Winter is coming, isn't it?

Dear Leigh,

Thanks for writing back. I'm doing much, much better now--it took me about a month, I'd say, to feel like my old self again. I talked to a counselor, in the end, and that was actually the point at which I felt better. It was nice to talk to someone who had absolutely no expectations of me, and whose own emotional state I wasn't worried about. She helped me realize that I was still feeling so low because I felt, sometimes, as though other people had moved on very quickly and could act like it had all never happened, which was certainly not how it was for me. Somehow, pinpointing what was bothering me helped it not bother me anymore. I'm still a little embarrassed, however, about how excited we were when we (unbeknownst to us) had nothing to be excited about.

In the wake of all of that, I decided to become a Certified Associate Project Manager (CAPM)--been studying for the exam for a couple months, now, and plan to take it this November, and I'm also going to try to apply to some MLIS programs, though doing that AND the CAPM in the same Fall might be too much for me. We'll see. So, I'm studying, rehearsing with a couple of quartets for a concert in October, and working... It seems that I don't sink into long-term depression too easily, but instead have renewed energy, once I snap out of it.

It does sound as though you could use a change, though a move up here would come with its own difficulties.  Still, there's much to be said for living close to extended family.  We feel rather isolated here in West Virginia, sometimes, and so are looking at moving back to Virginia, as well. I would love to be near my parents, and be able to join them when they meet Aunt Brenda, Uncle Michael, Aunt Mary Ann, Uncle Mike, and Derek for lunch.  My brother, too, might be facing a move to Richmond due to work, so we'd all be clustered within a few hours' drive of each other.

If you can get to Virginia in December, I might (and hope I would) be able to get there, too.  I, like your mother, would worry about you on the WV roads in winter.  The winters here are worse than in VA, and have kept us from traveling many a time. A couple inches of snow can make the highways through the mountains treacherous, regardless of the direction from which you are coming.   Of course, if the weather is clear and you are in the mood for a visit, I'd be excited to see you. We have a guest room, now, with a real guest bed, so you wouldn't be relegated to an air mattress on the floor, and the bakery downstairs has delicious coffee and scones (and pizza, too, and bread, and biscotti... it's amazing we're not fat yet).

I hope you're not too bothered by your mother's teasing.  You're young, active, educated (even more educated, officially, soon), and in the enviable position of not being too tied to one area--you could go pretty much anywhere you want! There's no end of possibilities.

Should get back to work (I'm staying late, so I don't feel too bad about using down time to write to you).

Love,
Kate