A breath anew

I've been lurking a series of blogs for some time now, feeling too timid in my voice as of late to find comfort in publicity. Today, as the rain washed the ground clean and the sun returned, I remembered that if I can only find the courage to speak freely and be authentic in my voice, maybe someone can be affected by my voice in a way not too different from what I've found in others. Inspiration, empathy, laughter, excitement, the common connection amongst strangers, being validated in my moments..both wildly crazy and wickedly sane? Welcome to Blogsville. Here's to hoping I'm persistent enough to become an ever-taboo word... the avid, active BLOGGER!

Let us start with some catch-up:

Yesterday Stu and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. What a year it has been, I'll tell you what! I'll just say that Stu is officially the longest relationship I've ever had.. This is both frightening and exciting. Now when people ask, I can at least use the word "year" other than "x-amount of months." No longer can I say I'm a professional at non-relationships. No longer am I "perpetually single". I've settled quite comfortably into girlfriendhood, and I'll just say that I'm pretty comfortable and stable in that role.

Zoo is over 6 months old now.. and alarmingly huge. As of Sunday (and an unexpected vet visit)he weighs in at 43 lbs. He's pretty much the best looking dog on the planet. Very well mannered, too! I won't lie though, he can be a total turdface at times. His favorite no-no items to chew on? Paper! Paper of any sort! Such a freak. I love it. He has not shown any signs of other-animal aggression, but he's so used to playing with Lexi (his mama) that he plays a little too rough for little dogs. This scares me. I'm trying to socialize him as much as I can. His balls are on the snip-list. I pray that helps now and in the long run. I don't want him to have to miss out on anything because he fits the mold for the ever-hated aggressive Pitbull. But, OH! Look at that sweet face! How could you not love him?

I've kind of fallen off of the wagon this past winter when it comes to keeping my valuable relationships greased up and in working order. Now that glorious SPRING is here, there are no excuses to be made when it comes to the neglect of my friends. This delights me. I can't wait to fall back into the niche of laughter and constant fun-poking. In my circle, if you're not talking trash, you're probably not real friends! Hah!

Festival season is embarking upon us, and I couldn't be more elated to welcome it! Earth Jam (a local art fest here in SLC) kicks it off this weekend. Very small scale, but "everybody who is anybody" will be there, and it's a really fun one to begin the season of "running into" folks you only see in the festival circles. Desert Rocks is just over a month away. Can I get a hell yeah? Stu is still on and then off and then on the fence in regards to coming. At this point, it matters not to me. I am bound and determined to have a good time this year. Some of my oldest and dearest friends are attending! These are people I've been dreaming of introducing to one another for YEARS. What a fabulous venue to do it! I have my BM ticket )'( and I am instilling the utmost of faith that the divine universe will help everything else along.

My brother is in an alcohol treatment program, which is honestly the most amazing thing that's happening in my life right now.. and it's not even "my" life! I've been worried sick and praying for him for a long time now. This decision was his and he seems to be getting a lot out of the program. If you have some time and you're the praying type, I'd like to ask you say an extra word or two in Ty's honor. I've been going up there and spending my Sundays with him, and it just feels so good to see his progress and get a feel for what it is he's doing to work through his struggle with this life-wrecking disease. More details on this to come, I'm sure.

..And my mama's getting married! She just sold my childhood home (sadface), and things are changing as rapidly as the seasons.

All feels just fine in these parts today. I have a good job. I mean, it's not my dream job or anything, but it's a good job and it pays. I'm blessed enough to know that as a blessing today. I have the best family. My friends love me despite my absence. Generally speaking, things are fantastic! My only complaints are merely cosmetic, and I can't bitch at the scale for displaying the numbers, if you know what I mean. I'm juggling the options of learning to love my body and all of it's bigness.. or actively DO something about it. Of course, this debate has mostly been done in a seated position.. so obviously I haven't reached my conclusion yet!

Either way, good things are on the horizon.. I can taste it.

(Pic not really related. My eye hurt, so Stu made me a patch!)