Reconnections and moving forward

I apologize in advance if this ends up being a bit of a long post - it is way overdue, and will take a bit to catch up. I think when we left off, I was finishing up my summer at Castleton Music Festival. From there, I went to "Walton's Mountain" to see the museum of the television show. It was great! I also visited my old friend, Hiawatha Johnson, at Randolph college in Lynchburg, VA. From there, on to Knoxville, TN to see another friend, and then to Lafayette, LA to visit old friends - and see how her kids have grown (now they're a foot taller than me!). From Louisiana it was to Houston, TX, to visit friends, then an afternoon in Roswell, NM and the alien museum (sooo cool!!). I spent a couple days with one of my best friends, Jen, in Albuquerque, NM. It was wonderful to see her doing so well in her veterinary internship. I then took my mom to Utah for a week. It was the first time I'd been back in probably 7 or 8 years. It was amazing to reconnect with all my cousins - we had a "hen night" with my female cousins on my mom's side, and it was the first time we'd all been together in many years. The night included new daughters-in-law and daughters with small children running about. We had a ball and just couldn't stop talking. We went to the family reunion on my dad's side - the first one I'd been to in almost 20 years. It was incredible to see family I haven't seen in so long, and how the families have grown. I saw cousins that I grew up with, with children of their own, some on the verge of becoming grandparents. That same afternoon, mom and I went to join her side of the family to bury the ashes of my uncle, who passed away a year and a half before. I saw family that I literally haven't seen in 30 years, and met some that I have only known via Facebook. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to take my mom to visit our extended family, and to reconnect with so many wonderful people that are not just family, but friends. I got to see my great aunt, and hear some fascinating family history. I spent a lovely evening with my first "real" boyfriend, Jon, catching up after not seeing each other for about 23 years. I had coffee with Tony, a dear friend from High School, that I haven't seen since I graduated. In the middle of all this, I had a job interview with a college in Ocala, FL. It was a great interview, and they invited me to come down (on my dime) for an interview. After I dropped mom back in Santa Fe, I flew from Albuquerque to Orlando for the interview. After many misadventures with the hotel situation, I had a fantastic interview. I wasn't interested in the beginning, but as I got to know the situation, I realized it was one version of my "dream job." While waiting to hear about the job, I continued my cross-country drive, and got to spend 2 weeks in Las Vegas, with my dear friends, Scott and Marissa. It is always a delight to see them and my other friends in Vegas. I had planned to continue to California and go to Los Angeles and San Francisco, but decided to head back to Massachusetts in case I did get the job and needed to get my stuff together to head to Florida. I stopped in Indiana to visit my good friends from my brief stint there in 2011, then pushed on to Massachusetts. Oh - I also got to drive Route 66 in 4 states - and saw the world's largest rocking chair! :) On the way home, I stopped in Niagra Falls. I almost didn't, but am SO glad I did! I took a ride on the "Maid of the Mist" boat, and had one of the closest things to a spiritual experience you can have - going into the falls was like touching the face of God. So beautiful, so powerful. From Niagra Falls, I spent a week on Cape Cod at my timeshare. While on the Cape, I got the call that the job in FL went with the other candidate. Needless to say, I was VERY disappointed. I did get offered a position as the Master Electrician with the national tour of "A Chorus Line". I was excited about it, but when I really got thinking about it, I realized it was a situation much like the one I had in Indiana, and felt exactly the same to me. It was an extremely difficult decision to make, but I decided to let it go. My wallet has been significantly leaner for the choice, but my heart and "gut" feel much better. Shortly after returning to Western MA, I had the rare opportunity to spend the day with my best girlfriend, Brenda. We spent time with her grandkids, and I did some shopping for tour (thinking I was still going with "Chorus Line"), then went to pick up some salmon to make for our dinner. When I walked into the fish department at my local Stop & Shop, little did I know how much my life would change. I got to talking to the "fish guy," and ended up standing there for about 20 min talking with him. He was cute, with big brown eyes, a lovely smile, and an Australian accent that just hooked me. I remember walking into the frozen food section and calling Brenda and telling her, "I'm not sure, but I think I just met a guy!" Meeting someone was the last thing I ever expected to happen in my life - in fact, I had pretty much given up on the idea, which was one of the reasons I had no qualms about touring - I could pick up and go anywhere, without worrying about leaving someone behind. But on September 16, 2012, that all changed. I now have someone to come home to. In October I interviewed with Princess Cruise Lines. On February 23rd, 2013, I join the crew of the Crown Princess as a Stagehand. The idea is to "fast track" me in to the equivalent of a Production Manager/Lighting Director position as soon as I learn to program the lightboards and repair/maintain the moving lights. With luck, that promotion will happen within 3 months, giving my bank account a much-needed boost. I won't say it isn't going to be difficult keeping the bills paid between now and the end of February, but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 2012 was a year of great learning, and 2013 is off to a more than interesting start...