I signed my contract.

It's official.  I signed my contract.  I'm staying here for another year.

With that comes relief, knowing I will continue to have a monthly paycheck, health insurance, 401k, etc.

But I also feel a little bit antsy.

I recently realized that I have moved every year for the past six years.  This will be the first time since college that I will stay in the same place for a second year in a row.

Kinda cool.

Kinda scary...

...Around this time each year I start to think about "what's next."  Where can I go, what can I do, what bigger and better thing is waiting ahead?

As the above quote so accurately describes, I think I will never be content.  I will always wonder what's ahead.  That's just part of who I am.  Some people daydream about babies and motherhood and home decor.  I dream about Bali, and Australia, and Paris, and Egypt.

In the meantime, here I am.  Staying put.  Trying to make roots.  Trying to bloom where I'm planted.  Trying to live a normal life, whether we are here for two or 10 years.  So maybe I'll get a library card.  Maybe I'll order the local paper.  But even as I make friends and settle in for another year, I know I'll always be "haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere."