It's been a while.....

Well hello to you. And you. And you. Oh... and you too. (Who am I kidding? I'm lucky if one person actually reads this.)

It seems as if it has been over a year (last blog entry was in February 2008) since I've taken the time to blog. What has happened in that time frame?

I went camping three times in Summer 2008..... once with the new beau, and that turned out to be a complete disaster. Not so much the camping itself... but the company and weather. :S Oh well, lesson learned. And besides, he's a bit of a 'city boy' anyway. ;) Bugs and poison ivy scare this 6 foot 2 panda bear.

Since February 2008, I had a chance to fulfill a longtime dream of travelling to Europe (September/October 2008). I considered this my 30th birthday present to myself. Me and two girlfriends participated in an organized group tour that hit parts of Italy that included, Rome, Venice, Florence, the Tuscan region, Milan, Sorrento. I absolutely loved it.... I felt so relaxed (when I wasn't constantly getting up early and riding the bus.... which comprised a lot of our time) and actually felt an association with the culture. It brought me back to my roots (well speaking the language did, anyway).... one day, it would be great to visit Sicily, though - where my family is actually from.

As mentioned above, I turned 30 this year. It wasn't as daunting as I had expected.... but still it isn't a pretty number. Turning 30 just made me become aware of all the things that had happened so far in my life and - more importantly - the things that had NOT YET happened.

That trip trained me financially so nothing major was really planned after that. However, I am happy to report that I've fulfilled one of my short-term goals (some other ones include having a child and adopting a dog.... but one step at a time...) which was buying a condo. Went searching in January and sealed the deal in February. Closed on April 3rd and moved in on April 18th. It is finally starting to feel like home now (one of the biggest obstacles was organizing mountains of stuff into a much smaller kitchen) and the rooms are pretty well livable. There are furniture pieces (and other odds and ends) that are on our wish list.... but again, one step at a time. I truly am happy and comfortable in this new home, and hope to be here for a few years.

Well that's all I've really got for now (how can I sum up over a year in a few paragraphs?).... I'll do my best to update this (fairly) regularly.

Live long and prosper (... I couldn't resist... I watched Star Trek, the movie last night...)

"Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor not a physicist...."

:)