I Woke Up in 2017

The second half of 2016 flew by in the blink of an eye. Between logging enough air miles to fly around the circumference of the Earth, sleepless nights, vicious bed bugs and torrential thunderstorms, next thing I knew it was 2017.

I learned a lot in 2016. I had some pretty big shoes to fill at my job, and did my best to do so. I traveled to 4 countries. I made a lot of new friends and did my best to keep up with the old ones. I let my hair get really long, I bought a car and I got first place in a skim contest despite skimming maybe 5 times all year. I even discovered a love for reading books, which I think means that I’m getting older.

I closed out the year with a 3 week vacation in Mexico with my mom, brother and some friends, revisiting some familiar towns that we had grown fond of over the years. The waves weren’t that good, but I enjoyed every minute of just being outside in the sun and breaking the routine, something I’ve learned not to take for granted.

After a few stress-free weeks south of the border, I made my way back up to Santa Cruz for the new year to freeze my ass off before I had to get back to work in San Diego. I made sure to stash some pants, booties, a hood and my wetsuit (the one without holes) up there when I visited for Thanksgiving, bracing for my return to the colder winter weather.

I had spent so many days and late nights with my brain working at 1,000 miles a minute (or at least trying to) in the previous months that on New Years I was more than content with reading a good book in my bed with the dog curled up next to me. No regrets. I listened to the 15 minutes of chaos that ensued after midnight and soberly dozed off to a good night’s sleep.

When 2017 finally arrived, it wasn’t long before I was back in San Diego and back to work. I am now back into the swing of office life, grocery shopping and going to the laundromat. The good news is next the few months should be relatively mellow and aside from the fact that I am on my last year of being able to be on my Mom’s insurance, I’m feeling good about what this year has in store for me. Stay tuned.