Vay-kay

As in, vacation! I've been the recipient of a very long run of good luck lately, culminating in the totally unexpected approval of my request for a couple of days off next week to accompany Mr. A to a job on the Central Coast. We're going to be staying here. It's a fun, funky and very friendly kind of place we've stayed at before, only this time we decided to splurge (well, I decided to) and booked a room with a private deck overlooking the beach. This will be fun for me, since I'll have the whole day to myself while he's out working. (P.S. Up at the top of this post is a photo from the community rooftop patio at this hotel. I can't wait to take a nap there again!)

A few more examples of my recent good fortune:

1. A couple of weeks ago the HR person handed me an envelope and said, "I was looking through the books and noticed you never cashed one of your paychecks from last year. So here's a replacement check. Now go to the bank!" Cool! Even though theoretically it was money I should have had last year (and I'm not sure how I managed to overlook it), I still feel like I won some kind of mini-lottery. Two weeks' pay! Yay!

2. Varous people keep coming up to me to say great things about my new section. A friend's wife who works at one of the big beautiful high-end spas said that her department bulletin board – which by official decree may display only the very best and coolest printed items available – recently featured my entertainment calendar as its centerpiece. Also, the Big Boss called me into his office the other day to personally congratulate me and give me a really nice bonus.

3. This morning in a very brief but very formal ceremony I was awarded (in front of the whole company! yeesh) the Ink Stained Brave Heart Medal, for my "hard work, dedication, talent and loyalty ... courage and perserverance under trying circumstances and extreme challenges." It's an actual medal! And it came with a gift certificate to my favorite bookstore.

4. I lost about four more pounds.

5. Our IT guy ordered me a new computer with a big wide screen and almost 2 gigs of RAM. It's so much bigger and faster than my old computer and I love it so much I want to kiss it and buy it chocolates.

6. A friend at work who knew about my studio-building angst told me about a website she'd seen featuring some really beautiful little buildings, but she couldn't remember the name of it ... Then on Tuesday she came in and said, "I found it!" We looked it up and this guy – whose shop just happens to be only about a half hour away – is building the most amazing things! I bookmarked it so I could give him a call later, then went back to the web to download the syndicated stories for this week, and just by coincidence or blessing or magic or whatever, the first story I opened was a feature about this very same guy. It seems almost like some kind of a sign, doesn't it? Anyway, I'm going to call him next week – he lives in a handmade house that's only 75 square feet! Do check out his website, then scroll down to the interior photos of the XS House. It's amazing to see how beautiful and complete such a tiny little building can be.

7. Finally (there's more, but I have to get back to work), though it's maybe not strictly speaking "lucky," I was inspired by Julie earlier today to order this dress. Maybe it will be here in time for me to take on our vacation! I've been wearing dresses and skirts almost every day lately and really enjoying how much more comfortable they are to ride in than pants. You just hike 'em up and go.

Actually, there is one last thing. It's been such a relief and a real blessing lately to feel myself relaxing into myself and my life again. Sometimes I feel like my entire 30s were eaten up by anxiety and stagnation. In another month I'll be 41. Our new assistant just turned 21. I told him the other day, and was surprised to find I was telling the truth, "It only gets better from here."