I’ve been away from work and on vacation for about a week and a half now, which is nuts. I can’t quite remember the last time I’ve been away from a job for so long a period of time—it’s simply not like me! I will say though, my time off was beyond excellent and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to relax and be with friends for so long. Still, it will ultimately be nice to return to life as I know and love it tomorrow.

During my time off, I enjoyed a quick weekend trip over to DC where I stayed with my best friend, Maite, and was able to visit the latest addition to the Kouka family: my cousin Alyson’s first child, Elizabeth. If you know much about me, you’ll remember that I don’t particularly care for children. Though this remains true, I must admit that the latest crop of Kouka babies (Elizabeth and Liam) are as awesome as they come!

Cousins Renata and Alyson with baby Elizabeth in DC, February 2009

It must be said that I have a love-affair with DC, it’s a special place for me and I enjoy the simple activity walking of around, taking in all the sights it has to offer (I have trouble calling DC a city—it’s so small!). Of course, my enjoyment of DC is intensely heightened by the fact I was able to spend my time there with so dear a friend. I am fortunate to have such a person in my life: to fully and openly share my highest and lowest moments with Maite, and to love and appreciate one another unconditionally is a gift I wouldn’t exchange for anything.

In Washington, DC: February 2009

During the remainder of my vacation, I passed the time time by taking on a handful of freelance jobs (my obsession with work really cannot be helped), movie-watching, and spending my afternoons at the gym (this was an interesting change of pace—I ultimately prefer my typical evening routine, though it was nice to workout with an entirely new subset of members).

The week also included Valentine’s Day weekend, which I spent with three of my closest Chicago girlfriends—all of whom are also single. Needless to say: great times were had! Again, I’m thankful to have such a loving group of friends. As a sidenote: I’ve realized that no matter how lonely I may ever get, it’s never worth spending any day dedicated to love (or really any amount of time, for that matter) with someone I merely feel half-hearted about.

As someone who craves attention (and over-appreciates that which is doled out by the opposite sex), I’ve only recently come to terms with such a thought. I’m glad I have, though, as this was the best Valentine’s Day I’ve experienced in a long while.

I can’t help but close this post with another excerpt from Atlas Shrugged. Though semi-cliché, it’s important for those unfamiliar with the book to nab a peek at the origins of its title. By this point, Dannager has just disappeared and Francisco now pays a visit to Rearden:

Mr. Rearden, said Francisco, his voice solemnly calm, if you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders—what would you tell him to do?

I … don’t know. What … could he do? What would you tell him?

To shrug.