it's getting better all the time

raven_radiation, one of my Clarion West '08 classmates, crashed here last night with one of her housemates. It was great to see her, if only for a short time. It was hard to say see you later, but easier than it was to say goodbye to chris_reynaga Saturday morning. This was one of the hardest things I've ever done -- he was the last to say goodbye to, and he became a very dear friend during our six weeks in Seattle. In any event, things are getting easier, and I think this means I'm settling in.

I still miss my classmates and the sorority house and all the lovely people involved with my Clarion West experience, but I'm ready to move forward with my writing career. I'm ready for the adventure and the hard work. And I will see them again.

Today I wrote, and am working on critting a story, spent a lot of time with my kids wrestling and playing, slept, and spent a lot of time with Rice, talking and bonding. Oodles and gobs. Which is what one should do when one comes home from Clarion.

This doesn't mean the tears are over, or the sad times, or that my heart misses them any less, but life goes on if we're ready to accept the challenge.