New Home

We're moved in!

It's officially been a whole week since Mike and I got the keys to the new house.  That we own (us, and the bank, I mean).  We had a whole 48 hours to pack everything up, go to work, move our whole life with two station wagons and a truck  and clean the apartment - and we did it!

The house feels so big and empty sometimes.  I've been so used to living with neighbors or roommates within 10 feet of my living spaces that this much square footage is overwhelming.  What do we even do with THREE bedrooms??  And a basement?  (People tell me to have babies.  Or get a dog.)

Having all of our stuff scattered around the house in boxes has been putting me on edge - just enough that I haven't been sleeping deeply, and I have this baseline irritation whenever I'm home.  An IKEA trip yielded curtains for all of the windows, and I think that once we have our bed off the floor and have moved some stuff into closets I'll start to feel better.

In the meantime -!!!
Some photos of days past:




The brother



Jumping through the beach



The colors of Oregon



Prep for dinner

Life is good.  I'm looking forward to getting out in this autumn and putting some of it to film.  Much love!

Success!

After much sighing and teeth grinding, we're closing on the home today!!!  Half the house is packed up.  So much to do yet, but I'm SO GLAD to have made it to this point.

Today is excellent.

Distracted!

Oh, my - it has been too long!

So much has been going on these last two weeks.  While I did, in fact, develop photos and download the digitals to process and present, life went a little bit bonkers and so much fell to the wayside.

We just got back from five days in New Orleans, where I had a conference to attend for work, and Mike wandered around and enjoyed himself.  Actually, we both enjoyed ourselves.  We had the weekend to explore, hear music, eat food, drink too much booze, and walk until our legs ached.  Photos, soon, promise.

Flying back to Portland on Wednesday night, we had a full day to unpack and reorganize before beginning the process of CLOSING ON THE HOUSE!  It's not totally done yet, but we've signed a million signatures, handed over the contents of our savings account, and are now waiting patiently for everything else that needs to happen.  Technically, we were supposed to have closed already, and should have spent this weekend moving, but it will all work out.  (Because it has to.)

Mike is going through the rather intense last few steps of becoming ordained this month.  This morning he leads the service at church, preaches, and is evaluated.  He's nervous and I'm having sympathy nerves, and I'm praying to the baby Jesus that this morning will go smoothly. 

I'll be back with photos, and a new drinking game.  Soon, puppies.  Soon.

Belaboring a Point

Okay!  The news is that I while I DID succeeded in developing my film photos ($30!) and downloading the digital to my computer, I haven't made them ready for public display.  In the meantime, I'd like to report that my brother and his fiance stopped by yesterday evening to play board games.  Specifically, a $300 board game that is all kinds of threatening-to-paint-Christmas-sweaters-on-the-genestealers fun.

As we transitioned from geek games to Jenga, my brother casually mentioned a certain 80-year-old woman who had restored a painting with the end result being "something like Picasso."  Well, I'm out of the loop when it comes to interwebs trends, and had heard nothing about this fiasco.  He pulled up the image, and oh - goodness - this looks nothing like Picasso.

Oh, no.

Someone had coined the description "Paranoid Bear Jesus", and I freaking LOVE IT.  Laughing brought me to tears, and all I could whisper was, I get it, Paranoid Bear Jesus!  I have anxiety, too!  (Seriously!  I cried through church this morning while sitting alone in the back pew!)

Of course you've heard about it already.  In case you haven't, though, this is an interesting place to start.  Peace.