One semester down...

Hello truly dedicated readers of my blog! If you are one of those folks, I apologize for the long abandonment of you. If you've just recently popped by for the first time in a while - perhaps after cleaning out your email inbox and finding the blog address anew (can I tell you two people have emailed me to say that's been their case?) - welcome to an update. Enjoy it, 'cause the loyal few can tell you these are RARE nowadays.But, I am on my break between semesters, so this might actually be a non-rushed recounting of life in the mid-Atlantic region. Speaking of semesters, I finished my first one! And, even though I didn't often feel I was putting forth a strong enough effort, I pulled off some good grades. I am very much looking forward to beginning again... this time with more of my life in place. And, I know how to get around better, I feel more settled, and I have a bit of confidence. Overall, I'm optimistic I can manage stress better - and that just might lead to more frequent updates!

Since my last few posts in late November and early December, I most notably (and boringly) completed one fairly complicated project for a class and took a statistics final. I also made a trip to the zoo in our nation's capital. Chris and I took advantage of a beautiful Saturday afternoon in December to see pandas and tigers and bald eagles and more. I'm a bit of a zoo junkie, so this was a long anticipated visit. I couldn't have asked for a better day for the trip.

A few days before Christmas, I went home to spent the holiday with my family, and we had a relaxing few days with relatives in Oak Lawn and Sheboygan. Also, I had an opportunity to hang in Chi-town with Sarah and have an OLR luncheon with Joey and Mel. But, I knew I was ready to return to Maryland when I ran out of things to occupy my free time. Sometimes I think a little recharging is enough to put it all back into perspective. Sleeping in past 7:30am, walking with Deanne and the dog on brisk mornings, tirelessly shopping, seeing friends, and drinking coffee with a newspaper in hand filled the days - and then, I was finished and prepared to come back to the world of metro Washington, D.C.

Yesterday, Danny and I had an adventure in the big city. I met him for time at the National Gallery of Art, where I enjoyed the Impressionists and some modern art. Bless his good intentions; Danny tried to get me to appreciate other genres, too (thank goodness for those friends with art minors - it's how I learn to become increasingly cultured). We also had lunch at this place called the Waffle Shop, a quintessentially local D.C. establishment across from Ford's theatre which is scheduled for demolition (according to a recent Post piece). FYI, I did pop in to see the venue where Lincoln was shot, too. I'll tell you, it looked just like the diorama I made in sixth grade! Of course, Danny says I have that backwards, but whatever :)I realized, when Danny and I trekked across the city, that D.C. isn't as big or confusing as I often think when in the car. We started our long day's walk on the Mall, crisscrossed past the national Christmas tree (you can see a pic of that on Danny's blog at dannydougherty.blogspot.com), had coffee near Danny's office, made our way to Foggy Bottom, and then hoofed it to Georgetown. D.C. always seems so much more complicated when one's feet are on the gas pedal rather than the pavement...
Anyway, you're mostly up-to-speed at this point. Time to run... a Saturday morning Body Pump session is definitely in order. Have the get ahead of the curve. Come Monday all the newly resolved folks will inundate my gym. For me, my resolution is to stay positive and focused. And HAPPY.

Best wishes for a lovely New Year to y'all!