It’s snowing again, I have no time to get everything done before I leave for England on Friday (it’s half term), and I can’t find my chapstick, but this song makes me happy…

I feel as though I am emerging from a period of hibernation. It seems natural to feel this way after the darkness and wintry conditions of the last two months, which have shortened my days and restricted my movements. Now that the snow has stopped falling (is it really over?) and the evenings are getting lighter and warmer, I find my mood to be instantly improved. Although my troubles are not miraculously resolved, my view of them has changed. Until recently I would have described the thought of the decisions I have to make as heavy weights pushing down on me, and daily stresses as balls of tension accumulating in my head and affecting my judgment. Now I am able to observe those stresses from a distance, as external issues that I can address if and when I so choose.

I am grateful to have found friends here in Bonn who find themselves at similar junctions in their lives. Knowing that you are not alone in your uncertainty and confusion makes all the difference. I am particularly happy to have met strong women who inspire me to take better care of myself and my environment, and remind me to take my own thoughts and feelings seriously.

Last night we spent time with two Lawrencians – a friend who lives in Bonn and her mother who is visiting for a while. I enjoyed the “isn’t it a small world” feeling I got from talking with them about places and people we all knew in a small city thousands of miles away.

Jeff and I had a lovely time in England over Christmas. We were lucky not to be affected by the adverse weather conditions on either leg of our journey. Our flights were on time and we made our connections with ample time to spare. We stayed at a hotel in Wells, where my Mum lives, for most of the week and enjoyed the full English breakfast that was included every morning. When we got back to Bonn, Jeff made the comment that he hadn’t been hungry the whole time we were in England. Now that I am back at work I am constantly hungry, but in a good way. I digress. While we were in England, we took the train to Guildford to visit one of my best friends, Carina, who just had a baby in November. We had bought cheap tickets – the kind that are only valid on a specified train and are non-refundable – and we missed it by about 1 minute! Luckily we spoke to a friendly ticket master who allowed us to alter our tickets to more flexible ones. We had to pay to do this, but it was better than wasting our return tickets and not getting to see Carina. Here is a photo of me (and most of Jeff!) with baby Hugo:

We spent Christmas Day with my Mum, Tony, and Sam. We ate at the hotel we were staying at, which was really good, and then just chilled out at my Mum’s that evening. On Boxing Day my brother drove us up to Weston-super-mare to spend the day with my Dad, Karen, Karen’s son Mark & girlfriend Faye. We enjoyed yet another delicious meal and a rather lengthy game of Cluedo.
We also had a meal with most of my Mum’s family at a restaurant near Bath. It was great to see everyone again since I haven’t been able to go the last few times they all got together.
Our week in England was over way to quickly, but I am kind of glad we didn’t stay there over new year, because that’s when the snow returned and reached the south-west. Instead we were in Bonn for Silvester, which we celebrated at a friend’s house. We didn’t quite make it to the Rhine for midnight, but we could still see plenty of fireworks from the street, and even on the street…

2010 has been pretty uneventful for us so far. I am working full-time and Jeff is trying to finish his master’s thesis. We are both a little fed up with the weather. Jeff has never been a fan of the cold or the snow, but for me I am surprised by my grumpiness towards it. I think it looks beautiful and I did have fun walking through a field of deep powdery snow one day during my lunch break, but it just isn’t as fun for me here as it is in Kansas. I am looking forward to it warming up a bit and getting lighter so I can enjoy going outside again.
While January has been run of the mill for us, it certainly hasn’t been that way for the thousands of people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. A friend of mine and her husband were in Haiti at the time, which definitely removed a level of distance from the event for me. Fortunately they are both fine and have kept a brilliantly detailed blog of their experiences in Haiti, both before and after the earthquake.

I will end this post with a link to another friend’s site, who makes bags and accessories from used materials. Here is a picture of me with a bag I bought from her, which I just love.

You can see her designs here.

This year promises to be an eclectic one for Jeff and me, consisting of work, study, travel, rest, and the unknown. We are looking forward to warmer weather, familiar faces, and new adventures!