Jason was here for a visit. He flew in early Friday morning and left this afternoon. It was such a nice time. It was the first day since I've been here that I haven't done any or thought about work at all. He was the same. It was nice to see him again and a very welcome break.

My new roommate, Olka, arrived Thursday night. She took a bus from the Ukraine. It took 36 hours. She seems nice, I just haven't had a lot of time to spend with her because Jason was here. Other people involved with our work hung out with her on Friday and today, though.

Wednesday is St. Patty's Day. We are having an event at our house for the kids to mark this holiday. Pizza and a movie at Sabrina & Olka's. We'll be making and hanging up decorations the day before (with the kids). It'll be a nice way for the young people to get to meet Olka.

A friend of mine will be arriving in London on Monday. She'll be here for nine days for her honeymoon. They are flying into Dublin for the day on Wednesday. I may be meeting up with them for lunch one day if one of their day trips brings them over this way.

Another friend emailed me and said she is getting married this week and that our other friend had a baby boy.

My college boyfriend emailed me and said he is getting engaged next month.

My oldest childhood friend (not in age, but how long I've known her) has emailed me and told me she is expecting her third child.

And then, of course, I'm standing in my high school friend's wedding this fall.

Is it me, or that a whole lot of family business going on?

I guess this is it. That stage of life thing. The starting families bit. I'm a bit shocked at it all coming somewhat at once, but I think that more pertinent emotion is fear that I'll be left out at the end of it all. I keep seeing these older women on the bus, travelling alone. They have a bag with them (as I always do) and given the way they seem to chat to everyone on the bus, I get the impression that they're not married nor have they ever been. Sometimes this has been confirmed by the conversation, but I digress. As kind and as lovely as those women are, I don't want to be one of them. I guess that is one of my biggest fears at the moment. I don't want to grow old alone.

I know I am still young (26) and I have not branded myself a spinster just yet. I just have the fear that that day will come.