Happy New Year!

It's a bit different this year, celebrating in the States versus Viet Nam, but it's a lot less overwhelming, as well.

We attended two Tet celebrations this past weekend, though both were cut short by a flu bug that the kids can't seem to kick. Tomorrow, we're planning to have dinner at our favorite Ban Cuon Tan Dinh restaurant. And Friday will have me hosting a party to celebrate, inducting all my friends into eating lots of yummy and strange (to Western palettes) foods.

I've started a new job, writing for an adoption agency, and tomorrow I have a big interview for Teach for America. I'm hoping the good luck of Tet will rub off on me and things will continue to improve a bit. The last few months have been inordinately hard. If they get better, and I can pay rent without worry, I'll start tucking money away for a trip back to Viet Nam.

My former students are getting ready to head out to study abroad and none are coing to the States, so that means I have to visit them before they go. Time to start stashing the coins and bills away in hopes of getting enough to head back for a quick visit.

Give me a month and I'll have a lot better idea about what's going to happen to our lives this year.

Happy New Year with health, happiness and love to all.