Wow, it’s been a really long time since I last posted and because of that, this blog is named for It’s Been Awhile by Staind. I TOTALLY love lala.com and I love that when you search on Google for a song (i.e. “it’s been awhile“) you can immediately play it from lala without leaving your search results.

I’m LITTLE now! I’m a little more worldly (I went to England for three weeks), a little less mobile (I tore my left Achilles tendon, and I’m still recovering), a little less crowded (I have my own one-bedroom apartment!), and also a little more caffeinated (I drink coffee regularly).

I guess I at least have to list all the places I’ve been since my last blog:

• Long Island, New York – April 20-24
• Seattle, Washington – May 28 – June 1 (This was a fun vacation trip)
• Minneapolis, Minnesota – June 7 – 12
• Chicago, Illinois – June 21 – 28
• London/Birmingham/Solihull, England – July 24 – August 13
• Dallas, Texas – October 13 – 18 (part work, part vacation)
• Arlington, Virginia – October 27 – 31

Phew, that’s a lot of flying! Right around the time I went to England, I earned Gold Frequent Flyer status with American Airlines. I’ve got a couple of fun vacation cruise trips coming up in January (Catalina & Ensenada) and February (Western Caribbean), but I have no official travel plans for work.

My Achilles tendon injury has kept me from going on a couple of fun trips and at least one work trip because I couldn’t walk on my left leg for almost 7 weeks. I used crutches and a scooter (the coolest ride EVER!) to get around. I could not wait to walk again. Just in time for my work holiday party, the cast was removed, and I could walk freely again.

I LOVE my new apartment. The boxes are nowhere near unpacked, but it just feels awesome to have my own place finally. I have a parking spot (high on my priority list), a dishwasher (also high), and a mirrored closet (low, but still nice!). The best part is that it is half a block down the street from my favorite person on earth! My littlest sister. She has been one of the biggest helps to me while I couldn’t walk.

I can’t talk about help without thanking Alison, Jason, and my dad for moving me into my new place. I felt so guilty just having to sit there and watch, but thanks to their help and some über-downsizing of crap that I’ve been doing over the last year, it only took a few trips from the storage unit and my old apartment. I donated much of the stuff I had been hanging on to for no reason unless it’s just ratty, then I’ll throw it away. I still need to get rid of stuff I will never use again, like textbooks from college talking about Microsoft Office 97. In that case, though, I think I want to do some craft projects with it.

For the Christmas season, while I was decorating, I wanted a wreath to hang on my door, but I didn’t want to store it for 11 months of the year. About the same time, I had been collecting up a Sunday newspaper, and a bunch of holiday advertisements fell out. DING! A light bulb went on. I could make a wreath out of scrap holiday newspaper ads!

The first version turned out fabulously (if I do say so myself)! I told Jason about my idea and he made a wire frame and started threading some ripped up ads on it. We finished it, and then I eventually went to CVS and bought a 99 cent red bow. I have all sorta of ideas about how to do this again next year, especially to make it look a little less trash like. Maybe make a bunch to give to friends/family, too. The best part is that the paper has already been used (read), re-used (made into a wreath), then you can take it off the wire frame and recycle it!