Recap.

It's not exactly Valentine's Day yet, but I figured that it would be a nice to change to spice up my blog and get back into the groove of posting, or at least the little bit of a groove that I had last year. So I found this really groovy blog layout; of course it's only good for another week or so, but it reminded me so much of how Valentine's Day used to be fun, like in elementary school with all the candy hearts and handcrafted Valentine's Day mailboxes and the biggest pressure was whether or not you give out Winnie the Pooh or Hello Kitty cards - 'twas fun. But alas! those days are gone. On to bigger and better things...

Let's see... how about a recap? Christmas was awesome. I got to spend it with my family. BJ came, Molly was there, and my aunt Arlene, too - it was so nice! It made me really wish that I lived closer to my family. The week went by too fast, but it was filled with so much laughter and fun, it was definitely what the doctor ordered. It's been really tough living in a new place and re-learning how to make new friends and so I have been a little lonely lately, but time with my family was food for my soul.

And then I made a spur of the moment decision to fly out west to Arizona to visit some more. Actually, it wasn't as spontaneous as I make it sound to be - I knew Erin and Katie would be home from South America and that January was the best time to go so that I could see both of them, so the idea was definitely in my head, but the trip came about so last minute that it was sort of a rush when it all happened. Ann was so generous and allowed me to use her last flight pass and before you know it, I was on a plan headed west. 10 days with sunshine and old friends and I felt like a whole new person. It was so good seeing everyone and spending time with E&K, I wanted to make it last longer. The network of friends and family I have was so wonderful and comforting; I'm always dumbfounded by the reception I've gotten each time I go home - it's absolutely amazing and while I'll never understand it, I've learned not to question things I treasure. The weather was awesome, too, and after getting stuck late one night on an icy hill in Boston for a couple hours, I was tempted to stay for the rest of the winter. But as much as I love Arizona, I knew that my place right now is in Boston. There's something about it that I just absolutley love and, while I'm still adjusting, I know that if I'm patient just a little while longer, things will start to fall into place. A perfect world for me would be to bring all the people I love from Arizona over to Boston, but until I can make that happen, I'll be happy to travel between the two. :)


Now it's February (oh my God! it's February already!) and I still haven't gotten used to writing "09" on checks, letters, etc. and probably won't until at least late April, but I'm feeling good about this year. And according to my Chinese horoscope (yes, a couple days ago, I did extensive research on Chinese astrology after reading an article on the Chinese New Year), this is going to be a good year. Now, I'm not a huge follower of horoscopes, fortune telling, etc. but I figure if it's coming from the Chinese, they're pretty smart so I figure it's a little more credible than other sources.

Last note: it was -8 degrees today when I came into work at 7:15A (what?!). All you Arizona people enjoy your amazing weather now, but just wait til summer when the tables are turned...