Hold on to your hats

Wow, have the past two months been crazy! After deciding that the party in Seattle was, indeed, back on, I moved back to Seattle from Washington, DC. I was sad to go; I loved my co-workers in DC and working with Suzanne Farrell is an experience I never even dreamed of having. Though I do not miss living in a hotel room, I do miss someone doing my dishes, cleaning my bathroom and making my bed every day. But I digress.

I spent five days in Seattle, one of which was Thanksgiving. It was glorious to see my friends and family again. My oldest niece, Evelyn, is starting to learn to talk, which is DELIGHTFUL for this Linguistics-degree-carrying-gal. My littlest niece, Mazie, is growing quickly and I love her red hair! My siblings, their significant others and I all gathered at Ma's house for a great meal. Most importantly, however (no offense to anyone else), I got to see my beloved fiance again. :) I heart him.

The Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, though, the fun ended and I moved down to Portland, OR. While in DC, I found on Craigslist, a guy looking for a roommate to share his townhouse that wasn't too far from my new job. His name is Jake and he and I chatted, e-mailed and Facebook stalked each other before deciding that it would be a good fit. So, Bradley and I packed up our cars and drove down there. I unpacked the few things I brought that first load (I couldn't take everything, though 'cause Bradley still needed stuff for his house in Seattle, so mostly I brought my clothes. Everything is good when you have the shoes you need), Bradley hung out for a while, helping and trying to keep me laughing, then he took off and I quietly cried in my room. It's not any easy thing, to move away from your fiance and sometimes, I've discovered, you just have to cry about it. It makes the other times easier if you just let it out. :) I decided after not too long, though, to dry my eyes and go chat with my new roomie. I am happy to announce that Jake is AMAZING and I am so lucky to have him as a roommate! We get along smashingly and the fact that he's a guy and I'm a girl isn't an issue, which is a huge relief!

On Monday I left my new home, headed for my new job in my new city. I would be lying if I said that the past two months have gone smoothly or have been extremely happy times for me. If you have never been to the northwest during the winter, here are a few things to expect: The sun comes up around 7:30, but it's often too cloudy to see that fiery ball in the sky. It sets around 4:30. It rains or drizzles 9 out of every 10 days. It can be depressing in the best of circumstances. However, I am starting to learn my way around my job and the city. Things are looking up. Now, though, I just realized what time it is and I need to start my drive up to Seattle to see Bradley this weekend! Ciao for now!