322

We are finally unpacked and settled into our new place. The memory of the old apartment, drafty as a colander and as quiet as a growling dog on your lap, recedes. You have your new bus stop, and I am still sorting out my new running trail by the water. Now that the pictures are up (the final percent in our Moving In status bar), we are residents in this quiet cement cove where the neighbors down the street are the beach and turtles in their protected wetlands. I'm grateful for all your support in the move and what might be a new job on the horizon. Happy monthly anniversary. 

 321

GDC is over. The next hurdle is our relocation from a place that won't be around much longer. It was almost three years ago that we unpacked after coming back from Europe, a live of cardboard boxes and a Tetris'd set of furniture. Now we have a couple weeks to pack everything. It'll be heavy lifting starting this weekend. I hope we enjoy the new place. A little smaller than this one, but likely quieter. 

 320

Almost missed today, our monthly anniversary. One with snow coming down at lunch, in small, sparse flakes and then fluffy flurries that would melt on the ground but stick to your coats, reminding you that winter is still here for a little while longer. And now I'm preparing for GDC and trying to figure out what comes next after this project has successfully wrapped up. Feels like calm before the storm, with a dusting of post-Valentine's snow. Happy monthly anniversary, my love. 

 319

Happy monthly anniversary to you. The winter is fading from the darkness into the cold sunlight when the clouds disperse in an early staging for spring. It turns the sidewalks white with frost, telling you to stay home as winter tries to stay alive. But once you see the geese going north in the sky, winter looks less intimidating. You can stare down the long evenings, knowing something better is coming. 

 318

The final monthly anniversary for the year. The year is almost closed. Soon, the holiday gambit of obligations and expectations, and then they null space between Christmas and the end of the year when the forced cheer is over and you have our own time in the winter quiet. I'm grateful this broken and bitter year is ending, and I am grateful you've been here with your kindness and support. Happy monthly anniversary.