Now I'm back, at least for the time being. Events in the last year of my life have nearly taken me "there and back again"--from Tuscaloosa to Huntsville to Birmingham, AL. I left my internship for a job and then left that job to take a full-time position back with PwC. My wife and I moved from a "regular" apartment, to an apartment in the in-law's basement, to a house we purchased in March. We found two tiny white kittens, brought them to Huntsville and watched them grow up, moved to Birmingham, took in a stray mother kitty and took care of her and her litter of four kittens (born on my birthday!) for about two and a half months now.
I learned about internal/cost accounting in a real-world, on-the-job situation. I kayaked for the first and second time ever--first 9 miles with my youngest brother, and then approximately 20 miles with one of my best friends (we missed our rendezvous location by several miles and were completely oblivious of it!). I learned how to lay tile. I learned how to drive a "three on the tree" 1970 Chevy pickup. I bought my second car ever (another Volvo of course). My dad got remarried and I was at the wedding up in PA. I found/was directed to an excellent, non-chain coffee place (Angel's Island Coffee in South Huntsville--if you're ever in the area, definitely swing by), which sadly became a moot point when we moved again (for the fifth time in three years!). I built a snowman in Alabama (snow fell in significant amounts on at least three different occasions this past winter). My wife and I bought our first house. My family visited for a week (my second brother for two weeks) earlier this month. I've gotten involved on Art of Manliness, LinkedIn, Yelp and GasBuddy.com (professional networking, reviewing local businesses and tracking gas prices as a local price spotter). I've discovered geocaching, and I actually found my first cache today.
And those are just some of the high points of the last year. Lots of other interesting and fun experiences were sprinkled throughout. I've missed blogging during my absence, but I still like the idea of sharing my thoughts and ideas, so I've returned to give it another go.
