11 - mega update

So, I am totally excited that this year is 2011... I love 11... well I at least enjoy them, and they seem to appear at the most random of times. I see them everywhere.

So... let's get cracking on some news.

November and December were super busy times. I was finishing up working at apple, as well as doing night shifts to prepare for Christmas and I was trying to work as much as I could to generate as much mullah as possible.

I had also decided to go ahead with my 'pre wedding' celebration thing, which family from Ireland came over for and I very much appreciated. It was amazing to see them and feel that kind of support and love.

I left Glasgow on 14th December and I was a mess. I was spewing and dry heaving and coughing and gagging and crying and wanting to just forget the whole thing. I had been something close to that for days before, around friends and family and co-workers, just prone to burst into tears at the thought of not being around any more, and especially not being around for christmas. I think the Christmas this augmented everything more than it would it have been if it was another time of year.

I finished work on a Friday and I was so sad. The days prior to that were so quiet because Glasgow was experiencing the worst snow storm ever, and so the shop was dead for a few days... when I say dead I mean, the average amount of people of another shop — it was dead for us.

The next day was all about my party, there was cooking and baking, and decorating and it was so super fun. I'll have to post pictures later there's so many of them and i've not gone through them properly and edited them yet. But the amount of craft stuff was amazing.

There was so much cake, it was awesome. I was very happy at how it all turned out, I just wish more people would have showed up. It was Christmas time and so super cold so it's understandable.

So yeah, I arrived in Salt Lake and we were staying with some of Jon's friends for the week before Christmas then we headed to Sacramento for Christmas and New Year with his family. It's about a 9 hour drive and right before we were going to arrive I started freaking out because I was so nervous and I had Jon pull over at a target so I could do make up and change my gross sweaty T-shirt... I sweat when I drive... it's a nervous thing I think.

Christmas was good. Different, but good. I FaceTimed with my mum and 'had' christmas dinner with them. That was fun. It was definitely hard. Jon tried to over compensate and bought me some pretty awesome presents. Like Season 1 and 2 of Buffy and a Kettle... everyone loves an electric kettle.

While in Sacramento we visited San Francisco and Old Town Sacramento. Both were pretty amazing. The highlight of San Francisco was seeing Bushman. We did the pier, and walked around that area, then went to the Golden Gate Bridge, and we also went down Lombard street (the most crooked street), and we were trying to get to China Town but the traffic was so crazy. It was like we went there on the busiest day of the year, there was just people everywhere and the traffic was terrible. If there was a city to benefit from a really good public transport system it would be there.

It was a super fun day though, and it ended with some Jamba Juice, which always makes me happy. It also started with a cheeky wee photo outside the pixar building. There was nothing to see other than the gate, but it was still fun.

The New year rolled in and we headed back to Utah a few days after.

I got to hang out with Marcus, and Natalie and I got in touch with the Apple store manager in Salt Lake to touch base. They were all rewarding experiences.

Marcus and I did sushi one night and his ordering skills blow my mind. Seriously. He has fantastic ordering.

Natalie and I did swimming, and hot tub and then Whole Foods for lunch and the mall before Jon came to get me. That was also super fun. I love hanging out with her Swedishness.

Blair was also in town for a bit and I got to meet her intended and pig out on Chuck A Rama. There's always room for the Chuck. Fact.

And we hung out with Jon's friend Dan a few times as well, seeing many an awesome movie, like the King's Speech, and the Green Hornet. We also hit up a nickle arcade? A what you ask? yes a Nickle arcade... a large room filled with old arcade machines that all cost a nickle — 5 cents. It was fun. Except some of the machines were broken and would swallow money, it was so lame.

We also did a Jazz game and haggled for tickets outside with scalpers and saved money because we got the tickets for less than they were originally bought for. That was a super fun night. Live basketball was definitely better than on the TV stuff.

All the while looking for work and apartments, and trying to work out how everything was going to work.

While there Sundance also happened which was fun. We did a movie together and Jon did a couple on his own or with Dan. We went to park city the day before for a kind of job thing, and the buzz there was great, so many busy excited people. No one famous though. It was fun to be a part of again. I really enjoy sundance.

We had to leave Utah before I wanted to — I think Jon is happy to be anywhere but Utah — I was sad to go because there was so many people I wanted to see and it was hard because Jon always had to drive me everywhere. We headed to St George where his Mum was looking after her parents for a couple of weeks and stayed with his Grandma. On the way there Jon was feeling sick so I was driving and we got a burst tyre miles from any kind of civilisation. It just seemed like the icing on the cake. Just constantly being kicked while we are down. A kind man stopped and helped us out, and did far beyond he ever should have, it was unreal. It was a rough day though. I ended up with blood and oil all over my trousers and Jon ended up having to lay down $00 for a new tyre. It was disgusting.

While there we did a day trip to Las Vegas and that was super crazy. The last time I was in Vegas I left my camera in the hotel by accident and got very little pictures. So it was good to go overboard this time and take hundreds of shots. There's not much to do in vegas other than wander around and lap up the atmosphere and see the insides of the cool hotels. It was a nice temperature, warm with a slight breeze. Very summery feeling.

It was a great day.

That was the Saturday by the Tuesday we were on the road again and on our way to California. It was the longest most heinous trip of my life. I would go as far as saying it was the worst day ever. We drove from St George to Sacramento via Vegas and Bakersfield. I was sick because I was allergic to St George or Vegas or something and had really bad headaches and congestion. I was grouchy and jon was not happy at having to drive so far (12 hours it took... it was forever).

Everything was just bad. There was very little conversation or laughs. It was horrid.

So we're back in Sacramento area, living with Jon's parents who are lovely as pie for having us, and super lovely to be around. we've been here two weeks and we fill our time with job searches and playing card games. It's tough not having a friends base around like we did in Utah. It gives us very little to do during the day or evening.

I've been here almost 3 months now, which means in the next two weeks we will either be getting married or I'll be coming home. We seem to have the conversation every single week, or day it sometimes feels like, with nothing being resolved. We're just hoping and wishing and praying for some kind of job to work out for Jon. It seems irresponsible getting married when there is no income or prospect of one. It's hard to do know what the best option is.

11 has not turned out to be as epic as I had been anticipating, and i've been anticipating it for a very long time. I love 11. I just hope it turns around. :)