five good things

1. Eight incredibly wonderful days in Europe, an Irish wedding and beers with a second cousin at a pub hidden behind a hardware store, walking down the street in Rome and stopping at every storefront advertising pizza, holding hands in front of the Eiffel Tower like a couple of turds, singing Bon Jovi at a bar with old friends, a truffle tasting, green hills and tall buildings, legs that ached from walking at the end of every day.

2. Curling up in the dark under my blanket scarf and watching five different movies on the flight home yesterday, even though none of them were actually very good. I never watch that many movies! It felt kind of decadent, or as decadent as one can possibly be while sitting in Seat 24F of a US Airways flight and hoping one doesn’t die of a blood clot.

3. Landing at Logan and ordering Chinese delivery from the cab, because of freedom.

4. It’s September! I love September, it’s my favorite, it feels like the real beginning of the year to me, and I’m looking forward to a more regular schedule and being present in this space a bit more.

5. To celebrate: have a giveaway! I’ve got a signed copy of 99 DAYS + a copy of NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR JULIE MURPHY(!!!!)’S DUMPLIN’ to one lucky US/Canada resident. To enter, leave a comment below with your email address! I’ll notify a winner on Monday.