Year in Review

What a year it has been. Full of all kinds of ups and downs. It's been an interesting ride.

This year:
1. I have moved around the country. (Los Angeles to Chicago, then to Raleigh, N.C.)
2. Been away from a state I called home for 13 years.
3. Had the worst boss I've ever had.
4. Got a different job, which is one of my favorite jobs.
5. Got divorced (well on paper)
6. Fell in love
7. My cat Loki passed away, first cat I ever owned. I still miss him.
8. I haven't seen my dogs in a year, they are with my ex in California.
9. Touched snow for the first time in 13 years.
10. Gained weight, finally in a normal weight range for my height.
11. Got cake on my birthday, first time in many years.
12. Got my first Christmas tree since 1995!!!! (that's just wrong)

There are things that happened this year that I will take with me for the rest of life. I have been happier than I remember being this year. I have cried and been sad this year. But with all it's ups and downs, I've enjoyed it so much. Thank you to my friends and the people I love that had stood by me and helped me when I needed it. I hope the new year brings more adventure, but I wouldn't mind if it won't be quite as stressful.

Happy Holidays.

Almost there

It's almost the end of the year, and I think I will be selling the house in L.A. The person that''s living there does not seem they will be catching up on their rent any time soon, and I am done with the excuse d jour that he's handing me. Friendship be damned at this point, I can't afford to take care of somebody else and let them live for free. It's time for me to take care of myself.

On another note, Clay's birthday was on Wednesday and we both had the day off from work. It was nice. We got to spend all day together. He liked his birthday present, a Sansa mp3 player, and I got him a carrot cake. Man, that was some tasty cake too, thanks to Hereghty's bakery for that one. I highly recommend them for any dessert delights. Then we went to Bogart's for dinner, not a bad place. Nothing fantastic, although they have a long fancy drink menu there was not much actual alcohol in our beverages. I think I would eat there again, but it wouldn't be my first choice. 

That has been one problem Clay and I have found in Raleigh, no restaurants that really stand out. I like the option of going out for a nice dinner, it doesn't have to be expensive. Just good food, and good drinks. We will keep looking and hopefully we will find it here. I think we are spoiled considering he comes from Chicago, and I lived in L.A. and San Francisco. It's really hard to compete with the places we are used to. We'll keep trudging along and find at least one that speaks to us here. I hope.

So it's been a pretty good week. Christmas is almost here and I'm done shopping. Now I need to finish wrapping everything. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. Hope all is well in your lives.

The past year

The past year of my life has been one topsy turvy ride. I left Los Angeles and moved to Chicago to be with a wonderful man that I love. Then both of us packed up, left Chicago and moved to Raleigh. Now we are contemplating another move. To where? Well that is the big question. I still own a house in L.A. And we could go back there. It would be a long expensive move. Most likely it would not be forever, which would mean another move would be in the future. That is not appealing to either of us. There has been talk of Denver or Charlotte as well. No real reason for either one of those destinations. We are just looking for a place to call home. A place we can afford to buy a house, and still have money to do other things. It's why we left Chicago. We could never buy something and have any money left over. Okay and the negative temperatures during the very long winter wasn't very fun for me, especially after living in Southern California for so long.

I'm just tired of the whole thing. The constant questioning of where my life is heading or where we are going to live. I want to find a place where we can feel at home and be happy. I don't want to keep thinking about moving. I don't want to keep starting over. I just need to sell the house in L.A. And be done with it. At this point I don't really care how much it sells for. Okay, maybe that's just frustration talking. A decision needs to be made. I am giving myself until the end of the year to figure this out. That's not much time. I have some things that just need to be dealt with, and I've been putting it off. The more I look at Charlotte, the more I think it's really worth checking out. Close enough to my family, with a little buffer in between. Moving to Denver would probably be as expensive as moving back to L.A. I think a weekend trip to Charlotte is in order to take a look around. I don't think either of us really want to stay in Raleigh. It holds a lot of memories for both us, good and bad. I think a fresh place with a fresh start would be nice. Plus it would be nice to take a short trip over the NC border and get real liquor. This ABC store thing that NC has is a little frustrating when you want something top shelf. I'll figure this out, and all will be peaceful again.

Getting Ready

Christmas is coming, and I have a tree! It's been a long time since I've had a tree so this is very exciting for me. I had to buy all new decorations, I'm still not sure if I have enough. I'll have to wait and see after I get the tree decorated and see how sparse it is. Three more weeks to hold out. Then I can give presents and watch them make people smile. I love giving presents to people, it's fun. I like getting presents too. This weekend Clay and I will go to his parents house and help decorate their tree. At our house we have the most obnoxious lights on the house, they have 15 different settings. So each day we pick a new setting. I wish I had some of those giant decorations to put on top of the house, maybe next year. After Christmas is New Years. 2008 should have some interesting turns. I wonder if I'll sell the house in LA. Will I pick a place that I want to live for more of a long term stay? What else will happen? This past year has had many ups and downs, but all in all it's been a pretty good year. I'm enjoying my life and the person that I am. Happy holidays to everybody. I hope you get everything you wish for.