2 April 2014 Archives

Like most young commuters I have begun to loathe my drive. “It’s not so bad.” you’ll tell people. It’s only ‘x’ amount of minutes. Then come to find out you were driving on a holiday, and the very next day the real traffic hits. “Still not too bad.” You think to yourself. And then while you’re sitting in the midst of brake lights you calculate your work time + actual drive time, and that’s when you want to curl up into a ball, because it’s a horribly upsetting number.

I’ve learned that there are different types of commuters. There’s the seasoned commuter who is numb to his drive, as he’s done it for so long.
There’s the new commuter who thinks it isn’t all so bad. Just yet… There’s the regular commuter, who is typically the most aggressive one. And then there are those reverse commuters. You know, the ones commuting south. Those people that we envy with their long steady drive.

It’s baffling to me that on the random occasion I need to go to the main hospital of my job in Richmond it takes me 50 minutes. FLAT. It’s 52.8 miles away. No matter what time of day, no matter the weather It’s 50 minutes flat every time. Now when I go to my normal job in Aquia I have to leave at the right time which is a very small 5 minute window. If I leave in that window, to get there on time it takes me about 45 minutes. It’s 20.4 miles away. Typical drive time should be about a 25 minutes, but during the rush hours typical drive time nearly doubles. Can’t we all just agree to not brake on the highway, and merge in perfect harmony? Can we all just agree to see blue lights ahead, and not worry what all the fuss is about. Stay the same pace, and quit complaining about rubberneckers, YOU RUBBERNECKER.

I’ve already become callused to my drive, annoyed by everyone around me. Just recently there was no where for me to merge onto i95. Tractor trailer man, what makes you think that it’s just ok for you to accelerate so I’m unable to merge? Is it funny to see me have to loop back around and try again? Because if so, the joke’s on you buddy. You better believe I’m going to make it in front of you.

Alas, now I’m home. Swiftly driving down my exit, only to be stopped at every red light!! At this point I’ve already had a dog who’s been in his crate for way too long, and a husband waiting to be picked up from work, as we are rockin one car as of late. What’s worse is that I somehow get the privilege of being stuck behind every slow driver in Fredericksburg. The boys are waiting for me people! Get out of my way! It’s almost 7 pm Do you know how hungry they’ll be?!

So maybe I’m being a baby about it. Maybe tonight was just a bad drive. Maybe I’ll get used to it. But if I know myself at all I’m sure maybe not…

There was something about me when I met Brandon that changed very quickly. I grew up thinking that some things just were the way they were. You live the same place you grew up for example… You have rice and beans with your thanksgiving dinner… You wear pjs Christmas morning… A bride never sees her groom before her wedding… You go to a beachy place for a vacation etc. “It’s what everybody does.” I’d say in frustration. I couldn’t figure out why he didn’t feel the same. I was so used to the norms, never considering other circumstances. When Brandon met me I’d like to believe that he admired my whimsy, but he also knew that if somebody would have to burst my reality bubble it’d most likely have to be him. Now that sounds awful, but trust me, it was for the best. He opened my eyes to new possibilities I’d never considered.

One day while we were wedding planning he mentioned “Why don’t we take the pictures before the wedding? My parents did it.” he said “Everything will be fresh and then we won’t have people waiting forever to eat after the wedding.” I immediately shook my head no. I couldn’t imagine it. The bride seeing the groom before the wedding!? No way. But then one morning I was flipping through a magazine and I saw a picture of a First Look. The idea was that you see each other before the wedding to have an intimate moment where it’s just the two of you. Offering photographers a chance to catch every second of your reactions from every angle. Then of course, you could take all of the pictures you want before the wedding. What a great way to get all of the wedding jitters out I thought. The pictures I found were so sweet for the people brave enough to do something a little bit different.

I wanted nothing more than to share that special moment with Brandon. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn’t want him to see me for the first time as his bride with a bunch of people staring at us. I wanted it to be just us. Whispering excitement to one another of what was to come. I can happily say that I was so pleased we did it.

April 2nd 2014 archive

Confessions of a Commuter

Why We Did a First Look