It was quite an eventful weekend...

The Seventh Savannah Symposium was truly a success in my opinion. Professionals of the field flocked to Savannah to deliver research papers, as well as, Dr. Louis Nelson, chair of the University of Virginia's Department of Architectural History and Dr. Kenneth Foote Professor of Geography and American & European Landscape at UC-Boulder who delivered separate keynote lectures on the 'Spirituality of Place.' Both delivered good talks on separate different discussions.

I needed the symposium. Every year I go to a conference or symposium it inspires me. When I get to see the work others are doing- the research-I get to take my mind off of my own projects and papers for a day or two. It really recycles my ambitions to do Architectural History. Interestingly enough it also gives me determination and a greater drive to want to go to grad-school in Architectural History. This is a bad and good thing, as I wait for my admissions decisions.

Saturday night I had a birthday party at Wild Wings Cafe. It was truly a delight to have my closest friends around me this year(compared with the last). Speaking of last year-a year ago today my mother arrived to be with me at the hospital in Marseilles, France. I'll never forget how surprised and completely emotionally altered I was to see her. It was a flood of both good and remorseful feelings. We hugged each other for what felt like an eternity, but while I had become numb in many ways to the idea that I'd never get home. She was just beginning the struggle. It was perhaps the greatest birthday present I've received to date, and the hardest birthday in terms of physical and emotional incident.

I spent Sunday evening with someone amazing.

I've been feeling different lately.

For the first time in my life, stress- trust me I'm feeling it-seems to only affect my mind. I know if you're just reading this blog for the first time you may be a bit confused. My teenage years were defined by how bad my body felt. I was diagnosed with Crohn's in high school and it seemed to have an effect on everything I did. Today, I don't seem to feel the same. I don't seem to have stomach pain when I get stressed out, and I don't carry a fever when I'm upset. Find wood and knock on it NOW. haha