[Marylin]

I have been doing chores all day getting my place ready for tomorrow.My niece is visiting me for a christmas meal and we are opening presents.
I am going to miss her dreadfully...she is leaving the UK for Los Angeles on January 4th to study at UCLA for six months.

She is a wonderful niece,she loves me very much and shows it,but she is also like a best friend to me,I am not going to enjoy her absence I will be sad without her.New Year's day I am having her round for a farewell meal,curry and prosecco.....time to shed tears and say goodbye.

I just finished doing the washing up and putting it away,I mopped the floor.I also made a mushroom,leek and onion pie with puff pastry for tomorrow's meal,we will also have roast potatoes and roast parsnips,sprouts,peas and carrots,stuffing gravy and turkey.Nice.

Not feeling too happy obviously but six months won't take long to pass and then my niece will be home again in time for her birthday in June 2018.

I am thinking I will be lonely but I have goals for the New Year one of them is to make the effort to meet new people and make new friends,I hope this time around I will find people worthy of my friendship who won't just use me and look down on me.I took a long three year break from trying to make friends because a couple of people tried to use me and take me for granted,I was so hurt I swore to take a long break from trying to find friends.I won't bother this time unless the people are my kind,similar in morals,values and outlook that actually care about me and won't take advantage.

So those are my thoughts for tonight.I am getting tired and thinking about bed soon. Goodnightxxx

[Skeezyks]

[Crookedspin]

Hi Marylin--I've seen a few posts that talk about your niece and I just wanted to say how absolutely lovely your relationship is. You're a fantastic aunt, truly, and I'm not sure how many people have as wonderful a relationship as the two of you seem to. I'm sorry that you'll be apart for six months, and there's no substitute for being together but maybe you guys can utilize all this technology we have now (Skype, Facetime, etc.) Don't know if you've used that and how convenient that will be but it's amazing how close that can feel. In any case, it is always so sweet to read about how you feel about your niece and she obviously treasures you. She's really lucky to have you