The One With All The Flashbacks

Thanks to aviewoncities for this picture. This post is like one of those friends flashback episodes they use when they have an idea drought. I have linked some of the older posts should people be interested in reading or re-reading them. There is some new stuff too tho.

It is exactly a year ago today since I came to the US. I set out at the time with my then girlfriend Lorraine, to whom, regular readers and friends, will know I was recently married. We have lived in three different apartments in that time, and, in fact, are considering moving again next month, to a much more community oriented place, with a high street and local shops/restaurants, on one of the main train lines into the city for evenings and weekends.

Not that the train line has stopped us as such, as we have, again as regular readers know, spent considerable time in the city at various events, showing friends around etc, but this will just make it that much easier, and we wouldn't have to drive 45 minutes to the station, we could walk.

All sorts of other things have happened in that time. I bought a big ass American truck, friends and relatives have visited, I joined the USGA and became handicap chair of my internet golf club. My golf handicap became a reality, albeit, a high one at 27! I have been to Vegas twice, Florida, Indianapolis, Door County and Nashville. I celebrated my first "4th July", and Thanksgiving, seen the Sox win the "World Series", the Bears get into the playoffs, lived through a very hot summer, and experienced my first Chicago winter (apparently it was pretty mild).

I have spent a lot of time up at Habitat For Humanity, learning all sorts of news skills whilst doing some great things for the local community and was actually recently asked to be a member of a new program they are establishing for volunteer crew leaders, where I will receive some extra skills training and leads crews when I am on site.

Work has been excellent. I have settled in quickly, and made some great friends. I have been successful in helping some of my associates meet their career development goals, had a couple of very successful projects, taken on extra responsibilities with a team of specialists and recently had the fantastic news, that I have been successful in my application to move into a new role as the Global Support Leader for our internal support operation. I will be responsible for delivering our service through approx 100 associates, to our 24000+ user base, which should be quite the new challenge for me!

When all is said and done, it's been a helluvayear!