Road Trip (Louisiana to NC)

So the road trip has been going well! It's been nice to catch up with old friends and to see more of the South of the country. I really loved driving through the beautiful states of Alabama and South Carolina, and the history along the roads I traveled through South Carolina was incredible! Along the road you pass tobacco and cotton fields and can see the old plantation homes with their outbuildings. So much history to make you think along the journey about how much has changed in this country yet how much is still left to be improved.

However one of my favorite things about being here in North Carolina where I've been staying this weekend is that several transplanted Oregonians are also here. It's been wonderful to actually converse with others about things like local produce and steps toward sustainability. The husband of my best friend has a converted diesel truck so he and I spent time yesterday talking about things such as veggie oil and alternative energy sources. We also took their recycling to the nearby center and they accompanied me to a farmer's market store....I felt like I was near heaven. One of Oregonians is also part of Ft. Bragg's Environmental Program and she and I were able to talk about the steps they are being implemented to increase sustainability on Army posts across the country.

However being away from what is now home has also made me realize just how much I love and appreciate my own little family of my husband and our dog. I'm glad to have been able to get out and see and do while I can, but I'm definitely going to be ready to be back home too. My best friend, her husband, my husband, and I are all from the same home town (and her husband actually introduced my husband and I) and I think it's been interesting for them to see me feeling so settled, as this is really the first time they've seen me since I got married. Tomorrow I leave for Georgia where I will be visiting my husband's best friend and his wife. She and I have been engaged in a lot of supportive emails over the last two months and it will be wonderful to finally meet her and to see the historic Savannah!


I hope everyone has been doing well! Blessings to you and yours!

Of Recent Happenings

So many times I intend to sit down and blog yet just never really get down to it. However several good things have happened in the last few weeks:

--I made sun tea re-using a bulk sized old pickle jar, and it actually turned out really well!

--I made Amish White Bread from scratch which my husband loved and we used for several different things. And once it got old and crusty the dog loved it for a snack too.

--The husband hung a second laundry line in the garage, so now it's much easier to do all the wash on the same day just about. We still run the dryer for a few things but for less time and for less stuff.

--The couple living with us has their own place now just down the road, which makes it very convenient for our husbands to commute to work together most days and it's nice to still have them close enough yet far enough away for privacy also.

--Ironically the wife was over here the other day telling me about how they've continued to recycle now in their house and how she even caught herself washing out a plastic ziploc bag to re-use the other day. ;-) So it's nice to see that some things will indeed stick. The husband gets this big proud grin every time he buys something organic and can't wait to tell us.

--I've made a new friend in the last week who has a dog similar to ours, who is actually close to my age and interests. We're just getting to know each other but at least it's potentially some positive community!

--The 3 of us in my family: husband, dog, and I found a great hiking/camping area about 30 minutes from here. We went hiking two weekends ago and had a really great time. The particular trail that we went along had placards naming many of the flora along the trail, and it was great to finally be able to start putting names to the plants I've been wondering about the last two months!

--The husband and I have also continued to realize that for the most part we really enjoy our own cooking together other than processed/prepared food around here, so it's been great to spend the evenings when he is home coming up with stuff. I also really enjoy that we actually sit down at our dining room table to eat and enjoy each other's company.....I just feel it's a really good habit to get in and a great part of our day when it does happen.

--Last week I applied for 5 jobs. Although 3 of them aren't very likely to go anywhere due to the process around here of who gets priority, at least I felt like I was moving toward something. I also attended a fair like thing on post for wives wanting to get involved and was connected with two ladies who are passing my information up the chain. Who knows if it will ever pan into a job (this whole process has happened before) but again at least it's nice to know that people definitely think I'm employable. Although apparently my husband saw a headline the other day that stated that the unemployment rate for military wives is at 18% right now, so obviously I'm not the only one with these same frustrations. I had a frustration last week when after only 3 weeks of being open (and right as I was about done with the application) they closed the sub teacher application process...so now I'll have to wait until October when they reopen if I don't have a job before then. (Although I couldn't help but think as I drove out the parking lot that day: Well maybe God doesn't want me in the school system down here....)

--And since the husbands can now commute together (and because there has been a lot of drama around this place lately), my husband is letting me take the car and go visit my best friend in North Carolina for a week. Since I don't have a job yet, it's really the perfect opportunity and driving will make it a much cheaper trip. An additional perk is that another one of my buddy's and his family are stationed in Alabama and I can stop along the way to finally see them also. And if it works out I'll get to go visit the husband's best friend and his wife (who I've been in contact with a lot lately) who live near Savannah, also. So hopefully it's going to be a fabulous trip!!

--The trip though will be done fairly frugally. We took the car in for its needed oil change yesterday and I'll buy gas. I'll pack granola bars and water, etc for on the way, and then will eat at the homes where I'll stay. The best friend and I are going to head to the beach one day, as I've been missing the actual ocean for sure, but most everything we do will be on the cheap. I've still got birthday money and just enough from our monthly budget to cover the trip, and the mental health break will definitely be worth it! Although I'm going to really miss my own little family for sure!!

---Yesterday I made oatmeal white chocolate chip cookies from things found on hand and using my Granny's recipe. Today I hope to make dog biscuits from scratch so the husband has something to give the dog while I'm away. Then I've just gotta focus on packing! ;-)

Big hugs to everyone....hope the last several weeks have been wonderful!

How Time Gets Away

Sometimes I really don't know where the time gets away. I spent a few weeks being extremely homesick, a few days being incredibly frustrated about not having a job, every day interacting with the guests in our home, and most days filling up the time somehow or another. The days of homesickness were difficult but the husband and I have had some good conversations and his support has been wonderful. It's definitely been a challenge continuing to adjust to this area with minimal resources, but somehow I'm just not up to the point just yet of pulling on my shoes and forcing major change in this area. However, I am starting to get there. Case in point: coming from Oregon I seriously thought that styrofoam was pretty much only used for packing materials sometimes. When you move to Louisiana you discover that take out containers, disposable plates, etc are all made of the evil styrofoam. One more Sunday of after church fellowship and I'm pretty sure the question will be leaving my lips "Why in the world are you still using styrofoam?!"

The dog, while adorable, has proven to be quite the handful. We now have to know where she is constantly and even then she still takes a mile when we give her an inch. The same morning my husband found her digging a hole in the backyard and chewing on the neighbor's cable wire, she also broke off his habanero pepper. Several days prior she had dug out the flower box that was blocking the opening under the fence so she couldn't access the neighbor dogs. And after two "accidents" on the living room carpet, she resides in a baby-gated area of our kitchen. Although that area shrank when we discovered her chewing on the kitchen cupboards! She definitely is trainable (she's already picked up a few commands and is doing much better on our walks) but she also likes to push the limits for sure! However at 10 months and in a second home, much of this is to be expected and hopefully she'll age out of some of these behaviors too. For now, we keep her in the kitchen or outside and make sure that we can see her, and 8 new cinder blocks don't allow her access under the fence. The beauty of the blocks is that we hope we can plant flowers and veggies in the openings......well, as long as the dog doesn't eat them!

I've been getting stressed lately about the debt load that I am now carrying due to my student loans and still trying to pay off my/our car. While I'm very good with money, I also don't like to place my financial burdens on my husband's shoulders and the transition to currently being financially dependent on a man has been a struggle. However with the house now being settled, a regular financial schedule is able to be implemented especially as we get into more of a routine together. I'm still anxiously awaiting a decent job though so I can contribute something more to getting out of debt, and I'm seriously wondering why I didn't get an education in a more technical health field---as the jobs there are consistently available.

However I've also been pleased to see some major strides here in our household. My darning thread and needle has come back out (albeit to fix the dog's toys and make them last longer), our housemates come home seeking praise everytime they make a new stride in the organic/sustainable/natural department, the husband and I have been attempting evening walks with the dog when he's not working which have become some of our favorite moments, we finally settled on and hung my old drapes up in the bedroom, and we're consistently talking about how to make more strides here (ahem, I'd love a way to compost!!, let's cook more from scratch, and how about another laundry line in the garage?!). And ironically, while I hate using plastic from a health standpoint, here in Louisiana I'd almost rather prefer buying plastic over glass because at least we can recycle the glass.

Additionally after my morning run today, the dog and I went on a decent walk and finally checked out a trail that heads at the start of our neighborhood. The dog did the best she'd ever done running the trail and being surrounded by woods and that earthy smell did my soul some major good. Add onto that the fact that I've re-engaged with one of my devotional books....and I'm starting to really feel like I'm doing well again. Now if only....I actually could blog with some consistency! ;-)