There and Back Again (or, maybe I'm crazy)

It's that time of year when I re-emerge and give all sorts of excuses about where I've been! Here's a list of all the things that happened in the last year:


May: I went to the reenactment of President Lincoln's funeral in Springfield. It was a long drive to get there, and it was very warm, but I'm so glad I went. It was a meaningful experience that moved me to tears as I came to understand the grief experienced by the nation in 1865. I also became CSPAN-famous.

June/July: I got a new job! I switched from being an instructional designer for a retail corporation to a senior instructional designer for a healthcare organization. It's a step up and I really enjoy the company I work for and the team I work with. In the midst of all that, I was prepping and planning for...

August: Being civilian coordinator for a massive reenactment at Fort Snelling as we reenacted the return of the Second Minnesota to St. Paul in 1865. I spent the majority of my time in 2015 planning this thing, and it was absolutely worth it. The experience was incredible and one I won't forget any time soon.

It was also really hot out. My curlicues and glistening face prove it. It will become a theme during the rest of the year.

September: I moved! Just down the hall in the same apartment building, but moving is moving. I now have my own sewing space, and a greater appreciation for all the fabric I own. It takes up a lot of space and is heavy to lug, even if it's just down the hallway.

A week later...

October: I went to a small, private reenactment in Illinois. I might be crazy, but this event is important to me and I made it happen. It was also too hot, but it was a peaceful time hanging out with friends and sleeping in my home-away-from-home dogtrot.

November, December and January were the busy times at the new job, and the holidays, and getting ready for other stuff like...

February: My reenacting group's annual formal ball! Pictured elsewhere on this site in other years, it was a lovely time as usual. It was even more special because I brought The Gentleman Friend to the Friday night sociable. It was his first time dressing up, and he looked pretty snazzy if I do say so myself.

And there was an extra day in February, so we took advantage of that by getting engaged! It is very exciting and we're both very pleased with ourselves. We bought each other rings, and I am pretty much in love with mine - it is an antique from England, almandine garnet with seed pearls.

We will need to find a new pseudonym for him, because soon he won't just be The Gentleman Friend!

But, there was no time to rest, because the next day was...

March, and it was time for me to present at the Civilian Symposium in Harrisburg! It was truly an honor to be on this year's faculty, and to present with Jessica Craig on planning civilian-focused, history-heavy events. And of course, I got to make a dress - the tradition at the Symposium is that all the faculty get a length of the same fabric (dress length for women, vest length for men, usually two different fabrics) and told to make a garment from it. I decided to try something different and do 1840s. It was such a fun and unique experience, and I hope to be able to do it again soon!

And that, gentle readers, brings us up to date. I am currently working in Pittsburgh for the week (and sincerely, Pittsburgh is both a charming and a weird place, with its hills and its friendly people and its salads with french fries on top) but I am ready to get back home and start on some new adventures! I am hosting an immersion event in May, I have some commissions keeping me busy, and then there's this wedding coming up...but I hope to be able to tell you all about it here!