Shelter From the Storm

What matters is we continue to enjoy living in a beautiful home (though a little cluttered in some spots, and that's all me), and this summer we finally got around to buying outdoor furniture and enjoying the terrace. (some pictures from which I've posted). We're unbelievably lucky to be living in such an awesome place. (and of course, even luckier to still be employed.. for the moment)
We're unbelievably lucky to have the family and friends that we do too (though I really feel bad for not spending as much time as I'd like with friends)

September also brought a much-anticipated and fabulous addition into the family, our niece Madeleine. Her parents are well into a regular routine of insomnia, but loving every minute of it, and of course we all love her.

Wife made another killer turkey for Thanksgiving this year with her family, and I still feel like I'm recovering from four days of continuous eating, first with her family, and then with mine. I think I actually just got around to cleaning off that roasting pan in the sink a few days ago.. (I'll leave it to you to decide if that's more indicative of how busy I am.. or just my own laziness).

And then of course, there's work.. For a while, all the way through October, I was shuttling back and forth to the London office for about one week per month. And the complete transformation of the industry I work in has been... a lot to go through. So, things have been busy, very busy to say the least. Though there have been ways to work smarter that I feel like I didn't take advantage of throughout the year. Well. You live and learn, I suppose.

The storm we're caught up in that continues to destroy modern finance doesn't look like it's subsided yet. I, for one, don't think we're facing a depression as the government seems fully intent on doing anything and everything it can to make sure that doesn't become a reality. But the downturn is continuing. I'm not jittery, but it's natural to feel a bit unnerved considering that some outcomes formerly thought of as unthinkable have actually transpired, and that everything we know - certainly everything I've been taught and have grown up learning - just simply doesn't apply anymore to the situation we're now in.

So, I'm thankful - I know we're very blessed with what we have, but at the same time, I'm tired. Feeling drained. I'm ready to hibernate and wake up next year to try again. Hopefully the bear that continues to haunt the markets will go into hibernation soon too...