the end of verano 2009

Summer 2009 has more than made up for the string of bad luck I had been experiencing earlier this year.

and it started with a death. The start of this summer was looking like it would hit a new low..my beloved grandpa passed away just 4 days before his 95th bday. But instead it hit a high note with my cousin's wedding three weeks later where my grandpa's presence was felt everywhere and again this past weekend with the marriage of a good friend from college.

The time between these giant memories was accentuated with dancing days, arty nights, refugee garden visits, a Giants game and a Hmong graduation celebration. A feeling of ''home'' is once again taking hold as I exit my 10th month back in the states (the longest I have done so since 2005..).

maybe this feeling and me are here to stay..

counting your blessings.

ode to the true friend:

it's true that there is not a lot guaranteed in life.
but if you are lucky enough to have even one good true friend, you are blessed more than you may know.
So thank you {enter your name here} for being that shoulder to lean on, for keeping me in check, for saying just the right things, for supporting me for every crazy dream i have ever mustered.
For if I only had one person to believe in me, you have been that. It's easy to take those you love for granted and even easier to pick out the things you wish were different, but I'm grateful for the chance to have people that make life worth living.