How is it already May?  I can hardly believe how quickly this year has flown by.  And it has only gotten better with time.

Bloomsday weekend has arrived!  I'm really excited for it.  It's a really big deal out here in the Northwest.  It's funny.  This is going to sound incredibly... snotty.  But I used to chuckle at the things Northwesterners get excited about.  There are not a lot of "big" things to do in this region of the country.  No huge theme parks, no huge sports teams, no giant shopping malls (until you get to Seattle, of course).  This region of the country boasts its beauty in nature... trails, lakes, rivers, mountains...and that's what draws you in and keeps you here.

And so things that get people excited out here are a lot smaller, a lot simpler than back home.  And at first I didn't like that.  People would tell me how amazing something was, and I would find myself disappointed.  But oddly enough, I have grown to love the simplicity out here.  I've found that I don't get bored anymore like I used to.  I'm satisfied with a day spent in the woods hiking.  A simple dinner out with friends.  I just don't feel like I need a lot of entertainment anymore in order to have fun.

I've adopted a much simpler life than what I once had.  But a much more fulfilling one.  I was talking to my sister last night about just how happy I've been in this phase of my life.  I always knew I was unsettled back in Florida, but I don't think I knew how unhappy I actually was.  And I don't want to convey that every single day I am this happy person walking through life.  No, there are some hard days.  And there have been some hard months.  But overall, as a whole... I'm just happy.  Have I ever really been able to say that before?

Anyway, happy May!