Catch Up

I think my blogging frequency is directly tied to the time I spend at a desk. Case in point: since moving back East, and especially since I started babysitting, my blog entries have been a lot more picture focused and a lot less actual writing or reflection. Now, fair warning - this entry will be generally much more introspective and much less story-centric.

I've spent the past 3 weekends straight out of town, so let's give them a quick recap in bullet point form:

AC
- Sending Tom off to Australia with lots of Roulette, 5 Hour Energy, Wawa, beer pong, and hanging out


Nashville/ATL
- Lots of driving, getting lost in Olympic Park (no, it's not easy to get lost in), GA Aquarium (shark petting, sippy-cup buying), Andre/5Hr, bachelor parties, drag queens, Pink Pony (where Caitlin fell in love), Waffle House, 6 Flags.


DC
- Wine tasting, grape stomping, Trollifying, front-loading the open bar (subsequently: dancing, mistaking Halloween props for candy, possibly Jumbo Slice) approximately 6 hours on the couch Sunday, Amsterdam falafel.

Despite (or maybe because of) being perpetually sleep-deprived over the weekends, saving less money than I thought I would, and indulging in several vices, I'm happier now than I was in San Francisco. When I first moved I told people that I was "taking a break from real life" by coming home, deciding to teach abroad, and leaving corporate America. Two months later I feel like I've actually started living again (oh melodrama, I know). I'm spending time with people I love, taking advantage of last-minute travel chances, and feeling much more like myself.

Two months from now I'll be boarding a plane to Germany and then on to Thailand only a few days later to teach English for 2.5 months and see a completely new corner of the world (anyone want to visit Thailand/SE Asia mid-March? I'm serious, talk to me). Hopefully after that I'll be spending a few much-needed weeks with my dad, stepmother, and little sisters before returning to the States, to either wherever TFA decides to send me (8 days!) or DC, most likely.

The immediate future holds nights like tonight - drinking a beer on the couch, oven on (currently: an enormous pumpkin), watching Cliff Lee destroy the Yankees - and weekends like the aforementioned. The eventual future is alternately defined and unsure, but I'm perfectly content to play the waiting game for a bit, especially when it's filled with things like planning next year's hypothetical apartment (complete with napping room/corner and game night) with Caitlin. Yes, I'd say things are pretty good right now.