…has been a lot. I mean, that’s even an understatement. I think that had you told me where my life would be in just six months, I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are. I will run this down for you, and then discuss what I’d like to do in the future with this blog, and just in general.
This is a description of my life after March 8, 2011:
- I graduated with my MPA on March 20. I really wanted to see what it was like to graduate in St. John’s, and so I went. The worst part of graduate graduation in the Winter is you have to wait for every undergrad to get their diploma. It took an hour. Just sitting there. I remember the chair being uncomfortable and shaking E. Gordon Gee’s hand. I don’t remember what the woman said for the commencement speech (and she warned us that’d happen, anyway). It ended a period of higher education that spanned from August 2001… almost exactly a decade.
- I started my new job on April 11. I help to create affordable housing policy for a program that helps move people out of nursing homes into community when they want to leave. It means I need to have working knowledge of the affordable housing industry as well as Medicaid. I love my job. I enjoy the people I work with. It pays well, and I have good benefits. I’m even more excited about the idea that this job will position me well for the next one, whatever that’s going to be. Jesus was right when he said the poor will always be among us. I love working in a job that helps them on the macro level. It’s what I wanted to do.
- My brother was wed to his fiancee on April 16. My first time as best man, it was a wonderful (and rather emotional) day for me. I watched my little brother get married and start a whole new life. Our family expanded +1. We’re a small family, too, so that +1 is significant… like an increase of 20%.
- I met Lindsey McIntosh in person on April 25. We’d been chatting online a week before then. We went for tea and a walk that day. By the time I walked to her home and gave her a kiss goodnight, we had 3 more dates planned. It was that good.
- I found out my brother and his wife were pregnant with their first child on May 30. I was of course very excited for them, but their combined age is almost 10 years younger than my parents, and they’re not that old. But, it turns out that’s why you have families. Our family expanded +1.
- I asked Lindsey to marry me on August 30. She said yes. My most immediate family expanded +1, which marks a 100% increase. Our other families are now going to be expanding +1.
And so here I am. I have three new family members, a new job, and am planning for a wedding, and for a new life. Many of you who have known me for a while know that my heart has always been into having a family over just about anything else. It’s not to say that I tried to force it, but I was happy when this life finally came. It’s been years and years in the making, and here I am.
So I hope to actually write again. To use this as a source of reflection, of thoughts about the world, and more importantly of recording my life. As always, you all can view as much as you want of it.
adam w anderson 