Hace un ano...

Monday was it, the one year anniversary of my last day of officially-sanctioned, paychecked employment. It has been a hell of a year and I wouldn't change a minute of it, save for a few extra weeks in South America. But look at this face and tell me who wouldn't want to hang out with Dakota? She is now officially my homegirl and that's justification enough for having up and left behind everything about my adult life in California and returned to the east coast in a Corolla named Walter.

In honor of this milestone, let us consider some of the elements that made this anniversary week so great: I worked with Tommy and Tricia at the farmer's market on Sunday, and even though every cute guy there is either gay, married, or with a significant other, it's still a ton of fun; I went out to the farm Monday night and spent Tuesday playing with Dakota and enjoying killer strawberries courtesy of T n T's organic skillz and this insane October weather; I received a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from my friends for no reason other than they rock and I am lucky to know them, although the card indicated it was thanks for putting them up for the night; I made farm-fresh butternut squash soup with fresh cilantro as garnish and, later in the week, some killer pesto; I went to a members' only preview of the new Renoir exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with my mom; I believe I went running every day, and am shocked it's getting easier; I had a few phone interviews with various wannabe employers; all in all I managed to enjoy myself immensely.

Meanwhile a serious potential job offer rustles softly under it all, delayed by requisite background checks and who knows what bureaucratic business, but I am content. Eager, but content. Lucky me.