Health and Welfare

I'm convinced that living with someone else strengthens your immune system - or mine at least.  I could probably take a minute or two to search the interwebs half-heartedly for some "proof", but I'll just choose to believe it.  

As I write this I'm in the late stage of...a cold?  a mild flu?  a respiratory malaise?  I don't know what it is.  I do know that nearly half of my office has something similar.  And this is my second "something" in this new year of 2016, along with a weekend bout of either food poisoning or a stomach bug last month.  Oh well...Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker, and all that, right?

I did have a wonderful interlude during all of this:  a long, Presidents' Day weekend in LA with my Hubby to visit our friends Jamie and Clinton.

Oh, Los Angeles, you confound me.  Could I live there?  Couldn't I?  Would I ever truly know which direction I was going?  Maybe it's years of looking from the west over the ocean to the east which threw me off.  Maybe it was the lack of familiar landmarks.  Jetlag?  Heat stroke?  Too many lemons?  Who really knows?

We did have a great time, though.  It was wonderful to see Mark since we hadn't seen each other since he was in Charleston over Christmas and New Years.  It was great to see Jamie and Clinton and their new home.  It's always fun to explore a new city.  And, well, the weather was beautiful:  mid-80's during the day and low 60's to high 50's at night.  It had even rained about a week or so before we arrived, so things were slightly more green than brown.  Perfect!


Jamie (L) and Mark (R) and some green!

We saw the ocean:





We went to the Getty Villa:





We visited the Yogananda Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine Temple, but somehow I have no pictures.

We went to the Santa Monica Pier and rode the Ferris Wheel





There was the Broad  - the newest, hippest art scene in LA.  BTW, this is a great museum and if you're in LA you should definitely go -- it's free, too!











Chinese New Year in Chinatown:









We saw the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura







And we saw seals





I didn't see any Hollywood stars, though.  Maybe next time.

Thank you Jamie and Clinton for a great weekend!  I can't wait to come back and also to have you come visit me in Charleston.

Now, where's my old school pseudoephedrine-- the kind that actually works?

2015 to 2016

Happy New Year 2016!

Here's how my 2015 went...

January:


January 27, BTW


After the first blizzard of 2015 (which was also my birthday:  January 27, BTW)

February:


I got my Master of Science in Accounting Diploma


More Snow


And more Snow.

March:


Went on some job interviews

April:


Hung out with Cosmo

May:


I got my Foreign Service job offer!

June:

Mark and I got married!

I had a wonderful send off from Mark and great friends

July:

\
Did some gardening


Moved to Arlington, VA to start orientation and training


First Day


Wore a lot of suits...in July...in DC


Cosmo and Mark came to visit


Flag Day came...


And I got Charleston, South Carolina.

August:

Rode my bike a lot and did some sightseeing





















September:


I went home for Labor Day and got my stuff to be shipped to Charleston ready.


Took an apartment hunting trip to Charleston



October:


End-of-training and farewell dinner with fellow FMOs




Mark drove down to DC and then helped me move to Charleston.  We got caught in the record flooding and had to stay in a questionable Days Inn one night.


Getting the porch setup...




Found some bike paths to ride

November:




Got some holiday lights up

Went home for Thanksgiving, but didn't take any pictures.

December:




Some Holiday Spirit


Mark came to Charleston for Christmas and New Year's


We took a pub tour


We went to Savannah


David came to visit


We did a history walking tour






We went to Fort Sumter


Some shopping


Some Sparklers


Happy New Year!

Here's to a fun, healthy, and happy 2016 and beyond!