Holiday in Los Angeles

This holiday season has been my first away from my family. I didn't spend Thanksgiving in King of Prussia - not even the East Coast or on some vacation. I had a great dinner at a friend's family's, but it was still a little sad and, yet, another benchmark in my adult life. I'm sure there will be many holidays spent away from home and my family. It seems like we're getting further and further away from one another.

That being said, I've been preparing (physically and mentally) for my first rip home since moving to Los Angeles. I will be flying into Philadelphia December 20 until January 1. In addition to the normal things that make going home exciting my best friend/roommate from college will also be visiting, I will get to see my family from Atlanta and I will travel up to NY for the New Year. There's a lot to look forward to and I'm getting more and more antsy to get on that plane.

It's been nearly 7 months since moving here in the 3rd week of May. I cannot believe that that much time has passed. So much has changed. So much has stayed the same. I think I'm most excited to be out of Los Angeles for an extended period of time to get some perspective on my life. Everyday, the world around me is laying out their accomplishments, saluting their next step up the proverbial ladder and talking about the future, careers, etc.. I'm guilty of the same practice and honestly, I'm excited to go home and be with my brother and sister and best friends from childhood and reinforce where I came from.

I think this is the most crucial part of getting older. The only way to know where you're going in life is to remember what came before it; what were the steps I took to get here. Life moves so quickly that sometimes I can't remember all of the steps. Suddenly, I have a great job or something awful happens and I don't know what led up to the point. It's easy to forget the hard stuff when things are good. I think going home will remind me of all of the good stuff and the bad stuff and make me even more grateful for the life I have. That's my hope.

Ok, that's a huge tangent that I didn't intend on writing. With the looming holidays, I've been getting into the spirit. I'm a big sucker for this time of year. I've been listening to Josh Groban's NOEL on repeat and putting my fireplace on (even when it's to warm for it). I had my office holiday party yesterday - and even if that sounds (too adult) and lame, it was yet another benchmark in redefining this part of the year for me.

I leave you with some embarrassing pictures of my ice skating - walking on the frozen pond in the Boston Gardens drunk doesn't count unfortunately - for the first time in maybe 10 years. The beach was a few blocks away.

Posed.

Not so much. Ho Ho ho.