#325: 2011

Welcome to post #325, and more importantly, welcome to the year 2011.

Around this time of year, I usually look back on the previous year and ponder the lessons learned, the good times, the bad times, and all other things that have contributed to my journey, and last year has certainly been filled with all of the above...

2010 saw a near-total upheaval of my life and the lives of some of the most important people to me; my marriage to Rod ended, but the relationship did not. After months of struggle and some counseling, I made the painful decision to address problems that long went ignored between Rod and I, and after careful consideration, we decided the marriage was over. But we remained committed to being friends and supporters, and we will always care for each other.

This major change was occurring against the backdrop of professional upheaval as well; as 2010 began, I was deep into the process of completing course, as well as my Master's project, and I was in the process of accepting a job in Ottawa, which would provide me the chance to begin my career, but which also meant that I would take the most drastic step of moving across the country, and away from my friends and family.

I completed my Master's degree in April, packed all of my possessions into a U-haul, and raced across the country, into an uncertain future; the job and a small studio 1 bedroom apartment were the only certainties I had...no Rod, no parents, friends, siblings, and no idea how I would manage on my own for the first time since I was 17. I faced the daunting tasks of making new friends, settling into a job, and entering the world of dating again.

This summer was chaotic, both personally and professionally; as I started life on my own, it didn't take long to end up in trouble. The job turned out to be a challenge because the file is one of the most difficult and frustrating in government, and finding my place on the team didn't work out as I hoped. On the personal front, I met one amazing man whom I started seeing, but things quickly became complicated as another amazing man from my past re-entered my life and surprised me by asking to be with me. The summer became a delicate balancing act, as I struggled to handle the situation. By summer's end, the situation was sadly resolved when one man walked away.

I've also struggled with standing on my own again; financially things got to be tight as I had to wait out the period between the end of my casual contract, and the beginning of my permanent position, and the timing couldn't be worse, as I was also entering the repayment period for my hefty student loans. The crunch has continued, and I reached the decision in November that something had to give...

...Etienne and I are moving in together. You might be thinking "Already???" and you'd be forgiven for thinking that. Our relationship from the very start has been quite unusual; from our meeting in June 2009, we became friends very quickly, and there is no denying that we were quite close...close enough in fact, that he took me into his home for nearly a month after I was confronted with bedbugs in the apartment where I was staying. And those of you who had questioned me in the past about whether Etienne and I would ever get together, you're familiar with my response that I believed he did not feel that way about me, which was why I was so shocked when he asked for the relationship. But, the unusual nature of our history and relationship works in our favour, and there is no denying that for both of us, the cost of living is an issue, so, here we are...

In 2011, the initial plans seem to be to find a place, resolve the work situation, and begin the process of working to fulfill the requirements necessary to get accepted to a Ph.D. program. Yes, dear reader(s), that goal still remains a priority. For those of you who have been following my escapades for several years now, you're familiar with both my determination, and with the fact that my journey toward a goal does not always work the way it does for everyone else, so...

Stay tuned! And Happy New Year!