Hey, It's Been a While

I recently re-discovered this blog after a couple years away.

Reading my old posts is an exercise in self-control. It takes all I have in me not to delete every cringe-inducing one. But, I know I should let them stand as a record of who I was.

I hate saying that I've grown since then, but I believe I have--as a writer, but more importantly, as a person. It's been almost a decade since I started this blog. I've graduated from college, gotten married, gotten divorced, and lived a lot of life between each of those things.

My physical and mental health have been all over the map in the past ten years. I am pleased to report that things are going much more smoothly this year health-wise. Drastic changes in my life seem to be better for me than I ever thought they could be. I've lost almost 50 lbs, and I've had more good brain days than bad.

I didn't post an end-of-year review like I typically do last year because I was in a very dark place. I'm so happy to have emerged from it.

This is in no small part due to my incredible boyfriend. He has been a friend, an anchor, a jumping off point, and he has offered the best and kindest encouragement anyone has ever given me. I am so grateful to have him in my life.

As for the books I've read since I last posted, here's a list:

Furiously Happy - Jenny Lawson
Naked - David Sedaris*
Not That Kind of Girl - Lena Dunham
Into Thin Air - John Krakauer*
Unmentionable - Therese O'Neill
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Bruce Coville
Into the Land of the Unicorns - Bruce Coville
American Gods - Neil Gaiman*
Talking As Fast As I Can - Lauren Graham
Invisible Monsters - Chuck Palahniuk*
Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel - Joseph Fink*

The ones with asterisks are recommendations.

I don't know how frequently I'll post here, but I know it'll be more than once every other year.

I'll leave you with a quote that sums up my wishes for you in the coming year.

"I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind." - Neil Gaiman