labor day

jami and i met up with newly married friends whitney and shaun for a dodger game.  my FIRST dodger game, and first time in dodger stadium.  i had sort of run-walked around it for the color run last year, but never been in it.  and labor day was a great day to check it off the list.

only complaint was that it was HOT. soooo hot!  but the fact that we were in good company, that the dodgers were playing the nationals, and that the nationals won, totally made up for it!

september is going to be a crazy travel month, so it was a nice way to spend a chill evening with friends.

the alignment of the stars

like many, i find my horoscope a fun entertaining way to pass the time now and again.  it's usually a drive-by, but i will admit that during the first week of each month, i spend a little more time than usual on one particular astrology site, 'cuz this chic has a pretty good record of 'coincidences'.  some nuggets from july (i promise, this is going somewhere):

If you look at the dates of the series of retrogrades of Venus, Mercury, and Mars so far this year, there was no oasis - those planets dovetailed almost precisely with their onset and direct dates, leaving no rest for the weary. You are a hard worker, and you rarely have problems with concentration, so you likely made progress in spite of the lack of help from the planets, but it took all the energy you had to give to do it. Life is about to become easier from now on.

You tend to overdo your work schedule, and the universe knows it, dear Virgo. July will be your time to unwind, make new friends, and connect with your current, favorite pals again. It's a time to rest, travel to the seashore, have dinners with pals, share stories, catch a new movie, and visit art openings.

You have so much to celebrate, dear Virgo. The start of 2014 will officially begin in July. Say goodbye to the never-ending series of retrograde planets - all that ends now. From now on you will have a more encouraging, productive environment in which to operate. While it is true that Mercury, your ruler, will go retrograde again on October 4 to 26, those three little weeks will pale in comparison to what we have all gone through in the first six months of 2014.

Take some needed rest in July, and see if you can take a vacation sometime in July. You need to unplug and enjoy life. You need to daydream - and don't let anyone tell you that it is a waste of time. This month, it may be the most valuable exercise you do.

there are a number of other apropos insights regarding this month, and even before i read this 'forecast',  the wheels had started turning.  it may or may not be obvious by my inconsistent blog appearances that this year has been incredibly busy.  my travel schedule in the last six months has seemed more intense than usual, and it has taken me longer to recover/settle in/get motivated to do anything but sleep and watch tv when i am home.

in fact, i have been looking forward to july all year!  i'll be making my annual trek to comic-con, followed immediately by my first vacation of the year, where i am overwhelmingly excited to return to one of my most happy places, my grandmother's lake house in new york.  all of my immediate family and much of the extended clan will be making the trek, and i can't wait to get some reading and relaxing done while reconnecting with aunts and uncles and cousins.

but there are other wonderful things happening right now.  the biggest is that i got some news at work in the last week which, if all goes according to plan, means something that i have spent the last two years hoping and praying for is now a reality.  it's not only a game-changer, it's a life-changer.  (i'm happy to share one-on-one, but not so publicly until things are more concrete).  and, since it dropped in from the sky like food rations to a deserted island, it gives me more confidence in the impressions and feelings i've been trying to interpret for some time.

meanwhile... july seems to be unfolding beautifully!

the independence day weekend involved meeting a bunch of new people, watching fireworks at the rose bowl in pasadena, spending a day at the beach with my friend tania, and having a neighbor navajo taco party.  it was the perfect mix of spending time with new friends and old.  and i certainly didn't mind the extra day of sleeping in!

mardi gras

my department had a potluck to celebrate mardi gras.  holy smokes was it good.  maybe the best potluck i've ever been a part of.  it unintentionally took on a southern theme with pulled pork sliders, mac and cheese, fried chicken, crack corn (the new name for my cream cheese corn concoction), cole slaw, sausage balls, etc.

i was truly impressed with my co-workers' culinary endeavors, and, as my tastebuds did one happy dance after another, i couldn't help but be grateful for such an awesome, drama-free team.

valentines

for my colleagues  

individual oreo pudding cakes

for my roommate

self-explanatory :D

for me

mani/pedi & eyelash extensions

december

as seems to happen more and more, december just seemed to slip away when i wasn't looking.

it started with the final planning and execution of my last event of the year -- our biannual all employee meeting.  with a few added elements, this was our most 'complicated' employee meeting yet, and, to add insult to injury, i was also tasked with presenting.

those who know me well know that speaking in front of people is my all-time greatest fear. it's a nausea inducing fear that i try to avoid at all costs.  not to mention that there were a thousand moving parts (usually by me) that had to be handled while i was supposed to be on the stage in front of my 500 co-workers.  

the good news is that it all went off without a hitch.  and, i even learned yesterday that in the post-event survey sent to employees, my presentation ranked the highest of the event.  while i'm pleased and grateful for the result, i'm mostly just glad it's over!

fortunately the first couple of weeks weren't all fear and nausea.  my friend vicki invited me to join her at a minor league hockey game, where i had my first 'up against the glass' experience.

and i joined my roommate and another friend in los angeles for las posadas on olvera street.  not only was this my first time using the metro here (i still can't believe there is one), but it was also an interesting educational experience.  the event commemorates the journey of mary and joseph from nazareth to bethlehem, and their search for shelter. there were pinatas, and nativities, and singing. and, there were churros.  i don't know that i would do it again, but it was a new an interesting experience.

only a couple of days after my big work event, i headed to savannah, georgia.  

in november, i received a job offer from a company based there.  the offer was completely unexpected and created a lot a lot of internal conflict.  on one hand, i would really like to be back east, closer to my family.  on the other, i just wasn't sure savannah would be a good fit for me.  

my long weekend there was a bit of a rough one (travel problems, terrible weather), but ultimately it confirmed what i had already begun to feel. the job would have been a good fit, as would most of the people. but the city...is great for being a tourist in, but not to live in. at least not for me.  

the decision was not an easy one, and it occupied the majority of my free-thinking time in november and early december.  but turning it down also made me realize that i'm not ready to leave california just yet.  and there is a certain peace in that.

only a few days after returning from georgia, i was back on the east coast.  only this time, it was to meet my brand new niece and spend the week with my family.  

usually my visits home involve a lot of going and seeing. visiting with old friends, undertaking various activities.  this trip though, we all just kind of hunkered down and spent the week with each other. and it was perfectly lovely.

it nearly kills me to have say goodbye each time, and i still wish i could snuggle in with the new baby, but i was back just before new year's to celebrate in california for the first time.  

despite my reservations, i opted for the big local mid-singles celebration. and, while i have nothing exciting to report, it was an enjoyable evening spent with friends, which is really all i could ask for. 

back at work now i'm trying to get up to full speed preparing for my biggest conference of the year, while managing a nasty sinus infection.  

at this rate i have a feeling that my next post will appear in february and i'll be talking about how quickly january flew by.  seems to just be the way things go these days!

12 days

in the summer of 2012, my mom's side of the family had a big reunion -- our first in more than ten years.  it was an awesome weekend that provided a lot of opportunities to 'get to know' these extended family members -- some of whom were very young the last time i saw them.

one such example was my cousin wyatt, who was 7 or 8 (to my 25 or 26) at our last reunion. it was a neat experience to get to know him a little as a young adult and i was even a bit surprised at just how connected i felt to him and vice versa.  over the course of the long weekend, he felt more like a little brother than a cousin i hadn't seen in a decade.

shortly after our reunion, he departed on an lds mission for our church.  i had every intention of being a great letter writer and staying in touch, keeping up with his adventures in the mission field. but, as sometimes happens, i have fallen miserably short of those intentions.  with the holidays approaching, i have felt like i have some catching up to do (18 months later!), so i decided to send a '12 days of christmas' care package.  full disclosure, it has not actually been sent yet. i just completed it today, so here's hoping i can motivate myself to the finish line.

it was a fun process for me, finding the scriptures and coordinating items, designing and creating the tags... i found myself trying to imagine his response to each of the items (and which ones will elicit the most surprised laughter), and i hope that at the very least, the package serves as a reminder that his much older mostly non-communicative cousin has been keeping him in her prayers.

if you're interested, the full list is (and there is no rhyme or reason to the order):

1st day - swedish fish
jeremiah 16:16 - behold, i will send for many fishers, saith the lord, and they shall fish them; and after will i send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks

2nd day - shout pen/wipes
psalms 35:27 - let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, let the lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

3rd day - flashlight
acts 13:47 - for so hath the lord commanded us, saying, i have set thee to be a light of the gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

4th day - candy canes
1 nephi 8:19 - And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.

5th day - calendar
alma 34:32 - for behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet god; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

6th day - gummi worms
d&c 111:11 - therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and i will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them. amen.

7th day - something you suck on
mosiah 4:16 - and also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

8th day - cheerios
d&c 68:6 - wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for i the lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even jesus christ, that i am the son of the living god, that i was, that i am, and that i am to come.

9th day - socks
isaiah 52:7 - how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that publisheth salvation

10th day - chapstick
proverbs 20:15 - there is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

11th day - hand sanitizer
psalms 24:4 - he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

12th day - tums
d&c 9:8 - But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

thankful

thanksgiving can be a difficult holiday for me.  i lost my dog cyra on my first thanksgiving here in california, and, with only a couple of exceptions, have spent most of them (since i moved here) flying solo.  it always seems to be a reminder that my family is far away.

this would be the year to change all that, however!  my cousin and her family recently moved to las vegas from utah.  initially, i thought this would just help make my dreaded work trips there a little sweeter, but i didn't realize there would be a holiday bonus as well!

laurie and her husband shawn were hosting thanksgiving for her siblings and their families, and were kind enough to invite me to join them.  i just couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the holiday with so many people i love.

the long weekend consisted of everything a good thanksgiving SHOULD consist of; great food, great conversation, games, movies, sleeping in, staying up too late, pool and hot tub time (i mean, it's vegas after all), and a 15 passenger van.

growing up, i only saw these cousins about once every other year, but i have always felt a deep connection and abiding love for them.  they are people who i would choose to spend time with even if we weren't related, and based on some of the families i know, that is the highest praise i can give.

labor day

the weekend was dominated by sleep. blessed sleep. sweaty hot sleep. but sleep nonetheless.

sunday night found me spending time with my donahoo cousins, which i try to do as often as possible.  with nicole off to byu it did feel a little different, but rachel and i made sure to drown our sorrows by doing what we love best -- taking selfies!

today brought more opportunity for sleep, but also an opportunity to catch up with some old friends.


i have several friends from high school who migrated out here (before i did) and unfortunately we don't take nearly enough advantage of our close proximity to get together.  i'm ashamed to admit that it's been a couple years -- which, given that we live only 30 miles apart, is truly ridiculous!

i'd reached out to brandon and michelle to see if they'd be in town this weekend, and they mentioned our friend bronwyn and her husband were having a cookout--which would also be attended by our other friends andy and kevin.  a perfect opportunity to see some old familiar favorite faces:)

the man of the house was quite a skilled grill-master and my creamsicle fruit dip was a huge hit.  the breezes were a welcome relief from the weekend's hot hot temperatures, and it was awesome to be able to catch up with friends who have known me since i was 16.  a little taste of my east coast home is always appreciated in my west coast home.

happy halloween!

halloween in california is the awesomest. seriously. the best.  maybe it's an overcompensation for lacking real seasons, but the variety of october holiday experiences are diverse and numerous -- and i've been taking advantage all month.

the celebrations continued on saturday evening with a church sponsored mid-singles dance/awkward social experiment up in los angeles.  the truth is, i really shouldn't have gone.  i was exhausted from my late night pool adventures and my early morning flight, but i get to be in town for these things so rarely that i felt like i had to go.  unfortunately as a result, i went with a bad attitude and a low tolerance for the 'awkward social experiment' portions of the evening.  i can't imagine that my company was remotely enjoyable, so i'm grateful that my companions were not only people i genuinely enjoy, but also ones who were very patient with me.

nicole, matt, jami, me, and rick

and on the upside, i was happy with my (red riding hood) costume, for the first time in years!

luckily, i had a chance to redeem myself on all hallow's eve.

a friend from church had organized a group outing with various stops throughout the evening.

jami and i headed to john's (the organizer extraordinaire) house to see if anyone else needed a lift, and filled the car before heading off to stop 1: the earrywood haunted house.

the local haunted house celebrated it's 10th anniversary this year, and this was my second visit (my first, a couple of years ago). i love that this free haunt is a truly home-crafted affair created for the sheer love of the holiday, and of scaring people, and that it is a really good haunted house!

during our wait, the group expanded from a dozen or so to 30 or 40 people,  we used the time to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

when our time came to enter the maze, rick, emily (a new introduction), and i headed in.  much to my chagrin, i brought up the rear of our trio, so of course i quickly became the obvious target.  so much so that one of the 'characters'  followed me through the entire maze, periodically popping up out of nowhere to remind me that he was there.  i got a few genuine scares and screams from the experience and managed to make it out alive!

i waited for jami and the rest of my car, who had somehow ended up at the back of the line, before we headed out to stop number 2: dr. tony's halloween extravaganza

this was a new, and totally amazing experience for me.  all i knew going into it was that we were going to some kind of halloween block party, but i learned later that the event originated from a local brain surgeon who loves the holiday and happens to own a few investment properties in the same neighborhood.  so, every year, he picks a theme, foots the bill for and enlists the aid of his tenants and other neighbors for a neighborhood-wide halloween celebration.

my initial reaction was surprise at just how many people were wandering the streets participating in the festivities.  i also found it very exciting that there was a halloween activity that somehow blended children and adults, costumes and 'street' clothes, trick-or-treating, and party, seamlessly. 

the crowd, though large, was remarkably tame, friendly, and diverse.  it felt so different from previous halloweens in virginia.  i've been a little east-coast homesick lately, but october has given me a chance to remember some of the things that make california special, and the block party was the icing.

this year's theme was the wizard of oz, and after joining up with a couple of other cars, we began following dorothy's journey from kansas to oz and back again.  criss-crossing the street from top to bottom, each house held a piece of the story.  we started on the farm (complete with actual tractor) with dorothy singing about a rainbow and slowly made our way through the rest of the tale.

we saw dorothys at most of the houses, each one at a different place in the story.  we met glinda, the tin man, scarecrow, cowardly lion, and of course, the wicked witch, time and time again. we lost our friends and found them, and lost them again.  we avoided a tornado, sang with munchkins, traveled to the emerald city (complete with giant animatronic 'wizard'), met more friends, waved off a hot air balloon and called it a most excellent night.

halloween horrors

it's probably fair to say that halloween gives christmas a run for it's money in the 'favorite holiday' category.  i love everything about it; the costumes, the spooks, the (usually) chill in the air signifying the changing seasons.  and there is something eternally child-like about halloween.

conversely, october is typically a difficult month for me personally, because a heavy work-travel schedule means i don't have a lot of time to enjoy those things.  so, when an invitation came my way to join a group at the universal studios halloween horror nights, and i was going to be in town, i simply couldn't pass up the opportunity.

california does halloween right.  i've 'discovered' and loved other haunts during my time here, but had not ventured up to la la land for what i had heard, was a 'premiere' experience.  so, i took a deep breath and sucked it up to pay the exorbitant 'front of the line' ticket price (hopefully) ensuring quick entrance to the various mazes.

when saturday finally rolled around, i wasn't sure i was going to be up for it, having flown in from boston the night before, but i couldn't justify bailing when i had paid so much for a ticket.  thankfully, the financial commitment saved me from missing a truly fun-filled night!

me, rick, kristina, dean

my house was the meeting point and we split up into two groups to head north.  in my car were a couple of people i have 'sort of known' for awhile, and a new face (to me).  we intended to join up with the other group for a meal before heading in to the park, but wait times in local restaurants were long, so when we discovered they were behind us, we opted for a quick bite (which turned out to be delicious) at a citywalk creperie before heading in.

i was particularly excited about the walking dead infiltration at this year's event, and i got my first taste on the 'terror tram'.  while the other group ate, we were off and running!

or so we thought.

dean, kristina, me, rick

because we had made it on the tram quite speedily, we didn't need to use our front of line passes.  it wasn't until we met up with the rest of the group at the next ride that we realized i was the only one of our foursome who had been given the special pass.

ultimately what that meant was that we had to head back to the opposite side of the park to pick them up.  even though i had mine, i opted to stay with my foursome as i was really enjoying the company.

our 30 minute detour left us a little frustrated, as we hadn't yet realized just how much time those passes would save us (seriously, if you are going to do horror nights, spend the money), but we headed back from whence we came and began the serious business of ridin' rides and gettin' scared.

i turned out to be the obvious mark.  fortunately, new friend rick was a gentleman and offered his arm as my 'stress ball', while dean and kristina mostly laughed at how ridiculously easy i was to scare.  what can i say? i like to be scared, so i allow myself to be scared.  that's what makes it fun!

we gave up trying to meet up with the other group for awhile as we played in the lower half of the park, taking a small break from the spooks to try out some rides.  our passes were amazing and we walked right on to the mummy, transformers 3d, and jurassic park rides.

we did a little screamin', got a little wet, and decided to head back to the haunts.  the surprise hit was the texas chainsaw massacre maze, which may or may not have inspired a little pants-peeing action.  after finishing up the lower park, we headed up to try to meet up with the other half of the group.

on our way, we stopped at mazes and rides we knew the others had already done, and eventually the entire group was back together.  i was excited to go through the walking dead maze with the two organizers--sisters--who share my obsession with the show.  and it absolutely did not disappoint.

with only a couple of mazes remaining, we took the opportunity to take some photos, grab some treats, and slow it down a bit.

but, after eventually finishing with all the haunted festivities, our groups said farewell, and we slowly made our way out of the park. the evening was happily concluded with an in-n-out stop and some iphone app video making in the back seat on the way home.

i'm not often able to take advantage of social opportunities on home turf, so it's hard for me to accurately explain just how excited i get when i can.  while i don't know that i would do horror nights again (i thought knott's scary farm was better, and for less $$), the fact that i got to spend my night with a fellow native easterner (rick) and also discovered that someone (kristina) i've sort of known for a while is someone i really like, made it worth every penny.

memorial day

today a former co-worker and current facebook friend posted the following on his wall:

I've been gracious about this. But it doesn't feel right. Memorial day honors our fallen brothers and sisters who paid the ultimate price for our country. I am a veteran. I have a day in November. While I am proud of my service, it does not belong in the same book, page, paragraph or sentence with those whom we remember on memorial day. Today please honor those who's check was cashed.

earlier in the day i had read and 'liked' many posts honoring and thanking those who serve our country -- both past and present -- and hadn't given it much thought.  his comment shook me from my complacent sense of general agreement to a more profound place of gratitude.  memorial day, after all,  is a day specifically dedicated to those who have sacrificed their lives in the service of our nation.

privileged to have grown up near the nation's capital, and to have spent a lifetime visiting us historic sites like gettysburg, little big horn, the uss arizona, etc., as well as having spent some time in the middle east during the first gulf war, i have a deep sense of humility and gratitude for those who were willing to risk, and indeed lost their lives, in the hopes of making and keeping this great nation great.

flawed though it may be, my travels have reinforced my belief in it's beauty, it's freedom, it's opportunity, and it's humanity. and today, i honor those who put on uniforms, never returning to the embraces of their loved ones, and i honor those, such as martin luther king, jr., who lost their lives in a different type of service to this nation.  thank you for your courage and your sacrifice.

happy 2012

hello friends!  did you notice that i did NOT wish you a 'happy new year'?  that's because i have decided that, as this year is the chinese year of the dragon, and i was born in a dragon year, i will be celebrating on january 23rd -- the beginning of the chinese new year.  in large part that's due to acknowledging that my traditional new year's reflections come with the hope that maybe, finally, this year will be the year that everything will change for the better.  and every year, it's not.

don't worry. that doesn't mean i've abandoned that hope, or hope in general...it's just in the process of being....realigned.

it has been interesting--and sad--watching the social media sites for the last 24 hours.  i've noticed that almost every person who posted a 'happy new year' declaration, followed it by commenting on how  difficult 2011 had been.  it seems that there has been a lot of unexpected death, a lot of jobs lost, loves lost, desires and goals unfulfilled.

i suppose i'm grateful that i don't fall into the '2011 was the worst year ever' category, but i can't say that it was a really great year for me either.  there were some high highs and some low lows.  i had some truly amazing experiences and some heartbreaking disappointments, and mostly i feel like 2011 was a year of stagnation.

and that is why this year i will celebrate the chinese new year (despite not having any real reason to do so).  the dragon is a powerful symbol in chinese astrology, and though i was born under the fire dragon, 2012 is a water dragon year.  predictions and descriptions for the upcoming dragon year include the following:

Those born in the Year of the Dragon can look forward to a year of new beginnings, and good fortune. According to the 2012 Year of the Dragon horoscope, anyone who is born in the year of the dragon will be very lucky. That could mean the start of a happy marriage, the beginning of a successful business, or a lucky lottery win. 

Water has a calming effect on the Dragon's fearless temperament. Water allows the Dragon to re-direct its enthusiasm, and makes him more perceptive of others. These Dragons are better equipped to take a step back to re-evaluate a situation because they understand the art of patience and do not desire the spotlight like other Dragons. Therefore, they make smart decisions and are able to see eye-to-eye with other people.

these descriptions are a near perfect encapsulation of my hopes for 2012.  i hope to re-evaluate and adjust accordingly. i hope for new beginnings. i hope to reform, strengthen, and build new relationships.  i hope for good fortune and a little 'luck'.  i hope to be a better practitioner of patience, and most of all, i hope to make smart decisions and to see the positive results.

christmas card update

remember that whole christmas card dilemma?  well, your suggestions were good ones and i started putting my google fingers to work to see if i could find something that would work.  but over and over, either i wasn’t a fan of the card designs, or they were way to expensive.  still in a bit of a pickle, i headed to utah for thanksgiving, and asked my friend corey if he could take some photos of me for possible use in the card.

we headed out for our photo session, and i had a specific goal in mind.  though it took a couple of 'locations' i felt confident that there was at least one that would balance that fine line between vain and pathetic.  and after reviewing the shots, i was relieved to find that i had been right.  all that was left was to find the right card to complement the photo, and jill came to the rescue with her flyer from shutterfly.  i instantly fell in love with several of the designs, and quickly hopped online to see the whole selection.  these are some of my favorites:

so what do you think?  do you love these as much as i do?  you can check out the rest of the designs here. and if you want to see the final product, be sure to email me your address!

and bloggers, if you'd like 50 free photo cards from shutterfly, check out their cool promotion!  

a pictorial recap: thanksgiving in utah

ah thanksgiving. you dear dear holiday dedicated to food and gratitude - two of my favorite things!  this year, you whisked me away to utah for a much needed vacation (another favorite thing).  and bonus! it was quite the winter wonderland (yet another favorite thing).

more of my favorite things include:

spending time with the burk family

spending time with MY family

snowcapped mountains

meeting the new additions

making friends out of new family members.
(i have the greatest cousins-in-law!)

eating at diners, drive-ins, and dives dives
(moochies)

inflatable hammers!
(me and the virginia nelsons)

delicious thanksgiving buffets (like the one at the grand america) 

question of the day

i'm a big fan of christmas cards (even though the laziness of recent years may not convince you).  i'm also a big fan of photos.

seems obvious that i would be a fan of photo christmas cards.

but photo christmas cards are made for families (you know what i mean), and i am a family of 'me'. which of course, is not to say that i don't have family, but that at 34, with both siblings balled and chained and babied up, the  'parents and brothers and sisters' card (geographically, if for no other reason) is long since past it's prime.

the 'me and the dog' thing just seems kind of...sad.  and the 'just me' thing seems kind of...vain.  so i want to know if any of you creative types have any great ideas as to how i can actually pull off a photo christmas card without falling into either trap?

help. please.

can i open my eyes now?

alright, i'm facing it, the christmas recap just ain't gonna happen. suffice it to say, i really enjoyed having my family here. we spent our time checking out the sites in la, experiencing disneyland through the eyes of a 5 year old, enjoying milkshakes on the pier, and just generally appreciating having the family all together again. the pictorial can be found here and here.

sadly, the good times did not continue as my family departed and the calendar year changed. i'm beginning to think that the whole 'broken mirrored closet door' thing may have had more of an impact than the bleeding forehead originally indicated.

i've spent the entire month of january trying to shake a bad luck streak that keeps getting longer and longer. it started with a toxic ingestion that resulted in an admission to animal hospital for kidney failure. $3k later and cordy came home mostly recovered and happy, while i took a turn for the worse. fighting some kind of random sickness, i couldn't take any time off as i prepared for my biggest event of the year. i did make it to that event, and that's something, but on my first night there i sprained or broke my big toe (there is some debate about which). since my glorified pedometer had me averaging 8 miles a day on that toe, you might imagine that there was a lot of crying. crying and vicodin.

just when i was sure i'd had my 'bad things come in threes' conclusion, and was looking forward to my arrival home and spending some time with deb (who was in town for the wedding of a mutual friend), i ended up with a flat tire in los angeles (an hour from home) at midnight.

you know, because all i needed after a $3k vet bill was to buy new tires.

not sure if i've got a shot at making it out of 2010 alive, but for the moment i'm going to focus on safely putting january behind me. the wedding was lovely though, so maybe there's hope afterall...

...oh, and i did manage to have a little fun in orlando. melissa recapped our shared adventures here...