First Post!

I was gonna do that whole retrospective thing, but that can be my second post. My first post must deal with the resulting Christmas stuff.

So, my dad is doing really, really well. Going out to dinner, going shopping, doing stuff with my mom sorts of well. He had some fluid develop around one lung that made him short of breath for a while, but they were monitoring it and it went away on its own. Yay. It seems silly in retrospect that we canceled our trip for Christmas given that he's doing so well, but I still think it was the right thing to do. Also, I got to be with both my kids and Matt at home for Christmas, and I wouldn't trade anything for that opportunity.

My grandfather apparently has some issues going on, a hernia to be precise that they don't want to operate for because he's, you know, either 99 or will be in a couple of weeks (need to check that) and they're afraid if they give him anesthesia he won't wake up. That said, I'm pretty sure there are ways to deal with a hernia that don't involve a general, depending on the type and whatnot.

The boys got all kinds of stuff. I think they had a really good Christmas. I called them and they got my mom's present -- a computer for their own. They were pretty pleased. :) One of the coolest gifts they got, actually, was from Matt. He ran a Low Life game for them the second night they were here, I think, and they had a great time and really got into character. They didn't have the setting book, though they did have and like Savage Worlds. So, as a surprise, Matt called Andy Hopp, bought a copy of Low Life from him and asked him to draw their characters in the inside cover. When it came in, he gave it to them and they both just stood there grinning at it. Yesterday on Skype, Al asked me again to thank both Matt and Andy. :)

I'm sad I didn't get to go see my parents at Christmas, I really am. At the same time... it meant so much to me to have my kids here to get to know Matt and his kids and everything better. It really was the best Christmas I could have asked for, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to have it. I'm a very lucky woman.

Second Post--Retrospective!

So. 2011. All I can say is that you've got some distance to go to top 2010 for me, kiddo.

Last year, I:

- Graduated with my BA (finally -- and actually two of them, one with honors)
- Applied to grad school and got accepted, with financing
- Changed my LDR with a great guy to a real-time, in-person relationship -- and he's even more amazing in person
- Moved cross-country
- Moved in with the boyfriend
- Started my MA at a program I love
- Taught for the first time
- Got a family again
- Found gaming again
- Got reminded what it's like to be around people who love me on a way more consistent basis than I was able to do in Seattle
- Awesome sex! Woo hoo! :)
- Got purple stripes in my hair
- Made new friends

Whew. All in all, that was a banner year. Love, upheaval, change, growth, stability, less stress, incredible dinners I don't have to cook... totally awesome. I have zero complaints. I miss Seattle and I miss my boys and I miss my friends, but you know what? I'm okay. And I'll be back to visit in April. :)

That said, it's sort of incumbent upon me to try to keep up the momentum through 2011, you know? I don't think I'm going to have the same level of upheaval in 2011 -- at least I hope not -- but I can keep moving forward and growing in good ways. To that end, I joined up at the rec center this week and went to work out yesterday for the first time in over a year (which was entertaining when I went in where I remembered leaving off in my settings -- yeah, that wasn't bright). I'm sending off a paper proposal to a conference this weekend, which could transform my summer if it gets accepted. I'm planning for my kids coming out in the summer, and a trip to Boston for Arisia next week, and going to Bonnaroo for the first time in June, and buying a new lamp or two for the living room, and just... being here. Home. Loved. Loving in return.

If you had asked me three years ago what my life would be like now, I could not have told you this. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this happening, much less with anyone I knew at the time. But here I am, and here I will stay, and I frankly have never been so happy. :) There are still challenges and ups and downs; honestly, the fact that he still wants me and shows no signs of changing his mind ever is a touch on the overwhelming side to me when I let myself think about it. It's like going outside on a clear dark night and seeing the sky so deep and huge that you have to look away before you're completely overwhelmed. The difference, of course, being that the night sky doesn't then come and kiss me and hug me tight, which makes it all so much better. :)

Life is good, and I look forward to what the new year brings. Happy new year, everyone. :)