At Least It's Still January

Alright, 2008 reflection piece!

Daunting, yes.

Where to start? I guess January 2008?

This would be so much easier if I kept a journal! I guess this site is a journal of sorts, but I certainly don't keep it updated as much as I should.

Okay, January. Oh! Yes, I remember now. January started out with unemployment! So, as you may remember, I was laid off from my last job the day after Christmas. It was a nice break, actually, what with the severance pay to cover the bills. I was diligent in my online job search and found new employment within 2 weeks. I did enjoy my two weeks of afternoon wine drinking and CSI marathons!

The job has been....well...interesting. I feel like I've learned a lot, both about administrative work and how to deal with very difficult people. There have been times I've wanted to pull a Starbucks and walk, but I've stuck it out for a year now. There have been some great times - some of the people that I work with are absolutely wonderful to be around. I've made some amazing friends during my time here.

To celebrate my one year anniversary, I've decided to move on! A conversation with Nick over Thanksgiving weekend brought about a decision that will change the course of my career. You all know that I have my baking business, which is a lot of fun for me, but I feel that there are some missing elements that would make it that much more successful. I'm going back to school in the spring! I'll be taking a pastry and specialty baking program for the next year. I'll learn new techniques and even get some business management classes in!

So, that's new.

Summer brought some interesting health issues to our household. Remember summer of 2007, when I got all sick with an abscess on my backside and had to stay in the hospital for a week? Apparently this is an annual occurrence which has rotating victims! Nick had something very similar this last year. His was technically a Pilonidal Cyst, which is in the same general area, but a bit higher, and in my opinion, a bit grosser. Of course, I guess I didn't really see mine on a regular basis, but WOW. Luckily Nick's was caught before his ass had a lump the size of a small cantaloupe, so there wasn't a hospital stay, but that didn't really make matters any easier for him in the long run. Imagine not being able to sit upright or lay on your back for 3 weeks straight. Yeah. Good times. Because of the location of his wound, I had the privilege of playing nurse for those three weeks, changing out the gauze twice daily.

I can now say from experience, that seeing your loved ones in a wounded state is very hard to take. Remember the CSI marathons in the first paragraph? I can handle blood and guts, but when you're dealing with them in relation to someone that you care about, it's very difficult on an emotional level. It's especially hard when what you're doing to help is causing more pain!

On a more positive note, summer also brought an anniversary! Nick and I celebrated 3 years in August. It's been a great three years, I must say! There's been a lot of good times! Traveling, cooking, Scrabble marathons, heartfelt conversations, laughing at stupid jokes. (and seriously people, there have been some bad jokes to laugh at). We've seen some friends start relationships, some get married, some having babies and even some getting divorced over the years. All the while, we sort of float along and get excited for the end of the day when we can sit down with a glass of wine, good food and maybe a little unexpected butt grab.

Fall brought a trip to Africa for Nick! He had the amazing opportunity to fly out to Togo to visit a friend from high school stationed there for the Peace Corps. They had an amazing trip and Nick took some really great pictures. He brought me back pretty things, of course, along with tons of great stories. Perhaps one day he can get everything organized enough to guest post here! Unfortunately he's ridiculously busy....

Because....

Nick started at the UW Law School in September! So far things are going well. He participated in a mock trial competition and went all the way to the championship! I was able to go out to see him in action for the semi finals and the championship - I'd say he's definitely in his element in the courtroom! (of course, it helps that he looks damn good in a suit!)

November brought pride and inspiration with the election of our first black president. I watched the inauguration yesterday and some of the celebrations last night - what an amazing time to witness. A lot of peoples' hopes are resting on him, and I'm sure that must be incredibly overwhelming. I look forward to seeing the positive changes he can make over the years.

Winter brought the holidays, which were just lovely. We ate a lot of ridiculously good food and received some truly amazing gifts. My family doesn't live close by, so I count myself fortunate that I'm able to enjoy the holidays with Nick's wonderful family. His grandmother flew up from San Diego for Christmas and she was able to stay for an entire week. It was great to see her and spend the holidays together.

Well, I think that about covers our whirlwind 2008!

In closing, I feel like I've grown in so many ways this year. Most of the growing has been a result of those around me, and I am so thankful for those people. Now I look forward to 2009 and all the crazy amazing things that could happen.