FIVE WAYS TO BE ALONE WITHOUT GETTING LONELY

**pumpkin scones recipe found here.

in university, I'm pretty sure I was that girl who couldn't do anything without company. thankfully, I had four or five very patient roommates who would take turns entertaining my midnight runs to denny's or last minute stops to the grocery store whilst putting off studying and our looming assignments. things are a little different now. instead of five roommates, I have one. a very busy one who really does require all of those endless hours of studying as he wades his way through medical school (goodbye, midnight trips to that greasy diner!). needless to say, this inevitably leaves me to my own devices most of the time considering I can't really work whilst living on the island. being the introvert that I've grown into since getting married, this wasn't really an issue...at first. I read the books that I had been meaning to catch up on and baked the recipes I had marked on pinterest, but for the most part, I spent the bulk of my time waiting for my husband to come home. and being totally honest, after awhile that just doesn't do. if I only lived during the time I actually got to spend with mitch, I would really only be living half a life. and so I got to thinking, what are some things I can do to make my time alone a little less lonely? things that turn alone time into me time. I'm sure I'm not the only one adjusting to this grown-up stage of serious relationships, so feel free to jump in any time. I'd love your input. for now, this is what I've come up with myself.

one :: do what you want. a typical movie night at our house usually kicks off with a 30-minute debate over whose turn it is to pick the movie and the menu. but even when it's my turn, there are just some movies and foods that I think twice about subjecting mitch to a second time. movies that I love but that don't hold his attention. this usually results in a very distracted mitch and he wanders off partway through (pride & prejudice, anyone?). and foods that I end up eating alone, anyway (ie :: pumpkin anything). so when the men are out, indulge in all of your favorites! the ones you usually indulge in alone. I've also noticed that this also cuts down the movie deliberation time because I've already gotten mitch's watch-once movies out of my system and am usually much more agreeable to the suspense-thriller than he undoubtedly has in mind.

two :: plan it out. nights in can become fairly monotonous after awhile, no doubt about it. however, I find that if you plan the night ahead of time, the monotony doesn't seem to settle in as quickly. saying, "tonight, I'm going to hit the gym, make chicken caesar salad for dinner, and give myself a manicure while watching the wedding planner." sounds way more exciting than "I guess I'll watch another chick flick before turning in." 

three :: make it special. adding a few little things to make those nights spent solo special really lifts the spirits. light a new holiday candle to create pretty ambience while you make yourself dinner or purchase a decadent dessert to eat for when dinner is over. if you think of it more along the lines of a date with yourself, spending time alone isn't so begrudging. 

four :: try something new. I can't think of a better time than 'alone time' to try new things and create yourself. if you know your man is going to be at the office late, then why not try joining a local cooking club or enrolling in ballet class? maybe it's something that you have always wanted to do, but never got the chance because your evenings were spent together and you didn't think your significant other would enjoy it. well, now is your chance! take the time to reacquaint you with yourself and tick off a box on your bucket list all at the same time.

 five :: catch up with friends. we all go through that stage, or at least I hope we all do. the one where we are so absorbed in our relationship that we sort of put the rest of our family, friends, and acquaintances on the back burner. I know mitch and I definitely struggled with that as newlyweds. but as we've grown up and realized that yes, indeed, that person is still going to be there tomorrow, we've realized the importance of keeping those ties with family and best friends strong. so take this time you spend alone and give it to them. call them up and ask about their lives, tell them about yours, and let them know how important they are to you. by doing so, you won't technically be spending the evening alone.

as I mentioned in this post, this past week was a difficult one and I found that I couldn't rely on mitch or books or netflix alone for entertainment. I had to get proactive and found that these little tricks really helped. shopping is always on the list, too, but that one is a little more dangerous ;)

today is going to be spent cleaning the apartment top to bottom, paying bills, and attending all sorts of other life laundry in preparation for mitch's parents to get here! mitch takes his third set of tests this afternoon and tomorrow is a holiday so we'll have a whole day to spend together. as you can probably imagine, I'm pretty excited about it! I hope all of your weeks have many fun plans in store and thanks for stopping by!

love, arielle