Bricks & Botanical Bliss: The Unofficial Guide to LEGO at Fort Worth Botanic Garden (plus free Scavenger Hunt!)

In seeking to utilize my membership at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, a Christmas gift from my sister (thanks Deda!), I discovered this week that there would be a - gasp! - Lego exhibit there all summer, called Sean Kenney’s Nature POP! Made with LEGO® Bricks. Combining things I enjoy - in this case, walking in nature, and Lego art - always seems to be an exponentially exciting endeavor to me. So even though I had  already made plans to go see it with a friend next month, I couldn't wait to go myself, on my first day off. 

While I am often very much a planner in almost all aspects of life, I enjoy both the challenge of spontaneity and the relief of not having to plan certain parts of my life. So I awoke without an alarm and got ready to go to the gardens. I noted that there was a QR code which would likely have more information and a map and the like, but ignored the impulse to check it out. Instead, once I showed my membership ID, I put my headphones in and headed out aimlessly, with the intent to discover as many of the exhibits as I could without the aide of a map.

The first few exhibits were right through the doors. Actually, there were two exhibits just outside the entrance before you even pay admission, as well as a few murals in the Pollinator Pathway near the parking lot, which I discovered at the end of my journey. But besides those, once you're past the admission desk and through the doors, there are several bunnies, a couple gardeners and a dog. I took some photos and ventured on. 

I spotted a red blur in flight, and when it stopped in the tree, I stopped to snap a few photos of the cute little bird. The lighting was poor but I was able to enhance it on my phone. I moved on and continued to discover additional statues and murals built of Lego. 

One thing I really loved and appreciated was that the signs had a little blurb about the art and a little blurb about the science. This makes it a memorable and fun learning experience, I suspect, for kids and adults alike even. 

I made my way to the Rose Garden and found a dazzling sculpture there of a rose, fitting. As I carved my way through the curvy paths, I was reminded of my labyrinth experience and reflected on the ever so slight distracting annoyance of having to make decisions about which way to go every few feet. What I loved about the labyrinth was that it made all the decisions for you, you had but to choose to walk it, and the path took care of the rest. That's what promoted the meditative experience I had while walking the labyrinth, albeit too short of lengths for my preference. A trade off, I presume, between the length stretches I could walk here in the Rose Garden versus a labyrinth. If only we could combine the two - having a single path over a larger scale. That's Ikea, I suppose. 

Not knowing where I would find the next exhibit, I ventured into the Japanese Garden and walked a majority of its length, finding no Lego exhibits there. I would later confirm with the map that the Japanese Garden was, indeed, left alone, without a single Lego piece, and just the tranquil peace. 

Outside of the Japanese Garden, I spotted a *POP* of color which I took to be my next lead. I found more sculptures and enjoyed reading the plaques in front of each. 

After more than 2 miles of walking, I decided to start making my way back to the car, when I spotted a red tailed hawk wrangling a recent kill. It spotted me before I saw it, and raised its wing to protect its hunting trophy from me. I think this is one of the funniest behaviors of the animal kingdom. I was reminded of the time a turkey vulture danced around its catch with both wings extended while I walked widely around it to retrieve my car from the street shortly after I moved into my house in Texas. If only the birds of prey knew I have a much better meal awaiting me at home, and that their breakfast was not tempting to me in the least! After photographing it from the distance at which I stopped, it eventually was startled away by unaware kids coming up the path the other way. I tried to follow it to see where it would land in the tree, but it was too fast for me to track it. 

After a quick stop at the restroom and gift shop, I headed out to my car, clocking more pops of color in the Pollinator Pathway, as previously mentioned. So I wandered down that path which I usually skip, and found a few more murals that were totally worth seeing. 

Finally, at my car, I pulled up the website from the QR code and checked the map. Verifying the list against my memory, I was happy to see I had found all but one of the exhibits on my own. I chuckled at myself thinking that I was too close to stop now; like Pokemon, I gotta catch 'em all! The last one was not in the gardens proper; it was by the research institute, to which I know of no (other) reason to go. So I drove over to the entrance and popped out of my car for a quick photo. So lesson learned: if you're missing one (the zebra mural), do not remorse, it is easily accessible by car on your way out of the parking area. 

After returning home, I did some organizing of my photos and did some searches online to get more information and data for this post. Interestingly (or annoyingly), some of the articles about the exhibit coming to Fort Worth either reference or feature a panther, which was neither on the map nor in my photos or memory. I was incredibly frustrated to learn that I had missed one, and puzzled why it wasn't on the map. After considerable deliberation, I figured out that the "panther" referenced is actually the snow leopard, so I wasn't missing one after all. 

About Nature POP!

The exhibit runs from May 22 to September 17, so you have plenty of time to *POP* out to the gardens to see it! This marks artist Sean Kenney's second major showcase at the venue, arriving five years after his "Nature Connects" exhibition occupied the grounds. 

By the Numbers 

There are 18 three dimensional sculptures and 6 large, flat murals. The murals are all the same size and according to the signs, are all composed of the same number of pieces -  18,432 each! This may seem expected at first, but actually, the pieces used on the murals are all different shapes and sizes, so one realistically could expect there would be variation in the brick count. I used my favorite AI chatbot to validate the underlying assumptions in those counts, and provide its own estimates based on my photos. The count was estimated to be much lower. 

The sign for the rabbits indicated they were 1,496 pieces, but it was unclear if that was per bunny or for the collection. With 21 bunnies, if the figure was for all of them, that would be an average of 71 pieces per bunny - seems low. If its per bunny, then all the rabbits would be 31,416 pieces all together, so I think it's that. 

I didn't catch the number of pieces for three of the statues (at least one of which did not have a sign from what I could find), and used google search and AI to try to ascertain those estimates, but did not trust the numbers, so I used my own estimates for those three. 

Update June 26, 2026: I went back to the gardens and revisited the statues I had been missing piece counts for, so now I have a complete count (at least, according to the signs). 

Based on the pieces stated, and my assumption about the rabbits, I calculated 869,074 Lego pieces, which confirms the claim that there are over 800,000 pieces used in the total exhibit. At an average retail price of $0.13, that would be nearly $113k worth of Lego! Although, the artist likely got a wholesale price closer to 6 cents per brick, or about $52k. 

Even if the number of pieces is overestimated for the murals, using the high end of the AI-generated estimates, the entire collection was estimated at 811,982 pieces, still well above the claimed 800,000 pieces. 

The Next Stops: Cities Scheduled After Fort Worth

This is the 14th stop on the tour. After September 17th, once the installations are carefully disassembled, packed into customized, foam-lined logistics crates, and loaded onto freight trucks at the end of the summer, they are booked to head to the following locations:

    Omaha, NE (Scheduled to open January 16, 2027)
    Winchester, VA (Scheduled to open May 27, 2028)

Custom Resources

If you want to have a little fun, you can turn the exploration of the Lego sculptures and mosaics into a game, and a challenging learning experience. To help you and your family gamify your visit, I created a printable Scavenger Hunt and a Trivia Quiz, designed to test your eye for detail.

Sign up with your email below to join my writing journey, and I'll instantly send a copy straight to your inbox:

 

To provide you with the most efficient route to visit all of the Nature Pop! displays, I have charted a course on the map that minimizes backtracking. We have created a blue path that visits the sculptures in a clear, continuous sequence. You can see the visual path overlaid on the map, and here is the breakdown:

 
Efficient Nature Pop! Walking Route:

Start at the BRIT to see the Zebra Mural, or the Pollinator Pathway near the park lot. 
#3 Ladybug Mural - Pollinator Pathway
#2 Butterfly Mural - Pollinator Pathway
#6 Horses Mural
#1 Galapagos Tortoise - You'll likely see this as you drive in. Watch for cars if you approach on foot to take a picture. 

#5 Eagle - You'll see this on your left as you walk into the Garden Center.
#8 Gardeners - Veer left as you enter the garden, and appropriately, visit the statue of the gardeners! 
#9 Rabbits - Count them and see how many you can find!
#10 Dog

#11 Leopard
#12 Pangolin
#13 Polar Bear & Cub

#7 Tree Frog Mural - I think this is in the wrong spot on the map, as I spotted it after the Polar Bear and before the Woodpecker. 

#14 Woodpecker
#15 Doe & Fawn
#16 Buck
#17 Fox
#18 Lawn Mower

Hang a right after the Lawn Mower
#23 Spider Mural
#22 Zebra
#21 Lion
#20 Dodo Bird

Enter the Rose Garden
#19 Rose - North West part of the Rose Garden
#24 Dragonfly - Exit the Rose Garden on the South East side and head towards the pond. It's a bit out of the way, but worthwhile as it is one of my favorites! 

#4 Zebra Mural - Near BRIT (Botanical Research Institute of Texas). Recommend driving here at the beginning or end of your day. 

This route allows you to see every sculpture in one continuous walk through the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

And here is my table of the piece count.

Sculptures	Claimed Piece Count	Notes
1. Galapagos Tortoise	21,976
5. Eagle	22,200
8. Gardeners	46,823
9. Rabbits	31,416	*Assumes 21 rabbits at 1,496 each as the signs imply
10. Dog	39,800
11. Snow Leopard	51,377
12. Pangolin	28,650
13. Polar Bear with Cubs	112,450
14. Woodpecker	32,650
15. Fawn & Doe	43,150
16. Buck	38,350
17. Fox	18,100
18. Lawn Mower	35,250
19. Rose	20,000
20. Dodo Bird	29,750
21. Lion	45,150
22. Zebra	73,500
24. Dragonfly	67,890
Subtotal in Sculptures:	758,482

Murals	Claimed Piece Count	AI Estimate
2. Butterfly	18,432	5,500
3. Lady Bug	18,432	4,500
4. Zebra	18,432	6,500
6. Horses	18,432	15,500
7. Tree Frog	18,432	8,500
23. Spider	18,432	13,000
Subtotal in Murals:	110,592	53,500

Total Pieces:

869,074

811,982

Mr. At the Right Time

I was contemplating how very fortunate I have been, even though I have yet to find the love of my life, to have had wonderful people, and specifically in this case, love interests, who have been there for me in the way they were best suited to be there for me at the time that I needed someone like them in my life. 

The memory that first triggered this thought was thinking back to a little more than a year ago when I was in the hectic midst of moving from California to Texas - the first big move I've done on my own without the help of a SO. Even before I had started the moving process, I had changed my dating app profile to the Fort Worth area in hopes of meeting someone great in my soon-to-be new state of residence. It worked, of course, and I had been dating this guy named Justin when I did my business trips to Fort Worth prior to moving. While trying to close on my house in Texas, the relo company sent the wire for my down payment to the wrong account. $80,000 were lost in the ether for the better part of two weeks. $80,000 I thought I'd lost. It was insane. Why do we wire like this? Why are there not more checks and safety features? Seems like a terrible idea. 

Well, Justin happened to work in IT for the banking industry. He had worked at multiple banks and was familiar with their electronic systems, and specifically, how money wires worked and that there are teams of people at the bank who are specifically employed to troubleshoot lost transactions. While the relo company was beyond useless, and my mortgage company was losing their minds, my realtor was pushing for resolution on my behalf, and Justin was giving me ideas to help the issue get resolved and keeping me calm with his assurances that I'd get the money back and all was not lost. There is literally no other guy I've ever dated before or after Justin who could have helped me get through that incredibly stressful moment, in an already stressful situation of moving and changing jobs, with the knowledge and trustworthy expertise like he could. My employees were shocked with how calm I was being through all of that, and I can only attribute it to his ability to authoritatively assure me it would be okay. 

He was there, in that space of my life, when I needed someone of his exact demeanor and knowledge. I mean, that's really incredible. I am really fortunate. Shortly after, we mutually parted ways, agreeing that we were not, in fact, all that compatible. But I will forever be grateful for our time together and specifically how he was there for me. 

To a less extreme extent, I reflect very happily with my time dating Brandon last summer. There are times now when I miss him, and think about reaching out, then I think better of it - at least so far. He had a vibrant social life, despite claiming to be a homebody who liked reading and video gaming more than anything else. It was because of him I adopted the summer past time of drinking beer in the pool with friends - so much fun! He introduced me to the two-step which is a wildly popular dance locally. He was a great lead and I felt very comfortable dancing with him. With his lead, I feel very confident that I sufficiently gave two-step a genuine effort, and I can confidently say that I absolutely hate that style of dance. I introduced him to swing dancing, and he affirmed my opinion that swing dance is far more dynamic and varied and interesting and fun. But I wouldn't have been able to be so assured in my assertion, or even had any clue, had I not had the opportunity to dance it with such a great lead whose touch was so perfect. I loved the way he touched me affectionately, his subtle but present PDA, his comfortable cuddles, his soft kisses. Yet when he suggested we end things, I didn't fight him because I worried that he would be too boring for me, and I looked forward to being all in with Sam. 

I suspect my time with Sam may be drawing to an end, after one or two more extraordinary adventures which are already planned, and it was sad for me to come to that realization. Perhaps I had fallen in love with the exotic love story - two singles from opposite sides of the world being brought together by a celestial event - better than fiction! It's because of him I've made amazing memories checking off multiple things from my Life List - searching for Nessie in Scotland could not have been more amazing - which I wouldn’t have accomplished without him, at least not yet. 

But just as sometimes people are there for you in a way that you need them, I think it's also true that people can be there in ways you don't like, to show you what is important to you. That may be how I see my relationship with Sam when it exists only in hindsight. He was wonderful at first, but started to pull back on his physical affection (even openly admitting he didn't feel obligated to try so hard now that he "had me"), and more and more prioritized his comforts and habits over my needs and wants. There are things that I still really like about him - his glass half full perspective is unmatched - but these other feelings - that I've been gaslighted or manipulated in ways I can't quite prove - tell me that this is not a forever relationship. It's sewing mistrust in a relationship that requires trust more than most, and I believe he is a good person but I also believe he is content with the status quo and actively resistant to change, which does not serve my desires. Still, not all relationships have to be forever to have been good. Like Marie Kondo's method for parting with unneeded clutter, I can thank the relationship for the purpose it served in my life, even if that purpose was to show me that this is not what gives me joy, and put it to rest with peace and without regret. 

I had another date with Ryan today - is this date number four or five? I've lost track, and I love that. I don't need to keep score with him. We are so different, and yet he has a magnetism that pulls me in. Opposites attract can be true in some ways, I know. He's respectful, he's affectionate, he's grateful, he's protective. He's also absolutely crazy and loud and talks nonsense gibberish to me half the time (I know he thinks it has meaning but I get so lost with the fantasy worlds he's trying to explain to me). He has had zero life experiences and knows so little about the world - a little bit of a blank slate I can wow and amaze with little effort. The whole is both bizarre and endearing. As he watched me drive away tonight, not unlike how my neighbor's stalker cat watches me through my windows, I couldn't help squealing at how cute he is. And really, isn't that the most fun part of a relationship? He also may not be the forever love of my life, but we are both mutually agreed we are having fun and want to continue. 

Honestly, while I still yearn for the ultimate forever love of my life, and part of me wishes I could fast-forward to that part, I am trying, with a good deal of success, to find the joy in the newness of relationships and be present and satisfied in the part of the story that I'm in now. I have a perpetually changing Mr. At the Right Time, and life is good, and I have so much to be grateful for. 

From Lone Star Drab to Love Island Fab: Another Dream Come True

As a sort of follow up to my recent post, "Follow My Florida Dreamin'," I want to also share another way I followed a little dream to a happy trigger that keeps on giving. Specifically, my primary bathroom and bedroom. When I looked at houses in Texas for my relocation last year, I gave each house a nickname, many of which were hilarious to my realtor (and I happen to agree). There was "My Castle" which was the giant house with a turret, but when I saw it, the houses across the street put its turrets to shame and I ended up renaming it to "My Doll House" because it looked like a life size doll house. The house I really wanted was a very modern, Asian-esque model-perfect house with a pool, hot tub and backyard about which I still dream - with its pool ledge and modern appeal. But, they didn't accept my offer and it may be for the best for two reasons: the commute would have been significantly longer and more annoying (nearly impossible to avoid multiple school zones), and, I would have been incredibly reluctant to customize it and make it my own, because it was so stylish the way it was, just not exactly the styling I was considering. The house I ended up buying, I had nicknamed, "Just Ugly Enough," because it had good bones and was in a lovely neighborhood, but I absolutely hated the colors of the interior. That is actually a benefit, to me, because if I hate it, then I have no qualms about painting over it, and it was only cosmetic work that needed to be done to make my own, nothing structural or otherwise significant.

So "Just Ugly Enough" became my new home a year ago, and between work travel, personal travel, and just not wanting to unpack boxes and whatnot, it took me a little while to finally start getting my home into the style and color schemes I wanted. To be fair, there was another, more direct reason for my delay - I had mocked up several variations on my laptop, but I was nervous about the bold colors and concerned they'd be too much. Finally, I decided I just had to push forward. I was happy enough with the latest mockups, and it was just paint, right? If I absolutely hated it in a few months, I could always redo it. It would be a pain, to be sure, but, as a recent meme said, "Everything is figureoutable."

I started slowly but with commitment - attacking first my huge, imposing fireplace with bright pink paint. I worked on it steadily but only as I had time. Even before the painting was complete, I could tell I loved it! The part of the fireplace that had been painted looked so good. I kept going. I painted the mantel and hearth a light gray to tone down the pink. When it came to the cabinets, I was thinking blue, but hadn't quite settled on the specific shade, so I taped the paint swatches of the leading contenders up to the cabinets so that I could see them in the exact light throughout the day that the actual paint would be in. I finally determined which one I liked the most and got that painting done.

Moving onto the primary bedroom and bathroom, I pretty much was set in stone on what colors I wanted in the bathroom, but again was nervous because it was, well, a lot. I struggled with what I wanted to do with my room, though, because I wanted it to match, but I also didn't want it to be too much. Weirdly, for me, I settled on painting over the ugly greyish blue with a plain white in the bedroom, and then using accents to bring the color forward - pillows and bedding, and, neon lights!! At night, which is the best time to be in a bedroom, with the neon on and the regular lights off, it has exactly the look I wanted without being crazy. The other thing I really liked in my room was that I ended up repurposing a tall glass cabinet that had previously been used to display movies, and I made it a display case for my various feminine accessories - necklaces and rings, my various Coach purses, and a few tokens and nicknacks. It became a functional storage in the disguise of a fashionable display case - maybe borrowing a little inspiration from the Barbie movie or the Barbie Dream House design challenge on HGTV.

The bathroom, though, is my prized room now. It is exactly right in so many ways. Prior to painting and adding wall décor, I had been collecting various accessories to match the theme I was aiming for. A fancy pink and gold picture frame that has a call bell and the caption, "Ring for Champagne" sits on the window sill next to a little bubble bath container in the shape of a bottle of champagne and a hot pink rubber duckie with the face of a flamingo, because, obviously. A silly pink hand statue, originally on top of my medicine cabinet, was relocated to the window sill. The corner shelving has my bath supplies - bath bombs, epson salts, shaving crème and razor, and a hot pink loofah to tie it together. On the medicine cabinet, I had these cute little pink containers for Qtips, hair ties, hair clips, swabs, etc. I found an adorable pink digital clock that I had originally placed on top of the medicine cabinets, but post-painting, it found its way to a white wall to create that contrast in color.

The problem was, all these cute hot pink accessories clashed with the baby blue wall color and the hideodeous hand stamping and those dated mirrors. It was time to paint! But that's a lot of work, so I hired someone. I put up post it notes on each wall to make it very clear which color would go where, and showed him. And thankfully, he didn't try to talk me out of the wild color design. He worked all day, but got both rooms done - so much faster than I would have!

The wall around the bathtub is a bright turquoise, and I changed out the white sheer curtains that were there for hot pink sheer curtains (which I had bought months in advance). I had changed the color of the chandelier in my mockups, but I ended up leaving it as the white chandelier that was there because it was a good contrast to all the color. On one wall, I created an artificial "living wall" with fake plants from Hobby Lobby. On the other wall, I have a neon sign that says, "Hello Gorgeous" which is a straight shot of visibility from the toilet, a great message to see as I start my mornings. The little toilet room, although without a door to actually separate the space, just a door frame, has the same bright turquoise color. 

The wall with the vanities is bright pink. Other than that, the other walls are white. The hand towels are turquoise, pulling in that color towards the pink vanity area, while the curtains pull the pink into the turquoise bath area. On the floor, bright yellow rugs of various sizes are arranged and often re-arranged by my cleaners, and honestly, the variety is kind of fun. Sometimes the long one is in front of the vanity to accommodate both sinks, other times it's by the bath tub and the wider rug is in front of my primary vanity.

The VOCs seemed to linger much longer than I anticipated, even with open windows and fans for several days. So I googled what plants were the best at absorbing CO2 and VOCs and invested in a few real living plants to help with the issue functionally, and bring some more organic décor into the space. Of course, I hate making new habits and I knew watering would be a pain for me, so I bought a few of those glass watering globes, but not just any, I bought hot pink flamingo shaped ones. I found another fun pink accessory - what looks like a little balloon dog, but made of hot pink transparent plastic or something similar. And now, all the hot pink décor I had bought before finally makes sense.

I toiled over what mirrors to put over the vanities - I could put the old ones back up, but I just hated how they look, even though they do sort of match the cabinets. I thought about getting really fancy ones with LED lights. But in the end, I went with a very simple, modern look of rectangular mirrors with rounded corners. I hate to drill new holes for them and install dry wall anchors - previously my nemesis for some reason, but I have no idea why, these were actually really easy to install - and once they were up, I was instantly pleased with my selection.

Not everyone likes the room - my sister especially despised it. But luckily, she doesn't have to live here. And I absolutely adore it. The motif and colors were largely inspired by my favorite trash TV show - Love Island, and honestly, after picturing it and mocking it up over and over again, I don't think it could have turned out any better. I absolutely love it. And what's more, every time I walk in there now, I get a little tingle of excitement and giddiness and joy. Whereas I would almost feel depressed walking into that blah blue bathroom before, now the colors delight me and the wall décor feels like it was always there. It's literally like seeing a dream come true, albeit another smallish dream, but a dream nonetheless. 

It occurred to me that there was a book called, "Dunk Tank Pink" that had a multitude of anecdotes, including the one referenced in the title about how painting a jail cell a very specific color pink was statistically shown to calm drunk people down and reduce alcohol-fueled violence and incidents. While pink is not usually the color most people reach for to paint their bathrooms with, I wonder if part of my enjoyment is somehow related. Or, maybe I'm just embracing the feminine aesthetic being a strong, single woman. And it's not just pink. It's the whole Love Island vibe. A vibe I love!

I named my blog "Easily Thrilled" years ago because it struck me as funny or peculiar how certain inconsequential things in life could take my breath away and give me disproportionate joy. My bathroom, in the previously "Just Ugly Enough" house, in a state I don't love, is one of those things that gives me a little gush of joy every time I step into it. So my challenge, to you, dear reader, is, take the chance, buy the paint, use color unabashedly if that's what you want to do. Make it your own. Unless you're eminently selling your home, you're going to live there for a while, so don't worry about the resale value or what future buyers will think. They don't see your interior every day. You do. I'm a big believer in function over aesthetic, but once you have the function down, go big and bold with the aesthetic, the bigger and bolder, the better. So you can be easily thrilled, too.

Ryan >

Dating life update time! 

 

Reeling from the conversation with Sam, in which he is so not committed, including not even sure if he would ever live with me and move in with me, even if I happened to live in Sydney, etc... I just don't know what to do with that at this point, except that I think I need to start pulling back and protecting my heart, and maybe start dating in earnest again. Of course, he's always encouraged me to date locally, especially because I like a lot of physical contact and he's really not into PDA. And, let's be honest, he's been less and less into a lot of cuddles and touching even when we're alone. 

 

Part of me, a really desperate part of me, started thinking about silly Kevin in California. My heart hurts a little bit for him because he was going through something that he couldn't (or wouldn't) talk to me about; I think he was in some sort of home, seeking serious treatment, and I wish I could have been there for him in a better way. But he also had a part in shutting me out, and I can't let myself feel at fault for that. Our last communication was a little harsh on my part but I'm not going to feel sorry for it because he was being ridiculous and he needs to own his part of the whole thing. And if he wanted to reconcile with me, he should have reached out. 

 

Still, I was reflecting during my more desperate moments, how much I enjoyed his physical affection. He was absolutely so wild and I really enjoyed it - even if it was a little over the top. What I didn't like about him was that it didn't feel like I could take him out in public anywhere, because he would be super negative and he would get a little extra when he was around my friends or when he had too much to drink. So I didn't feel like there was any good long-term social life I could have with him. Still, there's something to be said about the need to touch and be touched, in an affectionate way, and otherwise.

Enter Ryan. His profile pics were good looking, and he wasn't too young, but gave me vibes that he was maybe immature. He doesn't have a degree. He works in retail. Basically does whatever job he needs to do to pay rent. Not that that's a problem for me, it's just different than my usual type. Then again, it was exactly my type for ten years, so what am I really saying here? Different than Kevin and Sam, and Justin and Brandon... just different.

 

For our first date, I invited him, of all things, to come swing dancing with me. I was pretty much not expecting him to actually show, but I went along with the conversation to see where it would lead, and I figured, if he didn't show, I'd just dance like I would have anyways. I told him, you really needed to go to the lesson because just trying to fake it wasn't going to work. He resisted at first, but he got the message. To my surprise, he showed up. He was a little bit grungier than in his pictures, but I could see there was a really good looking guy under there. Our first date didn't feel like a date. It didn't feel like anything really. He tried outsmarting the lesson, and quickly learned that wasn't going to work. But he was a trooper through it and through the whole dance and never complained once about it being too hard or being too weird of a situation. He had had a little to drink to calm his nerves before coming, and took a break for a drink at his car. 

 

As the night went on, he moved his body physically closer and closer to me on the seat and pushed his legs up against mine. And when we were dancing towards the end of the dance, he just had that look in his eyes like he was about to kiss me. I would turn my head because that's not the right place to have kisses in my opinion, but I definitely appreciated the attention. When the dance was over, I suggested we go grab something to eat or drink, and we went to the nearby grill and bar place. 

 

I think what I absolutely loved about that night was, as we were walking from the parking lot, he quickly grabbed my hand and held it comfortably like we were old lovers. And then even more so, as we were walking into the restaurant, he put his arm around my waist and it just felt like he was magnetically attracted and attached to me. It felt so good to be touched and wanted like that from a guy that I didn't even really know! He seemed a little discouraged that I suggested he sit across from me instead of next to me, but we held hands across the table to make up for his inability to have his arms and legs wrapped around me. We had drinks and fried pickles (he made me choose) and by this time he was very drunk and a little silly, but the conversation flowed and he laughed at all my bad jokes - huge brownie points. What's more, he genuinely seemed to think I was hilarious! 

 

After closing out, we made out in the parking lot at my car. I liked kissing him. He didn't try to move too fast. He wasn't trying to get an invite or suggest we  get in the back seat or anything like that. He was just sweet and affectionate - so affectionate!

He texted me when he got home. He texted me the following day to say good morning. He was both obviously busy and yet attentive, and the perfect combination of those two. 

 

We decided to meet up next at a ramen restaurant that he recommended. He was not only early but had already put our name in for a seat and said that it was going to be a little while, so he took my hand and we walked around the adorable shopping area for a bit. And again, I just loved how moving with him felt like we were a couple that had been together forever and were still madly in love. It just felt so good, and so natural. 

 

Sitting down at the ramen restaurant, we weren't drinking and had a more sober conversation but it still flowed well and was a lot of fun. Even though we have almost nothing in common, it was really enjoyable and I could see myself having many more chats with this cute guy. He seems a lot smarter in some ways than he probably gives himself credit for, but it's those pesky kind of smarts that aren't easily translatable into academics or an easily lucrative career. It makes me think about the future of people like him, when everything in retail and labor is automated. But in the meantime, we again made out in the parking lot and I really enjoyed touching his chest. He, again, didn't try to make any moves on me beyond kissing and he just seemed really into me. 

For our third time together, I invited him over to watch movies and cuddle on the couch. I thought for sure that this would be when he would make a move and try to be more intimate with me, but to my surprise, and maybe a little disappointment, he didn't. We just had a great time sitting on the couch, watching movies. He had his arm around me pretty much the entire time and let me leave my hand on his leg, and we kissed and we talked. He wanted me to choose the movie so I put on a film that I'd been wanting to see for a while and we enjoyed it together and idly chatted about it as it played out. We took a margarita break and then he showed me one of his Gundam movies and he attempted to explain it to me. It wasn't my thing and I was honest about it, but he expressed gratitude that I tried it. Still, it felt so comfortable, like I could do this all the time with him.

Oh, so get this: He has never been on an airplane! I just cannot wrap my head around this concept. I mean, I work on airplanes for crying out loud! Not that I've ever flown in the airplanes I work on, but still, I take airplanes everywhere, all the time. I've flown - I can't even tell you how many times - and he's never flown anywhere! So I am dead set that we are going to fly somewhere. I don't care where it is. I would love to have it be somewhere fun, but like, seriously, he needs to go on an airplane with me. There's a little part of me that is both also set on him trying coach for his first flight, and also disappointed because that means I won't be able to apply first class. Maybe a short lived trauma, I just want to make sure he has a real airplane experience before I upgrade us to first class in the future. Ha, the future! With him. With Ryan. 

 

I asked him where he would want to fly to if he could have a trip anywhere. He's talked about Japan before so that's definitely on his list. But he mentioned Florida and how he wanted to go to Disney World. It suddenly occurred to me, and I immediately told him about, how I wanted to do my birthday at the Animal Kingdom Lodge with the Savannah view to see the giraffes and stuff from my room. I've wanted to do that for years, ever since I found out you could do such a thing. I already knew he really likes animals, so when I told him about the idea, he got so excited about the prospect of doing that with me. 

 

So here I am, having seen this guy three times, and planning a trip to Florida to stay at one of the more expensive resorts and doing Disney World, because I want to and because he needs to fly. Yep, I want us to do that together. 

 

I have no idea what this means for me and Sam at this point. I'm still crazy about Sam - I think. I worry sometimes that I like the exotic idea of dating him too much. I know I like the philosophical and intellectual conversations we have, and this guy is definitely not going to be doing that. But just the way that Ryan touches me and holds me, and is just so sweet and affectionate and modest, and doesn't seem to care or have a strong opinion about how we are together... I just really feel comfortable with him. 

 

Ryan reminds me a lot of Kevin in the way he physically shows his affection. There are other similarities, their disposition and general outlook on life seem similar, and a few differences, like Kevin's education and career. Yet it seems like Ryan is an upgraded version of Kevin. And he's better than Sam on the physical touch. He's closer geographically. I mean, that's definitely a huge benefit - being in the same time zone means we text throughout the day. He's also closer to me than Kevin in California, too. And of all the other guys that I've dated in Texas, this guy is just, better. I really enjoy being with him. And bonus points, he currently lives with his ex-, which means he is likely open to living with a girlfriend in the future. That shouldn't mean a lot, but it does in light of things.

 

I was going to title this blog something about Ryan being better than [fill in the blank]... and I couldn't really fill in the blank. Sam still means a lot to me, and I wouldn't say Ryan is holistically better. They're different, and that makes a comparison difficult, if not unnecessary or potentially hurtful. Right now, I don't need to choose. And there is a sense of peace I get from knowing that I have Sam in the capacity that he lets me, but that I'm also free to explore others, like Ryan. But there's something more with Ryan that I can't quite figure out how to express. So I left it as Ryan is greater than.

 

And again, it's early. I don't know what any of this means. But I'm really excited. While I've been in Florida, he's been texting me and admiring my adventures and keeping me entertained with his. I wish he could have come, especially given the airplane thing, but he couldn't make it happen with his work schedule on such short notice. But he's excited about the idea of going to Florida with me in the future and I just can't wait. It's taking a lot of my energy to resist the urge to book the whole thing right now, but I figure I should probably talk through options with him just to make sure he's comfortable with it. 

 

What I do know, though, is that every time I see him and I say good night, I just can't wait to see him again. I get a thrill through my body when he texts me. He's not sending me silly 11:11 pictures. He's texting me meaningfully. And it's been a minute since I've felt like that about someone like him.

Clever GIrl

It's no big secret that I've not had a great relationship with my Mom since childhood. I mean, look, she wasn't a drug addict or physically abusive, she didn't leave me and my sisters or anything traumatic like that. So I don't want to sound ungrateful. I've just never been close to her like other people are with their Moms. When I see those memes  that say something to the effect of, "There's no love like a mother's love," or "Nobody will ever love you like your Mom," I throw up a little in my mouth. That's just not me. And maybe there's a small part of my inner child that wishes I had that and yearns to be validated by her, but for the most part, I've done just fine as an adult without a close relationship with her. And I'm not that much closer with my Dad in terms of frequency of calls or whatnot, but my Dad understands me much better since we worked in similar fields and faced similar professional challenges and trajectories.

An illustrative example of my relationship with my parents is the time I brought my first report card home from college - I got a mix of A's, B's and C's in the 17 credit hours of courses my first semester as an engineering major. My Mom expressed her grave disappointment that I didn't get straight A's, and my Dad exclaimed, "Holy shit, you PASSED CALCULUS?!? On your FIRST TRY?!?" So yeah, that about sums it up. I can do no right in my Mom's eyes - she has decided for the last two decades that I've consistently been a raging alcoholic despite all the evidence to the contrary. When he was still quite young, she told my nephew that I was the biggest failure of her life, to which he shot back, "If Aunt Laura is a failure, I want to fail like her when I grow up." Sharp kid, that one.

Let's dissect that a little bit. My failures include being the first of their three daughters to earn an advanced degree despite being the youngest by far, consistently owning houses with a single income, getting promoted at work regularly, achieving a 6 digit income in my early 30s, and sustaining a committed relationship for 10 years. But what she sees is that I've never been married (even though my relationships last longer than most marriages), that I've decided to leave the church (which I actually brought her to in the first place), and the previously mentioned hallucinated alcoholism and real failure to earn straight A's. 

My Dad, on the other hand, seems to suffer from a lack of like-minded people to talk to, and so he spills his guts whenever an understanding ear, like mine, is around. I left a professional organization we were previously both major contributors to because the drama became too much for me, but he can't wait to fill me in on all the drama I literally tried to erase from my life. He'll ask me about work and then lecture me on all the things he thinks I don't understand, even though I understand them far better than he ever could in a lot of ways. He complains about my family, and especially my Mom. He picks fights with her that could just be left alone. It's clear she's a constant irritation to him, and yet, he probably needs that for his own amusement, since he has completely failed at retiring well and he needs something to keep his constantly turning mind occupied, and his ego inflated.

While I could go on, I've already digressed from where I want to go with this post, so I'll suffice it to say my parents can be taxing and visits from them trigger anxiety like few other things in life can. So when my Dad alerted me to plans of their desire to drive to Texas and stay a couple days with me and then visit his brother a few hours away, I wasn't exactly stoked but also figured it was obligatory so they could see my new house. And I was looking forward to seeing my Uncle because I could probably count on one hand the times I've seen him but he and my Dad are kind of hilarious together.

In preparation for their visit, I arranged for my cleaners to come the morning of my parents' arrival to maximize the cleaniness they'd experience, to minimize the criticism from my Mom. Of course, that also meant spending a good deal of time picking things up and putting things away around the house, and running the sheets through the laundry ahead of the cleaner's arrival. I also had been dragging my feet on troubleshooting some electrical issues so I used the last day of my home warranty to get an electrician out to fix it - and suffered through his mansplaining to me even though I've done a lot of electrical work in my life and I know how to stay safe and generally can do the work, this one just stumped me and I hadn't spent time working on it. The week ahead of their visit I worked extra hours Monday and Tuesday so that I could check out early on Thursday. I went grocery shopping to secure the requested bananas, as well as Diet Pepsi and vanilla ice cream which hadn't been requested but I knew would likely be ripe for criticism if found to be missing. Do you know the last time I had ice cream in my house? Hell, I don't think I've had it in this house since I moved in a year ago. But here we are, heaven forbid I don't have ice cream when my Mom wants it! I booked hotel rooms for me and my parents in the city of Kileen for our visit with my Uncle, and I made a tentative plan of things to entertain them with.

Here's what I want to get to. Despite my anxiety and general malaise towards a visit from my parents, I think I actually played it exceedingly well! My Dad likes to hear his own voice and often interrupts people (me) only to tell me a story I've heard 14 times before. Over the holiday at the end of last year, this attribute had gotten on my nerves so much that I boiled over and started pretty blatantly criticizing him for it. He even tried to tell me the same story one afternoon which had had told me that morning, and when I pointed that fact out, he was incredulous and argued with me that he couldn't have possibly said all those same things and made all those exact observations just hours before. He and my Mom are getting up there in age and there's a very real possibility that they are losing their marbles. I had also suggested that, since he had lost his way three times while I was there, maybe he should use the Google Maps app on his phone, just as a backup for when he gets confused. I got a scoff and a stern mocking in response. Ok, Dad.

Anyways, this time around, when my Dad started telling the same stories, I would tell him that yep, I remember that one. And I got a little sarcastic with him. Whenever I had a really witty comeback, two things would happen. My Mom would giggle from whatever corner she was in. It occurred to me that this is probably very therapeutic for her, since he is so critical of her constantly, and she's just never been that sharp to begin with, and is definitely not clever enough to come back at him. So me beating him in a game of wits thrilled her in a rare appreciation of me and my sense of humor. The other thing that happened was that my  Dad would initially take offense which quickly dissipated into sheer pride at how quick witted and clever his baby girl is. So by bashing my Dad, both my parents seemed much happier and much prouder of me than, like, ever. Weird. I may have gotten short with my Dad once or twice during the stay, but overall, we had somewhat productive conversations to plan our trip to Japan, decide on what to do for them to replace cable TV, and teach him some app stuff on his phone. All in all, a pretty successful visit at my place. They enjoyed going to the Stockyards and eating the Texan food I introduced them to, and they approved of the area I live in and what I've done with my house.

I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, as they say. For the 2.5 hour drive to the restaurant at which we planned to meet up with my Aunt and Uncle, and my Aunt's son and grandson, we took two cars since I would be leaving on Sunday and my parents would head back to Arizona from there on Monday. My Mom announced she'd ride with me so that we could chat, since my Dad dominates the conversation. The latter is true, but my Mom is not known to be very chatty. In fact, her lack of conversating is a point of frequent criticism from my Dad. But then, I can't say I enjoy conversing with her either, and usually anything substantial is random and uninteresting. On rare occasions, she lectures about something she knows nothing about and has no business asserting her opinions on. All of these possibilities starting running through my head as we loaded up the cars and she got in my passenger seat.

We made it about 25 minutes down the road in complete silence with the radio on. Then she started, "So, the thing I wanted to talk to you about…" and paused. All I could think is heeeeeeere we go! What is about to come out of her mouth? She then went on to talk about a concern she has for my sister, and explained this whole background information that wasn't necessary, referencing people whose names I can barely recall from the church we attended when I was 4 and younger. But of all the things I would have expected, it was definitely far less painful than what I imagined. When she finished telling me what was on her mind, I wasn't sure how to move the conversation forward. I asked her if she was seeking my advice, or if she was wanting me to have the tough love conversation she was referring to, or what she was looking for. She retorted much more quickly than her usual response time with, "No, I'm having this conversation." Alright, then what? You want my advice? My support? Just for me to know? And she didn't really have anything to say. So I went ahead and took that as an opening to give her my advice, which I did. And that was it. Silence for the remaining hour and change until we arrived at the restaurant. I survived!

We were early, so naturally, my Dad made a complete fool of himself trying to secure seats until the other party arrived. But I finally secured my first alcoholic drink since my parents' arrival, and we had a great view of the lake, and I didn't give a crap about anything anymore. My weekend obligations to my parents were almost completely fulfilled at this point, and I survived without losing my mind. Life is good!

There was plenty of drama, to be sure, including the detail I skipped earlier about the fact that my parents, using Google Maps but accidentally punching in the wrong address somehow, ended up two hours away before realizing they had gone in the wrong direction, and were therefore almost three hours late to arriving at my house. If only I hadn't taught them to use Google Maps, right? My bad. 

The funniest outtake from the weekend was on the last night in my house, my Mom had gone to bed and my Dad and I stayed up talking. We got on the topic of the plan for the following day, and I suggested we go to a very southern comfort food style restaurant for breakfast or brunch, to which my Dad was agreeable. Just to be sure, I offered other suggestions, including a donut shop that locals are obsessed with, fast food drive through, or my plant-based ramen which they had previously enjoyed. My Dad said those were all good options with the exception of donuts. They like donuts, he said, and they do splurge a little on travel, but they draw the line at donuts. They try to stay somewhat healthy while traveling, and donuts was just a bit too far out of the question. So with a plan, we headed to bed. The next morning, when my Mom got up, we told her the proposed plan and let her know the other options, including the ramen, but I didn't mention the donuts since that had been definitively shot down. She definitively shot down the ramen for breakfast, and we settled on the original suggestion of the southern restaurant. Are you ready for the punchline? We sit down and this very country place and pop open the menus. They have eggs every way you could make them, omelets, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, you name it. Right up my parents' alley! The waitress came to take our order and my Mom asked for... donuts!

But what prompted me to write about these things is that my boss, with a great memory and genuine curiosity about my strange life, had recalled that my parents visited last week and asked how that had gone. And as I reflected what details I shared with him, I realized the absolute absurdity of this accomplishment: I had kept my wits about me through the weekend by cleverly knocking my Dad down a few notches, which served as comedic therapy for my Mom and raised my Dad's admiration of me. My Mom laughing and my Dad beaming with pride at my witty comebacks and clever banter is what I've been groomed from childhood to do, and was probably too nice to use it before. But with my give-a-shit's fresh out from last year's holiday, it turns out that's actually what I should have been doing all along! 

2024 Reflection Part Two

Outside of sticking to the themes I set out for myself at the start of the year, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't reflect on all the other major things that happened in 2024, to include what I was able to check off from my Life List.

While the move to Texas largely feels like a detriment to my happiness, it was certainly the right decision for my career, as evidenced almost immediately. And call it fate or good fortune or what have you, but it was because I had changed my dating profile to the Fort Worth area that I met Sam. He was only planning to come to Texas for the solar eclipse, but had changed the location on his profile to Dallas. He was upfront that he lives in Sydney and would just be visiting, and I was suspicious of his intentions. We started messaging well before the eclipse, but it was our first video call that really won me over. We had been joking about how some people won't even drive 45 minutes for a date, but he was willing to take a 13 hour flight to see his potential love. 

 

We didn't meet up until a couple days before the eclipse. We had two dates that week, both went brilliantly. I continued to date locally for a while, at Sam's encouragement. But as time went on, I liked the local guys less and liked Sam more. We planned a trip to the UK together and before we could even go, he came back to Texas to spend a week with me. Then we met up in LA for an air show and Disneyland. And at the end of the year, I met him in Tasmania and am now on his home turf in Sydney. There have been many ups and downs with him. We are two smart, confident people from other sides of the planet coming at the relationship from two different perspectives. But what's allowed us to make it this far is our agreement to always speak our minds when things are bothering us and to be honest and transparent. We've worked through a lot of differences and those hard journeys have probably made us stronger than if we hadn't had those differences. Time will tell if he'll be my forever love, but having him in my life has allowed me to go on adventures I wouldn't have done solo and seen things I wouldn't have seen without his insistence. It's been a blast dating him, and I hope it continues.

When people ask about my move to Texas, I am honest that I am really not happy with it. Again, it was the right move for my career, the cost of living is cheaper so that's helpful financially, and it led me indirectly to Sam, and for all those things I am grateful. But I hate the humidity of DFW, especially in the summer when it just feels punishing to me. And while I'm getting better at navigating the confusing freeway exits, they still confound me regularly. Bugs are a huge problem for me, also. Outside, for sure, but even in my house there seems to be a new bug every day, often of a different variety, so it's not like I have an isolated infestation that can just be wiped out. It's ongoing and constant but always changing, and that's the most frustrating part. I joke that I figured out the best way to live with the Dallas summer - leaving altogether. My escape to Scotland and London with Sam was the best part of my summer.

In my career, I hit some low points both in 2023 and in 2024, feeling like I'm stagnating and that my efforts are in vain. My boss is sharp, though, and recognizing my struggles, has brought opportunities for me to get more engaged, one of which culminated in a two-week trip to Milan which was phenomenal. The prospect of going back, and/or going to Greece, Japan or Australia for work in 2025 has excited me, and with some fresh new superstar employees on my team, I have found some reinvigoration.

On one of our few recreational days in Italy, there was mural with Alice in Wonderland that translated to this:

"The secret, Alice, is to surround yourself with people who make your heart smile. It is then, and only then, that you will find Wonderland...."

I think that is true, including but not limited to finding fulfillment in my work.

Speaking of travel, this year's first time achievements from my Life List all required travel, most of which was with Sam in the UK. Here they are, what I completed from my Life List in 2024:

#7 See an aurora

In the same line of thinking about the swing dance events I thought I'd have to miss because of moving to Texas and the deciding to make them happen anyways, I had set my sights in going to see the Northern Lights in 2024. A major driving factor was that the Aurora was in its peak of an 11 year cycle, so the likelihood of seeing it was increased greatly. I had originally targeted a spring time trip but that proved a bit too cumbersome. So I went in early October, butting up against a previous booking in LA. I stayed at the Chena Hot Springs Resort which I thought may be a gimmicky tourist trap but ended up blowing my expectations out of the water (pun intended). The first night I was there I tried spotting Aurora on my own and saw nothing. Wanting to ensure the highest likelihood of success, I booked an Aurora tour the next day, and it did not disappoint! You can read more in my dedicated post about it, but suffice to say I saw a great display of the Northern Lights! Ironically, Sam and I missed seeing the Southern Lights in Tasmania by one day! The island got a spectacular display better than most anyone could remember the night of New Year's Day, and we had left just that day. Seeing the elusive Southern Lights may be the next thing I add to my list.

#17 Watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace

Sam and I had debates about what constituted completion of this item - we took a tour to the gates of Buckingham Palace and on that same tour we saw the changing of the guard at a different location. But the exact wording preventing my concurrence that this item was done. I booked that tour to be early in our time in London just in case it didn't scratch the itch, and that turned out to be good because then I was able to find a separate time to bear witness to the actual Buckingham Palace changing of the guards. I went alone while Sam met up with a friend. It was quite an event, but nothing I need to do again. Check!

#43 Ride on a red double decker bus in the UK 

The tour I booked did shuttle us around on a double decker, so this was an easy one to knock off. Fun, too, we had some great views of all of the major icons of the city.

#73 Look for the Loch Ness Monster Before going to London, Sam and I first met up in Inverness. We rented a car and Sam drove us around the beautiful highlands to our hotel situated right in the Loch Ness. We took a few short hikes down to the water and spent a couple days driving around the area, stopping at various scenic spots. We visited the Loch Ness gift shop and posed with the monster statues. It was such a a chill time it was one of my favorites with Sam.

#74 Go on the London Eye

Seeing a long queue, I searched on my phone and found that we could bypass the long wait for a small premium - well worth it - and Sam and I were zipped into the London Eye. We took some great shots up there and called it a day.

#127 See Stonehenge

The second part of the tour I booked was a coach bus ride out to Stonehenge. The downtime on the bus was nice - I may have dozed off and snored to the delight of nearby kids - and then the walk to and from the stones was perfectly pleasant. We took dozens of photos as I suppose most people do, and in some we got silly with it. It was really neat to see them and be moved by the spiritual air that seems to be there. I loved the quotes back at the visitor center, especially this one:

"One might almost suppose that it was specially designed to accommodate every notion that could possibly be projected onto it"

- John Michell, writer, 1981

Ending the year in Australia with Sam has meant the world to me. It was with a heavy heart that I kept my plans to come, however. I was intending to spend Christmas with most of my family in Tucson before coming. Knowing my oldest sister has just started chemotherapy, I wanted to be around to help her and her family out if needed, so I planned to fly out early and work remotely for a couple days. Then after Christmas, I'd leave for Australia and ring in the New Year with Sam.

The night before my flight to Tucson, my brother in law texted me that my sister was going to the hospital because she was in pain from a complication of the chemo. That morning, as I was getting ready to leave for the airport, she was given 24 hours to live and being rushed into emergency surgery that would likely kill her. There was nothing for me to do but get to the airport and make sure I made it to Tucson. My Dad picked me up from the airport and we went straight to the hospital. I was glad I was there in those first days. My sister performed miracle after miracle in beating the odds of surviving and recovering. 

Needless to say, I didn't get much work done, and I especially decided not to work when I learned that my sister was trying to communicate through sign language but nobody there could interpret. I was able to read most of her signing (she was heavily sedated so her signs weren't perfect and she was going very fast and spelling "creatively" - ipzza for pizza, for example). It was good timing for me to be there then. We celebrated Christmas with a small weight hanging in the air as she was never far from any of our thoughts. As she recovered, she was able to speak more. 

My other sister made plans to come. I felt like it made the most sense for me to keep my plans - she would want that for me, I certainly needed it mentally and emotionally, and we thought it might even alarm her if I cancelled and my other sister came - she may think we were lying about her positive prognosis. Still, she's been on my mind and I've been keeping up with her progress from texts from my family.

Meanwhile, Sam and I have had some much needed conversations and worked on how to be together better. I can tell he really cares for me and is really trying to be what I want. He is always thinking of me and my needs, and assumes responsibility for the literal heavy lifting and the like. He has been very caring and supportive regarding my sister, and otherwise we've had good fun and made some great memories.

I'm treating my time in Sydney, especially while he works during the week, as a mini sabbatical to somewhat make up for the sabbatical I didn't get to take after closing the plant in Florida. It's been very refreshing, mentally and physically. I came here with aggravated asthma from the smog of Milan, and the clean air of Tasmania and the ocean air here in Sydney have done wonders for my ability to breathe. I'm far from 100% better but much improved over a week ago. And while I'm still getting used to my CPAP, I think it's introduction into my life will give my health a chance of finally going in the right direction in 2025. A quote I've found here in Darling Harbor fits my state of mind well.

It speaks of, "...a sea that harbours anger in a pounding mid-year storm. Yet a sea that offers comfort when the weather's clear and warm, Where the whitecaps сrown an оcean that is every shade of blue, Crashing to a golden shore, that's Australia through and through." - Murray Hartin, 1997