I Will Be Grateful For This Day, I Will Be Grateful For Each Day To Come

So, I've been a little absent, I'll admit.

The first 6 months of this year have been quite turbulent, and I'll try to fill you in...

Winter term was LONG, and I lost some enthusiasm along the way. As I mentioned in my last post, 3 of my family members moved into my house last December, and every day has been full of compromises and adjustments. There are times when the tension is so thick in my house that I just have to disappear for a while. I miss having a home that feels comfortable and safe, and hopefully this arrangement won't last too much longer. I have however, appreciated being closer to my younger cousin, 12, as she adjusts to life in middle school and begins venturing into dating. She is so gorgeous and brilliant, I look forward to the day when she's old enough to go out to coffee or a drink with me, she will be a fascinating adult.

Spring Break was a much needed escape from the house. My recently acquired immediate family (my mom, her boyfriend Nathan, and my own boyfriend Seth) took a week-long trip to Southern California. We all saw the Redwood Forest for the first time, which was so incredibly breath-taking. Being from Oregon, I thought I had seen to best the United States had to offer as far as forests went, but I was SO wrong. The massive trees left untouched by loggers and roads restored a little bit of my faith in humanity. We explored Fisherman's Warf in San Francisco, and drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, which was extremely horrifying for me. We also spent 3 exciting days in Disneyland/California Adventure. My personal favorite rides were Star Tours and the Grizzly River Run, but the rest of the family loved the new Rocky Mountain Railroad ride. We did that one 3 times, which is a lot considering how long the lines can be at Disneyland. We explored Huntington and Venice Beach, where the water is warm enough to walk in. The San Diego Zoo was exciting; we saw baby camels, koalas, and pandas. Also, met a Sloth Bear that was quite a good dancer.

That vacation was wonderful, and we've never appreciated one more. I love my little family.

"Good Riddance"

On New Year's Eve, I couldn't be any happier to say goodbye to 2009. What began as a very rocky, rough year for me ended surprisingly well. In June I was faced with not being able to walk with my graduating class, but luckily got my diploma anyway. Fall brought my first term of college, and with that a lot of personal responsibility and pride from my success. Though I lost my job and recent additions to my household have made me very, very stressed and anxious, I feel good about the way I ended the year. My friendships are in a good place, and I am very happy to have recovered friends I thought were lost. So let's say, "Good riddance, 2009! I hope you had the time of your life." Or something to that effect.

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions, but I do believe that with every new year comes a fresh start for everyone. I want to improve myself; from what I eat, to what I do with my body, to who I hang with, and what I say. No one is perfect and I don't strive to be. My only goal is to be proud of who I am and happy in what I do. I hope that for all of you; friends, family, strangers, enemies. This is a fresh start for all of us. I wish you success in work, school, relationships. Enjoy this year and everyone in it. We all deserve happiness, go find yours, I'm still looking for mine.

Love to all, happy 2010.