Hey girly.

I think of you very often too. I will have to agree that you're not very good with communication. After a year had gone by (in which I had moved to another state and been separated from everyone I know for six months) with me being completely unable to get you on the phone, I started to grow pretty weary with the periodical email. I'm just one of those people who feels very disconnected when keeping in touch only happens via email. An actual conversation can never take place. I know we're both very busy people, but it doesn't take much effort to pick up a phone. I want to call you often. I miss you like crazy, but I usually have the phone in my hand and remind myself that you probably won't answer or return the call, so then I don't.

This may seem juvenile or petty, but I feel like I would be deceiving both of us if I didn't tell you this. It is only because I thought we had a very special friendship that I was so hurt by it and just gave up on trying to keep in touch with you. When you go through such a traumatic few years like we did with Ringling, there's something to be said about wanting that person in your life who understands something that no one else really could, because they didn't experience it. To be completely honest, (besides Paul and a couple if his friends) you are the ONLY person from Ringling that I even miss. Definitely the only person from the Fine Art department.

I'm not saying that this means you have to call me or I'm never talking to you again, I'm just trying to explain my frustration and why I haven't been responding to you messages and emails. I don't want to alienate you as my friend. I know that we're both very busy women, but I really care about you and what's going on in your life.

On that note, congratulations on your new job. Where are you teaching, and whom? Are you teaching art or painting specifically? I'm really happy for you that you're almost finished with your Masters. That's an amazing accomplishment.

I, on the other hand, have only accomplished almost two years at The Clever Factory in Nashville where I've been making stickers, activities, teacher products, and stationery. I work with some really wonderful people, but I've been hating that job since my first week there. The boss is an absolute tyrant. She also violates a handful of FLSA regulations in a very sneaky fashion. We had an HR person for two months before she quit because there was so much illegal activity going on that the bosses wouldn't allow her to fix. It's just crazy. I need a new job, but I've been dragging my feet a little. I officially have almost two years of graphic design experience now, but I don't want to keep doing it as a career. It's very empty. Not nearly as much original creation goes on as I might have hoped. At my last review, I suggested that we put together an art department since we would create a handful of our art in-house. They said no and since then they let us create almost no art at all. I could go on or paragraphs about it, but I won't because it's Saturday and I am joyously not there in my cubicle. I just need to get back on the job search, whether it's graphic design or something else.

Paul and I are still happily together. Been together for almost 6 years now. Isn't that crazy? We both miss our friends and family very much. I get very little time off so we've only been back home once. One of our sets of parents will come to visit a couple of times a year, but this will be my third Christmas without my family this year. We've grown to like the Nashville area, though. I don't know that we'll be staying here forever, but it's not a bad place to be stuck for a few years. Cost of living is much cheaper here than in FL, the weather is pretty moderate - we get the seasons, but Winter isn't extremely long - and it's quite a beautiful place, if you like lots of hills, trees, and mountains (you know I do).

All in all, not a whole lot is going on. We just do our day-to-day stuff and before we know it, the weekend arrives. I do all of our laundry and try to get a few personal things done, and then I blink and it's Monday again. We don't go out a whole lot and try to budget our money in any way can. Still paying my $700 a month in student loans. Yuck. We're homebodies, really. I don't mind it too much.

Sorry this message is so ridiculously long. It's rare for me to have time to sit down and right a substantial message like this. I hope that everything is still okay between us. I love ya' a lot, hun and look forward to hearing from you really soon.

~Amy