Disappearing Act

I know I disappeared, and I apologize for that. Many people struggled during Covid (lockdowns, distancing, etc.) including me. I returned to school to complete a post-grad certificate in eLearning Development and completed that in December 2022. I got a new job in October 2021. My sister got married in May 2021! I experienced loss...Too much loss. I even got to travel a bit (I know someone is going to comment about that, but it was what it was). And I've finally decided how I'd like to move forward with my blog as I attempt yet another revival of this old thing ;)  So, hello 2023—it's lovely to meet you!

Rewind to September 2021: I had returned to Canada in late 2020 after working in Doha (Qatar), my sister got married in May, then I travelled to Elounda, Crete (Greece) to reunite with the Irish Chef. Thanks to Covid, we hadn't been able to see each other for over a year. We've never been apart for an entire year: it was tough. But Greece revived our souls. I would move to Greece and live there during the hot and sunny months! It was amazing to be able to wake up, go for a 10km walk, come home to a hot shower and hotter coffee and then start work, and work we did. We both worked remotely for our time there: I got a new job! I'm a Senior Instructional Designer, and I love it!

Time passed: Halloween passed. Thanksgiving passed. Christmas passed. All passed without incident. However, shortly after my 40th birthday (January 2022), my father passed away. Another family friends' baby had passed away less than a year earlier and then a week after my father passed, a childhood friend's father passed, and I was lost and consumed by grief. I threw myself into work since I was without the Irish Chef (who was back in Ireland). I completed all of the things one needs to complete after someone passes away, and it took months. Yes, months. However, all that time gave me an opportunity to do some important things, like renew my Japanese passport, pet/housesit and help out with friends' kids while they travelled (I learned how to drive a Tesla and make homemade Caesar salad dressing!).

That's a very condensed version of the end of 2021 and 2022. I will post about travelling and include photos later. However, I'm also going to post more bookish content since that's been so much a part of my life since 2019.

How have you all been? How has life been treating you? I hope that you were able to make it through Covid unscathed (I know that this is wishful thinking, but I'm trying to be positive!).

Wishing you all a Happy New Year full of joy, love and laughter!

(Stock image from PowerPoint)