I'm Alive! Really!

Hi Sparkies! Long time no see! Sorry I've been MIA for so long. I've had a lot going on since November.

1) Unemployed. I was laid off in November, and I had a lot of drama getting my unemployment. To make a long story short, I was employed in the state of Washington, while working remote from Georgia. There was a dispute over who was responsible for paying the unemployment. In the end, Georgia won, which was a loss for me. WA state would have paid a lot more. But at least I am getting a check now.
2) Moved apartments - again. Sooo tired of feeling like I live out of a moving box. We had to downsize to a one bedroom due to the loss of my income. All we did was move from one apartment to another in the same complex. But it wasn't as easy as it seemed. Took us 3 days to complete the move - ugh!
3) Visit with the future in-laws. 3 days after we completed our move, we were off to England to visit with the fiance's parents. A trip to Europe should normally be a time of great excitement. I always thought the fear of in-laws was cliche. But no, I discovered meeting with a partner's family can indeed be the stuff of nightmares.

On the bright side:

1) I did have some fun in Europe. Went to Birmingham, London, and Paris! I'll share details later.
2) Ate lots of fabuluous holiday food, and enjoyed tons of treats in the UK and Paris. I gained about 1 pound. No, really. I'll share my secrets soon.
3) Stayed on budget in two of the most expensive cities in the world - London and Paris. How did I do it? Stay tuned!
4) Reenrolled in college. I'm just 5 classes away from completing my bachelors. With quite a bit of help from my wonderful professors, I'm set to take classes remote so I can complete my degree.
5) Lots of cooking and baking. Homemade bread is easy. Making pastry dough is shockingly easy. Who knew? Being in UK and Paris inspired me. More recipes coming soon!
6) Exploring self employment. I've got a few projects in the works. I'm adding a travel section to my cooking/food blog, and I'm exploring a couple of options for mobile app development.
7) Wedding dress. I've decided to explore sewing my own dress again. I bought a new pattern, and a couple of books. Have a couple of practice items to make in the next few weeks. I am going to try a go at it in the next month. If I don't have something workable by Feb, then I'll have to explore retail options. I saw some dresses in Europe that inspired me, so I'm going to at least give it one more shot.

So that's what's been going on with me. My time on Spark is limited at the moment because I don't have internet hooked up in the new apartment yet - I'm dying here. I feel like I'm in the technologic dark ages. It's awful. This should be remedied tomorrow. I seriously feel like an internet addict - I don't know what to do with myself at home without the internet - lol. Mostly baking.

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year!