2010

Christmas Day, 2006

The holidays are officially over, and I'm back in Montreal. It's strange to be back after nearly two and a half weeks of visiting, eating and lounging around on my Mom's amazingly comfy sofa, watching marathon after marathon on the Food Network. Despite my relentless television watching (seriously, I will watch anything), the holidays are always busy for me. This is especially the case now that I have a seven month old niece in the mix. My time is divided between three sets of parents, my brother and his family, J's sister and brother-in-law (and their three labrador retrievers) and any friends that can manage to sneak into the mix. It's always slightly exhausting in a good way, but it's nice to be home.

The above photo was taken on Christmas Day, 2006, in London, England. Me, J, and L spent the day with friends, and with each other, which felt about as close to family as you can get. I remember feeling incredibly sorry for myself and at the same time incredibly fortunate to be able to spend the day in the company of these two. As time goes on, you realize just how wonderful those moments are.

The past decade has been a crazy, amazing one. I graduated from University, traveled across Germany for a month with L, met another old friend - J - who became the man of my dreams, moved in with the man of my dreams, broke up with the man of my dreams, traveled as far as I possibly could for as long as I could, lived in three countries and a countless number of apartments, had some amazing jobs, and some really, really shitty ones. I met some incredible people, and some really annoying ones. I lost three of my grandparents, and gained a beautiful niece. And now, I sit here, content to stay in Montreal for awhile, starting French classes tomorrow, and back - once again - with J, the man of my dreams.

Here's hoping that 2010 is full of challenges I can face, surprises better than I can imagine, and so much love that I can't stand it.

Happy New Year.