Things I Would Like to Share:

1. My friend Alyssa moved to Guam for a few years. This means I'm totally going to Guam sometime in 2011.

Have you ever looked at Guam on a map? It is FAR. If you Google map it you have to zoom out five times before you see anything else recognizable and can get perspective on where in the world it actually is. The first time I looked it up I went HOLY CRAP IT'S NEXT TO JAPAN! Except now that I've looked again, it's actually closer to the Philippines, which by the way, is the homeland of my darling nephew's people.

So if I'm in Guam, I might as well swim a bit further and go to Australia to check a few items off the ol' life list, right?

The Australia part will be especially timely because our Australian exchange student and his hot Scottish wife are expecting their first baby this fall so if I go see them in 2011 I'll be able to get my hands on Baby Mordan.

PLUS, I just realized that my pal Dave and his wife are moving to Australia in like A WEEK so I'll have to stop by to see them too!

Basically, Guam and Australia are calling my name. And Carrie's name too because if we can both manage to stay employed for the next year or so (KNOCK ON WOOD), we're gonna be crossing the international date line together!

I bring this all up because now that she has moved to an island out in the middle of nowhere, Alyssa has finally started blogging again and the internet is a more interesting place because of it.

For example:

A. Her husband bought a machete (!) at the local Home Depot and then used it to get a coconut off the tree in their yard, which led to post about how her "yard waste is way more delicious than your yard waste, unless you have a BLT tree or something."

B. This post about the Tecate hat/bottle opener they found made me laugh...particularly the comment about having to wear it really, really tightly.

2. Remember my Stella and Dot hostess friend who told me about the confidence she has felt in relationships and how it's different each time and isn't different good or different bad...just different? And how I was worried about how I'd know if it was different forever?

Welllll, she got engaged over the weekend! Go Lesley and Dan!!

3. And speaking of that blog post...I really can't even begin to tell you how wonderful all the people I know are. The blog comments, emails and real-life comments I got to that post were heartwarming times a million.

These people I know have experienced some crushing, crushing heartache and have bounced back to find people they really, really, REALLY love. These people my people love are very, very lucky but I'll bet they already know that.

I know some really fantastic people and they're all so damn SMART and wise and kind and I'm lucky to have them.

I've said before -- well before this drama started -- that I thought I used up all my chips on having really, really wonderful friends and family and that I didn't have anything left with which to earn a romantic friend. If that does end up being the case, then I'll get to say I told you so. If I'm wrong and I do eventually find a someone, then you'll all get to say I told you so.

(My only request is that if I'm going to find a someone, please let it happen before I have to wear a pantsuit to my wedding.)

(I told my SIL about the pantsuit and she was all "There are plenty of sensible and age-appropriate choices for older brides so you probably won't have to wear a pantsuit" and then I half laughed because her social-worker-raised-on-a-farm sensibility doesn't offer much sugar coating and half cringed because LET'S HOPE I DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO SHOP FOR OLDER LADY BRIDAL ENSEMBLES!!!)