basement apartment is pretty hard for me. It's been getting slightly better but it's still a thing.
But speaking of adventures, there have been some sunny days that are worth noting.
1. I started going to a yoga studio in my neighborhood. And now Shirley goes with me. We go 4 times a week and it's been a great way to manage my chronic pain and get me out of the house.
2. One morning in September, Shirley and I went to a farm market and bought some corn to "put up." It's fun to have a buddy to save the seasons with as it's a lot a work by myself.
3. Blake's birthday: In mid September, Blake invited us to go out with his friends to celebrate his birthday. We went duck pin bowling and then went to a brewery. It was fun to meet his people.
4. Hanging out with cousin Betha! So far, we're gone for a walk at a metro park, went to Groovy plant ranch (which was amazing) and went to Aunt Joy, Uncle Dan and Betha's house for pizza night (with Levent!)
5. Seeing our Old Town East neighborhood decorate for Halloween. This spooky house is my favorite.
6. Apple picking with Blake and Brendan and making applesauce together (with Shirley and Levent). We made too much! It was hilarious and a ton of work. We are well stocked for the winter months ahead. We did around 82 containers of applesauce (made up of Jonagold apples) between the three different households. We joke that our weekly dinners now include applesauce accountability so we remember to use it. We were delighted the applesauce was pink (even though we think the general quality of the sauce is good/fine).
7. Bakery visits! I have a list of bakeries I want to visit in Columbus, because of course I do. So far, I've been to three - Fox in the Snow, Cherbourg and Three Bites Bakery. (The below photos are from Fox in the Snow, which is my favorite one so far).
8. One of my solo adventures was a walk to the Columbus Museum of Art. It was a lovely visit (and it's free on Sundays). I also read for a bit at the museum cafe.
9. Family dinners continue to be a highlight for me. They are currently every Tuesday and it gives me something to look forward in the early part of the week (in part because I usually get to bake something for them). The photos are from our Canadian Thanksgiving celebration.
10. Walking to the main branch of the library is always a highlight. It's huge! It feels like a museum but with books you can take! The cookbook section is what dreams are made of. They even recently had a book sale and I scored some really good cookbooks. Going there is always a boost of serotonin.
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| Reading my new cookbook from the book sale |
11. I am taking pottery again. This time, it's quite harder than the classes in Wichita because you have to make 6, 8-inch cylinders before you can make anything else and get it in the kilim. It's very hard and I have set to do it. (I am literally about a half inch short. It's very frustrating). But overall, I am glad I am doing it. It gets me out of the house and out of my head. And Blake has been taking the class too. So that's been fun to do together.
12. I rode the bus for the first time in Columbus! I was nervous about it and it was perfectly mediocre. It worked fine for my ride to German village (a cute, old neighborhood nearby), but it was 30 minutes behind schedule so I ended up walking home.
My morning in German village included a visit to the Bookloft and then a coffee at Stauf's coffee shop (where I looked at my new cookbook). Then I picked up a sandwich from Katzinger's Deli on the way home.
13. Seeing all the beautiful leaves changing is always a highlight no matter where I am.
Looking back on all these things, it does seem like we're doing great. Again, it depends on the day. But we keep going and keep hoping for better days ahead.
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