there is much to be said about having a group of good, fun friends sitting around your dining room table, eating food lovingly prepared on a whim talking about things which make us laugh and laugh hard sometimes.
There is so much going in this life of ours, I barely take the time to write anymore…but that will be changing this week when Drew embarks on the challenge of a lifetime. We had friends over tonight for one last get together with all of us…Drew is leaving for the Navy on Thursday and for at least the rest of the year I will be one…my other half will be elsewhere. We got engaged a few weeks ago - I couldn’t be more happy. I knew the instant I met him that I would marry him and despite the difficulties we’ve encountered in our relationship we are finally getting there. There are still many challenges to come - mostly the distance, but we both are ok with that challenge and know we will be just fine.
We are also about to embark on the house buying expedition as well. It all just seems so ‘meant to be’. A colleague of mine is taking a job in San Antonio and just happens to need to sell her house and be out sometime in March. We just happen to be in the mood to buy a house, and have a had an influx of a little extra cash for down payment etc. The house is great…the kitchen is gorgeous, fenced backyard, lots of room for us and anyone coming to visit for long periods of time (i.e. retired parents!). So our fingers, toes and eyes are crossed hoping that it will all work out and by the end of next month we will be in our new abode!
Ok, that about updates life quickly and for now. I imagine I will be writing more often with Drew gone, and also to give updates on how he is doing. So, as usual…stay tuned 
ok, so this year I totally forgot to make any new years resolutions! The thought never crossed my mind…until I was lunch with some friends and we started talking about it. Then I thought ok, what can I resolve to do this year? And I came up with running a half marathon. Wow - 13 miles. At least two hours of running! But this resolution is multifaceted - it will keep me motivated with running, it will assist with the continued weight loss (19 pounds to date!) and will keep me focused while drew is gone.
The race is August 31st in Virginia Beach, I won’t officially start training for this race until about May, but I will start training for a race on March 15 in Virginia Beach now. 5 Miles - totally doable and in March it should be a little warmer in Va Beach, plus I get in a visit with my brother and his fam. I’m looking forward to both races! It will be an interesting time trying to train for them…
Work continues to be absolutely fabulous and overwhelming at the same time - more on that in another post.
My friend Monica got engaged yesterday and I couldn’t be more happy for her. As I think about her upcoming wedding (sometime in 0ct/Nov 2008) I cannot help but go back in my memory and think about the past, our friendship and how far we’ve both come in life. I met Monica through her sister Anu who was in my class in school. Monica and I became fast friends, there is no doubt a karmic connection between us. I laugh when I think about us as kids, teens, young adults and adults. Monic who needed reassurance, guidance as she ventured off into the scary world of high school. The brave young woman who ventured to NYC for college. Through the uncertainty of life as it is Monica has persevered (and our friendship has persevered through hardship) and I am so excited to see who she becomes in this next chapter of her life. She is a wonderful friend, a friend who in an instant knows I need to talk and vice versa. She has found love and happiness for which I’m so happy because she deserves only the best!
i was in a meeting this morning with the folks upstairs who raise money for the library. we were discussing the new map library and ideas blah blah blah because they are meeting with past donors to the library tomorrow for lunch. as we continued to talk it became clear that i should be at the lunch tomorrow because i’m the one who can talk best about what i want the library to be, look like etc. so, i’m going tomorrow. this is my first foray into the world of development - i’m nervous, although i’m not real sure why…maybe because this is an opportunity to have some cool stuff happen for the library and i think it shows how much i care about what happens to this place even after being here for only six months. it really is an exciting time for the libraries here, for the map library in particular and for me career wise.
i also finished writing my first professional article this weekend. it is horrible because i was writing about something i don’t really care about anymore - or at least not as much as i used to and i feel like others have already written what i was writing so what is the point? my mentor has it now for review and i’m hoping she says it is horrible and to can it and we’ll find something else to write about…or she’ll help me get it up to snuff, i’ll submit it, it will get published and i’ll have one article under my belt. hmmm…that sounds like the better scenario to me. we’ll see. but as a comparison, this afternoon it took me about half an hour to write two full pages about the new map library and what i want to see happen etc. where for the other article it took me half a month to write two pages. the lesson? like what you are writing about and it will be much easier.
ok, quitting time. good luck to me tomorrow!
