Happiness is...

There's nothing quite like overlooking Austin's rolling hills and cliffs bathed in the moonlight with the top down, warm night breeze combing through your hair, and the best of company next to you. Nights like that are bound to stick with you forever.

Homesickness

I'm not wanting to move back home or relocate or anything even remotely close to that, but I miss my dad, my friends, and (yes, every now and again) the familiar surroundings of New England. I left Massachusetts 8 months ago and haven't looked back, but now, I find myself feeling very nostalgic for "home." Not helping the situation is the fact that my funds from school have been delayed, so my trip will likely be pushed back a few weeks, and that makes me sad.

I love Austin so much, and more so with each passing day. I love my new friends and the life I'm leading down here. But man, am I homesick. So very, very homesick.

So What If I Was Only 6 When The 80s Ended?

I love the big 80s hits, and I was recently introduced to Radiostar, an amazing 80s cover band here in Austin. I got to see them last night, and they put on another amazing show. If ever you're here, be sure to check them out!

The Phone Rings in the Middle of the Night...

What happens when a big drug company settles out of court instead of continuing with a trial?

You get a phone call waking you up to tell you that you get to see your sweetheart three weeks earlier than expected. And then you can't go back to sleep, so you choose to blog because you're bursting with excitement. I'm glad I picked up the phone. :D

I Will Marry You

So, I'm now a licensed wedding minister in the great state of Colorado, and I performed my friend's ceremony on Labor Day weekend. By the power vested in me, I pronounced them husband and wife. So, for $50 I'll marry anyone else. I'm totally turning this into my side business.

I'm back in Texas, still enjoying my life. Personally, things have been going well for me. Professionally, not so much. This is interfering with my ability to pay bills at the moment, and is generally trying to ruin my buzz. I am itching to get my student loan excess (did I mention that school started up again this week? Ugh.) so that I can pay a month or two of rent and try to settle up with everyone else I owe. I've been applying to jobs like crazy over the last couple of days, after a perfect storm of backbreaking straws at work befell me. Something has to work out for me soon. It just has to.

The only real sad part of my day-to-day life at the moment is that I'm very much missing my friend. It stinks that he's in Irvine for a full month for work, but I came home to a surprise yesterday. He bought a webcam so we could at least keep in touch face-to-face while he's gone. I guess when you know that the distance is temporary, Skype becomes an attractive vehicle for conversation!

There haven't been any positive changes in the Foreign Service front. I haven't even bothered to check my rank in the last 5 months. I'm thinking about removing myself from all the boards for a while. Unless I retest or successfully learn a language between now and next October (not impossible, but just really hard when you don't have the resources or time), it's lights out for me for the time being. I try not to think about it, especially right now because I have such mixed feelings now that I'm living in Austin, but it inevitably comes up. I'm actually meeting up with someone new tomorrow who wants to ask me some questions about the process.

On a completely different note, I am going back "home" in a month. By home, I don't mean Cape Cod. Just the Northeast in general. I'll get to see my dad, who is turning 70 next month (when did he get so old?!), and the rest of my really good friends who still live up there. I've been very homesick for them lately. A long weekend in Burlington during the fall foliage season will be just what I need. It won't hurt that I'll likely bring a pretty great traveling companion. :)

Overall, there isn't too much out of the ordinary going on. I'm scraping by, trying to remember to be thankful for all of the great things I'm experiencing. I'll get through the rough stuff eventually, and I know I'm always that much better for it.