A Productive Weekend Staycation

Whew what a weekend y'all, but although it was busy it was also relaxing and fulfilling. Much got crossed off the "need to do" list this weekend for sure! But before I get too far let me broach a few things first:

1) Last Saturdays event went pretty well. Lower turn-out than expected but everyone behaved, the food was decent, the decor and venue looked great, and everyone reported it was a good time. Even Tall D said it was much better than he ever would have expected and for someone who rarely gives compliment that should mean something! (His words, not mine.) The other plus side was that I was left with at least a dozen bouquets of flowers, which I got to bring home and re-vase for the house:

2) Tall D and a coworker of mine both also have made me think twice about leaving the world of veteran services. While I definitely need a break and the center really could use new blood to re-route it a bit more, I asked my supervisor of that position if I could extend until they actually bring someone else on. As much as I burn out, everyone tells me that I do a really good job. My original plan was to vacate as of June 20th and I still might, but extending also gives me the option to stay until the transition can be complete. Plus there are several projects that could get worked on this summer.

3) Tall D and Housemate G are supposed to be moving out this week. They spent the long weekend up at a major concert series in the Gorge and so Z spent part of the weekend here helping me around the house and making sure that we'll be able to live sanely together, as I'm not always the easiest person to live with. (Somehow, Tall D has actually been the best housemate I've ever had. We co-existed in living conditions extremely well.) With the boys moving out, Z will probably officially move in sometime mid-month.

4) Mid-week last week, I went grocery shopping....and it dawned on me that was the first time I'd been grocery shopping in six weeks. Tall D and G haven't been shopping either--how in the world we've existed over the last few weeks, I don't know. (Well okay, I take part of that back....Z brought over food for all of us on occasion.....) But hopefully this return foray into proper nutrition in the fridge is a good sign.

5) Albeit last week was also a bit harder emotionally again. As much as I know in my head that the upcoming split is the right one, some days as it approaches move out day it's a little bit harder for my head and heart to agree. And sometimes they want to agree....but in the opposite direction of it being the smartest decision....

And now without further ado....pictures and some updates from the weekend:

1) Dinner out on Thursday evening followed by an evening curled into blankets on the couch watching Blood Diamond.

2) Spring is upon us, which meant a 8-10 mile walk/hike with the dogs through Forest Park in the middle of the city on Friday afternoon. 

3) Friday dinner out with my brother, Z, and another Marine who you'll probably read a lot about by the letter of B. B will be spending a lot of time with Z and I here this summer...and has been tasked out to complete a few yard projects for me.

4) Saturday morning included a quick trip to the Beaverton Farmer's Market (the largest in the state) for tomatoes, onions, and a few other items for home cooked pasta sauce.

5) Saturday afternoon, I took my brother to meet with two tattoo artists to schedule his tattoo and to put down the deposit. Came back to clean the house, mow the lawn, and weed for an hour before my gal N, her hubby, her SIL S, and S's boyfriend came to join Z and I for dinner. Z's sauce rocked and N's cobbler was A-MA-ZING. It was great to have friends over for dinner, enjoy good food, and even to eat out on the patio!

6) On Sunday, Z and some of the center vets had organized to come over to help me out in the yard. Z and B were able to till my raised beds with a little help from B's wolf-hybrid dog, Rommel. I also spent part of the afternoon ripping out weeds and over-run berry brambles. I'd written previously that one of the guys had drawn up plans for a coop and Sunday was Day #1 for implementation. In this picture, three of them are digging the trench that will hold the gravel, cement footings, and cinder blocks so that hopefully no critters can dig under the chicken wire. B and Z are helping out my aunt and uncle by ripping out their deck for them next weekend, and some of that left over wood will be used to construct part of the chicken's actual shelter. After trench digging, Z grilled up brats and garden burgers for our work crew of 4 guys and 3 of us gals.

7) Monday was a day of errands and garden making. We returned the mini-tiller to my aunt and uncles. Then Z worked over the two chain saws in the garage while I finished my online grading. We headed out to Target (uh....CUTE dresses on sale y'all!), Home Depot, BiMart, and Ace Hardware. I picked up a pair of new work gloves because I'm not sure where my old ones ended up and I sliced the skin off a finger hauling cinder blocks on Saturday. We got a new chain for one of the saws and then Z bought materials to build a sort-of trellis for the beans/peas. When we got back, we planted the garden and then I finished weeding the front of the house. Laundry was done, the rest of my in-person grading and prepping was completed, and somehow even a work-out with Insanity was added in there last night (which felt GREAT!). 

Peas, beans, & various squashes that will run with the rhubarb in the corner.

First box: Tomatoes, the returning artichoke, a row of lettuce, two peppers.

Second box: a row of cucumbers, herbs, two rows of carrots, a row of koli rabi, and space for strawberries.

On trellis: grape making an effort and the kiwi is in full force.

Alongside the boxes: berries, rosemary, overrunning mint, and massive garlics. 

Honestly it was a great weekend and I'm so glad to have the garden in and the coop on its way. The yard has a great start to looking better as well. I worked on perfecting Tall D's blueberry waffles and for the first time made french toast from actual french bread and with my own chicken's eggs. The weekend was the perfect blend of socialization, productivity, and relaxation. However most of all, I feel so grateful to Z and to all the guys for how much they've been helping me out.....and in a lot of ways the future looks potentially brighter...

Hope each of you had a wonderful weekend too!

February Thoughts & Happenings

----The chickens are still making a racket multiple times per week. I'm thinking we'll be getting rid of them. The feed store owners (the mom of my gal N) said she'd re-home them if we want and offered new chicks, but I think I'm done til we have legit property one day. There's a good chance that hub would prefer to, um, eat them.

----We've offered hub's pride and joy old jeep to one of my vets who is in need of a vehicle. He's been hard pressed for months and as much as that Jeep is an extension of hub, these are the moments when I love hub's huge heart.....even when he tries to keep it hidden. However the jeep has its own quirky issues, is uninsured/unregistered/parked in the garage, so we'll see what happens.

----I don't know that this much TV has been on in our house non-stop and daily channel turning to MMA (mixed martial arts). We're still adjusting to four of us in the house but I'm oh so hopeful. My coworker has been looking at places and hopes to get a place in April. We have yet to discuss a timeline with hub's friend. My coworker is amazing though as a housemate. Luckily the guys and hub have been off enjoying themselves at the Newport Seafood & Wine Fest this weekend, so it's been nice for the doggies and I to roam the house freely.

-----My supervisor asked me to reconsider leaving my vet position, which I had a feeling she would. She also said I could re-create the job to better meet my and the center's needs. The pay is amazing and I actually found out that it bumps up my pay in my other job too.....but I'm still not sure I could do another year. There are pro's and con's to every thing---and honestly I keep hoping that something else might open for me to do a lateral transfer.

----Although I did "put the smack down" in the center last week, as mentioned in my clothing post. Ironically one thing I love about working with vets is a) some of them respect me more now because of it and b) they're so used to that sort of thing that most of them were back to being jolly and normal within two minutes......but for the most part, they DID get the picture and that's good to see.

----Book club was today. I was (sigh....) almost 30 minutes late....and yet this seems to be a return to hub's and my standard. We also were 15 minutes late to a joint vet mtg together yesterday....although in our defense, we were 10 minutes early to my work dinner! (Which work dinner went AWESOME btw!) Being late does make me feel bad...slightly. Only because I know that a lot of people that love me.....also despise being kept waiting. Anyway the gals also chose to go with Joy for Beginners---so we'll be reading that this month.

-----Today I was thinking of 3 high school gal pals and how much we've loved each other through different phases of ourselves. When I think back on all of our changes in 15 years.....it's amazing, and yet they've accepted me for me (almost) every step of the way. I love these girls because I can be any side of me and it's always okay. If I'm caring and idealist, withdrawn and needing space, or blunt and bitchy.....it doesn't matter. They accept who I am at each crossroads of life....and I am beginning again to realize just how much I appreciate it. I don't have to be anyone but me with them and I never have to worry about offending....and I seriously hope they feel the same way.

-----I have a weekend trip in April to San Antonio. I am beyond excited to see my gal....and in a total moment of irony, I'm seriously looking forward to being back in the south. Amazing culture/food in San Antonio AND 80 degree weather. Also on the docket: see my childhood friend again AND make it to Austin (definitely on the lifetime list)!

----I seriously love when Roxi comes running back into the house in the evenings and just careens into her cushy dog bed.

----I took a nap today and have been 100% lazy and it's been absolutely perfect.

----I found another awesome remix fashion blogger that y'all should check out: Putting Me Together.

----I'm still in my anti-social stage--I'm just not feeling it. I know I'm in a total selfish stage period---want my little moments with hub, want flexibility to spend lazy weekends grading and working out and running errands and flexible, and honestly I'm just not wanting to get too deep into thinking about life. I seriously love and missed my friends who care so deeply, but right now I'm just not there and it's hard for me to want to go there. I work with people who need a lot and who are hardened to the world in many ways....and well, I think it's rubbed off. My idealism is a whole lot more realism than I ever would have cared to have....and in a lot of ways I don't feel as much like talking about what could be or should be or thinking about how to make life better, etc ... it is what it is.

-----Hub aced both his bio exams this last week. He's such an academic rockstar---I'm legit proud of him.

-----The Air Force is supposedly recruiting for Public Health officers....I emailed the health professional recruiter for more info. Side bar: every 2-3 years I research and contemplate joining the Air Force or Coast Guard.... thus far it's never been the right fit. I still don't expect it to be the right fit, but it is interesting to say the least. However 5am and I have never been friends, and I'm also learning that while management might be an okay fit for me, I'm not sure it's my favorite.

-----We're headed into Week 8 of the term---although I'm headed to a conference in Salem on Thursday, so it's just two evenings of teaching this week. I'm thinking about trying to spend the night at Granny's and hopeful I can see one of my other gals who is pregnant and who I have only seen twice in the year we've been back.

-----On the docket this summer: two of my gal pals from high school and I are road tripping to our other gal in Arizona. We've been talking about a Summer 2012 trip for two years, and I re-arranged my teaching schedule within the timeline the other gals have available (K-12 schedule starts late August). One of the gals is in San Fran so picking her up is the perfect halfway mark, and it just happened to coincide with my 30th. (Three of us turn 30 this summer actually.) I'm seriously so stoked to be making this happen! And my parents deserve an award, because they're tentatively agreeing to swap the Sorento for their Prius---cha ching!

------On the docket in the next three years: potential opportunities for international travel, but I've been sworn to not mention any of it. Although I can tell you that one place would add a new dream continent, include potential mission work (my heart swoons), and get me that much closer to achieving my lifetime goal of traveling to all continents. The other trip would be a lifetime dream for a friend and would be an amazing celebration of her, of which I would feel honored to be a part. (And it's all of course dependent on what I do for work/finances in the next few years....and what all else life might decide to throw at us) Add on to this my heartfelt desire to buy hub a vacation, the fact that we currently have friends stationed in Italy, AND that in the next 9 years I legit need to return to Argentina. (Hmmm......when does hub start racking in the bucks?! :))

-----Have I mentioned my department head is amazing? He seriously recognized that I need a vacation this year and so allowed for me to plan my summer schedule to grant me most of September (to potentially visit my gals in Georgia) and to rearrange our original plan so my gals and I could make it to Arizona. He deserves boss-of-the-year award! And just in case you're wondering I'm teaching twice a week in person and two classes online.

----Tomorrow I need to run. Period.

-----But have I mentioned yet that at 10am today it was 39 degrees and slushing?!

-----And how totally bad a$$ is it that it's a Leap Year?!

And with my brain dumping successfully completed and you up-to-date (for the most part and only if you made it this far), I'm off to get teary some more about The Heart and the Fist....because damn it, I'm gonna read it first anyway! ;)

Coconut Creme Brought Such Happiness

It's the long awaited post on.....coconut creme. Coconut creme creamer is a deliciousness I first saw mentioned in a post by another blogger---and since I love some coconut flavor these days, I finally found it in our local stores. While I definitely recognize prepared creamer is oh.so.not.healthy for hub and I, it's one of our habits we picked up when we got married and it's one I'm not yet ready to shake. Before hub and I got together, I used regular soy milk and some brown sugar, but now that we've switched to espresso there's just something oh.so.delicious about legit sugared creamer. (Please do as I say, not as I do in this case, dear health students.....)

So imagine my surprise when I posted a picture similar to the one above on Facebook, only to have commentary ensue about how there were healthier, less-processed alternatives available! Oh my word----I was in heaven!!! Forget the fact that I was being schooled.....I was being schooled!!!!! :) And I loved every.single.minute of it. Comments got added about where I could find homemade alternatives and how others were integrating less-processed, more natural homemade food into their lives. Rock my world---natural living is truly going mainstream....and I couldn't be happier. The fact that these comments and resources are routinely showing up on social media (Facebook and Pinterest, etc) and are being shared frequently leaves me OH SO HAPPY.

Which leads me to discussion on one of my high school best gals (of whom I have received permission to post about on this blog---I always try to ask permission before mentioning people). My best gal D is an Oregon gal through and through, although in many regards she and I have been incredibly different individuals throughout the 15? years that we've known each other. (Good golly 15 years!) We met in high school Spanish class and learned to enjoy each other as volunteer partners at our community hospital. And we've had all sorts of moments in between since then full of unconditional love and other moments of butting heads, which is why I consider her husband and her to be more like additional surrogate siblings rather than just my friends. (Plus have I mentioned my hub and her hub share a best friend, which is how hub and I met?!)

Over the years, D has read my blog off and on and while we haven't shared the same viewpoints on many things, becoming a mama this year has most definitely made D quite a bit crunchier....and while I'm always proud of who she is, I'm even more oh so proud of the advocate she's becoming. This lady is constantly teaching me new things about natural mama-hood and providing me links to things that I might pass on to others or one day want to know for myself. And really she's developed quite the following cause in a lot of ways she's the perfect candidate to educate others AND have them listen. Cause here's the thing: most the time when I post something about toxins, chemical exposures, natural living etc on Facebook people skim over it because it's just another post coming from liberal, public healthy me.....but the most amazingly awesome thing is that when D posts something similar people ACTUALLY pay attention, read, learn, and frequently attempt change. D has the uncanny ability to breech both worlds---those that are still very much in the mainstream mind frame and those that are already in or starting down the path of natural parenting/living, etc. And while it might sound cliche, it's legitimately a beautiful thing to be watching and I'm 100% enjoying learning from D as well. This year it's been such a joy to watch her develop via her pregnancy and birth her adorable lil man, who has created such a deep love within his mama. And the addition of watching her find and share this passion has been an even greater gift.

So here's to all the ways that natural living is becoming a new norm....and I'm oh so hopeful that it will keep continuing!

It's Been a Week....and Now it's the End.

First week down, ten to go......and I hate feeling like that already.

First week back into the term was a mix of emotions. It started out great and ended with tears. Yes, folks, you heard that right, I cried. I felt great about the schedule I'd set up on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. But by the time Thursday morning arrived, I was already wiped. In one of my positions, there's a lot that I'm micro-managing and responding to right now, and on top of it we also saw record numbers this week. My class that particular night included a major mistake on my part that while it was a total accident and not-really-a-major-detail of the night, I still made someone else's night incredibly difficult.....and in the type of way that is exactly against the prevention I attempt to assist with in my other position. I don't like to share details of that type on here, but let's just say that my two positions over-lapped in a sense....and in a way that made me realize that I'd made a mistake that completely saddened my heart. Two days later and it's still on my mind and heart. Additionally, I'm realizing that working with the population that I do can sometimes make me less patient to deal with the member of that population that resides in my own home...and I don't like feeling that way.  I'm seriously contemplating putting in a resignation.....even though I feel bad about it for other reasons.

Friday morning hub and I slept in......and slept in...and slept in. When we finally got up, we picked up the yard, cleaned out the make-shift coop, and picked up the house. Then for the first time since we married, hub and I completed a weights routine together, as he completed the Shoulders & Arms DVD with me and then the Ab Ripper X DVD too. It was interesting working out together but good too, as it made me push myself a bit more. Hub is loving his conditioning class he's taking through his college, but he enjoyed the additional "weekend" work-out yesterday. After working out, we ran separate errands that needed to get done, and then we relaxed while we waited for our weekend guests.

One of hub's Army friends from his deployment lives a couple hours north of us, and they hadn't seen each other in three years until this weekend. His friend and the girlfriend came down for the night and it was really nice listening to our guys catch up. I heard several stories I'd never heard before and it was nice to know that hub has someone who holds him in such high regard who is living within a day's drive from us. It actually was a pretty low-key night as we ordered pizzas, lit a fire in the fireplace, and just sat around the living room eating, indulging in much drinking, and chatting. Today we fixed waffles and espresso for everyone, and then we took them on a drive around downtown. It was raining so we didn't feel too much like walking around in the rain, but we did make two stops. One at Voodoo Donuts and the other at Stumptown Coffee---both are very local and/or funky Portland places. When they left late this afternoon, we made tentative plans to try to spend a day up in Seattle together and/or do some hikes around Mt. Rainer this summer.

After a late night last night though, hub and I were ready for some naps this afternoon. Rather than nap, I put in my Yoga X DVD which was on the docket for today, and which actually was much needed to stretch and restore my tired body from last night and my still-emotionally-saddened-from-Thursday self. A hot shower and left-overs to complete the evening, and then I dove into catching up on blogs and finding new things to "pin" on Pinterest (yes, I caved.....sigh). Snow dusts are on call for tonight and tomorrow---and I'm oh so hopeful that we'll get some dustings, and some rain, and some freezing...to extend this long weekend into an even longer and restoring weekend.

I've got some prepping/note reviewing to do this weekend still, a few emails from students and work to respond to, and some major reading to attempt to get through for book club the end of this month. But I plan to not do much of anything except to do nothing but prepare my soul for the week ahead.

I hope each of you had a fulfilling week just passed and that you are indulging in a restoring weekend. Best to each of you!

PS Tonight while hub was watching some of his DVR'd shows, this song was on one of them and there was just something about it that I loved:

Authenticity Might Cause Strife

I've been reading the desire for increased honesty, openness, and authenticity throughout many other blogs in the last two days, and several have shared how at times they too censor their thoughts and/or postings so as not to offend readers. At times I've toyed with privatizing my blog so I can more freely post my thoughts, and then I laugh at the irony of how this blog was never supposed to become so personal but rather be a method to expose others toward a different way of living. So I'm not going to lie because this post might offend some who I hold dear because I want to write about....family--what it means to me, how it differs, and the primary family value that I hold most dear. (Censoring on this topic tends to occur because I have a tendency to be more blunt....so please, know that no injury is ever intended as thoughts flow out of my heart and mind.)

Now let me make it clear: I absolutely LOVE my related family. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been raised by my parents, who so deeply instilled within my siblings and myself a sense of individualism and independence. Without the two of them, I never would have been encouraged to so freely be myself and I never would have learned of the immensity of unconditional love. I enjoy my varied relationships with my siblings, and while each of us is incredibly different than the other three, I seriously wouldn't have us any other way. During the most recent half of my life, my extended family on both sides has taught me numerous lessons, and those that I interact with in my extended family most frequently bring me moments of laughter.

I'm also blessed with a family of friendships: my high school best girl who I consider to be my sister of choice based on a history full of both love and strife. And a handful of others who have been or were similar to surrogate cousins. And this is where a major difference comes in when it comes to my choice of friends: I'm incredibly selective in who I let in because I'm incredibly loyal once a friend transitions into my family circle.

As mentioned before, one of the hardest aspects of moving home this year was the idea of transitioning back into a larger family, although this is something I transitioned through once before as a child. Being raised in a military family, we were used to creating surrogate relationships wherever we were and our parents taught us to foster relationships with each other, with ourselves, and with our friends. People in our church became surrogate aunts & uncles. Our older neighbors were surrogate grandparents, and I, at least, fought like cats & dogs with some of my childhood friends as they become surrogate cousins & siblings. When we moved back to Oregon in my childhood, suddenly I had new aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents that I had never really had the chance to know......and at times it was an interesting transition (add on to this the fact that I will finally admit that I was/am a bit of a brat.) It took years for real relationships to develop with some of these relatives, some never did, and others blossomed and later withered. Trying to decipher this larger family image and understand my role in the bigger picture was something I still struggled with in my mid 20s.

Additionally, I generally find that my relationships with my family are different than others I talk to. I come from an immediate family of various ages. I'm closer in age to my two eldest nephews than my sister, but somewhere in my late teens/early 20s I developed great relationships with my two older siblings, while my middle brother had long been one of my dearest friends. I come from a long line of stubbornness, which also led me to stop talking to my maternal grandfather in the few years before his death--although being a stubborn soul himself, it's not something I imagine he held against me. The way I remember my paternal poppa is a different vision than the version I hear most frequently from other members of my family. To me, he will forever be a builder, a dreamer, a lover, a gentle creative soul, a man of quirky dreams, a deep laugh, and a twinkle forever in his eye. It is because of him that I am such a lover of my fellow human and education. Its rare that I talk to my parents or siblings more than 1-2x a month, although this doesn't mean we don't think of each other or deeply love each other. Some of my favorite high school family memories include long political and social conversations between my brother, father, and myself during the dinner hour. My earlier family Thanksgivings were full of moments of family gossip and deep sarcasm. My relationship with my father is incredibly strong and until I got married, I couldn't imagine another man, other than my father and grandfather, ever meaning more to me.

.....and then I got married, and discovered that it was possible to love another male as deeply.  And somewhere in our nine weeks of "courtship" I promised to introduce him to the one and only family value that I hold deeply in my heart: unconditional love. Hub's family life is very different than mine, as when I left Oregon to be with him my ties to my family both extended and immediate were incredibly strong, while hub's ties to his related family were slightly broken and a surrogate family had enveloped him in its place. And in two tumultuous years of total separation from our related and surrogate families, a different relationship based on hub and our furry friends (aka we don't consider our dogs our surrogate children) took its place. There's much that occurred during that time that I chose not to share with 99% of my family & friends, and instead relied on the support of a few and friendships of that newest of surrogate families: my fellow milspouses.

In our conversations about moving home, hub and I had several chats about transitioning into our diverse families and where potential boundaries might need to be implemented. Neither of us had spent much of any time beyond an initial introduction with the other's family, and while hub and I are equally similar and yet different, we come from very different blood and surrogate families. Hub is a private person (so much so that I sometimes feel guilty sharing so freely as of late), where I used to be much more of an open book. Hub has had to grow into a life of complete independence, where I come from an extended family that appreciates elements of codependence. Hub doesn't relish love demonstrated via touch, but I come from a family full of cuddles, arms over shoulders, and hugs. Marriage has brought us into some compromise, but we both attempt to accept the differences that do exist rather than push the other toward conformity.

In the months since our return, I have heard several times on one side the mention of the ways that members of our family should operate. I've felt the suggestion from other sides of family to better fulfill what could be seen as our family duties. I've returned to the internal pressure that I put upon myself to live up to the family expectations....and in so doing have cast over elements that I used to love about myself. And I've realized from other newer family how much I sometimes relish those old moments of myself which include spontaneity, crasness, and appreciation of inappropriate freedom. I've also seen another version of what my family value of unconditional love can look like. The reality is that the basic family value that was engrained in me from both immediate and extended family was that of unconditional love, and that is the one value that I will continue to hold on to and to demonstrate to my husband, to our related family, and to our surrogate family members deep in my heart. Unconditional love doesn't mean it's all rosy and pleasant however, and thus my version may at times be demonstrated differently than expected.

Truthfully the reality that I am continuing to come back to is that hub and I are our own family unit based on our own values, lifestyle, expectations, hopes, and dreams.....and even between the two of this that doesn't always equal out. Neither of us follow a pre-laid plan and both of us tend to desire to buck the expectations placed upon us. But this is the life that we authentically live, even if one of us tends to be better at it than the other. And with that.....here I go, starting to bang my drum! :)

Cheap Forks & Cinnabon Rolls

This morning I spent five minutes reflecting on cheap forks & cinnabon cinnamon rolls. (Yes, you can officially declare that I'm back to my analytical self!) Last night hub had a hankering for Cinnabon rolls, which we can get at our local Fred Meyer (sort of a one-stop PNW shopping). We went and bought a box of four, which also became our breakfast today. When I warmed mine in the microwave this morning to eat alongside my coffee, I knew that I wanted to eat it with our cheap, college-esque silverware....and here's why:
Remember being a poor college student when paying for a Cinnabon cinnamon roll was a luxury (and the splurge of the month) and the only silverware you had to eat it with was a plastic dorm fork or a cheap, Wal-mart fork variety in whatever locale you were currently living? Well every once in a while I feel it's important to remember those days....and to reflect on where life is now and how much I have become accustomed to the lifestyle we currently have. Sometimes its good to remind ourselves of what was...and to maybe reflect upon how the Cinnabon roll probably tasted a lot better back when it was a splurge......

Life continues to be busy.....and I'm tired.....and whining way more than I ever really want to be. This last week I lectured on stress-prone & stress-resistant personality types and ended by asking my students to reflect upon which type of personality they think I am. Ironically, they reported they think I'm Type B, which is laid back, creative, and a dreamer. Type B is where I strive to be and is why I love the idea of a life based on simplicity....but its not where I currently am. The irony is that I must be doing a good job of still allowing others to see me as being in a Type B state-of-being, which is better than the Type A that I'm quickly becoming again. Type A's are multi-taskers, time-oriented, highly stressed, easily frustrated and angered, rushed, among a host of other traits.

Type A personality means that I'm constantly juggling the different parts of my two jobs and never feeling that I'm able to give the animals enough attention, keep the house & yard picked up and organized, or ever feel completely rested. Type A makes me just want a break and increases my irritability. Both hub and I are realizing we're eating whatever we can easily grab these days and that's not exactly where we want to be. ......Knowing all this reminds me again of why I opted for the more relaxed lifestyle in the first place! :) There will be some changes with the two jobs coming up in June and at that time I'm pretty sure I'll have to make a choice....until then I'm interested to see how the differences in scheduling for the next two terms will pan out. Six more weeks in this term!

Some enjoyable things have happened in the midst of the last two weeks though that have brought smiles to our faces and created some "down" moments when possible.

--Last weekend I took my baby cousin to create her bridal registry--she did a great job of primarily registering just for the basics and it was fun to help her along!

--Last weekend we had one of hub's high school friends in town and per her request were able to take her out on the town. Since it was near Halloween, we got to enjoy some wonderful costumes, good food, and great drinks. This week one of my high school friends is here, splitting her time three-ways. Wednesday night was a long one picking her up from the airport after teaching and catching up in the wee morning hours. She'll also be here on Monday evening and we'll grab dinner at the house of another high school gal. On Tuesday after my morning meeting, I'll get her back to the airport, and then on Friday, hub and I head "home" to spend time with family & at the baby shower of his high school friend. It's been nice to grab a few moments with friends, and it's increased my excitement to see so many others who are flying in from Georgia, Arizona, California, and Canada over the next two months.

--Book Club happened also and it's always such a highlight to my month to spend quality time with these gals. We enjoyed an evening together over chatter, food, and wine, and threw in a bit of convo about my chosen selection "Crossing the Heart of Africa." Since I love Africa and travels, I thought the book was alright, but I'm the first to admit it wasn't the best book club selection. We scheduled out November and December dates and books however, and this month's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" is A-MA-ZING. In two nights, I'm about 100 pages in and not really wanting to put it down. Who knows---It's already 3pm and no grading or prepping has yet occurred today, so maybe this month's book will get some more reading in! ;)

--New goals & financial pay offs achieved. New bed and mattress were paid off this month, and the ring will be paid in full next week. On Halloween, we also went ahead and bought a new vehicle..... Knowing I wanted a crossover, I've been trying to find the right fit for my wish/need lists and ended up taking a Sorento for a test drive. It had everything I've been wanting, is a top pick by my insurance, and financing all fell into place. Originally I was looking at buying new, but in the end I went with my original values and a 2011 which had been a rental in its previous 1.5 years. The only catch: its a V6 rather than the 4cyl I'd planned to get and my environmentalist side feels a bit guilty. My frugal side is happy, as we got a great purchase price and trade-in on my car, so much so that we could sell our new vehicle and come out ahead. While I had originally intended to pay off our truck first before purchasing something new, the deal we got ended up making it worthwhile and I still plan to have the truck paid off by next summer.

--Donations continue to occur and this year for Christmas I'm planning on a large donation to charity in the name of all of our families rather than purchasing any separate Christmas gifts. I've done this in smaller parts in the past, but this year it will just be one whole she-bang, as giving to others in need and spending TIME with loved ones seems to be more what Christmas is supposed to be about. Through the Center on campus where I work, we plan on doing a donation drive for deployment care packages, so I'll be ransacking our cupboards and book shelves to find what all I can to share. And the campus is also participating in a large book drive that is being sent to a local corrections center--so I continue to purge our bookshelves for that. If anyone is local and has used books you'd like to donate, let me know!

--And in the midst of the madness, hub and I seem to be trucking along. I'm not an easy person to live with when stressed, and we've definitely had some rough patches in the last six months for more fundamental reasons. Yet, at times in the midst of the chaos of late, it feels like our underlying care for each other continues to grow & develop. Hub always handles stress amazingly well (he's more of the "Survivor Personality" type) and most days he's being a wonderful support for me. Case in point: the other day I came home Hangry (hungry & angry/frustrated). I had a hankering for our favorite pub with solid food & good beer, which hadn't come to fruition earlier in the day. The minute I shared this with hub, he loaded me into the car no questions asked and drove me to "our" pub. We ordered food, shared about our days, and hub even picked up the check. We then came home to get ready for bed and spent a solid hour in laughter. It was the perfect ending to a somewhat-frustrating day. These are the moments I live for and the ones that go unforgotten. 

Right now in this moment, hub's off to the store with the dogs happily in tow, Major's curled up purring on my lap, good coffee's been enjoyed, texts with friends have been shared.....and while no work has yet to be completed today, it feels fulfilling in its own right. Some days I need to remember to give myself a break and realize that somehow, someway all the details will get completed in their own accord.

My wish for each of you is for slow, happy, enjoyments of your own---today and all days throughout this fall and holiday merriment to come!

Foggy Fall Falls Fast

It's fall! Being that it's Oregon we've had quite a few days of showers already and quite a few days starting at 50 degrees with 80s reached by afternoon. The type of weather that makes dressing in layers necessary, evening fires desired, and cuddly down comforters on beds a must have.

After working 60+ hours last week between covering gaps in staffing in the center, teaching my fall classes, and handling the admin, lesson prepping, and email responses that new jobs and terms requires, I am more than looking forward to two things. The first thing that I'm looking forward to is the end of week three of the term, which is when I'll have the center staffed by students, the term will have regulated, and Fall 2011 will be much more routine. The second thing I'm looking forward to is Christmas, when Fall 2011 will be completed and there will be a week or so of vacation hopefully, beyond the usual happy celebrations of course!

Lots of good things have been happening as of late:

The House:
A few weeks back I painted two rooms in the house. I'd intended to write a whole post on how awesome it was to add color and to cover up the horrible off ivory paint in some of our rooms, but obviously I ran out of time. I actually got a good deal on paint by using our Chinook Book coupon for low-VOC paint, and the upgrades they've made to the new low-VOC paint has paid off because I didn't have any real issues with coverage and the smell was very minimal. Hub and I made a great painting team. He taped which I hate, and then I painted the whole thing, which he hates doing. We both helped clean-up and we borrowed most the painting supplies from my aunt & uncle, so all we shelled out was for the paint and a drop cloth.

The finished dining area in green.

The other big news with the house is that we got our new bed & mattress. Ironically hub kept telling me that it didn't matter what our master looked like cause we just have our eyes closed while we're in there. Well, well, now that we've got new paint and a comfortable bed and mattress....guess who is starting to spend more time lounging in there? That's right folks! We still want to add some art work and when it's all said and done I'll post pictures. (Plus I've got two more rooms and the entry I'd like to tackle with fresh coats of paint too!)

The Chicks:
So far they're continuing to grow and thrive. Hub upgraded their perch a few inches, we've swapped the heat lamp for a regular bulb and lowered it back down, they demolished the first pear placed in their home last night, and their beautiful feathers are filling in. They've gotten to wear they want an adventure each day and they enjoy the moments we put them in the raised beds to root around. The other day hub called them from the sliding glass door and they amazingly came right in to him! I've had a few concerns about potential health issues, but so far they seem to keep making it alright. Not sure these pictures will do their feathers justice, but the one is starting to look just like the original picture I'd found on the internet:

And Weddings:
My gal's wedding was yesterday and while rained forced the wedding & reception to both be held indoors, it was a beautiful affair and the venue was perfect. Everything went off fairly well--no major fiascoes. The ceremony went smoothly, food was tasty, the wine was delicious, laughter and love flowed, mingling occurred, and now two of my favorites are off enjoying a week to relax and relish in their love! I have to give two thumbs up to my gal who not only looked beautiful but who kept it simple, relaxed the week before because it was all already organized, and who rolled with the punches the day of. A more beautiful and simply elegant bride one rarely gets the chance to enjoy these days!

And then this next weekend we'll hit up one more wedding and help one of my favorite MPH gals celebrate the official joining of her love to her man!

Other News:

Hub started his official entry back into college on Monday of this last week, which means it's busy, busy for both of us around here. He's taking a legit full load of classes and seems to be enjoying most of them after week one. (In fact, I'm slightly jealous---he's taking a sign language class!) Add onto his courses the regular volunteering he started this summer (he's part of a program that matches new veterans with older and/or disabled veterans who need transportation services across town to medical and shopping appointments, etc), and he's definitely got quite a bit on his plate.

Given that both our schedules are a bit crazy and we're dealing with transportation to get places etc, we headed to Costco this last week to try to stock up on food, including things that would be quick, simple, yet still fairly healthy to make in the evenings when we get home or when we're on the go.

I've got lots of great "plans" for the yard, and I'm hopeful we'll get the bigger items done in the next month. We have the Asian pear that we need to get planted still and a few other gardening plans to help prep for next summer. The most recent gardening section of the paper, helped me develop some additional items we need to accomplish (mulching, planting, etc), but with our current schedules and rain I feel just lucky when we even get an hour out in the yard. Today we were able to do some raking up of pine needles, hub cut down the rest of the old diseased apple, and we picked the pumpkins and cleared out more of the raised beds. We stacked the wood from the tree in the shed to cure for the next year, and hub chopped and brought in the rest of our old wood for fires this week. And we'll have to hope that the rest will get done as it can. ;)

Having distracted myself enough today, I'm off to eat some pizza and finally finish my planning for class tomorrow, and to light the living room's candles and stoke the fire. Hope you each are relishing your moments and enjoying the changing season into fall! Layer up, burrow down, but let your autumn heart swell and continue to give!

Letter to a Military Spouse

This has been going around Facebook and I decided to hunt it down online to see if I could find the author. I know this won't apply to everyone, but I've been feeling the need to pass it on to my military wife gals, especially those currently supporting a deployed spouse or looking toward a deployment in the coming year. I can't speak from experience as by the time I met hub he'd just returned from a 15 month deployment, and luckily he didn't have to deploy at his final duty station for the first two years of our marriage/relationship. But for all my military wife gals, here ya go:

"Letter to a Military Spouse

While I have never had the pleasure of meeting you and your husband, I felt the need to write you and express a very deep feeling that I have in my heart.

I as a person, am not brave. I do not tackle things head on, as I hate confrontation. I will travel 100 miles out of my way just to avoid a conflict. I am a American woman that has no idea what is going on in the military other that what I hear on the news. I never had to let go of someone so that they could go fight for people that they did not know, people that sometimes do not appreciate or understand what they are fighting for.

I have never had a sleepless night of worry because of a report that another bomb has exploded and I still haven’t heard from my husband. I have never had to wait for months on end to hold the one that I loved so.

I have never had to tell my children that daddy wasn’t coming home tonight because he was so far away fighting for something that they aren’t yet old enough to understand. I have never had to hold my head up high and suppress the tears as I hear that it will be at least another six months of separation before my loves one gets to come home.

I have never had to deal with a holiday away from the one that I thought I would share every day of my life with.

And I have never had to feel the panic, rising in my heart at the sound of a ringing phone or knock at the door for fear that it is the news that everyone is terrified of getting.

For the reasons listed above, I can not tell you that I understand how you feel. I can not tell you that you must be strong. I can not say that you shouldn’t be angry, because you " knew what you were getting into when you married a military man." I can not say these things because I have never had to walk in your shoes.

What can I say for certain is that because of your unselfish acts of bravery and your husbands willingness to stand up for those who see him as "just another soldier"—- I will never have to walk in your shoes.

I do understand that a military wife you are expected to uphold a certain amount of control , but I never understood how you could do it, until now. I have figured out that you are not like other woman. You are of a special breed. You have a strength within you, that holds life together in the darkest of hours, a strength of which I will never possess. The faith you have is what makes you stand out in a crowd; it makes you glow with emotion and swell with pride at the mention of The United States of America.

You are a special lady, a wonderful partner and a glorious American. I have more respect for your husband than I could ever tell you, but until recently I never thought much about those that the soldier leaves at home during deployment.

Until this moment I could never put into words exactly what America meant to me.

Until this moment, I had no real reason to… Until I heard of you.

Your husband and his military family hold this nation close, safe from those who wish to hurt us…. But you and those like you are the backbone of the American family. You keep the wheels in motion and the hearts alive while most would just break completely down. Military families make this nation what is today.

You give us all hope and you emit a warming light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

Because of you and your family…I am able to be me. I am able to have my family. I am able to walk free in this great land. Because of you and your family, I can look ahead to the future with the knowledge that life is going to be okay. Because of you and your family, I can awake to a new day, everyday.

I realize that you are a stronger person than I will ever be because of these things and I just wanted to take the time today to say thank you to you and your family for allowing me that freedom.

I will never be able to repay this dept to you, as it is unmatchable. However, I hope that you know that no matter where you are… what you doing… what has happened today…or what will happen tomorrow…your husband will NEVER be "just another soldier" to me… And you, my dear sweet lady, will never be forgotten.

You are all in my prayers everyday and I pray that God will bring you back together with your loved one safely.

Sincerely,
Melissa G. Bouldin-Reeves"

Confessions

One of my Army spouse gals just wrote a post on Confessions and asked some of the rest of us to join in, so I thought I'd oblige her, even if it's just cause I miss her and even if many of my recent confessions might be more like environmental downfalls ;) Haha. The other fun part of this is that it reminded me of when hub and I were getting married...I sent him an email with a list of the things I was afraid of having someone else know about my daily habitats and living tendencies!

So without further ado, a list of my recent and maybe past confessions:

1) My green journey has taken a somewhat dive: I've turned on the AC at night, we forget to use our tote bags almost 90% of the time, we use paper towels, my tampons aren't organic and I failed at the Diva cup, the food garden feels like more of a hobby than a necessity, I scrubbed the shower with harsh chemicals two weeks ago, and (sigh) hub has sprayed chemicals on some of our weeds. I'm not entirely sure what's happening to us....I still love the planet, I still want to be sustainable, we still make strides more than many, but I think living in the South sort of disenfranchised my heart a bit to feel like it's going to make much difference. Although it's not that I don't care....because I most definitely do.

2) I have to take a daily shower, and usually it happens at night in order to save time in the mornings. Plus somehow I feel like it keeps my sheets cleaner for longer, since I go to bed clean then. ;) (Although side note: for the last few years I've become a night time sweat-er....so I'm not so sure how well this theory works anymore!)

3) When people ask for a word to describe oneself, I almost always choose eclectic or contradictory. I'm a small town girl with big city tendencies. I'm a hippy chick from a log town. I love all things international yet with nationalistic pride. I'm big on peace and anti-war, yet believe in the need for our military and its troops. And all this also transfers over to my professional life. People tell me that my resume is impressive and it is, but I also have had a lot of very different jobs already. My main professional experience could be said to fall into social services, teaching, and research...but in a whole host of areas. I tend to like to work in the fields that I am most passionate about---adoptions, teaching, health, social justice, independent living skills, career and educational advancement, Latinos, international relations, environmental exposures, literacy, and veterans. I honestly expect to see a continual evolution of my professional fields....but who knows maybe I'll actually find a niche.

4) When I'm stressed (or PMSing), I clean and organize my surroundings like a maniac. When my surroundings are ordered, it makes the rest of life feel manageable too. I also like it to be quiet rather than loud for the same reasons. However this all also means that I'm not always the most wonderful person to live with.....

5) As much as I'm big on saving the dollar signs, when hub and I go on vacation we absolutely love to eat out. I'm not sure if this is because we want to soak up as much of the local flavor as possible, if we're just super lazy, or if it's because as kids we rarely ate out on vacays with our families....but regardless if we're away-from-home we're almost always in a restaurant if we have the budget available. This was incredibly apparent when we were down in our hometown over the long weekend: dinner out two nights at hubs favorite restaurants in town, evening pre-football game pizza and a separate lunch out with hubs fam, breakfast at our favorite lil country diner, pie with one of my gals, and at least two trips out for coffee. Beyond the dollars....my waistline also shows the effects.....

6) Since getting married, I have this irrational fear of putting on weight. I'm not sure if it's because a) my body type within my fam is predisposed to obesity b) the fact that hub is an incredible hottie and I feel I have to try to keep up c) the fact that hub has gotten a lot thinner in the last year d) that I feel I need to represent "health" since that's what I teach e) that I find it uncomfortable to sit when I feel extra inches piling up on my waist or f) that I'm too cheap to want to buy a whole new wardrobe if I do go up a size. Regardless of the reasons, in the last 2-3 years I feel a lot of internal pressure to stay the size that I am. This size is healthy for my body size and bone structure, but ironically it's also much thinner than where I was for several years in my life.

7) This last month I feel like I'm 30ish...in a good way, although it also makes me wonder if I'm selling out. I ordered the Pottery Barn bed, I'm researching a trade-in for my vehicle and paying off hub's truck, I'm planning on buying a new/used wedding band, we're talking about where we could take a "real" vacation in the next three years. Without getting overconfident (cause we're never certain!!), finances feel like they're failing into place a bit more. Hub and I pretty much function independently financially, each covering separate things, but I've reached that spot where I could actually completely function comfortably and financially solo... and its sort of a nice spot to finally have arrived at. However I feel guilty because I'm noticing a tendency to fill my life with "things" (albeit increased quality) and I'm not sure that's the direction I want to be moving in. Yet, it also means that my giving is increasing and for the first time ever I'm signing up for regular monthly giving to my charities of choice. This is something I'm still thinking on....and in the meantime hub's snapped me out of my 30ish facade by bringing up the idea of having his friend move in to an extra room... ;)

8) Three things are always on my heart even if I don't always let them consistently into my mind: adoption, equitable distribution/social justice, sustaining God's creation. In the midst of getting caught up in society's expectation of the World, sometimes I forget about the expectation of the Word and of the items that have been placed on my heart.

9) Of the new vehicles I'm looking at getting, they're all SUVs/crossovers. Although I'm being incredibly mindful of gas mileage, I'd really like something that would allow for me to haul both dogs and non-furry passengers. We're in the research and information gathering stage still and will need to sell off my Honda. Multiple little stages still, but the vehicles currently in the running: Subuaru Forester or Outback, Toyota Rav4 (prob with 4wd), or the GMC Terrain/Chevy Equinox. Feedback is always greatly appreciated.

10) Today I attended a training/retreat for the new job and one of the sessions I attended was about the five love language types as I've always wondered what my types actually are. Big surprise my LEAST love language is gifts aka I'm not a fan of receiving THINGS. ;) And then it was an almost even 3-way tie for the top scores of service, quality time, and touch. Touch has been a big one, as my family has always been big on giving love via touch but hub hates touch, which was an incredibly hard adjustment for me to our marriage (and still is at times.) Ironically even after almost 6 months back in Oregon though, I still have to mentally give myself permission or think about hugging or touching other people aka family and close friends....

Okay and a couple quick links:
I LOVE Flower Patch Farm Girl. She speaks to my heart. She's walking toward a Christ centered life. She's an adoptive parent x3. She's now a foster parent. She's a farm girl. She loves JCrew. She's hilarious. And most of all she's real. And she just posted a link to a video that her husband and her are in for their church that I think is great message to all of us. (They're Cory & Shannan...listed bottom right.)

If you want to know what it can be like for an adoptive parent, truly, really....then this post is fabulous. Adoption isn't always pretty....just like being a parent isn't always pretty, but even through the hate, the confusion, the extreme disruptive behaviors that can occur at times, kids need someone who is steadfast, who is full of love unconditional, who can compromise, who can give....and it ain't easy.

Be good, be real, be true, be confessing ;) Enjoy!

On My Mind....

It's amazing how slow June was and yet July and August have decided to make up for it. With everything going on, I've been trying my hardest to be better organized and have returned to the use of the TO DO list, steadily checking items off my list.

However amongst the to-dos, there's a lot on the mind too, even if frequently it all goes hand-in-hand :)

Reading

My first book club novel arrived on Wednesday (The Help). I'm really looking forward to reading through it and for the comraderie that I hope will develop amongst our members. First meeting is in a few weeks!

However before I start on The Help, I wanted to finish the main book that I have been reading. I recently borrowed a book from my gal, N, who is also an avid reader. You all know that I'm really into personal narratives and non-fiction, but this go round I was in the mood for something a little different. Yesterday I blew through the rest of Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, and I LOVED IT. It was an incredibly easy read, covered family and mother-daughter issues which are right up my alley of things I like to read about, and taught me something new via it's historical fiction context (Russia: Stalin era).  Plus the author is from the PNW--love supporting all things local. ;)

There were a couple of passages that completely resonated with me:

"....They would always be a family, but if she'd learned anything in the past few weeks it was that a family wasn't a static thing. There were always changes going on. Like with continents, sometimes the changes were invisible and underground,  and sometimes they were explosive and deadly. The trick was to keep your balance. You couldn't control the direction of your family any more than you could stop the continental shelf from breaking apart. All you could do was hold on for the ride." (pg 329)

"...And maybe that was how it was supposed to be, how life unfolded when you lived it long enough. Joy and sadness were part of the package; the trick, perhaps, was to let yourself feel all of it, but to hold on to the joy just a little more tightly because you never knew when a strong heart could just give out...." (pg 383)

Family Shenanigans

And a good portion of the quotes probably resonated with me, because in my head I feel like I'm still trying to sort out my transition back into my immediate, extended, and husband's family. After being away for two years, it's definitely a change to figure out how those relationships should look now, and how to integrate my husband to best meet his needs AND the needs of my family members. Additionally, there have been some changes in some family relationships, near and far over the last six months, and I feel like the first quote is a good bit of advice for me (and maybe for some of them too) on some of those changes.

I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such a loving and positive family--one that is truly based on acceptance and unconditional love. In the last two weeks I definitely have spent more time with family members as I got together with two cousins, dropped off garden goodies to my aunt and a cousin, and my brother took me to a Portland Timbers game against my other national love: Argentina. ;)

This weekend we will all come together for the celebration of Granny's 100th birthday, starting with a smaller family BBQ this evening for those of us in Portland and ending with back-to-back bashes on Sunday. My husband and I will provide airport transportation and a place to sleep for my eldest brother's quick 24 hour trip. I'm glad to provide for family... but I have to admit to some apprehension based on a strained relationship between my brother and I this year. However, I know it will be great to have each member of the immediate and extended family here to celebrate the life, lessons, love, and optimism of our granny!

Socialization

They're coming in droves from out-of-state! On Wednesday we'll pick up our friends from Chicago and show them as much of Oregon as we can in a week. We're definitely excited for them to come, and based on their personalities, we know they're absolutely going to love Portland and the PNW! Plus hub will get the added benefit of being able to take them to our home town and hang out with some of his high school buddies. One of my favorite gals from my MPH program will be visiting from California next weekend, so I'm looking forward to getting together with her over breakfast next Thursday. A high school friend of mine who also lives in Cali will be in our hometown mid-month, so I'm going to need to figure out how to schedule in a trip down south to catch up with her and meet her guy. ;) (On the plus side, we'll get to hang out with one of our other favorite high school gals and I'll get to see Mom & Dad too!) I'm heading on Tuesday to see one of my gals who recently had a beautiful baby girl, and I'm seriously bubbling up with excitement about the possibilities of this book club! From what I can tell most the other gals seem pretty stoked too. Add onto that the Bridal Shower I'm throwing for my gal N and it's going to be a pretty socially full next few weeks.

Social Justice---Donations

The Horn of Africa continues to be on my heart and mind. Mercy Corps, who rarely sends me a "tin cup," continues to send updates. The most recent stated the following: "Families in Wajir County are among more than 2.4 million people in Kenya in need of food, water and other critical aid, according to the UN. Our team reports hungry women and children are streaming into towns around northeastern Kenya. Many husbands and fathers continue to search for water and forage to keep their precious herds alive. Up to 80 percent of livestock in the region have already perished." If you look at the updates and pictures on UNICEF, Mercy Corps, Doctors Without Borders, or any of the INGOs, the information is heart-breaking.....

While I am seeing this occasionally show up on the major news stations and papers, it seems so sad that it is not more publicized. It takes so little to make a large difference for others that suffer around the world---a skipped outing to Starbucks, one less microbrew, or bypassing that great deal that one finds at Target but doesn't really need. I know many of us are tight for cash these days, but I still see how well are basic needs are met and how little we fight for basic survival. I know there are mixed feelings out there, but I can't help but ask that if you find it in your heart, you might be willing to give, no matter how little the amount.

 

"But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."--Luke 12:48

 

Working Hard for the Money

Term continues--trying hard to prep now for the next two weeks so I don't have to worry too much about the course while we have friends in town. Same with the training I'm in, trying to cram as much in before they get here---but truthfully it's almost over anyway. A few more activities to do and then I believe it'll be concluded. :) September will mainly be planning for my fall courses, especially the ones that will be new.

 

Ironically, while we're on the topic of employment......I've been missing working with soldiers since our return and have found that frequently my veteran students have really enjoyed working with me, since I have a greater understanding of their military lives, mentality, and potential issues than the average civilian instructor/worker. I've been telling hub and a few friends for the last two months that I wonder how I could work with veterans without going back to school to complete my MSW (tried that, didn't finish, and the way I'm feeling I may be completely done with school....). The irony is due to the fact that this week an internal hire position just got sent out via email for a part-time Veterans Resource Center Specialist at my campus....hmmm. I'm not 100% qualified and I have apprehensions (ie would vets prefer working with me vs an actual vet in the position, its a completely new program/center/etc meaning that year 1 would be a LOT of work), but I also feel that I could be a great fit and bring lots of skills to the program. I do plan to apply but I'm not entirely holding my breath either.... ;)

 

The Garden

We've been passing out lettuce and rhubarb like it's nobody's busy, and additional irony arrived yesterday with another full head of lettuce arriving in my Organics to You box. We also just entered into zucchini season---there are already 5 in our produce drawer and this is the first week of harvesting! ;) Marionberries are putting out about two bowls a week right now and the green beans and snap peas are coming on. Tomatoes are going to go nuts in a few weeks and even the pepper plants are starting to show lots of peppers starting. Hub harvested about 15 heads of garlic this week---they're laying on the deck to dry.

 

We're finally having a few more days of sunshine--helping to promote garden growth and put a smile on this face, and today we started an introductory conversation about creating covers for the raised beds for winter gardening ;)

 

SOOOOOO---lots to do, lots on the mind, but its nice to be busy and purposeful. Hope each of you is doing well!

 

PS I've seen COCONUT cream pie show up TWICE this week.

Here and here. Definitely might have to beg hub to give one a try!

It Comes, It Goes, It's Blessed, It Blows

....and that's life.

It never fails that I j.u.s.t start becoming a frequent blogger, full of many post ideas, and then life happens and blogging stops. But no real need to apologize, we're all in the same boat, and I'm never really sure just how many people read here on a regular basis anyway.

BUT....just in case you care, here's a snapshot of our life as of late:

CLASSES: I'm teaching one and I'm in one. It never fails that the courses that I've taken that are supposed to teach me how to be a teacher, typically are some of the worst examples of how to actually teach. And that's all I really have to say on that particular topic. The course I'm teaching is going so-so, as I'm still in the throes of figuring out how to manage this particularly diverse group of students. It's already half-way done and next week I will have an official observation. We just started getting into some of the good stuff of the term (Nutrition, Exercise, Body Image/Composition), and there are five weeks to go. Overall, I'm liking/loving the job, and in the fall I get the opportunity to teach four courses which is a regular part-timers load. Will be good for the pocket book and good for the mind!

HOLIDAY: The Fourth. We relaxed, we ran, we missed friends. Hub was right and there was a neat old school amusement park along the waterfront of a south town neighborhood. There we watched fireworks after an enjoyable evening game of mini-golf with hub's friend. We munched on ridiculously unhealthy fair food and cotton candy...and then I schooled the husband in a game of air hockey. :) The holiday is always one I want to be my favorite and always one that makes my heart break for soldiers and families so separated by current global affairs.

FAMILY EVENTS/TRAVELS PASSED: Hub's grandfather passed. He and most of his family were able to be there as it happened and then we went back over for the funeral that occurred over the weekend. Hub got to participate in the military honors and I met much of hub's family for the first time. We also briefly got to spend some more time with my gal pal and her lil fam who lives in the same town and discovered that she is pregnant with their third child. Thus it was a weekend of deep thoughts, sadness, acceptance, and yet joy.

FAMILY EVENTS/TRAVELS TO COME: On my side of the family, we are gearing up and farming out duties for Granny's upcoming 100th birthday bash. Cousins, my brother, distant family and friends from near and far will be arriving to participate in the celebration. The following week, hub and I will also be hosts to one of his closest buddies from the Army and his wife. They're flying in from Chicago and we are looking forward to spending time with them and showing them what we can.

GARDEN: It does grow although it's a bit unruly! What I thought are raspberries are more likely marion or bosenberries. The lettuce is producing like crazy and I've eaten my first strawberries and blueberries. The pumpkins should produce but I'm hesitant about the acorn squash. The cucumber got demolished by whatever rodent-like critter is eating from the garden. The peas are finally tied and climbing. And the rest continues on as I continue to learn lessons about what to do differently next year (ie more strawberries, turnips to the other side of the box....).

FRIENDS TAKE 1: They're producing babies, people! Two of five babies due this month have arrived with another scheduled for delivery on Monday. And of the "to arrive" crew is one of my best gal's first bambinos---cue excitement in the air! Beyond my gal that just announced her 3rd pregnancy, hub's best friends from high school are due with their first in January as well. Seems we're entering into the reproducing years!

FRIENDS TAKE 2: Beyond the babies, I've had more conversations (on the phone even!) with some of my non-pregnant gals near and far, and it's been great just to share and connect again. In my wildest dreams I never expected moving home to be as socially slow on the friendship side as it's been, but all good things take time to return and to grow. My main gal here has been so great at maintaining constant communication and we were able to get together the other weekend for a long day together--incredibly refreshing and well-needed. The book club continues to come together and should be starting (hopefully) next month, and another gal pal and I are going to attempt to put together a monthly group to discuss research and topics from our field. This weekend is a wine tour/bachelorette party for a friend getting married this fall, and lately it feels that there have been several other invitations presented from other friends.....so it's sort of starting to come together.

RUNNING: Happiness, its my constant solace and relief, even if I can't quite adhere to a schedule. ;) I'm back to being able to run four miles at a time and hub and I have made some alterations to our regular routes. I'm switching up music, dogs, and solo runs with runs that include the hub. This week should make the third week in a row that I'll be back to making my weekly running goal. We've cut back on the hiking the last few weeks, but running is the steady in the void. I've been contemplating how to create an online accountability group to keep myself going and to encourage the running/exercise motivation of others that I know....

AND WEATHER: There just might be a chance that fall has arrived already. High of 70 yesterday and today with rain predicted again for Saturday. In the four months we've been back, we've had about one week of consistent sunshine and just 3-4 days of temps in the 80-90 range. I already pre-warned hub today that there may be a legit chance of my having SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) this winter, as I already feel the lack of sunshine impeding my usually optimistic mood. We'll be here for the next four years, but I'm already bringing up the notion of us eventually moving somewhere with more consistent sun.

While I'm sure I might be missing something-- that more or less sums up the last week, although I've got more tid bits and blog posts to share. :) Hope you and yours have been healthy and well---sending best wishes, as always, in your general direction!

Productivity & Sunshine

As I type, hub is busy at the stove preparing chai and harassing me to come up with a protein packed snack option for the hike we're about to go on. It's been a beautiful two days, even if today is overcast. At this point, a few days without rain are heavenly! We spent the afternoon yesterday out in the yard finally---still MUCH to do but we removed 6 bushes, shaped 4, laid down mulch, pulled a lot of weeds, and cleaned up the entryway. The yard has been neglected for several years so there is a lot to get accomplished, but already what we did yesterday makes a big difference.

Still hoping to get to the following in the coming weeks:

---Rebuild the raised beds using cinder blocks and wider construction
---Take out 5 bushes in front, move 4 others, trim 2
---Streamline flower beds (ie plant like flowers w/ like)
---Till front entryway and a strip of side yard for gardening

---Mow front yard; seed/fertilize back yard

---Purchase starts, seeds, etc; Make trellis for peas/beans; Purchase blue berry bush?
---Hanging basket; Bird feeders
---Plant juniper bushes along back fence (although might be next season)

---Remulch

(All the bushes we ripped out in a pile, our rhubarb flourishing along the fence, and the raised beds that are a great height but starting to fall apart.)

By cutting back one bush in the back corner, we opened up the perfect spot for a lil chicken coop to be built alongside the shed....although we'll still have to look into that option and clear it with the landlords.

It feels like a whirlwind of a week with a few longer days at the office and two long days coming up next week. I am loving my job, but every job has it's transitions and I'm putting in extra time each week. Sometimes a part-time job can be a full-time mental occupation at times. ;) Hub had an old high school friend in town on Monday who he hadn't seen in five years, so we spent part of the day with her and with several other high school alumni. I got together on Thursday evening with two of my favorite PDX gals, catching up on work, love, and life from the last two years---incredibly great and rewarding to be back with the two of them. It's always so rewarding to have friendships where so much time can pass without talking but it feels like it always did when you finally meet up again. This week hub also built the entryway table, cleaned up the garage, and replaced the toilet in his bathroom with a new, better functioning one---very impressed with all his handyman skills!

(Still needs staining, but we're having a debate over whether it should be cut down by 2-3 inches or left alone! ;))

Our trip home was amazing---too much to do in too little time, but so rewarding all the same. The long weekend was full of great eats at our favorite dives, a stroll on the beautiful Oregon beach, beers and laughter with some of our closest friends and family, helping out with the high school pageant, and comfortable ease in my parents house. Sometimes there's nothing quite like going home again.

It's been a relaxing but full weekend so far--the type you look forward to all week. Still much to get done in the days ahead, but much to enjoy too! Hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend :)