Spring has Sprung

It has been a long time since I wrote anything on these pages. I guess I just got out of the habit, and really didn't feel like I had much to say. But with the new green leaves (and all that wonderful pollen) and the increasing sunlight as the days get longer, I felt an urge to say something.

It has been a good year so far. It is brilliant to be able to say that, as last year was a very difficult one for me.

I have started a new job at Winston & Strawn, a lawfirm here in DC as a Trade Analyst, and although the hours will be long (as expected), I am feeling like my work matters and that I am being productive. As an added perk, my first work trip to China is coming in about a week and a half. As was the case when I was at the Department of Commerce, it is on the trips that you really begin to understand the cases you are looking at, and are able to connect with people from far away. It will be a learning experience for me, and I look forward to doing something challenging and new.

These days I feel like I am in a dream-like version of my own life, as the fun and love I am surrounded with just keeps coming. Between jobs, we went to Kaua'i for a week, and had a remarkable week of fun and laughter and excitement (some of it scary, some of it really cool). Between the hiking on the edge of a 2000' drop, seeing a White Tip Shark while snorkeling, and sitting in our hot tub on the deck sipping wine while the wind blew through the trees and the crash of waves sounded in the distance, it really could not have been a more wonderful week.

In the midst of so much sadness and loss and worry happening in the world, I almost feel guilty for being so happy, but have decided to revel in these good times. I could not have gotten through the last year without the support of friends, and I hope all of those experiencing hard times right now have even half as many wonderful people around them as I do.

I am just coming to the realization that this post sounds nothing like my usual self! I am finding the transition from being the real downer at the party to a happy person a strange one, so bear with me folks!

Things I Am Thankful For

After seeing a list on my friend's blog here, I thought I should make my own on this Thanksgiving Day. Note that this is in no particular order...

• good wine
• the best friends ever
• a warm toasty home
• that I am not in Mumbai
• Pandora music on my iPhone
• fire (cause without it we wouldn't have great food...or coffee...or warm crackling fireplaces)
• coffee
• that I reconnected with long-lost family
• Doug
• that I have some skill in the kitchen
• beauty in all its forms
• ...

Thank you to everyone who has made this last challenging year better for me, and for bearing with my uncertainties and insecurities. Your support (you know who you are...) has helped me make it through when I thought I'd never make it.

So on this Thanksgiving Day, let's take a moment to think about those who are hurting, hungry, or need us, and vow to help in the next year in any way we can....

Road Trip to a Great Wedding

Like many people these days, I’m amazed at how expensive flying has become. Day was, you could fly from Washington, DC to Chicago for about $120-$150. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. But we had to go to Chicago for our friend Catherine’s wedding, so we decided to take a road trip. We drove from Washington, DC through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, to Chicago, IL. There were some great sights along the way, including this really cool wind farm in Somerset, PA:

Given the amount of time we had on the road, Doug and I had a bunch of time to discuss all sorts of issues, including how cool an old-fashioned drive-in called Swensen’s is (read about our meal there, and other thoughts on our road food on my other blog here):

Also discussed was why this truck was hauling an electronic bull across Indiana, seen at a rest stop somewhere on the Indiana Turnpike:
But most importantly of course was seeing our great friend Catherine get married after 10+ years with John. The ceremony was lovely, with an emphasis on reading really wonderful poems and quotes and such (I have to admit I did tear up a bit a couple of times). We hung out with a few friends, blew some bubbles outside Bond Chapel at the University of Chicago, goofed around a bit, and generally had fun celebrating with our friend: