A review of 2007

January

I started my first year in the US as a resident alien. I had big plans and hopes for 2007, but the year took some really unexpected turns. Most of all I had hoped to find a job in LA, preferrably at UCLA, but that turned out to be a harder task than I had hoped. We also had snow in LA – something really RARE for Southern California. It only lasted for a couple of hours, but it was quite impressive.

February

My Mom had surgery and I couldn’t be there for her. Distance sucks sometimes [actually, all the time]! Fortunately, it was a pretty standard procedure and everything went well.
Besides that I had to deal with incompetent people from DELL and Norton that month, because my laptop harddrive had failed me at the end of January and it took me quite a few weeks and many hours spent in a computer forum online to fix my computer and NOT lose all the data on my old harddrive. I have never felt so disconnected in my life!

March

We went on a trip to Sacramento for my birthday and we met with my old boss that weekend. This was when J came up with this c*r*a*z*y idea that I should try to get my old job in Sacramento back.
We also joined the “German Club of LA” in order to meet some new people and make some friends. We went to a picnic at Griffith Park and had a fun time there.
It was also the time when A moved in with us… temporarily almost for good, as it seemed.

April

My parents told me on April, 1st that they were going to come and visit that summer. I was thrilled, but I was also hoping that this was not a bad April’s fool joke – but of course, it wasn’t. Who would make jokes like that? ;)
April was also the month of dealing with the Postal Service. How one single person can have so much bad luck with the Postal Service like me last year is really beyond me.

May

J and I had our one [-and-almost-a-half] year anniversary in May. We celebrated by going to a very nice Italian Restaurant in Westwood and spending the rest of the weekend with Ute and Justin, who came to visit LA from Connecticut. It was wonderful to finally meet in person. I also did some more exploring of my new hometown by myself.

June

There was a lot of “home-making” that month, as in cleaning up the whole – and I mean the WHOLE – freakin’ apartment, inside and out, in preparation of some dear visitors from [my German] home [town]. First I had an “old friend” visit, who was directly followed by my dear family.
June was also exciting, because What Generation was putting their first video up on youtube.com. I hope you enjoyed it as long as it lasted.

July

I spent 3,5 wonderful weeks with my parents and my cousin Basti. Since I hadn’t started working at that time, I was able to travel with them. We saw everything there is to see in the Southwestern part of the US… San Diego, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite NP, Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, San Francisco, Highway 1 – you name it. Not to forget, we spent some awesome days in LA and my parents got to know the city from a non-touristy completely different perspective.
At the end of the month, I finally heard from my potential employer in Sacramento and had to do my first-time-ever! telephone job interview. How weird!

August

At the beginning of the month, J and I moved. Things had let up to us making the decision to leave Westwood and temporarily call Ventura our home. I was in a transition with starting my new job in Sacramento and J and A had given up their studio in Santa Monica, because both of them were not going to live close by anymore.
I started my job on the 13th and tried to get used to commuting by plane twice a week. It turned out not to be so bad. J and I really enjoyed the 3-day-weekends that we got in return for the commuting :)

September

Luckily, I found a really nice girl that I would be renting a room from in Sacramento. We connected instantly when we first met up and I was able to move in at the beginning of September.
The guys and I met down in Santa Monica at a rehearsal studio at the beginning of the month to do some long-overdue video recording of their musical repertoire. Things started to get kind of weird with A though.

October

J spent a lot of time with me up in Sacramento. A hadn’t contacted him since they saw each other at the rehearsal studio and he had no clue an apprehension of what was going on with him. It was quickly obvious though that the band was over and the whole situation was very upsetting and disturbing for J. He had a hard time finding closure over this betrayal by his “friend” who couldn’t even stand up to him and tell him how he felt. I tried to cheer him up as good as I could with the help of my new roommate.

November

I participated in NaBloPoMo and blogged every day for the month of November. I got to see my dear friend Kim in LA and finally met her boyfriend C for the first time. We had a wonderful weekend together.
November also marked my 1st anniversary of having my Green Card interview at the embassy in Frankfurt and then leaving Germany to become a permanent resident of the US.
I also joined the gym [resolute to get in shape again and keep a regular workout schedule] and an online bookclub.

December

I had two crazy weeks at work, finished most of my Christmas shopping and booked a flight to Germany. I left for a wonderful two week vacation on the 17th and spent a wonderful Christmas time with my family. J stayed with his family, because his brother Chris had come to visit from China and so we decided to spend the holidays separated this last year. I had an amazing time at home and we even had snow for a day and I got to go to the Cologne Christmas Market :) I got back to CA right on time to celebrate New Year’s with my hubby.

2007 was definitely a year of many, many changes. Some expected, some not so much. I’ve learned to take things as they come and not to worry and get upset about things that can’t be changed anyways. I also try to keep a positive outlook on life and all the ups and downs it may bring. With a sweet husband, a loving family and great friends, life really isn’t so bad and I am thankful for all you great people in my life!
I am also grateful for the precious time I was able to spend with my hubby and also with my family both here in CA in the summer and at home for Christmas.
Here’s to speedy planes, cheap long-distance phone calls and the Internet :)

I hope you’ll all have a wonderful 2008 and may all your wishes come true!