Sun Peeks Out - Howdy folks, negligent writer here. Wow, has it been a busy fall/winter season! In early October, I spent a week "on vacation" on staff for GWW. I had written a long draft of my thoughts about GWW, but it isn't completed. And I really just wanted to write today. Also in October, I started dancing at my 2nd class per week, advancing beyond just ATS level 1.0 and learning level 1.5 (group work).

Then, my roomie of 6+ years finally landed a job offer in her destination region of choice, and the crazy new moving arrangements started. She began her new job in early November, and we submitted our 30-notice to be out by Nov 30. Four friends were planning to get a larger living arrangement at the same time, and they had the perfect "extra room" just for me. My move started around Nov 15 or so, and I spent weekends and evenings reducing my belongings and arranging to drive them "up the road" to my new house. On Nov 30, I had to admit defeat and ask for one extra day in the old apt, then I was pleasantly surprised when the landlord decided not to charge me rent for one day on Dec 1.

This past weekend, a dear friend helped me bring a rubbermaid shed from the home-improvement store to my new house, and then 3 of my fantastic roomies assembled it for me. (This was =extrememly= helpful, since one of the guys is actually tall enough to work on the roof line, whereas I can just touch the roof with my palms flat, when my arms are fully extended.) The new house has a HUGE backyard covered porch, but we've been having extremely unseasonable rains lately. Although all my belongings on the backporch stayed mostly dry, having a garden shed for most of them is really a relief. Two-thirds of the giant pile have been put away, and I'll be done moving everything off the porch tonight.

The new house is amazing. I just adore the location, the shorter commute, proximity to my sweetie and my family, and the cuteness factor of my room. Sure, there are some challenges, but I am a masterful Tetris player with my belongings, and I have some fantastic shelves. Pictures will be forthcoming, once I have time to slow down a bit.

Dance continues to go extremely well. I've been given the green light to enroll in level 2.0 in January, although I will continue to study levels 1.0 and 1.5, building a strong foundation for all the skills required to advance. Level 2.0 moves are definitely the ones for which I need significant practice, most significantly the "full-time shimmy" which requires better strength and balance in my ankles and knees (as well as better hip coordination). The new house has a dance studio (woot!), so I just need to budget extra time to rehearse on my own.


My dance, henna,
and costumes pictures

The new house also has a washer and dryer. The first time I did my own laundry, in my own home, on my own time, with no quarters was a celebration in my book, indeed!

So, that's a quick summary that gets us to today. For those of you who celebrate Chanukah, I hope you had a lovely holiday earlier this month. For those of you who celebrate Solstice, I hope you also had a lovely holiday this week. And for those of you who celebrate Christmas, may you have a lovely weekend. I look forward to seeing family and friends over the next week or two, and enjoying the slow pace of winter holidays and new years.

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Today's Blessing That I'm Thankful For: Jen, Chip, Nick, Daniel, Saul, Wilhelm, True, Amya, Alia, Mina, Kim, Kevin, Aliskye, and Adjin. You made my move possible, wonderful, successful, and... just, wow.