Lessons Learned

Hello dear bloggy friends!

Words cannot describe how very much I've missed you over the past couple months. As I sit here and type this, I'm actually getting a little weepy-eyed over how negligent I've been of this blog and of you. Amid getting wrapped up in my no-longer-as-new life in this no-longer-as-new city, I've forgotten that part of the fun of the journey is to get to share it with you.

Well, that negligence stops now!

So what exactly have I been doing since I last left you? (Oh my, we last spoke March 30!) Well, here's a quick little recap. (Hopefully I can remember the deets ... it's been such a blur.)

1. I finished a majorly huge project at work. It ate up a lot of my hours and a lot of my energy, but all the hard work paid off. The website I've been working on since... well... since I started my job, is finally off the ground! After spending so much of my life (4 years college and 3 years post grad) preparing for such a feat, it's refreshing to see the fruits of my (and my wonderful co-workers') labor!

2. I ran my 3rd half marathon. And we started the race in a thunderstorm. Epic! The race was amazing ... despite having thrown out my back (doing yoga, of all things) a mere week prior, I ran my easiest, fastest 13 miles yet at 2:12. Best of all, I reunited with my college running buddies and had my favorite guy and favorite mother cheering me on.

3. I got a cat. I adopted a 5-year-old kitten from my friend's soon-to-be hubby because she's deathly allergic to animals. The cat's name is Ringo, but I affectionately call her "Kitten." Actually, she was pretty much MIA for our first month together. (A bit of a scaredy cat, I'm afraid.) Just recently she's come out to play and cuddle ... and jump on my table top. (Bad kitten!)

4. I officially became a PC user. It's not something I'm proud of, but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I still keep my little iBook on hand if I need to stroke its glossy white casing or feel the urge to drag-n-drop. Maybe, just maybe, I can one day return to the days of Mac bliss (maybe if their prices drop a couple hundred), but for now this PC gets the job done.

4. I nurtured a long-distance relationship. Three hours has been more difficult than I imagined, but completely worth it. We're going three months strong. Coincidentally, three months ago is when my blog posts became more sparse. I swear this is merely coincidental, but I give you permission to throw a little blame in his direction. (Wink.)

5. I bought Ikea pillows. This really needs no explanation. Ikea is awesome and the pillows are pretty.

Of course, all these events are not just moments swept under the rug. The past couple months have challenged me in many ways and I feel like I've really grown through these experiences (especially through the Ikea pillow-buying). Here are my (dum dum dum)...

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. Never (I mean NEVER!) launch a website and train for any physical competition at the same time. When you have to choose between checking an item off your exponentially growing work-to-do list and running 10 miles, and the hour is reaching 8 p.m., you are not in a good place. I'm not at all skeptical that this mental and physical stress revealed itself in a rather painful back spasm. (Oh, the hard lessons we 20-somethings must learn.)

2. Cats aren't dogs. I'm utterly swept up in dog envy, but due to apartment constraints and the inability to be a good mommy to a little sweetie pie of a puppy, a cat seemed like a good compromise for pet companionship. While the cat and I are warming up rather nicely to each other, she doesn't fulfill my longing to add a dog to the family.

3. I can live with a PC, but I need to buy my own Internet. Confession of a blogger: I stole Internet from my neighbor for about 6 months after moving in. Well, they moved and I'm unconnected. About a month later, I'm starting to feel the burden. Sometime in the near future, I'm going to suck it up and become a real adult. An adult who doesn't steal. (Stealing is bad.)

4. Ikea is awesome. The second time I visit, I will allow myself more than 2 hours to browse the apex of affordable home decor.

5. I will never leave you again. Ok, I can't make complete promises --life does indeed happen sometimes. But this oath I will give to you: You are important to me, and I will go the distance to share this journey with you.

Tell me, dear friends: What has life thrown your way lately?

Photo thanks!