Dearest dA,

I think I owe nearly everyone on here a very sincere apology. I have been sorely neglecting all of you over the last half year, and I have little proper excuse for it. I have missed my supportive online community for a long time.

First, I should catch people up to speed:
My parents decided to keep Alvin (if you read my last journal). I was very thankful for their change of heart. They realized just how much my baby meant to me, and how much it would hurt for him to be removed from my life. In the mean time, things aren't really going well with him. He has been having troubles with having little accidents, so we're working on a remedy for that. If anyone has any suggestions (other than diapers), I would love to hear them.

Secondly, I packed all my stuff (Every last movie, book, and article of clothing) up to move to Kamloops in September to start my fine arts degree at Thompson Rivers University. Upon arriving at my charming yet cramped apartment, my room mate and close friend informed me of a very unsettling decision. She had just arrived with her few boxes when she told me she was leaving in January for Europe with her sister. This sort of threw me for a loop, but my parents assured me that we'd be able to afford the apartment on my own for the last half of the school year till April.

However, disaster struck eventually when my dad was not reelected for his seat on the school board. Out of the thousands of people who voted, he lost by less than 90 votes. Ouch. So, it became evident that some severe sacrifices would need to happen in order for me to stick out another semester on my own in my apartment in Kamloops.

At that point, I was hating my classes, several of my teachers were frustrating, and I had yet to make close friends. Don't get me wrong, I adored all my classmates! They were great fun for talking to in class and chilling with during the breaks. But I had yet to make any friends I could hang out with. As much as I adored my few friends, it's not enough social interaction to live on!

After a great deal of weighing pros and cons, I realized it was time for me to come home. I finished my fall semester (and most likely failed several classes) and came home on the 18th of December. I suppose it just came down to the fact that if I were enjoying myself and was working towards a degree that would be acknowledged, I would definitely have no qualms about sacrificing to make ends meet. I'm not a completely spoiled princess. But it became apparent that the degree that made me miserable was simply not worth the effort at this time in my life.

I'm unsure of what I'll be doing for the next year or so, but at least it'll be much less expensive than Art school! $2000 tuition, $500 text books (at least one of which is still in its shrink wrap), $200 Art supplies, and a hella lot of suffering!

I haven't talked to my aunt about my plans yet, but she goes to New York fairly often, and I was thinking of tagging along next time. I would love to just go and see all the musicals Broadway has to offer! I would just die if I saw Clay Aiken in Spamalot!

I hope to keep in better touch with all my dA relations from now on! Do forgive my dreadful neglect!

I figured Christmas would be a wonderful time to start things over and fresh. The snow is white, and the tree is lit. *Gah* I'll always love it.

Merry Christmas dA!