Mary got up at 6:00 am to make waffles for her Alex and I. I'm so lucky to have such wonderful people surrounding me, always reaching out somehow to show they care.

I think that she and he have decided that I need taking care of right now, but honestly, I don't mind. The attention and affection does seem that much more special in the face of all the up and down going on right now in the rest of my life.

I'm so happy my Mar came to live out here! That, of all things, may be the lasting highlight for me of the year 2003.

Actually, now that I think about it, 2003 was a good year for amazing people becoming a part of my day to day life. It brought Mary out here, it brought Brian back as a friend and confidante, it brought Andrew, and it brought me Jaimes and Rachel. Not such a shabby year at all.