Hi...

... it's been awhile, but I'm still alive and kicking.

Let's see... in the last two months I've been up and down. I was a little down, and as much as I wanted to blog to get it off my chest, I just wasn't really ready to see all of my frustrations in print. I'm excited to get caught up in your lives and all the great things you've all been doing.

Christmas and New Year's: A little stressful since the countdown was on for losing my job. On the bright side, it was a reminder that spending lots of money on the "perfect" gift really isn't necessary. The important thing is spending time with your loved ones.

North American International Auto Show: Busy, busy, busy. I worked nine days straight, moved into the hotel inside my office building for 4 of those days, and worked nearly 135 hours. I was EXHAUSTED and could barely see straight, but proud of the work I had accomplished.

My Job: The best part of 2009, so far, is that my contract at GM got extended for a few more months. So... my new last day is April 15. It's still a last day, but at least it buys me some more time. (And, a few more paychecks). I'm in job-searching mode and, frankly, it sucks. Time consuming, stressful and overwhelming about sums it up.

My 29th Birthday: Holy crap! My last year to say I'm in my 20's. It was a good day... cake, lunches out with co-workers, sushi with JP that night, parents dinner (mom's homemade mac & cheese... yum!). JP got me a gift card for a manicure and hot stone massage. I'm a little intimidated by it, but looking forward to trying it. I'll let you know if it's weird, heavenly or a little bit of both. I'm working on my list of things I want to accomplish before I turn 30.

Travel: Last two weeks have been on the road. Last week, I was in DC for the DC Auto Show for a few days. This past week, I was in Chicago for the Chicago Auto Show. Spent the week there for work and the weekend for play. JP came in on Friday night and we had a great time with his family.

Running: Been doing a lot of working out. I was up to 5 miles (about 9:30 pace) and then... my foot started hurting. Instead of packing it up and heading home, like in the past, I starting jumping on the eliptical and bike, hitting the weights and a tone of core work. Thinking of jumping in the pool next.

Life in General: Things, overall, are good. At times, it may feel like the walls are caving in, but what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

Hope all of you are well and looking forward to getting back in the mix!