A Year in Review

You know the saying about March coming in like a lion & out like a lamb? Actually, I don't even know if I'm quoting that correctly, but I wanted some frame of reference to say that 2006 came in like a lion and went out like a BITCH! We had a lot of great things happen in the middle months of the year, but the beginning and the ending kind of sucked.

Let's do a quick recap, shall we?

Last year at this time, I was in the midst of employment hell in Florida. Dealing with a dumbass of a manager for 3 years had left me at the end of my rope & it was definitely time for me to leave. So on January 31st, I did just that. And it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It allowed me to have the next 3 1/2 months to regroup, relax and find myself again. February, March & April were truly healing months for me & I'm so thankful to have had them. It was also the perfect time to plan ahead for our upcoming move to Portland.

May was a month full of exciting events. Jode & Jeannette got married in a fabulous 1930's wedding, we had a great trip up to Toronto & when we got back, we departed on our road trip to Portland. Spending 5 days in a moving truck with your spouse may not seem like a fun idea to many people, but John & I had such a great time! It was definitely a trip we'll remember forever. We weren't really worried about how things would go once we arrived. We were just suspended in the moment for those 5 days & somehow, we knew things were going to work out.

And work out they did! Portland surpassed all of the expectations we had placed on it...and then some. We had immediate friends - Alison & Dave - who introduced us to some cool spots & some even cooler people. John found a job right away & was working a week after we got here. And, after a few months of the most involved interview process I've ever been through, I landed the job I'd been dreaming of for months.

So far, so good.

In September, we had our first visitor in the form of one Meredith Grove (+ baby!). Then in October, we got to have dinner with Art who was here for a business trip. At this point, we were also looking forward to a visit from Deb, Dado & Steffano Bruno for Thanksgiving in November.

Now, here's where things start to get suckass.

About a week before our Thanksgiving visitors arrived, our computer decided to die on us. Completely dead. DNR. I can't tell you what great timing this was (please go back & read that sentence completely sarcastically). Since my job requires me to rely heavily on my own computer, I immediately freaked out over how much work I was going to have to catch up on....right when I'd rather be visiting with my parents & good friend. After the requisite freak-out session, I tried to rationalize the situation (you know the drill..."it's not the end of the world"), see the bright side (still not sure what it was at that time) & learn whatever lesson I was meant to be learning. Was it to slow down? Relax? Stop freaking out over things I have no control over? Probably all of those & more.

Aside from Deb & Dado's luggage going on a side trip before arriving a day late & our dishwasher throwing up soap suds all over the kitchen floor (just like in a movie), our first American Thanksgiving in Portland was a big success! It was wonderful to have Deb, Dado & Stephen here for a few days. We ate, laughed, drank, ate some more, saw some sights, then ate some more. We had a west coast blizzard stop that included Alison & Dave and my friends from work. I was happy to be able to introduce everybody & they all got along like they had known each other for years. I love when that happens!

The one thing I hate about visits like this is that you look forward to them for so long & they're over in about 5 minutes. I always wish I could stop the clock for a few days to prolong the fun. Unfortunately, this visit ended with my mum getting a phone call about my Grandad's health, which was not good.

I was a little down after everyone left....perhaps my first feeling of homesickness since we got here? Probably. But, there were also lots of things to look forward to in December, so I tried to focus on that rather than be sad.

To be continued....
PortlandGirl