Jimmy!

Jimmy Buffett kicked off the summer concert series in 40 degree weather last night!  My friend Matt drove in and took me to the concert.  (Thank you Matt!!!) We had a grand time, he is still at the house nursing a pretty wicked hang over.  I am at work!  Sucker.  I must admit, I did sleep in this morning and probably slept through the worst of the hangover.  

While I was in and out of sleep I was thinking about 2008.  Part of me feels like it has been SUCH a DIFFICULT year.  Unexpectedly losing my job and then severely injuring myself are not the harbingers of good things!  I realized I was only focusing on the negative things that had happened.

I started going through all of the good things that have happened this year.  I have traveled to Cancun, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Richmond and DC, I have done a lot of rewarding work in the garden, I've started dating again, I've been to a Bruce Springsteen AND Jimmy Buffett concert.  Not a bad year at all and frankly, it's off to a better start than most.

Wow - So This is what living feels like!

I have been so focused on work and building my career the past 2.5 years that I had begun to neglect parts of my life.  I was working 10+ hour days and loving it.  Only, I forgot to do little things that were important to me.  I forgot to go to the gym/work out.  I forgot to spend lots of time with my friends.  I forgot to garden.  I forgot to take my dog for walks.  I had even forgotten to read! (For as long as I can remember, I have almost always read at least a chapter every night before bed.) I forgot to be involved.

Since THE LAYOFF I have been slowly regrouping.  I've started to exercise again. I've started to cook.  It's even easier now that the stove I burned up has been replaced.  I've started to think about dating again.  Stop - let me rephrase that.  I had started to think about it back in the fall when the blast from my past popped back into my life.  Even though he wasn't an option for me (pesky morals), I had such a good time with him (as always) that I remembered that it was FUN to flirt and go to dinner and have drinks, with someone other than your friends and family.  I had forgotten.

Here's to remembering!!

Helluva Year

About a three weeks ago, I was cooking dinner and caught a pot, and then my stove on fire. In the process of putting it all out, I severely burned my right hand. Yes, I'm right handed. The only insurance I have is through COBRA, so I'll be paying $400/month for insurance. Ugh. This is the second challenge to overcome.   The good news is that it is healing - slowly - and pretty soon I should have full use back and no longer be walking around with a mummified right hand.

What will the third challenge be???

Cancun or Bust!

What does the sane girl do when she loses her job?  Take off to Cancun for a week of soul searching!

We'll see if this turns out to be one of my crazier ideas or not.

Oddly enough, or not, actually, my friends reactions when I told them I was taking off was, "Are you crazy?!"  Wait, no, you're Jen.  This is a completely normal reaction for you. Good luck!"

My plan is to take this time and figure out what is important to me and decide WHAT TO DO WITH THE REST OF MY LIFE.  Or, at least the next chapter.

I am so grateful to have spent most of the month of January in blissful ignorance of my impending job loss.  January was quite a bit of fun and wouldn't have been if I had known what was just around the corner.

Isn't that the crux of life?

Una margarita por favor!!