A note from home.

Well I arrived back in my parents neck of the woods yesterday evening. My flight and airport experience was surprisingly painless for this time of year. I had to laugh as I stood beside two guys about my age on the curb, freezing, waiting for our rides here in Indiana....one turned to the other and said, 'did you just arrive from Florida?'. The answer was yes. He turned to me and asked the same (as if the fact that I was turning blue wasn't proof enough). We finally compared stories that we all came North for at least a week last year, and we all shortened our trips this year because the bitter cold is just too much for us Floridians.

It is in fact freezing here. And I'm pretty sure I have not and will not be warm on my trip here. At all. But it's nice to be in my old childhood room, and spending time with my family. The weather is a great reminder of why I chose to more to Florida and plant my roots there. But being with my family is an even better reminder, of why I appreciate airplanes and that I can hop one to see them every few months.

Had a great time catching up with friends last night. Sean and I got to go to 'our spot' (The Fox and Hound - lovingly referred to as The Fox) and chat for 3 hours about life, work, our families, and a little bit of everything else. It's hard to believe we've been friends for 4 years now...Junior year of college does NOT feel that long ago. But I'm thankful for his friendship, he has truly been great to have in my life.

I also revisited the good ole high school days by seeing a few friends I've stayed in touch with since then last night. Talk about a long time ago. This May I will have been out of high school for 6 years. Good grief I have grown old. When did this happen? But it's great to see how they're doing now and where life has taken them. Most of my high school friends stayed local in the Indy/Carmel area and it seems that for the most part they're glad the chose too.

I got a quick few minutes with some of my boys from my Purdue days as well. Always great to see them. Great boys. Interested to see where the next few years takes them. I know they're destined for big things.

Last night, and all my trips here are a great reminder of how far I've come in the past year and a half. May will mark 2 year in back in Tampa and I'm thankful for every minute of my time there. I have never experienced happiness and contentment the way I have since moving my life there. The city itself, is of course not entirely to thank for that. But I have certainly had the best year and a half of my life to date there.

While I never expected to feel or say so, I am thankful for the time I lived in Indiana with my family. I think my character was built in those years. If I hadn't experienced them I know I would not have become who I am today. So for that, I am eternally grateful.

I hope you all are enjoying your times with your own families. My only wish is that my older sister Rae and her husband Chris could have been here this year. I'm glad they're with his family, but I miss them.

Merry Christmas Eve.

Love,

B

Author?

If you've seen the movie A Walk to Remember then you're probably already familiar with the concept of what my Dad calls "a bucket list".  These are your most grandiose goals. The few chosen items that you want to achieve, ultimately before you "kick the bucket".

My Dad once asked my Mom what was on her list and then proceeded to say that only a few of them were bucket list material.  My Mom is so selfless that most of hers were things she wanted to do for other people.  Namely, for us girls.  Some of them were small goals of things she wanted to try or learn.  

Dad never told me what his were now that I think about it, I'll have to ask.

So what's on mine?...

I remember when it felt like I would have truly lived when I got a drivers license or finally graduated high school.  Those felt like the ultimate goals at different points in life.  Then it was graduating college and finding a career.  Moving away to a new city on my own.

Not very grandiose, I know.  But as we grow, our dreams should grow with us.  We learned to see beyond the next year or two and think ahead to what we want our lives to look like.  That's something my Dad would always ask me, "What do you want your life to look like?"...I hated it growing up because I felt like it was such a loaded question. It was also alway followed with, "what are you doing right now to make that happen?".  I wasn't ready to think about forever - I just wanted to survive my next set of finals.

Let is suffice to say that I truly am my Daddy's girl because these 2 questions have come to haunt me in my new young adult life.  Ask any of my close friends - the ones I talk to for hours weekly.  They will tell you I've pondered these aloud to them and asked them the same questions with some regularity.  What I love about those same friends is that as we figure this out together we are growing and pushing each other through this together.

I'm not going to share my bucket list now - in part because it's always under construction.  But my boss told me this week that he thinks I should write a book.  He said my love for telling a good story would make for a throughly entertaining book, even if only about hilarious moments in my own life from childhood, through college, and now as a 23 year old sex ed teacher!

My Grandpa always wanted me to write a book.  He loved my stories (even ones about him).  I started a book once when I was 10 at his prompting, but to this day I'm not sure where that went too.  He asks me every Christmas when he visits where that is - and when I'm going to finish it.  But I never lost sight of that dream of his for me.  He has always been the biggest fan of my stories.  Laughing even as he tried to defend himself against my exaggerations.

And so, to my list I'm adding today that someday I want to be an author of more than just a blog.

Love,

B