Happy New Year!

It seems the year flew by. Overall, it was a good year. I acquired the taste for beer (I am still working on developing that), I partied, I traveled to Lava Hot Springs, I enjoyed my 29th birthday, I dated and met new people, I reconnected with old friends and made new ones, I held my adorable new niece, and I moved to Las Vegas for work.

What are my hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days? Well, this year, I hope to travel more. I hope to visit home, which I am sure I will many times. I hope to possibly visit Lava Hot Springs again. I hope to see my friends Vance and Fil in Sacramento sometime. I hope to weekend in Capitol Reef National Park with Mike and Izzy (and whoever else wants to join). In short, I hope to go wherever I can afford to go, because I am always up for visiting new places and experiencing new things.

I hope to make more friends and develop the friendships I already have, both here in Las Vegas and elsewhere (Google Hangout, anyone?). I was fortunate to meet a good group of gays late last year. They are a lot of fun, and I look forward to more crazy times with them.

I hope to date more. I would not mind a relationship, either, but I am not going to rush anything. I am happy with myself and do not need a partner to complete me. I am whole as I am...but it would be nice to feel loved again, and I think I finally might be ready for that.

I hope to continue developing professionally. I work at a good hotel, with great coworkers and management. There is opportunity for growth, and I am excited to explore the hotel side of Marriott further.

Finally, it would be nice to move back to Salt Lake, but that all depends on the doors that open and close for me, of course. We will see what happens. I did not think this time last year I would be living in Las Vegas, so who knows where I will be. I am open to all possibilities.

Oh, and I hope to blog more...

Where I Live

Five months ago, my life changed, as I hinted was a possibility in my last post. As most (if not all) of my readers know, I accepted a position at the Residence Inn Hughes Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have never lived outside of Utah, so this was a big move for me.

I now live in Henderson, Nevada. According to Wikipedia:

[Henderson] is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 257,729 in the 2010 census. The city is part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which spans the entire Las Vegas Valley. Henderson occupies the southeastern end of the valley, at an elevation of approximately 1,330 feet (410 m).

In 2011, Forbes magazine ranked Henderson as America's second safest city. Analysts attribute this to Henderson being an affluent city, with a high median income and amenities catering to local residents. Henderson has also been named as "One of the Best Cities to Live in America" by Bloomberg Businessweek.

For the most part, I love it here. I enjoy my job, and I like living in Las Vegas where I can pretty much do anything I want when I want.

The downside to the move was leaving my friends and family. I miss them very much, but I was lucky to visit them last week. The holidays will not be the same without them, though.

I do not really have any friends here, so it can get pretty lonely, but I am slowly meeting new people. If you ever come visit, let me know; I would love to see you.

Sunset outside my house.

My new pal, Dakota.

The backyard.

Hand In My Pocket

I have a lot on my mind; a lot I cannot yet publically share.  It is overwhelming to consider the biggest change of my life will likely (hopefully) begin tomorrow.

As I drove home from work this afternoon, Alanis Morissette's "Hand In My Pocket" came on the radio.  I have been feeling anxious and pensive, and in one brief moment, my worries, at least for a little while, faded.  And I cried.

Everything's gonna be fine, fine, fine.

Small Update

It has been awhile since I have posted.  It is still a little hard to believe 2012 is over and we are already three months into 2013.  Time flies.

I do not have much to say tonight, but I felt like writing.  I guess I will start by saying (for posterity, since everyone probably already knows) I had corrective eye surgery last August.  My eyesight recently returned, hence the lack of posts since July.  Just kidding.  It was a rather spontaneous decision, but I have not regretted it (except the first week).  I now have 20/15 vision, which is better than 20/20.  I love not wearing glasses, and personally, I think I look better without them.  :-)

I also withdrew from school late last year.  I needed time to renew myself, rediscover who I am and what I want, and resolve some personal issues.  I do want to return and finish my degree one day, but I am thankful for the break.  I regret not finishing sooner than I had hoped, but I felt postponing a formal education was necessary for my mental health and stability.

Those are two of the biggest changes in my life since the last post, but I hope others are coming soon.  That is all I will say at the moment.

Because I am still working on the blog challenge, I will end with a recipe.  My "wives" (yes, a gay man can have wives), Deborah and Christa, and I made this for dinner a few weeks ago, and it was easy and tasty.  (Actually, I will add the recipe later when I have access to a computer.  I am typing this on my Samsung Galaxy tablet using a bluetooth keyboard, and I am getting frustrated with correcting the many mistakes caused by it.  Ugh.)

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Ingredients:

4 breasts chicken, boneless and skinless
2/3 cup milk
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups Progresso Italian Breadcrumbs
2 tablespoon butter, melted
1 (18 ounce) can Progresso Creamy Three Cheese cooking sauce
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each breast of chicken into 3 pieces. Dip each piece into milk, then cheddar cheese, then Italian breadcrumbs. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with foil.
2. Bake chicken in preheated oven for 25 minutes, then remove foil, baste with melted butter, and cook 10-12 additional minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and coating is golden brown.
3. While chicken is cooking, place the Progresso Cooking Sauce into a small saucepan and simmer until reduced in half.
4. Remove chicken from oven and place on platter. Spoon sauce over chicken. Top with fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!

My Worst Habit

The date of my last post (February 28, 2012) is an example of my worst habit: procrastination.  I should also be doing homework right now, but instead, I am updating this blog I have not visited in quite some time.  I have battled this habit for years, but I have not yet been successful at breaking it, unfortunately.  It is just so hard to focus sometimes.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them.

Bonus challenge!  I used to be a pyromaniac (most boys, especially Scouts, are) - a bad habit I broke before any (permanent) damage was done.  I am still a little fascinated with fire (in fact, I recently walked with some friends to a fire in a nearby neighborhood on the night of July 4).  I thought this picture I took (using Instagram) at The Red Door a few weeks ago was pretty: