Hello Internet. Long Time, No See.

Time flies when you're busy. Or something. I haven't written in almost two years. Remember me, Internet? Do you know who I am? The last time you heard from me, I was in my thirties, working part-time as a contract writer, closing out another semester as a volunteer English teacher, living with my husband and babies in Cedar Park. My kids were 5 and 6. A lot has changed.

• May 2010: I quit my writing gigs.


• June 2010: I started a summer fellowship program with Texas Teaching fellows to get certified to teach elementary school students in Texas.


• Aug 2010: Eli turned 7; I started teaching as a Bilingual 5th grade math teacher at a high-needs school in Austin.


• Nov 2010: With a severe lack of sleep and a very high stress level, I seriously contemplated the intelligence of my career change. I was a tad on the miserable side.


• Jan 2011: The two week break did me good and I started to hit my stride as a teacher.


• Feb 2011: My mom, who had been sick for years with cancer, started to decline more rapidly. I started spending lots of time in Houston, nearly every weekend for months. The PocketLovey as well as my writing endeavors would suffer severe neglect. (They still have not recovered but I'm hoping to change that.)


• April 2011: Lena turned 6.


• May 2011: I finished out the school year a (mostly) confident new teacher looking forward to my second year and my first summer off!


• June 2011: My mom passed away. I spent a ton of time in Houston for obvious reasons but still managed to have a good summer with my family, my kids, and good friends. I spent time in Mexico, Estes Park, Denver, LA and of course Austin and Cedar Park.


• Aug 2011: Eli turned 8; I started my second year of teaching bilingual fifth graders, this time as a Science teacher. My husband got an apartment shortly after the school year started and we found ourselves focused on making sure the kids transitioned to school and "having two houses."

Fast-forward to December and here I am: 40. Motherless. Separated. Mother to a first-grader and a second-grader. Teacher. An apparently non-writing writer. Here I am with my brother and sister at the turning 40 bash. And here are my kids, blissfully festive for the holidays. I'm tired and slightly weary but I'm happy. My kids are bigger. So am I, unfortunately. But I'm still me. Yeah, you know me. Sure you do. I do too. I daresay, better now than ever.