A Blast to the Past

So this past weekend I had the pleasure and good fortune of being reunited with two of my very close colleges girlfriends in San Francisco. Not only was the company great, but the amazing good weather in San Francisco was incredible. It made me appreciate SF a lot more than I have so far. I think what else made me love SF more than I used to was that our host actually planned activities near her home in Marin County, not in the city. The green landscape was breathtaking, to the point I found it difficult to keep up with the conversation going on in the car.

Aside from being able to catch up with my girlfriends, and reminisce about the good ol' college days (I can't believe it's already been five years), this trip really reminded me about who I was and what I wanted in college. It's been five years since I graduated, and although I have a law degree to show for the time, I still don't feel I've accomplished very many of my professional goals. I don't think I'm anywhere near doing what I want to do, or even positioning myself to do what I want to do. I know I keep myself busy with "extracurricular" activities, but I need to start focusing on activities that will get me involved in the area I want to work in. Instead of volunteering for random organizations, I need to focus on those where I can network within the community I want to work in. For example, I know Amnesty International has a local chapter in my city, but I've never made the time to go. And yet, that is almost the exact kind of work I want to do.

This trip also made me think about maybe living somewhere else for a bit (to my mother-in-law: don't freak out, we need you to take care of any grandchildren, so we won't have them away from you or my mom!). I know I want to have our kids near our families, so Jeff and I need to decide if we'd like to check "new life adventure" off our list before settling down here for sure. School allowed me to travel a bit, and I got to see little bits of new cities and towns, and each one had something to offer. This weekend reminded me of that and of the time-sensitive nature of making that a reality, if we decide that's something we want to do.

All in all, I had an amazing time with my girlfriends, and the trip has given me a lot to think about as far as my professional and volunteer priorities, as well as what Jeff and I are doing with our lives. Sounds simple enough, huh? :)