So Much to Say

Happy New Year everyone! I apologize for slacking in updating my blog. It's been since final exams that I have posted and I feel I have so much to say. I guess I'll take you through a quick run of my time away from Florida and where I am at now with my life.

Oregon
I finished exams and packed up to spend the holidays in Oregon and then in Texas. It was great to be with John and the cats. I spent alot of time catching up on sleep and the cats were really good at helping me with that! ;) I was grateful for the time and found it very rejuvenating. We had Christmas with John's family on Christmas Eve, Eve. They spoiled me with lots of gifts. It was the first time that all of John's family had been in one place with the two of us. We had a great time playing poker and I actually came in second...which if you know me and my poker abilities, is pretty good.

Next stop, Texas!
We flew to Texas on Christmas Eve and got there just in time for the annual- Oh my gosh! We need to wrap everything!- party. Christmas day was full of nieces and yummy prime rib. We had a lot of fun being with all the family. The week was full of trips in to town so John could have his Whataburger fix. Well, I guess the entire week was full of food- chicken fried steak, steak, hamburgers and more red meat! We had a great time just being with each other and with my family. The highlight was New Year's Eve at Billy Bob's where all my siblings (except for Roz) and my grandparents went to see my cousin Kevin Fowler play. It was a blast! The pictures in this post are from that night.

Oregon
Then it was back to Oregon to unpack, hang out for a couple of days and repack to fly back to Florida.

Overall, the trip was wonderful. I really needed the time to be with those dearest to me after making the transition to Florida. Last semester was very difficult for me emotionally. Now that I have returned to Florida, I have better clarity about who and what matters most in my life and what makes me truly happy. Being with John is one HUGE piece of that happiness. Since the next couple of years of my life will be spent expanding my mind and my future, I am more grounded than ever before in what I value in life. I feel as though I have cast away whatever it was that was holding me back from committing myself to those values in my personal life. I have a more realistic understanding of what it takes to achieve "balance." I have also finally succumb to trying to plan out every detail of my life. As John often says to me when I ask, "What's the plan?" He responds, "The plan is, there is no plan." Now, I'm not advocating for not being prepared or to trash planning all together. What I've decided to do is to live a little more and to let my life happen; not to be too busy planning the next stage to enjoy the current one.

While I am sure I will stumble again, the most important lesson that has been solidified here is to get up and keep trying. Go passionately for your dreams. Love and be loved. Forgive and forget. Thanks to those who have patiently taught me these lessons, again and again. You know who you are.