Shout Out for a Week

It's been a week of moments, some good, some frustrating, but such it is in a normal week of this thing we call life! This week has reminded me of the generosity of strangers and the love and support that can be so evident through family & friends. The hub and I have been covered in positive thoughts and prayer from individuals I've never met and from many who so deeply know just what it is that we need.

So this evening I want to give a few shout outs:

To my brother and his wife, my dear undergrad gal, and my cousin for investigating, photographing, and exploring potential housing options.

To my aunt for contacting friends who are involved in the rental market.

To my coworkers for listening to me moan and groan when I was at my wits end Friday morning.

To my texting friends and family, who have responded to my questions, encouraged me through my disappointment, and supported me from afar.

To my parents for agreeing to cat-sit for an extended while if necessary, even when Dad just might be allergic.

To the dogs who never fail to greet me with a smile and a wag of the tail and a million tons of energy.

And to my husband, who seriously carried the larger burden of contacting SO many potential opportunities throughout the last week, who has begun to join me on trail runs, who has been much more available the last several weeks, and who continues to love me even though my melodrama has been reaching new (or maybe old) levels.

I am blessed, I am humbled, and I am hopeful. Here's keeping fingers crossed and prayers lifted....

It's Icy & Dicey

Winter overtook much of the mid-west and east coast this weekend, but it officially landed for the first time this season upon our local area. While we have had a relatively dry season, the recent rain and freezing temperatures led to the closure of most of the surrounding area for icy cautionary reasons. This led to a Friday of working from home for me and an extra day off for the hub. We hunkered down for most of the day but did venture out with the dogs to explore what was actually icy. The coldest temperatures arrived last night but today's sunshine has already melted what ice did exist and we're projected to be in the 60s tomorrow.

Beyond the actual thermometer, its been a bit icy & dicey in our home as well as the hub and I continue to refine and research the choices of our upcoming transition back to Oregon. We have official dates and paperwork is beginning to move, but our housing options so far have been limited due to the dogs (especially with Anna looking so much like a German Shep) and much of the information that should determine the ideal area to live won't arrive until after we need to be relocating. It's beginning to feel that 75% of our "free" time is spent researching and contacting housing options and that the areas that appear to be more dog flexible are less conducive to our commuting needs. In addition, we're both researching and applying for additional employment opportunities. To say there is much still up in the air is an understatement.

So instead, I've taken the morning off and the hub's done a great job of emailing and contacting places. Instead I've been catching up on blogs and thinking about the wonderful opportunities that will be available upon a return to the Pacific Northwest. Such as:
----Receiving a monthly food box from Organics to You and getting eggs and other goodies from local Farmer's Markets
----Increased recycling options, including glass, batteries, and electronics
----Wading and walking along the Oregon coast and watching the dogs enjoy their coastal initiation
----Enjoying a local microbrew with a plate of tots or garden burger
----Supporting causes important to our family & friends
----Attempting to find a church home suitable to our needs
----Fabulous hiking and outdoor activities
---Participating in family events & BBQs

---Frequenting bulk bins at Freddies

I just have to keep believing that everything will work out for the better! And soon instead of iciness, we'll be surrounded by spring showers, sunshine, and flowers....

Transformation

Last weekend the wife down the road stepped into my kitchen for brunch and remarked that I was like a whole new person in two weeks time. My hair was a slightly bit longer (2011 Goal is not to cut it except for trims), my newly prescribed glasses were being worn, and I had skinny jeans on my legs ending in knee-high leather boots. After not seeing each other in two weeks, I did have a few new items which all happened to land in the same period of time...however I don't know that at that moment I felt any different.

I've already written recently about trying to avoid the stress of the upcoming move. Some of the worries I have, of course, pertain to potential alterations of relationships. As my husband and I change based on our occupational  roles, financial situation, and physical location, those changes will likely create alterations to our relationship. Additionally, my family and friends have never had the opportunity really to know my husband and have head minimal ability to know the ways that I have changed (and vice versa) over the last two years. As amazing as I know it will be to again be surrounded by those I care about and love, the whole reintegration does impart some apprehension as well.

Then this week the hub has attempted twice to engage me in conversation about what it is that I want out of the next few years. This is the type of conversation that has not overly existed for the last year and a half, and it's amazing how not thinking about these big questions during the course of the last year leave me unable to answer this question. In fact, leaves me constantly changing the subject so I don't have to think about what might be the answers to these questions. Two years ago I would have said I wanted to have some land, a garden, and some sheep while working part-time....but do those wishes still define who I am today?

Rather over the course of the last two years, I have read less of the legit news and begun to believe that yahoo truly does report headlines. I speak more about Hollywood and TV than I do about political regimes, social issues, and sustainability. I've come to seriously love working full-time. I enjoy driving a car, I've bought skinny jeans, and I even have Softsoap for hand soap in my kitchen. Sure, we still hang most our clothes on the line, I pick plastics out of the garbage to put in recycling, and I send a monthly donation to a charity of my choice, but somehow over the course of the Louisiana me I've maybe begun to try a little less. Although the verdict is still out whether or not I care any less....or if I'm just disillusioned with how much is still left to do in order to create a equitable, sustainable economy and lifestyle. At some point, I stopped wanting to always be singled out as the public health, hippy nicknamed gal.

And so here I am, maybe more stressing about the transformations that have passed and those we will pass through in the coming month, rather than the actual details of the move. I can tell you that I had a slight glimmer the other day when I heard the hub ask me if we can renew my old Mother Earth subscription upon the return to Oregon....but there are still many steps to take back toward a sustainable direction...and back toward discovery of what I want to keep from this part of me, what I'll want to reintegrate from the me of before, and in what direction would I actually like to head.

Ironically for someone who used to think deeply all the time, it sure seems like I actually have some thinking I need to do ahead....

New Years in New Orleans

 HISTORY: This building is where the Louisiana Purchase was signed

 CULTURE: Street musicians on Bourbon

 ARCHITECTURE: French, Spanish, and oh so Southern

 SPIRITUALITY: Beyond voodoo, New Orleans is home to St Louis Cathedral and numerous other amazingly beautiful places of worship.

 CELEBRATIONS: New Years Eve at Jackson Square

 FOOD: Many thanks to Food Network---Mother's Restaurant for Po' Boys

JAZZ: Preservation Hall was amazing and authentic.

Overall, a great final travel venture for the hub and I in Louisiana and a wonderful way to celebrate 2011 with friends both old and new. 

Glorious, Slow Morning

Today I woke up just plain thankful to be alive. You know those mornings when you wake up and everything just feels like it must be right in the world? You could go for some more sleep, but you feel rested by the hours of snooze you did get? You feel that it's a day where the sun just has to be out....and let me tell you it is!

The day is starting off with THAT feeling. I contine(d) to lay in bed relishing the extra moments and waking up slow. Any movement in the morning's sheets, prompts the dogs to gleefully come investigate, pushing their snauzes up on the bed and wagging their tails. Soon after I let them outside and let the cats in. Major, per usual, came barreling in through the back door running into the dogs legs as they scrambled to get outside. His demands for food began the moment his paws crossed the hearth and Lady took up the tune from outside the front door until I could let her in too. Both cats ran straight for their food bowl and I dutifully scooped nuggets into the two dog bowls, while still allowing the dogs some time outside to relieve, play, and catch up on the neighborhood patrol gossip from their furry buddies down the street.

In another ten minutes I'll get out of bed for real this morning, turning on the retrieved Ipod that finally made its way back to the bedroom docking station last night and listening to music that will just make me continue to feel good. I'll wash the face, put on the make-up and clothes for the day, and start preparing my dishes for the potluck style brunch I'm hosting for some of the wives late morning. Most the legit cleaning and nesting was completed yesterday, so today I just need to bake and put out utensils and dishes for use. What's on the agenda on my end: German Apple Pancake, box cranberry-orange muffins, mimosas, and coffee---sort of an equal attempt at cooking and baking with some liquids thrown in.

The rest of the day should include reviewing the seminar slides I will be giving in the morning, hopefully working on an application package for a new job I discovered, and I wouldn't be surprised if some sort of walk or run with the dogs gets thrown in there too.

Regardless, here's hoping this beautiful feeling stays the whole day through....for me....and for you! ;)

January Countdowns

Not only did we participate in a count down as part of the New Year's celebration in New Orleans, but the new year also marked the official count down until we are back in Oregon. Ironically the last months have also seen us better settled into a regular routine here. Never fails to strike me as ironic when we find our groove right before relocating. The hub and I are definitely excited to head back home, although I'm probably adding apprehension to the equation too. I gave myself until February before I start stressing (as I'm so prone to do with any change that I cannot control), but the more people ask me for the details, the more I can feel that stress coming on early. Luckily, so far, the hub is doing a great job of putting up with my attempts to control as much of the rest of my life as I can....and I must say, it's doing amazing things for my running! ;)

We've started scoping out some housing options. All three college applications for the hub are now out there for consideration by admission committees. I've been applying for additional full time positions (which hopefully would be somewhat flexible at least spring term with my instructor gig), although without much luck so far. And it feels like the communication levels between the husband and I have been forced to increase as we try to sort out finances, potential timelines, and the few details we can brainstorm this far out in the game. It seems like most of the actual move planning won't be likely until mid next month, so hopefully I can hold off the stressing until then. So far, I have won one battle though, and I will get at least one dog riding INSIDE the truck with me to keep me entertained on the four day drive back home. ;)

Hub and I both are focusing on enjoying the last few months of our jobs and appreciating the aspects of them that we love the most. We'll probably head up to another Louisiana city for a day trip in the next month so we can appreciate it's history and cultural opportunities before relocating. There will definitely be little things about here that we'll miss, but it'll be great to be back home on so many levels! Although I can honestly see us itching for change at the completion of hub's 4 year degree.

Can hardly believe that we'll be in Oregon re-integrating into family, friends, and a more sustainable lifestyle within two months....

Now here's hoping that all the pieces fall together as they should.