At last...

So it’s been a while, though, its weird, but I had the same kind of lull I've been experiencing last year, in almost the exact same time frame. Maybe it’s just a winter thing, I don't know.

I want to concentrate on some of the personal events of the last few weeks, then I'll write about some of the sports and political developments later this week. Really, my short break from work and life in New Hampshire, and the following week was defined by three events. First, the time I spent with my family beginning on the 23rd. It was good to see everyone, though it was a bit odd because we did a number of things we wouldn't usually do, like going to Jen's parent’s house Christmas Eve and then having them for dinner Christmas Day. We also had to make nice adjustment on the fly Christmas Day, as our power went out as we were preparing dinner. Luckily, with the new grill, we were able to boil the water for the crab-legs and also grill the filets, so were were able to salvage the meal.

The next day, we headed down to Euclid, a day that brought another turkey dinner, as well as one of the single worst movie experiences of my life- King Kong, which was a good movie, but featured several jackasses talking on phones and yelling loudly at the screen, like total jerks.

The second major event took place the next day, after we got back from Euclid. At that point I collected some things, then headed out to Albion for the Fellowship gathering. I met Amy at around 3:30 (at Haven House, the site of one of the most uncomfortable 90 minutes of my life) and together, and by together I mean I helped a little bit, then watched a movie, prepared for people showing up around 7 p.m. As good as it was to see Amy and talk to her before anyone got there, I have to say that I was also a bit nervous as to how many would be there. Then around 7, and continuing for the next hour we saw cars drive up behind Haven House, and I saw all those faces and saw all those people I hadn't seen in months, or years in some cases, made everything, the trip, the time, the effort in helping to put it together, worth it. Seeing Susan and Adam, Colleen, Andy and everyone, it was just a wonderful experience, one that I'll remember for a long time.

The third, and to me the most important thing, came literally the day after I got back. Since Thursday's are usually easy days, I came back early, after a few minutes, I went on AIM. Soon, I saw something I hadn't seen in a while. I saw Alison's screen-name. After some initial shock I spoke with her, then spoke with her about everything that's gone on the past few months. I don't feel right writing it here, but suffice it to say, it’s been n incredible journey. Part of me had felt guilty about "losing" Alison for so long. After seeing her in May of 04, then calling her a few weeks later, I hadn't heard from her at all, and ended up losing track of her. When Amy and myself got ready to put together our invite list, neither of us knew where to find her. Know we do. In many ways, it was the best Christmas present I've gotten in a long time, both because of the good news, and for peace of mind.