Red Alert: International Ban for Mr. William Boddy !

Attention world. My husband, Mr. William Boddy, is hereby banned from purchasing any new denim jeans. If my husband should approach your house of commerce in an attempt to buy jeans of any sort - blue or coloured alike - please turn him away and notify me immediately. It is a moral obligation of all mankind to remind Mr. Boddy that his jeans collection outnumbers his wife's 2.5 to 1! Mr. Boddy has put the world at great danger with this imbalance of nature. You see, it usually starts with jeans but the next thing you know it's a huge collection of shoes followed quickly by man-bags - and I just can't allow such a travesty in our home.

what a difference a year makes

Cruising to Amsterdam
Originally uploaded by juliehicks75

This time last year both of us were just starting to put back together the pieces of our lives which were fragmented by 12 months of hell, all of it primarily self-imposed of course. Over the last three years, life has been incredibly up and down but I wouldn't take back a moment of it. If the bad times had not occured, I would not be where I'm at now (geographically, or emotionally). I would not have found such beautiful friends for life in AmyMo, or Karin, or Carnes. I never would have finished my PMP certification. I would not have had a chance to see my niece born, or the look on Ed's face when his first child arrived. I wouldn't have witnessed the amazing mother and friend my sister has turned out to be. I would not have had 18 months of intense bonding with my nephew, which has probably brought me closer together with my family than I ever thought possible. And I wouldn't have gotten the infamous brown 'sleeping bag' coat, which got me through one miserably cold Ohio winter. Ugly as it is, I love that coat.

Yes, things were utterly bad for awhile and I was miserable for a long time - and yes, that misery was primarily my own & Will's fault - but I am so absolutely thankful for the direction my life has taken and the gifts I've been blessed with because of this path. And I can't express the depth of my love for this life and this man.

Thanks baby, it was all worth it.

x

Oz Moments

Jubilee Place
Originally uploaded by juliehicks75

Took this with my cell phone while on an escalator in the Canary Wharf tube stop. For some reason this wall REALLY made me happy. I think it's the vibrant colors and the fact the word 'jubilee' is adorable.

I also had a really strange feeling of surrealness settle over me when we were riding down this escalator. Sometimes I don't realize how unusual it is to be experiencing the things I'm going through right now and I take it all for granted without much thought... then there are moments like the one where I took this picture where I am totally overcome by the differencees and I think to myself, "We're not in Kansas anymore Toto" Suddently it hits me how far away I am from Ohio and I feel like an alien in a foreign land. That's how I felt when I took this picture... and it was really fucking neat.

finally coming out of the haze

in a fog (day 282)
Originally uploaded by juliehicks75

The last two weeks have been incredibly stressful for me. I have been in a holding pattern related to many major changes in my life. I've been completely dependent upon the workings of of a corporate lawyer in Arkansas, hoping furiously that he really does know how to do his job. Tomorrow, the wait will finally be over. Tomorrow my work permit and entry clearance visa will arrive from the British Consulate in Chicago. Tomorrow I can start to work on the rest of my life. I'm so ready to charge forward and get my shit in order and get my ass to the UK and settle down with my partner Will.

The last couple years have been very challenging for me on a personal and professional basis. Mostly due to my own choices, both good and bad. I don't regret any of it. I've really come very far and grown insanely the last twelve months. For the first time in my adult life, I feel in balance without someone telling me how to live my life like a mother, sister, a therapist or coworker. I am completely confident in the decisions I have made and the future that lies in front of me. I don't feel clouded by romance or cinicism or boredom or mania or anything else that causes so many people to live in a state of suspension between the real and unreal.

Do I think EVERYTHING in my life is going to work out just fine? Nope, I'm pretty sure that's not possible, for anyone anywhere. Do I think that every decision I have made recently, every person I hold close to me, every direction I am facing are true, honest and right for where and who I am now? Yes, I do. And it feels great to be this clear. It feels amazing not be reacting out of emotional knee-jerking for once, but instead to really truly have confidence and contentment over who I am.

Now I just need that little piece of paper inside my passport to arrive tomorrow so that all the plans I've made can be confirmed and I can get started on the next phase of my life. For real this time.

At the corner of bliss and happiness...

Our Corner in Nice
Originally uploaded by juliehicks75

Back from Nice and the UK now, alone in my apartment going through pics and generally sulking about returning to work tomorrow and being away from my Will. I thought of so many wonderful little things to blog about when I was gone and swore upon my return I would do so, but alas I am feeling the grips of lethargy upon me and have yet to start. I jotted down some notes while I was away to refresh my memory, so maybe this week I'll pull out my little green notebook and get started. Who knows? It was perhaps the best two weeks I've had with Will ever, if not two of the best weeks of my life... but for now I am planning to sit here in my air conditioning and watch Heroes for a few hours, drink white wine and feel like a dumbass for accidentally stealing Will's shaver adapter. Sorry baby. I love you even when you're scruffy, if that makes any difference. :)

til later my friends.

Beachside Bacon

Umbrella at the beach
Originally uploaded by juliehicks75

Spent Monday at the beach in Vintimiglia, Italy with LOML Will. Was fantastic, although the city of Vintimiglia itself is rather decrepit and dirty. We rented two lawn chairs and an umbrella by the sea for 10 Euro, laid there watching the locals and the water hit the rocks drinking beer. Was a brilliant afternoon...

woo first post woo

So. Here I am. Yes, blogging. And yes, not on myspace or facebook. Woo.

I am currently undergoing polarity therapy and my lovely therapist, Suzi Wilcoff, recommended I start writing down my feelings whenever I feel blocked or anxious. And I hate hand writing anything...so here I am. Now, let's be clear about these polarity treatments... I am not paying for them. If I were, I would not be going. Not that they aren't helpful - they are incredibly relaxing and cleansing - but I just can't afford shit like this when I could get acupuncture or counselling on my insurance for far cheaper. Alas, it is not I who pays for these sessions, it is the CXO of my company. She's worried about my stress levels and struggles with asthma-like symptoms lately, and gave me four sessions as a gift. Two sessions down now, two to go. And yes, I like it a lot. Not as much as I like the herbal tea Suzi gave me to make at home, but almost as much. And no, I'm not a hippie, new age-ist or any sort of guru following gal. I just like the intimacy of bonding with a complete yet sensitive stranger over my day's woes and getting a massage while we're talking. And did I mention that it's free?

Struggling a lot lately with figuring out my future. Not my long term forever future - I pretty much know where I want that to lead - but the short term what-do-i-do-until-i-move-to-England future. Work sucks. My family vacillates between annoying me and amusing me on a weekly basis. Me and my friends aren't as down depressed and desperate as we all used to be, so we don't spend 3-4 nights a week together anymore. And I have options. Lots of them. Yet I feel completely paralyzed sometimes, like I couldn't walk three feet to my front door let alone handle making a complete life change over the next few months. And I am waiting on a job offer from a past employer in the UK, incredibly incredibly impatiently.

All that sad, I am happy. I'm in love, I'm sure about what I want - more than ever before- and I definitely can't wait to get out of this allergen-infested State as soon as I can. By the way, I can't take my allergy medicine for the next two days because I have testing on Thursday. Which is horrid because the ugly guy on the news just said this week is going to be absolutely killer on allergy sufferers because of hot stagnant weather. Blech.

Later peeps. Gonna drink my herbal tea and force sleep upon my busy mind.

x