I’m so tired today, but for such a good reason.  I was woken up at what felt like the middle of the night, since I am still getting used to summer being over and also being at a lower latitude.  In other words, it was dark and the moon was out.  Robin had set the alarm and I thought he was getting up to do something he hadn’t been able to finish last night.  But then he woke me up and told me to get dressed, so I did–in pants and a sweater because the desert nights are cool despite the extremely warm weather we still have during the daytime.  I admit I was excited to wear a sweater–being parted from your clothes can make you so happy to see them again.

So we got up, left our temporary apartment for a walk to a surprise somewhere, Robin laden with what suspiciously sounded and looked like a picnic.  Our short walk ended up at the front door of our new apartment building.  We just got the keys yesterday and will be fully moved in (sans furniture) on Friday.  We ate a birthday picnic on our new living room floor, and went up to the roof terrace to watch the sun rise.  It’s nice to have a little bit of breathing room in the city on the roof–living in the city sometimes reminds me of living halfway underground and I always yearn for a far-off horizon after a few days of crawling through the maze of buildings.  I feel extremely lucky to have the potential to watch the sun come up over Madrid every morning–not that I’m making any promises that I know I can’t keep!

Before I get confused about how many years I’ve been around (like I said, we got up *really* early), I just want to reflect for a moment how amazing the last year has been.  I never had any weird panicky feelings about turning thirty but last year this time I was really struggling.  Twenty nine was the worst year ever, worse than Katrina, and almost as bad as losing my father way back in 1992.  I was empty and pessimistic about the future looking any brighter than it did at that moment, which was pretty dim.  But with the support of my family and my friends, who gave me everything and a little bit more, I really was able to find the strength to give it one more try.

I have a chance to just appreciate what I have.  I hope this past year is a preview of the decade to come.  Here’s to thirty one being just as amazing at thirty has been!  Thank you friends and family for being awesome.  It turns out love IS really all you need.

PS–I took some really crappy photos but left the camera at the new apartment, so no photos today.  Sorry!