Full Circle: Year in Review

This year I have already learned a few important lessons. It is bad to watch your team lose two years in a row, it is worse to stay up all night to witness it. Kickoff was approximately 2am Rome time, leaving us on Tuesday morning with little sleep and heavy hearts. The mourning period is officially over.

First it begins with “there is always next year”, and then the off season slowly slips away from there; filled with the NFL draft, recruiting and basketball to take the edge off. A full week after witnessing our favorite team lose in its second consecutive National Championship, I’ve decided it is time to move on and start the traditional healing process. It occurred to me during the past week of gloom that I have traveled thousands of miles, up rooted life as I know it, and here I am, exactly 365 days later, in the same place that I started. Now this thought can be excruciatingly depressive or thoughtfully peaceful. Am I really in the same place that I started? I think not!

My year in review:

National Championship Game, Glenville, Arizona. The trip was fun, right up until and through the opening kickoff. After that… there was a lot of “there is always next year”.

Josh and I took our first stab at hitting the slopes, I was terrible, but I think I looked cute.

My first trip to Rome, who knew that we would move back 3 months later? A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome.

Josh also made a trip to Rotterdam to check out the Architecture there, I am glad we moved to Rome instead.

We went to China!

After three years of hard work, I got my Master’s Degree, I feel much smarter in 2008…

We sold everything we owned.

Had a big party.

Josh and the cat moved to Rome.

One last hurrah in NYC before I moved to Europe. Josh sent me to Trapeze school with Kelly for my birthday!

I suppose from here you know the rest of the story, (if not read the blog). I moved to Rome, we made a quick trip back for our football fix (aka Visa issues) to watch the Northwestern game. Since then we’ve been making our way through Italy and Europe trying to see what there is to see.

So, you see, I have came a long way to end up in the place. Which is comforting. No matter how far we travel, I will always be disappointed when the Buckeyes lose, but its good to know you how far you can go in the off season.