i'm an aunt!

as of last saturday, i officially became an aunt! my sister gave birth to a baby boy, and as far as i know, everyone is in good health. my new nephew's name is Alexander Olson.

being on gchat lately, i've noticed that everyone's away messages have been things like "last final" or "finals" or "studying"... and it's hard to believe, but nevertheless, it's been a year since i've graduated from university. isn:t that crazy? i:ve been out in the "real" world for a year now -- bubble-free if you may. man how time flies.

in the same regard, i can:t believe how long i:ve actually gone without seeing my family. it:s going to be nearly a year by the time i go home this july (yes! i:m coming home at the end of july!!). both of my siblings and i went abroad at one point for either school or work (or both), but the longest they were away was something like 3 months for my sister, and maybe 4 months-ish for my brother. i was in kyoto and tokyo for 5 months, and being on the JET Program is going to bring me to about 11 months without seeing my family. the strange thing is, i feel like between the 3 of us, i:m the one who needs to see family the most. that is, i feel like my siblings are independent enough that they can go long periods without needing to see my parents. and yet strangely enough, i:ve found myself repeatedly in japan....

so, if you:ve ever seen pictures of my extended family and i, you:ll noticed that i:m a giant. i:m a beast compared to how small my cousins and sister are. which is why it:s always been a kind of dream for me to see her pregnant. and yet, i managed to not only miss the birth of the first person in the next generation of my family, but i:ve also managed to miss her ENTIRE pregnancy. talk about disappointment.

for the longest time, i kinda felt like my family never changes. they:re a source i can count on being constant. even if i go away from home, when i return, everything will be the same, and it:ll be like i never left. right? wrong. once i hit university, everything started to change... my dad retired, my parents kept fixing up this and that around the house, getting new furniture, etc. and ever since graduation, not just my family, but a lot of my friends from home have been changing. i can:t even name all the people i heard about who got engaged during winter vacation. RIDICULOUS.

i guess what i:m trying to say is that whether or not i like it, the world goes on changing. and whether or not i:d like to admit it, i:m getting older; i:m no longer a kid. i:m becoming (if not already) *gulp* an adult, and with it come responsibilities. i:m soooo dreading going back to the states and actually having to decide what i want to do with the rest of my life, but nevertheless, the time will eventually come.

anyway, i gotta run to class now (i think i have 5 today at 2 elementary schools, as well as my first english conversation class for adults tonight... yikes). i hope you:re all doing well, and let:s meet up in july!

--ev