And Full Swing Continues

At this point I'm pretty sure that June and July were months of hesitation because August was going to be packed! So many amazing things this month and also some incredibly trying times too.

Our whirlwind trip with our friends from Chicago was packed and full of minimal hours of sleep. It was amazing to have them here and our two hubs were seriously ecstatic to spend so much time together. Beyond floating the river, we also took them over to the family beach house:

Their week trip wrapped up with a trip to Multnomah Falls and dinner out at one of our favorite funky Cajun restaurants here in the PNW. They both appear to be PNW converts, even if they have to stay living in the windy city.

The week during their stay included a breakfast with another visiting friend and was the bridal shower for my gal N, which went off wonderfully well. The food, decor, guests, and games all intermingled well, and it was wonderful to see the bride-to-be feel the love and appreciation from all of us in her life. She's an amazing woman who gives so freely to others and has dedicated her life to helping other people improve their situations, thus it was a total honor to be able to coordinate an event to let her know how much people adore and respect her for who she is and for who she will become. That week also marked the completion of my online training.

The end of that whole week marked a difficult time emotionally for me, as several realizations about my own life situation and marriage took place. Somewhere in there I celebrated my 29th birthday, marked by an entire day of purposely doing just about absolutely nothing. Hub was wonderful due to the fact that amidst his own frustrations and hesitations, he did still shower me with respect and care. This year he made a carrot cake that included coconut maple cream cheese frosting and took me out to dinner for sushi. The year 28 transitions easily into 29.

After a few days in which I needed to be present in Portland still, I attended my volunteer training session for the Portland to Coast event, met up with my bride-to-be for some good conversation and wedding related shopping, and then stopped by Granny's for a few hours on my way out of town to my parents. And let me tell you---a few days on the coast attending church, socializing with some of my dearest high school pals, a further drive down the coast to visit with another like-family gal and her kiddos, and love and support from Mom and Dad is all enough to mend one's soul and strengthen one's resolve and pride. Late night conversations with two of my dearest gals curled up on a bed just like we were 16 again did much to restore my belief in life time friends and in the beauty, compassion, vision, and pride in myself. These are the types of moments that Hollywood lives for and that we're lucky to have appear in our normal existence. After four days at home, I headed back to attempt to make my own house again feel like a home.

This last week has been filled with date-like moments with the hub among a whirlwind of other events. We hosted our neighbors for dinner. Wednesday was the last teaching session of the summer and this Wednesday is the final exam. Thursday I interviewed for the new part-time position, was offered the job on Friday, and I start training tomorrow. Thursday evening was the first book (& wine) club and it lived up to every bit of my hopes and expectations (even if I didn't quite finish all 500 pages of The Help). I am loving this group of gals and hope that the ties continue to grow over the coming months. Friday the hub and I spent a great afternoon downtown together which included buying him new (locally produced from Keen) hiking boots, checking out potential new beds and mattresses (Ikea was not a good idea on that account), and concluded with happy hour at Jake's Crawfish (AMAZING drinks and cheap, delish food). Saturday was filled with a full day's float down the Clackamas River with my family, hub's friend, and another couple friends of my cousins. It was a BEAUTIFUL day (we just finally broke 90 degrees for the first time this summer), and I ended the day with a girls dinner out with a visiting friend and her other Portland gals.

Amongst the craziness, my visit home left me restored and for the first time in a long time, I went to church two weeks in a row. Hub and I attended a new church last evening with my cousin and her husband. Spiritually he and I are in different places, but for the first time in a long time I walked out of a new church service feeling like I could be at home there. One thing I've been coming to realize is how difficult it can be to remain steadfast in the midst of uncertainty and newness, yet there are definitely some places I'd like to get back to, even if they are just places and values that are deep inside of me. I'm constantly in awe of God's provision this summer, as each time we've started to feel any sort of a pinch financially, a new financial opportunity has presented itself. Amongst the uncertainty I keep remembering to give and it seems that God continues to provide. I've started to pray again, a bit more regularly, and while I feel that my life is maybe in a period of editing and revision, I am hopeful that some of my old tendencies and beliefs will be returning. Especially as life heads even more into a period of full swing.

If there's one thing that most of you long-term readers have probably noticed, its that my blog gets really quiet when my internal life and thoughts become uncertain. So much for authenticity, eh? :) Although that's probably as authentically me as possible--pull it in and pull it home til it greats straightened out again. Please know that all of you regular readers (that I'm aware of) and friends, were definitely crossing my heart and mind in the interim---hope that y'all have been well!

Life is in Full Swing

So much for those weeks with hints of dissatisfaction about life feeling too slow. The last two weeks haven't had much "free" time whatsoever, but much of it has been pretty enjoyable! So until I have time to officially write a legit post, some pictures and quick updates:

Granny's Officially ONE HUNDRED!

Party went off fabulously and she had over 100 people come by the open house to greet her. She stood for about three hours in the reception line and was still going with more energy than most of us even after the family BBQ that followed her official party. :) Other highlights to her birthday included a tour of the OSU Beaver football stadium and a meet-n-greet with their head coach (she's an avid sports fan!), and a trip to the beach house with family and her visiting prior exchange student who is here from Costa Rica. No doubt all her celebrations will continue throughout the entirety of this month. We are so blessed to have her!

On Tuesday afternoon I had an amazingly perfect afternoon visit with a friend of mine from high school who I have remained in contact with off and on. She just had her second baby and lives within 20 minutes of us, so I headed over with a few things for her and the kiddos. The visit and her girls were amazing---no facades, just us, catching up and being ourselves. It was the perfect afternoon.

On Wednesday hub and I picked up his friends from Chicago. It's been a whirlwind trip so far but one highlight occurred on Thursday afternoon when we floated the Clackamas River:

A few other escapades in the days since then and many to-dos crossed off the list. The to-do list is finally almost under control however :) On my heart and mind the last few days: the 31 lost lives in the helicopter crash in Afghanistan yesterday.

And now I'm off to host the bridal shower!

Hope y'all have been well!

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!

Today....

....feels like a beautiful day.

Some things I'm loving:

--Finally sun-bathing on the back deck again yesterday afternoon.

--An enjoyable and fulfilling afternoon/evening conversation with hub yesterday.

--Coconut popsicles and Coconut coffee creamer (yes, I'm STILL on my coconut kick!)

--Saturday morning low-cost pet vaccinations from LuvMyPet and a new purple collar for Anna so people might actually know that she's a girl...

--The garden: A bowl full of marionberries, a handful of bush beans, bags of lettuce, hoards of rhubarb, tasters of blueberries, and the beginnings of zukes, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, and other yummies.

--A Thursday evening out with friends at Montage (cajun food in the PNW). Food wasn't as great as we remembered, but the drinks and the company were perfect. In the bar after dinner, we half-participated in a game of hosted trivia, and dinner conversation covered everything from basic tid bits, to documentary reviews and suggestions, the current state of environmental and maternity affairs, sports debate, and hiking suggestions--making me so glad to be back amongst friends in the PNW. Friend's boyfriend is new to the PNW and hub and him got along well, so here's hoping the four of us can make a regular venture out for food and convo.

--Visits with cousins--an evening advice & catch-up session with one and an afternoon tour & chat with another at her home. Nice to spend a little time back with family.

--Checking off items on my to-do list for work and business.

--The sound and smells of the neighborhood: sprinklers in the evening and afternoon BBQs. The whistles from the high school football field with their summertime practices.

--Two dogs lazing next to the couch and a black cat curled up by my feet.

--A scheduled first Book Club meeting next month and the start of scheduling for the new public health discussion group.

--Completed professional observations (even if I did stress myself into sweaty feet, major cheek break-outs, and a few extra cortisol induced inches along my waist line...). ;)

--And the best thing of the month: hub constructed me a work space/desk out of a spare closet. It's the perfect amount of space for me and now I have a spot for passed course work, this term's notes, old text books, bills, etc. It's seriously perfect and absolutely wonderful---I love functional, simple gifts best of all...

Some things settling upon my soul:

--Excitement for babies, near and far.

--Five and ten year plans (in pencil)...

--Thoughts about how re-selfish I've become, mainly stemming from this topic:

     ---Famine in the Horn of Africa. Mercy Corps got ahold of me via an email plea the other evening, my heart broke, and my pinched wallet gave after a second "sign" came via a random mention of something similar in a new book I just started. Every once in a while, God cracks through my hardened soul in a new way or maybe by a remembered lesson. I've been giving regularly via a mission related to my Presbyterian background and actually was going to withhold this month since we're a little tighter on funds lately......but sometimes it takes a smack in the face to make me realize that what is "tight" to me is nothing compared to what is tight or non-existent for so many individuals on this planet. How frequently I take so much for granted, how frequently I fill my house with food, with clothes, with furniture, and most of it isn't even needed. I fill my life with extra possessions to fill "some void" when most individuals on Earth are just trying to survive. Makes me begin to take a hard look at how far I've come since my whole purpose of starting this blog....and so my heart and mind are opening (ever so slowly) and my wallet emptied a bit more to attempt to make even the slightest difference if I can.

A mixed bag of blessings, remembrances, gifts, lessons, appreciation, and determination added to a lil' bit of old fashioned hope. It's a great day to be alive.

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!

Is It Documentary Season Here?!

It's rare for me to watch much TV, but I will tell you that this week I'm making up for it with my refound love of documentaries.

So two more that I watched last night until the wee morning hours of the night.

The Business of Being Born with the trailer:

 and Pregnant in America with trailer:

Both are similar although The Business of Being Born is shorter and with a little bit less information, although both use the same experts etc. The creator of Pregnant in America also is slightly Michael Moore-ish, which I usually don't mind but I did have to wonder a bit about him in this film. Both though are great at evaluating the medicalization and business of pregnancy and L&D in the USA.

This morning hub and I also watched two other interesting ones, which both ironically are based on books.

Freakonomics--an interesting look at theory and causality of various concepts.

And a quick trailer for Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire, which takes a long look at four favorite plants across the world: apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes.

I'm sure by now it comes as absolutely no surprise that all of these were watched on Netflix Instant, and I also discovered last night that God Grew Tired of Us is available on instant. This morning I woke up to a NYT's article about continued political discord and turmoil in Sudan. After watching the film yesterday, the article definitely impacted me much more today. As we head into the 4th of July, the political turmoil around the world does make my heart ache for other nations, but also leads me feeling so fortunate to live here in the United States. Things aren't perfect here by any means, but I'm free to live how I choose without real fear or concern about being attacked by my own government or by any potential political radicals from either end of the spectrum. It is my hope and prayer that the reality of that freedom and liberty will continue to exist for us and will become the reality for all the world over.

One last quick resource, as I just found a few great blog posts on The Green Phone Booth. The one I want to point you to though is the one that discusses greener lawn care and offers suggestions for safer alternatives for bug and weed control, etc. I definitely will be trying the direct white vinegar on some of our nasty weeds in the mulch and seeing what happens. (If you're an animal/dog lover you might also want to check out: When Good People do Nothing....)

And FYI, don't be surprised if a few more documentaries show up in the next few days. Any suggestions that I should check out for either books or films??