Blasts from the Past

You know how people choose words to represent their year? Well, I've continued to feel like my word or intention of the year tends to choose me...and this year is proving to be no exception.

Last year, the word evolved and presented itself as "grace." This year I'd sort of wondered if it wasn't going to be a bit more about settling...as in settling more into life, myself, the future, my career & finances, slowing down physically, etc. And while it does seem to be about that....it also has really been presenting this aspect of reconnecting with the past also. 

Case in point:

1) I returned to search out the career that I always felt was more my calling....and doors opened...as in flew open. But I had to reconnect to the past and what mattered to me then in order to move forward into the future of what those dreams could be....

2) I mentioned last year that while on a running date, I literally ran by a guy from my hometown. We shared mutual friends through two sources and so he and I hung out a few times with one of those connections (who also lives with his wife in Portland). That particular mutual source actually was an old love/long time best friend of mine and I am so in love with his wife and him together. I've had the opportunity to hang out with them (the couple) and the guy I ran by several times in the last year, but we all just reconnected again this spring as well. I honestly so love being in contact with my old best bud, am continuing to look forward to building a relationship with his wife, and totally enjoy the great moments out with them as a couple!

3) This story continues as on a lunch date last month with the guy I had run by, I also saw a friend of mine from my middle school days when I used to live in Eugene. It had been 12 years since I'd seen her the last time (again when I randomly ran into her in Portland). She and I were finally able to meet up for lunch last Friday and caught up briefly on the last 10-20 years....amazing! We've both had interesting turns in our life stories in the last five years but agreed that we are much stronger people because of it. It was fun seeing an old blast from the past and we're planning on taking her kiddo to the zoo one day this spring.

4) And there's more....In 8th grade, my family and I moved to the coast where I also finished high school. Almost 70% of my 8th grade year was spent with my buddy who lived down the street. I called his mom my second mom and she drove me to all sorts of events. I have SO many memories from my five years on the coast with this first brother-from-another-mother: shooting hoops in the gym, learning to shoot a gun up in the woods with his parents on my 15th birthday, homemade ice cream, camping with his family during a basketball tournament, going to church youth group, sharing my boyfriends as his other best friends. (Most my good friends were males until I hit my junior year of high school....) He met his now wife when we were 15 and they've been married & parents since we were 19. If I'm totally honest, he's one of my friends that I am most proud of and the two of them remind me so much of a younger version of my parents. I was able to visit them in 2009 when we were stationed in Louisiana and he and his wife were stationed in Alabama....but then somehow life got away from us. And even though they've been stationed in Washington for the last 2-3 years....it wasn't until way earlier this month that we saw each other again. Yet, I saw them again yesterday for the second time this month when I stopped at their place for dinner after a trip to Seattle....and it felt just like old times albeit now with more life and responsibility. And truthfully, I really hope to fit in a few more trips in the next year and before they get orders to a new location. It feels SO GOOD to have reconnected.

5) If you haven't noticed, beyond having just plain male friends, I also tend to try to transition guys I have dated into friends. While I recognize that not everyone operates this way, I've been fortunate to turn some unrealistic romantic partners into wonderfully supportive friendships, although I don't have the opportunity to see many of these friends much due to distance and life circumstances. One of the guys who taught me so much in my mid-20s however has been a great minimalist supporter over the years...and after not seeing him for almost ten years, I will be getting together with him briefly on Saturday.

6) I've already mentioned stopping by my old college housemate's house and visiting with her, her hubby, and their four kiddos on my recent trip to Bend. In that case it had been four years since we'd last seen each other in person.

7) Oh and that wedding I'm going to in Canada at the end of this summer? Again....an old high school friend who I only get to see every 2-3 years usually. There are only two of us from our hometown who are invited/going and since this other guy and I are also family/church friends, it'll be great to see him. Ironically he, his wife, and kiddos live locally....but we really only reconnect when our mutual buddy is in town or involved. :) 

I also have a feeling that the reconnections that I've mentioned aren't going to be the only ones. While this influx of old connections could be totally coincidental, I also do find it interesting and can't help but wonder if there is a bigger lesson I'm supposed to be recognizing out of it. Regardless, I've been enjoying the process and am looking forward to more visits ahead. And maybe just maybe, as I move toward this notion of "settling," perhaps this other underlying lesson is that sometimes it's good to be reminded of who you were before the rest of life happened.... :) 

The Hodge Podge of April

So far, I have to say this month has been pretty good to me, and I hope it continues in that fashion. :)

--There have been some housemate changes. The long-term female renter moved out. My short term female renter will still be here til the beginning of May, and I already have one summer (May thru Aug) new housemate lined up. I will post an ad for a second housemate for the summer but for now have been relishing having solo moments in my house again. I seriously do enjoy meeting the variety of new individuals through renting, but I am SO looking forward to the day when I can truly afford to just live solo again. (Most the time solo...I still expect that I'll rent out some for fun....) This past weekend was the first time in almost a year that I'd had my house to myself for more than two days in a row. The dogs and I soaked it up. We slept with the bedroom door open. I ran around less clad than normal. We.loved.it. :)

--I've been socializing. There was a coffee date with one of my favorite gals and her babe. Easter with my family. My mom's birthday celebration. A late lunch with my original brother-from-another-mother and his wife and kiddos...who I hadn't seen in SIX years. A bachelorette party downtown. A quasi double date night at a new brewery in town. Dinner with another of my gal's and lunch with another friend. A coffee meeting with a former colleague who is trying to help get me hired at one additional local institution. And there's more coming.....I recently ran into a middle school friend of mine after not seeing her for ten years so we're grabbing lunch in a few weeks, there's a repeating girls happy hour, a kayak trip scheduled with a buddy, Dad's birthday dinner, and several other friends who I'm feeling the need to see in the coming weeks also.

--I've been taking care of medical stuff, ie I feel like I've been living at my medical provider. I've had rabies, yellow fever, polio, and mengicoccal vaccinations. I've had three TB tests (one for employment, two for pre-travel testing). I've talked to the travel clinic on the phone several times and have multiple prescriptions and the typhoid vaccination waiting for pick up. I've had routine blood work run and then blood work checking to make sure my MMR, Hep B, & chicken pox immunity is still strong. I got my eyes checked for the first time in 5 years and picked up my new glasses. I have one more rabies shot out of the series to receive and a dental appointment scheduled next month, but then I think I will have most of my medical stuff taken care of until I'm returning from Tanzania. I'm also so grateful for health insurance!

--I've been working. Spring term started and this week began routine grading. I'm teaching three courses online this term and my regular evening course. In two weeks I'll get hit with about 100 assignments, so I'm trying to plan my schedule accordingly. Now that my work schedule has sort of stabilized, I've been participating in more department meetings this term and am on a committee to help revamp one of our courses. This week I also had new employee orientation for the new teaching gig and there will be a three week online training for that job starting on Monday. One morning a week will also become Swahili lessons and meetings with our students for the trip this summer, and I've also enrolled in some community education courses to help increase my knowledge of natural medicine modalities. It's looking more and more like this might turn into a more stable thing...and if it does....well, let's just leave it at that. But I seriously feel so incredibly grateful and blessed. I'm also working at a local chiropractic office one day a week with 6-8 massages on those days...and my aunt just networked a potential other massage option for later on this summer. And over the course of the last several weeks, I've applied to several jobs in and out of state. I'm not entirely sure if I'm ready to relocated, but I'm really trying to ensure that I can meet my financial and professional goals regardless of anything else during the next several years.

There are still lots of other little things going on not noted here of course, but truthfully I've had so many moments in the last several weeks where I'm just in awe of the numerous doors opening and how plans are all sort of coming together. If things continue on the course that they have been, there's a good chance that I can be back on my own financial feet within the next year....God willing...and let's hope He's willing :)

The dogs and I also had two exploration days at the start of the new term and we've had two really good runs within the last couple of days. I got new running shoes and they discovered that the nearby gas station gives out big milk bones....so all three of us are happier ladies. :)

And with that...we're off to bed. ;)

Day Hiking with a Kid

Twice during the last few months, I volunteered to watch the child of one of the female veterans I know during a Friday afternoon. The first time we hung out so that he didn't have to attend class with his mom (he had no school that day, she had no other baby sitter), it was rainy so we holed up in a Starbucks and played the most fun game of Yahtzee you can imagine (TWO yahtzees for the kid!).

The next time she needed help with coverage I decided to take him on a day hike in Forest Park and again we had SO.MUCH.FUN! Now you should know that 6-10 year old boys are one of my favorite age groups anyway, cause they're usually so full of adventure and imagination. Since Landon is an active kiddo and apparently hadn't been able to go hiking a lot, he also had a complete blast running across downed logs, hopping across the creek, and trying to find new ways to explore the surroundings. (Totally recognize that I should have kept him on path more than I did :( but trying to manage both dogs was a challenge that day so I picked my battles)

It was so neat seeing the trail through a kiddo's eyes though and being able to expose him to something new. I also realized how many learning opportunities the trek created and that it would have been so easy to turn it into a "lesson" at another date (stream ecology, forest habitat, local varieties of flora/fauna, environmental degradation, survival skills...and the list goes on). (As a high school student, I actually helped lead week long outdoor ed courses for local elementary kids and I so loved it!)

Landon and his mom just relocated back to the east coast since she was able to graduate this term, but I'm a little bummed I didn't get to take the little buddy on a backpacking trip before they skeddaddled out of here. He is the perfect age and energy level for it :)

All around such fun opportunities though and makes me realize again how much fun exploring nature can be with a kiddo in tow!

A Life Less Tired--Spring Break 2015.

Ha, three days to fit in three posts still this month and I've been horrible about keeping up on everyone's blogs again....

But in reflecting upon the last post I wrote...I'm glad to report that I'm finally less tired. Going into spring break I was so incredibly ready for a vacation and a break. The last month I'd definitely been a bit more irritable than some and just generally feeling exhausted. When I couldn't find dog sitters and when it dawned on me that both my outdoor buddy and I were equally stressed and wiped out, we shelved our kayak camping trip for spring break and instead headed to my family's beach cabin on the coast....and honestly in a lot of ways it was just what we both needed. We'd brought our backpacking gear with us but then once the weather was so rainy unpredictable we decided to just hang out at the coast until I had to come back for work.

I ended up experiencing the town way differently than I have before...aka we spent a little too much time at the local bars the first night so most of Sunday was just spent lounging around the cabin. But we had so many great conversations curled up on our separate couches and every day we just re-evaluated the weather and how we were feeling in general to determine how the rest of that day/the week would go...it literally was the perfect, restoring, needed vacation.

We hit up the local dinners for breakfast on three days, ordered pizza at the local spot, and fixed steaks and sweet potatoes for dinner at the cabin another night. We spent one day driving down the coast a bit. The first stop was in Lincoln City where we visited a cute little used bookstore. We both walked out with a couple titles (like I needed more public health books! :)) and had had a great conversation with the quirky book store employee (who was so sweet to offer me chamomile tea for my cough). From there we drove down to Depot Bay which is "the smallest bay in the world" and a spot where my parents used to take us as kids for salt water taffy, wave watching, and kettle corn. Apparently Depot Bay is also a spot where Reg D spent time as a kid. We got caught in some rainshowers and ended up being hungry again, so we grabbed these amazing burgers with saukeraut at this Irish spot in town. From there I wanted to check out something scenic so we kept driving down Hwy 101 to Devil's Churn, where after some funny ill-placed investigation, I finally realized the site was right off the parking lot ;) But rainy days make for some great coastal waves.

The next day after a late breakfast, we headed down to the cape, where Reg D sat on the patio of the local establishment with a book, his camera, and a beer, while the dogs and I climbed up the large sand dune/cape and jogged down the beach some. We'd been wanting to try to do some local kayaking but the shop in town was never open, so we eventually drove down to Devil's Lake near Lincoln City to rent some kayaks for an hour. I had a good time being out on the water but the quality of kayak and the lack of scenery wasn't really up to Reg D's desires. (The entire lake shore here is packed with houses.) This is the night we made steaks and sweet potatoes and sat at the table til 830pm engrossed in conversation. Then since I was still recovering from a cold (and swearing off alcohol for a few days...) I curled up on the couch with a book and Reg D headed down to the locals bar...where he met someone who offered to take us out Dory fishing in the ocean next time we go back.

On Wednesday we spent some time lounging around before I deep cleaned the house for the next family members to enjoy it. I was able to get a good run in this day and also cleaned my own house was I got back to it.

I spent Thursday working in my massage job, giving six massages spread out throughout the day. (I have mixed feelings about this job but it's great experience for a variety of reasons, the extra income is helpful, and the one day a week factor makes it a better fit.) My new term was prepped before I left for vacation, but I allowed myself an hour or so of work on Thursday evening to smooth out details that always appear prior to the start of the term.

Friday, I scooped Reg D up from downtown and we had an incredible afternoon exploring some of my favorite kayaking waterways. Saturday I spent at an amazing continuing education Food as Medicine Symposium. (I hope to write about both of these later :)) I spent the last two nights on the phone talking with my mom and she remarked how great it is to hear me sounding so energized, passionate, and yet relaxed again.

This morning, I'm lounging in bed. Cup of coffee by my side, dogs curled up next to me, sunshine outside, the door open with bird tweets and spring time smells wafting in....trying to decide what the best day hike option might be :) I'd contemplated going to church this morning but am feeling more called to go commune with God in nature instead...it's where we do some of our best bonding.

Even with a cough still holding on, a few other changes in the air, and a bit of uncertainty in other areas, life feels pretty incredible at the moment....and I'm finally no longer totally exhausted. :) So grateful for a restoring and much needed spring vacation!

Snowshoeing at Lower Twin Lakes

One of my friends from my freshman year of college just moved back to Portland with her husband. We wanted to the opportunity to spend some time together and since he had to work on Friday, I asked if she would be interested in trying out snowshoeing. She'd never been but is eager to see more of Oregon's beauty, and truthfully it was a great way to spend a day together. 

Since it was during the busy long weekend between New Years and when everyone would be heading back to work, I decided to take her to one of my usual routes of Lower Twin Lake, which tends to be less crowded and easier with the dogs.

We stopped at my old standby rental store (Mountain Tracks in Government Camp) to pick up snowshoes, boots, & poles for Sarah to use. Still love that place, even if their prices have increased in the last two years. They also have a great map that is viewable in the bathroom (and available for purchase) that shows many of the snowshoeing paths around Mt Hood.

I remembered what it was like on my first snowshoeing excursion so I made sure to help Sarah with getting her snowshoes on and then we just went at a slow, even pace along the trail. The first time can be a bit of an adjustment, but she did great and I think she truly enjoyed it.

The temps were warmer on this particular day so while the wooded trail looked like it was out of a movie scene, we also had to dodge snow falling on our heads from dripping trees :) 

Standing on a corner of the frozen Lower Lake with Roxi:

Anna was running around so she makes two appearances in this pano of the lake :) 

At the lake, we ended up chatting with a group of retired couples that had hiked up to the lake for a quick outing. They were great to talk with and it sounds like they routinely set out on adventures ranging from wintering in Arizona, to once a year cabin adventures with old friends, to long hikes in the national parks.

On the way back to Government Camp to return the rentals, we hit some of the worst traffic I've ever been in when coming off the mountain. It took us an hour to make the five miles back to the rental store. Luckily Sarah had snacks and we just enjoyed the opportunity to continue to chit chat together. Also luckily by the time we made it out of the store (and attempted to get dinner at the packed local brewery--no go), some of the traffic had cleared and we were able to make it down to the towns at the base of the mountain without too much additional trouble.

We stopped at a restaurant in one of the small local communities that had great reviews online...and after Sarah and I were willing to move our table twice in order to accommodate an ever-growing group of friends that was dining in the middle of the restaurant...we ended up with a free dinner and an extra round of drinks! AWESOME! I'll give up my table any time for that :) The people were fun to chat with on our way out and truthfully the entire day of introducing Sarah to snowshoeing, catching up over dinner, and chatting with fun strangers was a pretty remarkable day!

The dogs had fun and the day presented the opportunity to work on goals 11 and 9 for the year. I introduced Sarah to a new outdoor activity AND I had the opportunity to EMBRACE the experience and ENJOY time with a wonderful friend, friendly strangers, and happy dog faces. :)

The Unwinding of Summer

Summer is coming to a close.
My last two finals to take are tomorrow.
The last outdoor trek of the summer happens this weekend.
And what a summer it's been.

In the midst of all the current tiredness, I can't help but feel that I am so incredibly fortunate to be so tired. That all the moments of tiredness are and were so worth the moments with friends, with family, with movement toward the future, or with growth through goals.

So what were the highlights of Summer 2014?

1) I made it through another dual term. I taught three separate courses this summer-one of which was a new class for me. I thoroughly enjoyed my students this summer. I took four massage courses this term and I fell in love with many of the Eastern modalities. I'm registered for my final term. I'm scheduled and prepared for teaching this fall. I created a career plan that reflects the next two years and I know that I'm headed toward even more growth.

2) Per usual there were a lot of awesome outdoor adventures (all of which I wish I would have blogged about separately). There was a kayak outing on the Tualatin River, a solo SUP morning, and a day of kayaking with visiting friends. There were multiple solo day hikes, long day hikes with the ex-husband/Tall D as we reacquainted our friendship, and a few date hikes or runs with different dudes as well. There was a lot of running mileage as I continue to progress toward my goal of 900 miles this year. There was a women's weekend where I finally got to attempt surfing. There was the best back packing trip I've ever been on with one of my favorite massage school gals. There was a recent day of exploring Olympic National Park (with a hike, lots of driving, and a beach trek) with Tall D. And tomorrow he and I leave for a long backpacking weekend in the Wallowas in eastern Oregon.

At the end of our Herman Creek backpacking trip.

Short Sands surfing

3) There were a lot of awesome visitors! I had one of my best gals from high school in town for a night in August. Earlier summer included dinner/kayaking with one of my best gals from grad school and her boyfriend, my buddy R who relocated to Texas and I hiked in to float on a mountain lake, one of the housemates from last summer stopped by for dinner on his move to Seattle, one of my undergrad friends brought her husband for dinner while they visited to explore moving to Portland (they're moving here in December and returning for another visit in two weekends), and I met a favorite high school buddy and his fiance for happy hour when they passed through town. I also hosted local acquaintances who I don't get to see as frequently: an afternoon of tapas at the house with an old hometown mentee and her boyfriend and I happily reconnected with an ex-who-was-my-best-friend-for-years and his wife.

4) Granny celebrated her 103rd birthday! We celebrated per usual with a family BBQ on her actual day and the female clan tea party on Saturday. It's always great to honor the queen and to reconnect with many of the extended family who comes home to help celebrate.

5) I celebrated my 32nd birthday...and it was a phenomenal celebration this year. After all our history, Tall D still has a knack for making me feel especially special and appreciated on my day. This year I had my high school gal here during the weekend before my birthday and then on my actual day the two Ds and I hiked into a secluded lake and floated around in tubes with some beers. In the evening, I went out to my favorite Mexican restaurant with a handful of friends. And the day after my birthday, Tall D had gotten me tickets to one of our favorite soulful artists. It just so happened that one of my local gals and her husband also had tickets so we were able to connect with them at the venue. Such an incredible birthday this year--I definitely felt so special!

6) I dated someone new for several months and helped refine what I'm looking for and grasped a better idea of what matters versus what we think matters in the bigger picture. I had a lot of fun. I learned new things. I was amazed by the thoughtfulness he put into creating simple dates and at times I felt incredibly spoiled. ....and in the end, our timing wasn't right, the pairing was and wasn't right, and I decided to put dating on hold for a bit again...unless that "right" man falls in my lap of course. Har har.

A bonfire at the beach with the dude, dogs, brats, tunes.

7) I preserved a LOT of food. One of my personal goals for this year was to try to grow more and preserve more than any year before....and I am really happy with the outcomes, while also knowing that even bigger gains are possible in years to come. This year I canned: peaches, pears, salsa, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, applesauce, pear butter, plums. In the freezer are: blueberries, raspberries, cherries, marionberries, strawberry freezer jam, kale, grapes, shredded zucchini, rhubarb, mint. This year I planted: tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, kale, spinach, leeks, strawberries, brussel sprouts, cabbage, onions, peas, green beans, corn, and beets. The brussel sprouts got ripped out due to battling bugs that spread to the cabbage & eventually the kale, the spinach went to seed quickly, I battled with mean bee and yellow jackets nests (twice), I learned that co-planting snap peas around the tomato cages is a bad idea, the zucchini didn't seem to like it's new location, I can never keep up with the green beans in time, and my absolute favorite thing I grew were the beets. I also harvested grapes from the neighbors vines that I let go crazy over the fence, I replanted artichoke plants, I left the garlic alone, I picked mint/rhubarb/marionberries from the yard, and the kiwi is absolutely loaded (for harvesting in December).

8) There were a lot of chicken transitions and build projects. At the end of the summer I currently have four hens. Two separate batches of Americauanas with one gray hen from my original batch that produced her and two roosters and then two new brown hens that are still growing. There is also a lil black Banty that came from my middle hen acquisition attempt....and she's currently laying! :) Build projects included continuing to tweak the rebuilt/moved coop, indulging in a few hammock recoup sessions under the rebuilt arbor, and this summer also yielded a date day of demolishing and building compost bins from old pallets.

9) Beyond my long term massage classmate/housemate, there was a young housemate here for two months who desired lots of companionship and to see parts of Portland/nearby. I spent a lot of time in conversations with her and we also took trips to the Gorge, into downtown, and down to Silver Creek Falls. Her youthful energy was fun and reminded me a lot of a much younger version of myself. That gal is destined for some pretty great things.

Portland Rose Garden

10) In the down moments, I spent a lot of time continuing to reflect...on growth, on how to align opposing versions of myself and land somewhere in the middle, on where life might potentially head. I had a few great afternoons laying in the hammock or suntanning on the back patio. I watched a couple great documentaries and tore through some sessions with various books from the library. I met up and spent dinners/happy hour/coffees with some of my closest local Portland friends. I remembered to grant myself grace, to be comfortable with and proud of what I see when I look in the mirror, and to embrace the constantly evolving nature of life. And at the end of the summer, as tired as I might be, I'm again so grateful for a rewarding experience of life that passed along. While it might not have felt as epic or total fun as last summer, this summer felt pretty darn fulfilling!

Hope y'all had a wonderful last few months as well!

Brain Dump of Recent Events

Life has been a whirlwind. I love how whenever I expect things to slow down, then things totally get packed in :)

--One thing I didn't mention in my last update post is that on the run date, we actually crossed paths with an old acquaintance of mine from my hometown. I got in touch with the guy via FB to find out if it was really him, which led to happy hour, which led to dinner & drinks during the next week with our one of our many mutual friends and his wife (who happens to be a former boyfriend and then we were best friends for years after the fact). So literally in the span of three days, I saw the two guys from my hometown who I hadn't really seen in 6-10 years, finally got the opportunity to meet the one guy's wife (who I loved...they are so wonderful together!), plus hosted my old undergrad friend and her husband who I had only seen once in the last ten years also (and they might be moving up here!!). Lots of reconnecting with some amazing people. Tonight I'm meeting up with the old acquaintance and another gal from our hometown in order to run Mt Tabor.

--I spent a morning Upicking cherries and then drove to my sister's for a fun morning/early afternoon of making strawberry freezer jam. And then on Saturday, I accomplished my simple goal of getting up with the sun on the solstice and embracing the whole day :)

--The second new housemate arrived and so far she's been great. She's only here for two months and based on how the summer is already going, I have a feeling those two months are going to fly by! Compromising some as with all living situations, but it's wonderful to feel like the house might be settled for a bit (fingers crossed....).

--I don't want to post too much about all my adventures and interactions lately BUT I had an amazing Sunday of making pies from scratch with left over strawberries from the jam making and rhubarb that was picked from the garden....followed up with riding on the back of a motorcycle through the backroads of my local area. It was SO.MUCH.FUN and I had a smile plastered to my face the whole time. It'd been forever since I'd been on a bike and it was incredible to see the country fields and farms from a different perspective with the breeze whipping us and the sun shining down. All of the mountains were visible in the distance, big American flags were flapping on farm lands, cows and alpacas were out in the fields, and it was fun leaning around all the curvy roads. The rest of that day was also pretty stellar with dinner thrown together and eaten on the patio with sparkly lights lit around and an easy walk with the dogs around the neighborhood. Things in life aren't always simple....but the moments that are easy and free seem to make life feel more spectacular.

--I celebrated the end of the massage term, so technically this week and next I'm "on vacation." Although my new work term started this week and I taught my first inperson course of summer term last night. My classmate and I are heading on our first backpacking trip Sunday-Tuesday and we're both pretty stoked. I just got a new backpacking book which has some great new trails to check out in it, and the old backpacking buddy (reg D) and I have been trying to figure out when we can get out on the trail together. He also came out with my massage classmates and I to help us celebrate the end of our term and so I could finally introduce old and new backpacking friends :) It'd be great if the three of us can manage a trip together. See again...this summer is going to be a blur! ;)

--We had our second book club meet up and I'm so happy to be back at it with these gals. Each one of them is so dear to me! We're reading: The Other Wes Moore this month, which is a book I've been wanting to read for a while, so I'm looking forward to it.

--Lil Jenny chicken passed on, so now the two mainstay ladies are full-time in the coop. They don't seem to be the brightest two of the bunch but they're still loads of entertainment at the moment! ;) In mid July I'll get two more chicks and raise them in the kennels until I can try to transition any survivors into the coop with the two that I have. Ideally I'd like to have at least 2-3 bigger laying hens for eggs and right now I just have one big bird and a small to mid sized bird.

--I've still been struggling with lower leg issues since trying to stage a comeback in the last few months. I'd finally paid to have one of my instructors work on my left ankle as it has been the thing causing me the most trouble. While it's definitely muscular, the bones in my foot and leg are pulling away from each other which isn't the most pleasant sensation and doesn't make running much fun. I've been wondering if different footwear might help, so I sucked it up this week and tried out new options at REI. While I'd been wanting to do minimalist shoes, none of them felt comfortable, so for now I'm trying out a pair of solid Brooks. Yesterday's run was less than pleasant also as my legs try to adjust to using my muscles a little differently. I've been hoping to run a half this summer, but at this point I know that I'd have to retrain back up to it and until I figure out the footwear issue....that plan might be on the back burner.

--The garden is seriously doing better than any other year that I've been in the house. Not only is my one raised bed going crazy, but the berries/grapes/kiwi are heavy with the start of fruit. I also was able to get the front planted like I'd hoped and it's fun seeing stuff trying to come up in a new spot. I have been lacking motivation for the last few days to work on yard stuff, but hopefully next week I'll get a few more projects done!

--Besides everything already mentioned there were a few other times of going out with friends or new people and hosting others at the house. Needless to say, as an introvert who sometimes passes as an extrovert, I've been spending this week in hibernation as much as possible so I can recharge. I've spent plenty of time just lounging on the patio or in the hammock doing nothing, working, thinking, or reading...relishing the simple pleasures and awesomeness of the backyard. As much as I absolutely love connecting with all the amazing people I have in life, I also tend to need some solo time for myself. It's been lovely to get a few days during the middle of this week to do just that....especially since tomorrow I'll see two separate friends coming from out of town, Saturday is schedule to be a hike/beach outing, and Sunday-Tuesday is backpacking time. For the fourth, I'm taking the dogs and Granny to the beach to save Roxi from the chaos of 4th of july fireworks in the neighborhood and then the following week is when I'll now have four different out of state friends all passing through in the same 4-5 days :) Ha! So excited to see everyone, but definitely glad for some time to recharge this week :) It seems like the theme of this summer is just taking things in stride. Accepting the chaos and seeking out the simple moments that exist too.

Hope you all have been doing wonderfully!

Things that I'm Loving Lately

Hi all!

Man, I don't know how regular bloggers are so good at routinely posting :)

But anyway, there have been a lot of things going on it feels even if they're all probably routine things. It seems most my days revolve around the following categories: massage school, teaching, running or hiking miles, Granny evenings, massage homework and exchanges, grading, and pet care. Food, bathing, laundry, house duties, commuting those are all in there too.

But I've also been realizing that there are a lot of things I've really been enjoying within the routine...and there's no better way to continue a positive mentality than to....focus on the positives!

So here are some of the things that I'm loving:

--meeting new people in my new courses, continuing to attempt to suspend pre-judgments and be open-minded, and enjoying the connections I made last term

--nailing a week of great lunches that I took to school with me: BBQ chicken salad & an orange, baked sweet potato w fixings & a mixed greens side salad, left over homemade fajita fixings and an orange

--excess padding on my butt and posterior illiac crest aka hip bones. It's nice to again feel like I need to be mindful of keeping fat deposits off instead of desperately feeling like I'm wasting away

--school thoughts: the intensity of my lower body treatment class, that I'm learning new things, that all three of my courses this term totally relate to each other and are making me have to seriously rely on last term's kinesiology course, that my other two courses feel fairly straight forward and simple, that it's completely awesome to feel muscle adhesions "melt" and tissue soften under one's pressure

--that I'm trying to increase my monthly mileage average this year. I'm having a lot of leg "stuff" going on so I'm trying to be cognizant of my legs, my strides, the fact that I desperately need to be better about cross training to increase strength in my weak muscles and stretching, and hopefully I can make some alterations due to my lower body treatment course this term....but it's still nice to actually feel like running 70-80 miles a month isn't too far fetched these days

--that at least once a week housemate M knocks on my door with hot coffee in hand to wake me up so we can chat/check in/try to catch up before I start my day and he heads to bed (he's working nights); with opposite schedules, outside social obligations, and differing responsibilities it's been harder for us to connect or spend much time together at all since his return, so sometimes those 30-50 minutes in the morning 1-2x a week feel especially awesome

--how funny it is that the dogs can distinguish between my clothes. It doesn't matter what type of running gear I put on...they know which items mean that we're heading out to get some miles. Although that also means it's near impossible for me to sneak out without them... It also seems like lately they're recognizing what means work wear, as they tend to not beg to leave with me as much when I'm dressed in the evenings to head to work

--that I refound the BBQ chicken salad recipe. Amazingness in my mouth. Tonight's nachos were pretty dang good too, especially after craving them for the last two weeks.

--finally finished the master bedroom and I love how it turned out. The ex used to always say that our bedroom didn't need to look nice because our eyes were closed in here....uh no sir. Fluffy old bedding, the cheap corner chandelier that was installed this summer, new created easy burlap curtains (from fabric in the closet), various textures, soothing colors, the new crisp white paint job, and a 3 panel coastal canvas art piece above the bed.....all put together it makes me very, very happy.

--this term's schedule. Seriously. I knew it could be an improvement, but it's most definitely amazing. It's so amazing that I called my boss to ask if we could cancel our change for spring so this term's schedule remains constant. I'm on my natural sleep/wake schedule....up til midnight-ish and sleep in til 8 or 9 and it's awesome since it's no longer varying every night. I teach M/W nights and I'm in school for 6.5 hours on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. I never have to do major double duty this term (except to check work email every day and then do studying/reading on M/W before I run and teach.) I have 2 recovery days when I can't work out & the remaining mileage gets in on weekends. Granny time remains on Thursday evenings, but I also now have T/F evenings to grab a bite with people, run errands, or attend a lecture downtown. By driving to campus this term, my commute time has also been cut in half. Plus all this together means the dogs have a better schedule too...and because M's a gem, he usually lets them out as needed also. Verdict: new term schedule rocks.

---AND I also discovered that as long as we don't have any crazy weather, I do indeed get an overlapping spring break. Massage school just reserves that week on their schedule for make-ups, so I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get a week to just exist...although I might suck it up and try to take as cheap a flight as possible to go down to see my gal in AZ. While paying down debts is my primary goal this year...it's also important to me to invest energy to lift up some of my best ladies.

---and speaking of this lady, she sent me the most awesome package....pecans from her backyard tree (she doesn't like them), real oranges from local trees, and a few pens that I could use for notetaking. And let me just tell you....I had truly forgotten just how amazing a real, fresh orange tastes. They were the sweetest, most delicious oranges I've had since my childhood in Florida....just like candy. (I may have eaten three in a row soon after taking that first bite.)

---and speaking of my childhood, over Christmas break I reconnected with two of my childhood friends. One lives in Florida but was my first best friend and we met in the Philippines. The second was my pen pal for years and was the older sister of a classmate I had when we lived in Florida...she now lives in California though. SO awesome to reconnect with these two ladies :)

And that blogger friends is where I will conclude even though I'm sure I could think of many, many more items to include....like new running gear that I stocked up on at Christmas, or running in shorts THREE times this last week, or the happiness Anna gets when it's a new dog food bag, or her willingness to share so much love and kisses in the last several weeks, or various delicious Yogi teas, or evenings with Granny in front of the fire or making cookie replicas of the cell for my "creative" project this last week, or thinking about how close spring (& garden planning) is....the list could go on and on. The mood isn't always happy and high around here and there are lots of uncertainties for the months and year to come (such as M's 1yo kiddo and the grandma potentially coming to stay with us for 2 months....or whether or not I think he'll be here long term this year), but life sure is better when we attempt to focus on everything that is good and positive in our lives.

Wishing you all the best!

November Update & Randoms

Since I'm so sparsely writing get ready for an all-in-one randoms and updates! :)

1) I get so frustrated with apple updates. Why do I have update in order to continue to use my Icloud?! Frustrating!

2) I've never had a male cat before. I never knew that male cats could and do hump things. I've had to throw said male cat outside twice now in order to get him off (pun not intended) of the dog's fleece blanket. Suggestions from any male cat owners?!

3) I'm tired.all.the.time. Seven hours of sleep in one go seems like a luxury these days. Most weekdays I'm running on 4-5 hours of sleep thanks to being a night owl and my housemates followed by 5:30am wake-ups. Even when I try to go to sleep earlier, it just doesn't happen.

4) The dogs and I had our first taste of freedom on Wednesday (since our hike in mid September) when I bailed on my optional work meeting that was all the way across the city. 45 minutes into the commute I was still on my side of the city and I realized I had been uber bitchy to the gas attendant. At that point I took the next exit and came home to get the dogs before using a Starbucks gift card to get a chai I'd been desiring for three days and heading to our favorite trails. Spontaneous freedom was incredible and much needed---it was an eye opener that I need a day off now and again....and that I hope that what I'm envisioning for January's schedule and load is truly going to be the case.

5) I seriously can't flipping wait for housemate M to get back. He drives me crazy at times and I know he's going to be needy, but man, I feel so much happier and just plain comfortable in my own skin all the time when he's around. Plus he's my built in outdoor/running buddy, he's always up for a beer, and he'd make the perfect massage feedback client. One month-ish to go...

6) So far I've been doing really well in my massage classes and I can't believe how much I've already learned! It's definitely taking more time than I intended but it's pretty incredible how it's all coming together.

7) I think massage school is turning me more into a hipster though.....and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Especially cause I cut my hair (thanks to my hair stylist neighbor!) and so now I have (awesome!) thick bangs :)

8) I can't wait for winter break when I can relax.....and maybe paint my bedroom, and make curtains, and deep clean the carpets in the house....and get a christmas tree, etc etc etc

9) I'm not really hanging out with Tall D again. We're still chatting/friendly some and I'm going to use him as a massage client, but I wouldn't say we're "hanging out" anymore. Which really it was great to spend the summer with him and get affirmation of the fact that we made the right choice last year.

10) I absolutely positively am looking forward to November. I think it's going to go fast. But the leaves are still gorgeous, we're just having frosty mornings, and it just makes me think of fires, coziness, and warmth even with the coolness of the season. This month also makes me focus on gratitude (which I could use right now), and it's wonderful to have a whole month dedicated to being grateful for what I already have.

11) Speaking of being grateful for what I already have, I totally failed on my no buy. I held out great til I bought those black skinnies from Target and then several more trips to Target slid me further down the hill. I'm now up to several long sleeve shirts, a couple short sleeve shirts, a new cardigan, a new winter coat, a leather jacket, a pair of skinny cords, and two pairs of replacement flats. Will I wear it all? Yup and definitely have been! I'm going to TRY my hardest to get back on the wagon for November & December....especially since my finances could benefit from it.

12) Speaking of finances....sigh. I'm SO totally hopeful that this massage licensing will pay out in the end because it's going to be a lot of money up front. And on the financial note, I'm also really realizing that I totally miss my parents being here routinely each month. It's great support and just plain nice to see them for a night. As much as I need to rent out the middle room to create more financial freedom for myself, it'd be great to have Mom and Dad around on the regular again.

13) My personal stress reducer is to be on pinterest. I'm not going to lie. I love it. It calms and yet inspires me....and it just plain keeps me grounded to who I am and where I'm headed. I let myself get on there before I go to sleep and when I'm zoning out on public transit.

14) There is at least one guy who has sort of been hanging around, but honestly I need to just sit him down and have the direct talk. I'm back to that place of not really wanting to date. I never wanted to date when I was serious about my education before...and really, until I'm financially on my own feet again, I just don't feel like I want to try to create something new with someone else when I'm still totally trying to figure it out myself. Plus, I'm not going to lie....I'm just feeling lazy. There still seem to be some great guys out there...but I'm just not there yet. I mean how DO you know who/what the right one is? My gal D is giving me one more year before she starts kicking my butt in gear....and I'm also thinking about re-starting counseling to help me work through some of these thoughts/questions.

15) Two of my gals and I just started a monthly coffee date. I can't tell you how much I've missed them and how good for my soul it has been to have our coffee dates. I'm so inspired by them with babies and new home purchases and work advancements all around!

16) My buddy Randall let me go to church with him a few Sundays ago. It was like the universe (massage school, friends, random events) had been telling me to get my spiritual health back in order. I've been so frustrated and at odds with God in the last year....and I kid you not, the message that Sunday provided the answer I needed. That God strips us of all that matters to us to remold us into what He needs/wants us to be. "Give up YOUR life...." Six months ago, I wasn't ready to hear that....but where I am now and with the future I'm contemplating, it all sort of makes sense again. (This particular church also was all about how we are missionaires in our every day lives....where can we DAILY be of service to others??....for this reason, I have started opening my massages by grounded myself with a prayer of intention to provide what clients/students/friends need....)

17) And so these days, aside from the occasional social outing, weekends studying/grading, commutes, and teaching, My life pretty much revolves around this:

Attempting to maintain balance, choosing to be happy, and lots and lots of massages :)

A 31st Birthday Weekend

So just for the record, I've decided that I'm officially 29 again...so let's just set things straight :)

But I seriously had a most phenomenal week seeing so many old friends I hadn't seen in years and going on the backpacking trip, and the weekend celebrations were just the tip of the iceberg.

On Friday evening my cousin and I headed out to the local Hillsboro Hops baseball game:

A gorgeous sky view from the grassy "general admission" seating.

We left early in the 5th inning since the score was already 9 to 2 in the 2nd inning! :) And from there we headed over to the nearest McMenamins brewery for food and our favorite Ruby brews.

On Saturday, I ran errands and finished putting the final touches on the yard/house for the weekend BBQs. A late afternoon jog with the dogs and a hop in the shower just before Tall D showed up to start getting his movie screen ready. Altogether I think there were 15ish of my friends and their significant others who made it over to get good food, mingle and laugh, and share great beverages. It was SO wonderful to see many of my favorite local faces and to be surrounded by people who bring me so much joy. Tall D had made his amazing from scratch carrot cake and I can tell you that it was completely gone by 5pm the next day (seriously, his cake is amazing....). While just a small handful of us remained, we finally put the outdoor movie on at about 1030 (my poor neighbors!) but it was great lounging in the backyard laughing along to Hitch. :) Tall D did an amazing job with his outdoor screen and it was great to see his idea come to fruition. 

Tailend to the BBQ with just a handful of people still present on the patio

This year's amazing cake.

The next morning on Sunday (my actual day), Tall D and I went out to brunch after cleaning up the house. He treated me to a great local establishment here on the westside and I had an amazing pesto BLT on croissant and a garden Bloody Mary to start the day off right. After dropping me back off, I got the house ready again as my parents pulled up. An hour later the house was full again with many of my extended family, Granny, my parents, and my brother and his lady. Again, it was so wonderful to just be surrounded by so many of my loved ones. (Although ironically, Mom and Dad had Granny's audiologist come by to finish fixing her hearing aids.....so we had an intermingling of business and pleasure...ha!) Two of my aunts, my uncle, Granny, and my brother and his lady hung around until almost 5pm...and it seriously was just so great to have everyone around this year. I can't think of a better "gift" than to be surrounded by the people that you love on special days. 

With Mom, Dad, and Granny

This lady makes every day a special one...

Add on to that the texts and Facebook messages that arrived from many of my Argentine "family" and friends and all my out of state gals. Seriously, so much love.

My house is full of fresh cut flowers. My wine rack is full and my beer is restocked. My fridge has plenty of left overs. There are a few items from Mom and Dad and several gift cards for food or other goods for my use from a couple relatives. The cards were even especially funny this year! And I have to say, Tall D went over and above and gifted me $100 to REI (for hiking boots....or snowshoes....or part of a starter bike....).

But seriously, more than anything...was the time people took to just be present...and to express their love. Because that more than anything is the best gift of all....

Might be one of the best birthdays yet....

Early August Randoms.....

....and yup, I'm so tired that that is as creative as a post title that any of you still reading are going to get! :)

Quick update of randoms:

---Life has been a whirlwind...obviously! Had lots of family coming and goings to celebrate Granny's 102nd birthday. Can hardly believe she's really that old and sure was great to have extra family time. (Potentially this will all be a post on its own.) We had our regular ladies tea party for Granny, there was a BBQ for my cousin and his wife who were visiting, some BrewFest action with same cousin, wife, and his parents (which are my aunt & uncle I'm closest to overall up here), two celebrations for my baby cousin's very belated 21, and Mom was here that particular weekend. That same week prior Granny had been here for her regular baking day and we made cookies, muffins, and mini-quiches---DELISH!

---In that same week my baby cousin spoiled me with a full body massage (given on the picnic table on the patio with the breezes swaying and the birds chirping---DIVINE!). The massage was well needed because my back had started to seize up the week before and I had been struggling with it. The massage loosened up everything and enabled me to be able to work out again. Although I've been struggling with some muscle tightness off and on since then. Trying to remember to stretch, hydrate, and use the foam roller that is on loan.

---I've gone on a couple other bike rides in the last month and honestly am finally falling in love with the idea of bike transport. It's taken me years and years.....but I might officially be there. There also was a trail run with Tall D, which turned into a 8 mile run and 11 total miles traveled for me---was loads of fun and made me fall in love with the easy accessibility of Forest Park. And there have been a few other jogs in there too.

---Signed up for a massage career preview day. Not sure how I'd fund the program at all, but it's still sounding appealing and would just be one year.... Also have three contacts to engage with to ask questions, etc.

---Have two housemates currently for August. Both are guys. One is married and his wife was here this last weekend. Both seem like they will be great short term options (one will be here until Sept 4th, the other until Sept 15th) Have another ad posted for after them.....

---Canned peaches. (Started this at 11pm with mom and I finished at 1:30am. Called Tall D at 1215am for a refresher on how to use the canner :)) Canned green beans. (My Cali housemate was quite intrigued and watched the whole process from start to finish.) Froze lots of peaches and blueberries. Baked a lot in July. Dehydrated zukes.

---Floated the river with the boys in July. Haven't seen much lately of regular D, but we're headed out for an overnighter backpacking trip today/tomorrow. Have been spending some time each week with Tall D--meeting up for dinner & a movie (The Great Gatsby shouldn't have been a flop!!, The Intern was funny, and Admissions (rental) was okay), the trail run, finally went shooting one day!, a couple afternoons of short term hanging out, etc.

---Still no job leads and right now the pickings for applying are slim. Hmm.....

---Had to drop Granny off in Salem today so my parents can take her down to stay with them for a few days. Stopped by to see one of my gals and her adorable lil girl. Hadn't seen them in over a year and it was so great to spend an afternoon catching up. Yesterday one of my favorite buddies from high school came over with his wife...and again it was so great to finally meet her and see him, as I haven't seen him in probably two years! It's always so nice to have those friends who regardless of the amount of time that passes, it's just as though no time has passed at all.

---This weekend there are two BBQs for my birthday. One on Saturday with my friends (which Tall D is tentatively providing a movie screen so we can try to watch a movie in the backyard AND is baking me one of his amazing carrot cakes from scratch!) and one on Sunday with my family. Friday evening my cousin and I are catching a local baseball game. Looking forward to all of the weekend!

---I've been working on the back yard then due to the upcoming BBQs. The patio got rearranged and twinkle lights were put up. Lights got added to under the kiwi and the bush itself got trimmed. The mulch finally got spread, bushes got whacked back and fertilized, and a few things were rearranged. The coop got a paint job (and I've been hemming and hawing about whether or not to bite the bullet again....). There are a few other lil jobs I want to finish (more mulch, mason jar lanterns, wheelbarrow drink container, and creating a half wall with cinder blocks to block the dogs), plus I've been collecting pallets for Tall D eventually to help me build some pallet chairs!

---still teaching online.....and there was a good bye work shindig for my gal R who is moving to a full-time faculty position in Eugene. Gonna miss that lady!

---and I've been eating more meat......but I swear my body is just craving protein and fruits/vegs these days. Still lower carbs and I'm back off the yogurt but keeping with kombucha on a weekly basis.

Anyway, how are all of you?! :)

Life: Fun as We Know It!

Blogging has become the last thing I'm focusing on right now cause instead I've been too busy getting out and just soaking up LIFE. (Not to say that blogging isn't soaking it up though....but for me, it's harder to come home and have the energy to write about it all sometimes....)

QUICK GENERAL UPDATE: Still no real movement on the job front. Luckily (maybe? I guess financially not...), I didn't get my old veterans job. It came down to two of us and they went with new blood, which was probably better since my heart wasn't really in it. Still no real word from the other job I wanted, even though I checked in with them over a week ago, so I'm thinking that's not a good sign. I applied for another job here locally that would be an AMAZING step but it's sort of a step up out of my league so not so sure I could get it... Still looking and going to be applying for temp office jobs here soon to try to get some finances coming in. Housemate L moves out in 8 days, as it's looking like she'll be here the full time she'd originally thought. I lost the great option cause I couldn't guarantee him I'd be here all six months he needed. I've posted an ad for another housemate, hopefully someone decent for a short term gig will come thru.

So let's get to the fun!

First, there was a BACKPACKING Trip with regular D and the dogs. We hiked Badger Creek Trail up to Badger Lake. Since it was an overnight during the week, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The trail was pretty overgrown in sections and steady incline, but we made it and we had a lot of fun in the process. Luckily my feet held out, but man somehow toning up made carrying a pack actually feel harder! I missed having extra padding on my collar bones and my leg muscles were tired!

Then there's been a lot of HIKING:

Tall D is currently in Washington for three weeks for his Reserve summer training duty. He gets a few days off though so we've met half way to do a couple day hikes. First one we did was to try to summit TATOOSH TRAIL to get up to the lake, however we hit snow coming across the trail near the end and unfortunately had to turn back. BUT we still had a great day in the process: the views were incredible, the drive up made me so happy for my AWD Sorento and to be on rutty gravel high mountain roads, it was great to explore a new forest area, and we had a lil brisk swim/wading in the cold creek post-hike to wash some of the sweat and stench off. :) Ended the day/evening with a late dinner at a lil Christian diner near our mutual exits (BL(A)T done right!!). (We'd intended to do an overnight in the Olympic National Forest which I've always wanted to explore but typical Army fashion, he got tasked out to work a two hour shift on his final day off.... :))

Maybe half-way, we made it to that snow over there...

after already going straight uphill about 2 miles! :)

  

Look at those views!

Sitting along the creek....

Yesterday we met up again and drove up to the BLUE LAKE trailhead (not to be confused with Blue Lake in Oregon outside of Portland). This was a 1700ft incline over 2.5 miles up to the lake, but the trail followed a gorgeous creek and the lake was AMAZING! It had been overcast in the morning but was sunny by the time we turned off for the trailhead. The lake was warm enough to get in but probably not warm enough for swimming just yet. We waded through the gorgeous water to a large rock out from shore where we and the dogs sat in the sun to eat lunch and just lazily chat. We waded back once the shade started approaching and high tailed it back down trail to warm up again, and then stopped for dinner at a lil Mexican joint (our fave) on the way back to collect my car. Again, a totally awesome day together with a gorgeous lake and views.

Look at that water! It was like finding the tropics (with a chill) in the mountains! :)

And then last but not least I had an absolute BLAST with having my gal Christina in town. We seriously  enjoyed some fun stuff, laughed a ton, and spent some great quality time together: birthday dinner at her parents, a day hike with the girls around Twin Lakes with a brewery dinner on the mountain, a day of kayaking around Ross Island and my first bike ride in 12 years along Spring Water corridor, and breakfast at Stepping Stone. I seriously loved having this gal here and am secretly hoping she might end up back home here in the PNW in the next few years. ;)

Upper Twin Lakes with Mt Hood in the distance. I snowshoed here with the dogs this winter...makes a great summer hike/camp spot and the Lower Twin Lake looked great for swimming!

Love these ladies and totally gorgeous views!

This kayak experience was AWESOME! Definitely much easier in my own kayak and a great way to spend the morning!

Add into all this some YARD WORK (keeping up with massive watering for the raised beds and transplanted/newly planted bushes, plus general weeding/mowing/maintenance), having my BROTHER visit one Saturday to bring the bike and go on a Costco run, hosting the extended family for a FOURTH OF JULY BBQ, some great HAMMOCK reading time under the kiwi tree, some SUN BATHING with the dogs on the patio, some BREWS DOWNTOWN with D and/or other friends. I've been trying to LIVE IT UP with the notion that I might be getting a job and trying to soak up the awesomeness of the PNW...but we'll see if that job ever arrives. Although in good news, I also went to a WORK MEETING and was able to add an extra class for fall so financially once Fall Term starts I should be able to make it if I have a housemate....

I'm looking forward to: more HIKING, arrival of produce for CANNING/PRESERVING, READING, and just the general day in and day out of existing. #YOLO! :) Ha, oh man!

Hope y'all have been well and enjoying summer in your neck of the woods wherever that may be!

Early June Life: Update Alert :)

Woo--so it's been a lil while. I've still been checking in long enough to update my work-outs and read a few posts from y'all, but just been...quiet, sorta, over here. There's been a lot going on though!

So let's summarize:

WORK:

--Finals are this week coming up. I plan to have all grades uploaded into the system by Thursday noon. 

--I didn't get the research job, but randomly and unexpectedly I got a 2nd interview for my home town. That 2nd interview will happen via Skype tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not feeling too sure about it. I have an interview on Weds for my old veteran job and then another county public health interview on the 18th. I still have apps out and have more I'm intending to submit. Still wanting to break into workplace wellness but I know I'll take the first job offered.

--Still feeling good about my teaching gig. This term has ended so much better and happier than some. As ready as I am for a break, I'm loving hearing my students end the term with the usual reporting of the changes they're making for the better. I LOVE seeing students making choices to improve their health because of the information in our classes. 

--Tomorrow morning is my last mtg for my small part-time gig. We're reporting our program overhaul.

HOUSE:

--We created a new smoking area for L on the side of the house, which allows for the windows to be open and breeze to come through. MUCH BETTER for both of us. Mood has lightened somewhat but I'm still looking forward to who might be next.

--Posted ad for new housemate. No real responses. Will drop price a bit and repost. M is paying a small monthly storage fee for his stuff in the garage but he's paying in lump sums, so I think my July rent should be ok regardless.

--I spent last week overhauling the front yard. Dad cut down the ugly bushes out front while they were here a week ago and since then I've relocated 5 bushes, ripped out a dead bush, planted four new bushes & 4 new flowers, weeded, pruned other bushes, mowed again, bought additional starts for the garden, spread mulch and bought more, and watered/watered/watered like crazy. On Tuesday afternoon, I'm having a lawn guy (who my aunts use and my parents are paying for) come move three larger bushes that I can't move on my own. Once those are moved and I spread the rest of the mulch, I'll just have to water...and plant two additional bushes that my mom is bringing next weekend. I'll post pictures when it's all done but here's a sneak peak:

--Finally deep cleaned my bathroom for Mom's use next weekend. I won't even tell you when I last cleaned it. Embarrassing! :)

WORK-OUTS:

--June 1st was the Starlight Run through downtown PDX. The three of us who ran it together last year, met up to run it again this year and we plan to try to do so for the next one. Lots of fun...but after being in the yard all day, even that 5k kicked my butt!

--Mainly I've been spending two days out of the week in the yard and then adding in some Insanity and shorter jogs with the dogs on the other days. I'm trying to work on tightening up the core as we head into bikini season. 

--And can I call tanning a work-out? Because I've been doing several days of that as well. I'm trying to keep my sports bra/running tank tan lines to a minimum....although I've got a pretty severe T line going on between my shoulder blades already since this has pretty much become my summer uniform: :)

SOCIAL:

--Headed over to the ol housemate Luke's for dinner and drinks with some other peoples after the race last Saturday. DELISH salmon burgers!

--Tomorrow I'm finally getting together with one of my gals for happy hour again (as long as it doesn't fall through). I've contacted several of my gals in the last month, but E seems to be the only one consistently trying to reconnect or who has remained in distant check-in status throughout my self-imposed hibernation. 

--Two weeks ago, I went out to breakfast with C (M's coworker) and we're headed out to dinner tonight. C and M were pretty close, so C is also missing having M around. 

--My gal Christina from the ol' San Antone will be up the end of this month for her birthday and I'm pretty stoked to see her. We'll all be getting together for dinner at her parent's place and then trying to wine tour or overnight hike...we'll see.

--Still able to chat to M routinely and make sure he's taking care of himself over in Taiwan. Happy to report he's falling in love with that kid! :) Even if it seems like his health is falling apart! Grr.

--Last Sunday got together with my cousin A--so nice to finally get to reconnect with her again too!

--And since the race, I've also been working on that friendship with Tall D. We went to see Star Trek finally and then had beers after he offered to get bulk mulch for the yard in the truck. But honestly, what I'm most excited about is joining him and a few of his other veteran dudes on a white water rafting trip this coming weekend. Mom's coming to dog sit and I'm pretty stoked to finally get to go on a rafting trip!

OTHER THINGS:

--As I've been tanning, I've been reading a lil...sort of. Still on a mission to try to finish some of these books!

--Yesterday I bought two new bikinis....not sure whether this voids part of my no-buy closet challenge for the year, BUT I was in Target and bypassed EVERYTHING else...even when cardigans were on sale. So I'm still feeling like I'm in this thing for a few more months at least. 

--Lady cat had been missing for a week. She showed back up yesterday. I've never been so happy to see her! I fed her half a tuna packet as a reward for coming home even :) Ha.

--And honestly, even with lots of uncertainties still and even more ironies/weirdness in the mix, I'm still feeling happy...settled. Those few months that I took to myself were well needed...because really I've been feeling happy for a month straight and I can't remember the last time I did that! 

--Hopefully more posts to come!