So much to say. So much to say.

"The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated." - Mark Twain

Yes. I started a post with a quote. I'm that uncreative girl. Sue me.

Surliness aside, I thought I'd pop back to these parts to say hello and dispel any rumors (among the four of you who read this blog) that I've vanished. In fact, here I am! In all my saucy glory, alive and kicking.

Here's a much-abbreviated, much-forgotten summary of the past many months.

_ I started running. Yes. Me. And not like that last time, either. In fact, dare I say, I've become a wanna-be Sporty Spice since last we left this space. I started in February, doing the Couch to 5K program. I was running for 60 seconds at a time my first week, with the goal of doing a 5K by my 30th birthday in May. Somehow, some way, the process clicked and for the first time, I actually started to get the hang of it. I rocked the 5K with the help of some fabulous girlfriends who ran alongside me as part of the b-day celebration. (Sadly, I opted to leave a birthday tiara at home.) And after that, I kept going. And this Sunday, I shocked just about everyone (and most especially myself) and ran my first-ever 10K, running every freakin' step of the 6.2 miles. Craziest of all is that I knew after the hard run, I'd need to take a few days off to recover and I'm already antsy to get back out there. Say it with me: WTF.

_ I got to see The Modern Gal get hitched to her super awesome Modern Mister, who is technically known as The Modern Love Machine, but don't you just like Modern Mister better? As one would expect from someone with The Modern Moniker, her wedding was super fun and super chill and all around awesome, despite the crazy Memphis heat and the fact that one of the photographers had to go to the hospital to get stitches the morning of the wedding after getting thwacked in the head while shooting the guys playing disc golf. Unlike other weddings I've been to, where it's obvious people are trying too hard or trying to fit themselves into very specific boxes of what they think The Perfect Wedding should be, The Modern Matrimony (or, Modtrimony as we called it on Twitter) was completely authentic to this couple. It was a lovely, refreshing change.

_ I went to DC to hang out with my peeps. It was our annual reunion. We ate lots of crabs.

_ I turned 30. And celebrated by the aforementioned 5K, which was followed by karaoke. I have yet to have an Oh-My-God-I'm-30 Crisis. I take this as a good sign that this decade is going to kick ass.

_ I've sewed. A lot. And embroidered. And stuff.

_ I spent far too much money on stuff.

_ I read many awesome books.

_ I took a seminary class. And decided I should not, not NOT go to seminary. What was I thinking?

_ Despite all that, I made a new Chicago BFF, who of course is leaving in several short weeks for a new adventure in New Jersey where she's off to ... wait for it ... seminary. Follow her adventures here. And note I'm already lobbying for inclusion as a sermon anecdote sometime in the future.

_ I developed an unhealthy obsession with banana pudding. Please, if you're in Chicago, make me some.

_ Oh, and three days after my last post it snowed buckets and buckets and buckets. Today's 98 degrees.

There you go. You've been caught up on the past five months. Or something.

Feel better? Me, too.