Her Story:Emily

The blogging world has been pretty much awesome to me.

I've met so many people.

Amazing people. People who have become my real life friends.

Em is one of them.

I've shared the good, bad, and ugly with this chick.

And I love that she can laugh with me, be frustrated with me, and have real conversations with me.

Today she'll be sharing a little part of what has helped her grow as a woman.

Go on. Get to know her.

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Hi soon to be friends!! {too presumptuous?} I’m the cool, the awesome, the neato bonito Emily at Amazing Grapes. {too confident?} Its like calling an ass a donkey. Its no less an ass when calling it a donkey but it just sounds better.

yep, there I am

I’ve had so many defining moments in my life that have molded me into the woman I am now. Like being called every name in the book including “Olive Oil” while working 6 years in 3 separate men’s prisons. Which, I get it..you’re in prison..you use big mean cuss words. But Olive Oil?! Them be fightin’ words! And don’t even think about making the Popeye sound. It’ll be on like donkey kong!

There’s also the time I played a ton of sports. …in high school and college that gives me my athletic side. But seriously! I’m 30 years old. At some point I have to stop reliving the glory days like the uncle in Napoleon Dynamite and tell myself, ‘self, you haven’t played a sport in 10 years.’

Of course I can’t go without mentioning my relationship. A fine relationship, if I do say so myself. And I do…say so, that is. 4 years now and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve learned and grown (through trials and errors). From virtual day one, it’s been long distance. That takes a lot of trust and communication, by the way. Communication that I didn’t have until 2 years into the relationship. But we’re great and fantastic and I just love that man something fierce.

But if I pinpointed what has really defined me as the independent “confident” woman I am today, its living alone. Weird, right? I officially moved out at 21. On my own, in a new city, new state, new roommate, who by all accounts could have been a crazy person. Thank the Lord she wasn't, completely.

Since then, I’ve moved countless times and had countless roommates over the years, but being able to establish my own home, my own way and learn responsibility, independence and the ability to take care of myself has done wonders for me. And I encourage every single woman to do the same at least for a year before getting married. It establishes you in a way you can’t get anywhere else. You get to know yourself more when you live alone. There’s no one to depend on but you! It might be scary and intimidating to think about having your own place with all the bills and no one to kill the spiders or roaches or answer your door when its dark outside and you see the silhouette of a man standing there, but you’ll be amazed at the things you can do that you thought you couldn’t, when you live alone. I highly recommend it!

some of my many homes..you can see how my couches and tv’s have evolved over the years.

So, did you live alone before you married? Or are you living alone now? Have you noticed a change in yourself from living on your own?