Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

I love Christmas. It was an Apache Christmas for me this year, meaning that it snuck up on me from behind. I guess I was just too caught up in the move, but I hardly knew it was upon me before I was boarding a bus to take a plane home.

There have been beautiful shining moments of Christmas cheer that have shone through in the last couple of weeks - like the Christmas cards I wasn't expecting to receive, the hayride, the program at the assisted living center, the Christmas tree so thoughtfully brought to me, and small moments of selflessness that have enriched my life in the past two weeks.

It's been a busy month. I tell you what, it's been quite the adjustment for me to not have internet access on a daily basis. I feel cut off, for sure, but other than that, I have no complaints about my new situation in Bakersfield.

As for an update on Bakersfield living, I'm adjusting to my job. I thought I had a handle on things and that I was ready to just step into my therapistly duties. It has been a trial by fire - I hadn't realized how much support I was receiving from my supervisor until she was out sick. No one's dead on my watch yet, though, so I guess things went okay without her.

The biggest change in my life these past couple of weeks has been one that I was never expecting. Sure, I hoped for it, but having never experienced it for myself, I had no idea it could happen to me. I have a boyfriend! The news still blind-sides me.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures yet as I was camera-less until about 12 hours ago. But, let me tell you, he's wonderful! He's really been a blessing to me these past few weeks, and I just hope he can say the same of me. In the meantime, let's just say that I'm gigglier than ever (yes, I am slightly ashamed to admit it), I blush more easily these days, and I frequently find myself grinning for no reason whatsoever. My recent relocation is quickly becoming one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Who knew?

They said I had to go to rehab, but I said . . .

So many changes have occured in the last week. It's quite remarkable to consider how altered my life situation is at present.

• I have a job. No more unmitigated time for me.
• I have a job that I have been trained for and am qualified to do. And I really like it (at least, I really like what I've seen). Working in a rehabilitation hospital is heart-wrenching on a good day. No one asks to be admitted to such a facility. But, it's largely rewarding as well. Even small gains are large triumphs to my patients.
• I have an address! A person can now send me mail and it will come right to me. This is fabulous! I had forgotten what a joy it was. Yes, it's a sparse little home, but it's my home. I really like that.
• My life has become more quiet. I come home at the end of the work day to my little stuffed Rottweiler named Carl. Carl is always glad to see me, but he never has much to say. I guess that could explain why I've been a little phone dependent these last few days. I'm just not used to all the peace and quiet.
• I attend a branch now. We're bigger than the single's ward here in B-town, but we're still a branch. It's a new scene for me - full of interesting characters. I'm sure things will pick up once I actually know people.

It's an adjustment, but it's been good so far.

On a tangent, about a year ago, I experienced a similar transformation to this. I stopped wearing a watch mostly because I can't stand the way it gets in the way when I'm playing the piano or typing - something about the way it impedes the movement of my left hand and gets all sweaty while I'm working . . . let's just say that I've lost more than one good watch because I have taken it off and left it on a piano or in a computer lab. Thoughtless really, but it's what I do. Now that I work in therapy services, I have to keep track of time in an unobtrusive way - a way that doesn't look like I'm checking for missed calls from important people. So, I'm back to wearing a watch. I'm not sure how I feel about the change yet. Let's just say that the watch comes off before the shoes at the end of the day.