Not quite 12 days until Christmas, but…

This was cute:

Mmmm sewage…

Sometimes, when it gets a little cooler and the drains on the street let out steamy, sewage-y air, I get all nostalgic for Leuven. We lived in the Begiijnhof there, and right behind the building we were in, there was a canal running through the city. It contained the river Dijle. This same canal ran past my school. If you flushed the toilet there and ran outside fast enough, you could see your toilet paper coming out of the pipe. That is why that hint of sewage in the air will always remind me of Belgium.

Well.

I am a quarter of a century old today. I am nowhere near where I thought I would be at 13. Thankfully, nowhere near where I feared I would be at 16. Not even close to where I thought I would be just 5 years ago. But this place, at 25, is a pretty good place. I’ve got more than I mostly dared to dream of. And despite the ups and the nasty, occasionally terrifying downs, it’s only getting better.