Follow the Fortune Cookie

The First Entry.

"Salvation, like car keys, is found where and when you least expect it." ~Anon~
Currently listening to: "Running in the Deep" - Adele
Currently reading: "Altar of Eden" by James Rollins

Well, I'm at it again. Maybe not fully at it, but I've gathered enough of me to write the introduction to this new blog...about three weeks late. Wonderful start, don't you think?

The past few weeks have been crazy. I'll be adding to that crazy soon as most of my classes begin on Monday! Nothing but good times ahead, I'm sure.

If you read my last blog, not that you would have, but on the off chance that you did, you would have noticed I kind of disappeared right before I left for Northern Ireland. No, I didn't stay. Though, there are times where I think a part of me is still there. It's a beautiful place full of rolling green hills, old cathedrals turned into convenience stores, a tragic history covered in gallows humor, and some of the nicest, nuttiest people you will ever meet in the world. One of my most peaceful moments in life was walking down the streets of Belfast after seeing a movie, picking up a decent burrito from a little Mexican cafe, right after a five minute storm.

To do a brief recap: there were miles of walking, enough pound pizza to make your stomach rot, being the only person around while a professor had a heart attack, bi-polar weather, romantic shenanigans (not mine own, which made it amusing to watch), exploration into the world of alcohol (I, seemingly, can't get drunk), getting lost a few times, becoming a regular at a pub called Fibber Magees, stood on the edge of one Earth's mightiest place (Giant's Causeway), earned a couple of nicknames, danced a few gigs, fell in love with a sandwich, visited one of the most beautiful college campuses in the world, and made a few friends that'll probably stick around until the end.

Coming home was a realization. People tell you that trips like Belfast change your life - it did. I didn't feel it at first, didn't feel anything different. It was the feedback of others that really got me to think about how things had changed. I went a bit nutty there when I got back. It was like trying to fit a round block into a small, triangular hole. My life as it was didn't fit the person I had become.

It took a while, almost failing a semester in college and many sleepless nights tearing out my hair, before I was able to find my feet again. Granted, "finding my feet" was about two weeks ago. The beautiful thing about the entire experience was how my family reacted. My mom, one of the most brilliant, compassionate people in the world, held on with only the will of a mother can. It was rocky. It was disastrous at times. However, we realized in the end that we were changing together. Mighty experience, I'll tell you.

My guy and I went through some rocky times. I came home to a mess within my family. He was going through the same thing. We tried to come together, had three weeks of loveliness that I wouldn't change for the world, time to just hold each other and be a real-live couple, instead of two long-distance people yearning for more. It didn't end in the most happily of endings...yet we survived. Against the odds, that's us. He's my best friend. It's amazing what you can accomplish if you remember the reason why you're together in the first place. Every time I think about it, I can't help but smile.

So...what does all of my blabbering mean? There's more to write and more to say. So much has changed since becoming a member on WDC. For better or for worst, I've been able to vent in this place of friends and fellow writers. WDC gave me a virtual home to feel accepted when I didn't think that was possible. Now, almost three years later, things have changed. I have changed. It only seemed fitting to chronicle my continuing misadventures here.

Here's an idea of what's to come... I have a couple more semesters before I hopefully transfer into a four-year university. Scramble time. There's an out-of-state move in the works for the beginning of June. New state, new shenanigans. I'm currently trying to write a novel made completely of short stories. (I stole the idea after reading Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Thanks Sherman Alexie!) I'm also making many train commutes to my father's and grandparent's over the next few months. Leaving is never easy. Neither is watching the people you love go through Alzheimer's. I hope to come to grips with both over the course of the next year, all while trying to stay moderately sane.

So, in closing, if this your first time here - welcome. If you've been here before - nice to see you again. And to all, although rather late, Happy New Year.