Well...to talk about this past year, where do I even begin?
Before that, there's this past month to talk about - and as well as freezing cold weather, it also brought me some good news. It took 11 months, but I finally got my residence card, and my social security number, which means I can now legally work in the US, and also travel abroad again, and needless to say I am happy this has finally all been sorted. Now I just need to find a job.
Of course, this month the festive season came around, and as hectic as it was, with buying presents and getting the house all decorated for the occasion, it was really enjoyable. It was also very bittersweet - on the less positive side, it brought back all the memories and feelings of this time last year. However on the positive side, me and my wife Nicole spent Christmas with her family, and along with a very memorable gift-giving we also put together a gingerbread village (I wonder why those are only popular in the US?), which was a lot of fun. This was also our first Christmas together as a married couple, and it was all the more special because of that, I certainly hope neither of us forget it.
I still can't believe that I left behind my family and my old life in the UK a year ago, and I still remember all the mixed emotions I felt that week, with having to say goodbye to my family, yet also feeling excited about starting a new life across the pond. I do miss my family a lot, and I really hope that me and Nicole will be able to take a trip over to the UK to see them again at some point in 2017, but I also don't regret making the move. As I've said before, it was an event in my life that needed to happen.
Needless to say, 2016 has been quite an eventful year. I know a lot of awful stuff has happened in the world this year, with political upheaval, the passing of many famous faces (closer to home, I lost a dear friend in November) and all the injustices in the world that just seem to escalate year after year - but I guess we should all be thankful for the all good things that have happened too. The world is full of beauty and good people too - you just have to dig through all the dirt to find it.
On that note, I hope everyone had a good Christmas, and I wish you all the best for 2017 - and as always, I'll leave you with some artwork - a festive group shot of me and my wife's main characters in fine voice.
