CRICKETS
In case you were wondering if you’re reading the same old blog of the girl you know and love…here I am after a 6 month hiatus, ready to dump tons of poetic and chaotic updates on you.
Since moving back to the U.S. things have been…hectic. And that’s putting it mildly. I didn’t exactly give myself any lengthy sort of rest period, but that’s not like me anyway. To sum it up, I did what most people have to when they get back from two years abroad: I reorganized, got a car, got a job, cried about my boyfriend being back in the U.K. for two months, took a very demanding but very rewarding job teaching at my old high school for 4 months, planned an awesome surprise birthday week for Nathan, planned an amazing Thanksgiving with 40 lovely family and friends (one of which flew all the way from Costa Rica!), and planned an insane surprise birthday party for my dad’s 70th. With a band. And a slideshow. And no boat.
Okay…maybe not exactly what everyone does. But I guess I can’t sit still.
I was so excited to be back at home, spending time with my parents, getting to see Nathan welcomed into my family, into the day to day and the little things I love so much about being at home. I know I didn’t appreciate it enough, what with the 4:30 wake up calls, the secret planning, the exhaustion and the deadlines. But I’m happy knowing I appreciated every moment with the capacity I had these last few months. From the minute I got back to the U.S., my days have been peppered with cozy nights, laughing with old friends, and creating new and beautiful memories with all of the lovely people in my life. This year has shown me just how enormous my circle of community is. Some of it I’ve inherited from my parents, and some I created all on my own with the life I’ve been blessed with thus far. And though its hard, really hard sometimes to feel connected to so many people, it’s seasons of life like this that show me just how strong those lasting connections can be. Through late night pizza parties in a new pizza oven, through stomping on a stage under the same sky I grew up under, through getting to know the people and places that made my darling partner into the man he is.
Which takes us to England, where I’m writing you beautiful people from. I’m on an incredibly relaxing (albeit cold) holiday with Nathan’s family and friends, and we’ve been celebrating by the fire and going on frigid walks and drooling over breathtaking Neo-Gothic architecture (okay maybe just me), and eating so. much. cheese??? (Maybe the proximity of France, maybe Christmas, I truly don’t know but I’ve eaten so much cheese this month I’m turning into Wormtail.)
Since I’ve had this much needed second to breathe (and eat), I’ve felt this explosive creative energy bursting forth and dragging me along to the point that I can hardly contain it. I’m excited to see how that will manifest, but likely in lots and lots of writing that you all won’t see, and hopefully a bit that you will see. And if you’re up for it, the remnants of this year’s blog posts, showcasing the incredible things I’ve experienced, and created as a result, will be up next month for you to peruse.
As for what’s next…that’s the real reason you’ve heard crickets from me.
Our next move has been shifting and changing and taking new shapes constantly for the last several months. Which is exciting, frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting, and unsurprising. I can’t tell you exactly what it’s going to look like, or which new country we’ll be in, or at what time. I can tell you our goals for this new year are to continue learning, shifting the trajectory of our careers, and exploring the world however possible. And for me…I want this year to be filled with new creation. To be purposeful and exploratory and forgiving. And maybe, if I’m oh so very lucky, to have a week or two of quiet.
(But probably not.)
With love, your ever punctual
Lauren x
