Here are some pictures of the yard.

Front door.

Front yard.


Side yard and side door/porch off of the kitchen.



Backyard, future garden!

We went over to the house for the big inspection today, and I was able to take some photos while we were there. The inspection went very well-- the old house is quite sound, and all of the major upgrades that it needed have already been taken care of. I'll give you a little walk through!


The fireplace is the first thing you see when you walk in. We are looking forward to some cozy weather!

A view of the front door from upstairs.


The master bedroom is upstairs in the attic space. Across the stairway is a smaller version of the room, which will be Amelia's.

Living room-- note the nice high ceilings!
More living room...

Dining room-- we are dying to have guests over for dinner!

Kitchen views-- this is the room that will require the most work!

Farm Fresh!
Amelia and I had a really nice adventure yesterday. We went to visit the farm we have been buying her fresh goats milk from, and to talk to the owner of the farm about joining their stewardship program. The farm is on three acres about an hour's drive from here, and it is beautiful! Amelia is really noticing and enjoying animals right now, and so I am always on the lookout for friendly- looking dogs that we might say hello to when we're out-- Portland is the perfect city for that, by the way! We have a lot of books about animals and go over their names and sounds daily, so it was really great to be able to introduce her to real, live goats, horses, ducks and chickens! She especially hit it off with the goats, who all seem very friendly and docile. It also felt so good to me to be out in the country with all of those wonderful smells (I particularly love the smell of horses!) and to spend some time with some kind, happy and energetic farmers.
We were there for a couple of hours and were able to tour the property, see where the goats get milked and where the chickens lay their eggs, eat some cheese and blueberries from the farm and talk about how we might be able to get involved. Something I really appreciate is how much they value children and want to have kids involved with them. We will be supporting the farm and getting some of our food from them, and in return they welcome us there as extended family-- we can go there whenever we want to, they have some rustic guest quarters where we are encouraged to spend the night, and eat meals with the farming family and get some hands-on experience of farm life. Erika, the owner (whose credentials include being a traditional Swiss homemaker,) said that she hoped Amelia could come every week or two and really feel like this was her backyard-- running around to see what's new and developing relationships with the animals there. Being in that setting was very therapeutic for me-- I didn't realize I'd had a raincloud over my head until it lifted while we were there! I am so thankful to be living in a place where we can do these kinds of things, and I hope to find more opportunities like this.
By the way, I am working on a new blog along this theme, and I'll let you know when I'm ready to have readers...

YAHOOO! Or, for all you Texans, YEEHAW!
Our offer was accepted, and we are soon to be homeowners. We are obviously thrilled, and I probably won't be able to sleep tonight, I'm so excited. These next three weeks will be very busy, but we are glad for the short escrow period, since we are dying to REALLY settle in and unpack most of our boxes, finally. It's funny, I am really relieved to be done looking at homes-- I know a lot of people love that part and keep doing it after they've bought a home, but I'm not much of a dreamer and would rather make concrete plans. So now it's time to take a serious look at all those home magazines and start some serious planning. Hurray!

So we made a move on the house I posted about. We put in an offer that expires tomorrow evening. It was a pretty surreal (but kinda boring) experience, and now we are just waiting to hear back from the seller. Escrow would close at the end of the month! I'll be sure and let you know as soon as we find out.

Can you believe it?

I responded to a Craigslist posting for "Model/Fitness - Wear Test/Focus Group," and ended up going in for a casting call yesterday for it. Basically, there is a company that designs all the new seamless sportswear/ undergarments for all the big companies like Patagonia, VS, Nike, Reebok, Banana Republic, etc. They are working on a project for a couple of clients to introduce a new sportswear line for "larger busted women" and need real women of that sort to test the products. So I went in, talked to them, described my level of physical activity, tried on a couple of their products, and got hired. This has got to be the easiest job ever. They will send me home with some of their garments, get me a 24 Hour Fitness gym membership, have me work out in the clothes and give them my feedback. For $50/hr. PLUS somewhere down the line, some of the women in the focus group will be chosen to fly to NY to meet with the design team for further fittings, etc. This may last anywhere from 3 days-2 weeks; all travel & expenses are fully paid, and participants will be compensated at the $500/day rate. What?! REALLY? Pick me! Pick me! Oh, please please please pick me!
But even if they don't, this is still an incredible "job."
No wonder those clothes are so expensive!!

GREAT NEWS!!!

Nope, we didn't buy a house. But it's almost that good. Amelia slept 10 hours straight last night. Previously, she had slept 7 hours once and 6 hours once, but she's had a rough adjustment this month, generally waking every 2 hours. So we are excited, and although she may not do it again for a while, it's a big step in the right direction!

This photo is of her on a hike with her gramps.

Aww...

Well, no big house news yet. We have been talking to our realtor, mortgage broker, CPA, and payroll people at Jeff's work. Since we just moved here, these are all brand new relationships and this whole process is quite an uneventful adventure. We are still a couple of days away from having a solid monthly income number to work from, and we'll go from there. The one house I posted about is still available and our #1 choice. We spent about four hours with our realtor yesterday looking at some pretty depressing homes, and found one other really nice option at about the same price point as the first. It's a good thing we like our realtor, since we have been spending more time with him than anyone else so far! In fact, he and his wife are having us over for dinner tonight-- we're excited to get to know another couple, especially so soon.

Wanted to let you know that our stuff did indeed arrive on Wednesday morning. The bulk of it is sitting unpacked in the garage waiting for a final resting place in another home. We are still trying to get the things we are going to unpack put away. Jeff is at his official first day of work right now, which he has been pretty excited about. We went house hunting Wednesday afternoon and looked at about ten properties. One far outshined the rest, and we are doing some number crunching and calculating to see if we can make the next move. As always, I'll keep you posted! I'll attach a picture of the house and part of the yard. Some specs: built in 1906, 2 bed + bonus room, super high ceilings, and yard on all sides of the house. It is pretty much move- in ready.

We're here.... almost!
An update is definitely in order, now that I've been in Portland for over a week. Jeff made it up safely on Wed. night, and on Saturday we moved into the duplex we're renting. However, we are STILL waiting for the big truck with our stuff to get here. They said that average travel time was two days, which would have meant a Thursday arrival. We have been on the phone a lot, and it finally looks like they'll bring our belongings on Wednesday morning. Finally! We've basically been camping out here, and never expected to have to go without our stuff for so long.
The highlight of our time here so far was having another birthday party for Amelia with NW family members, especially her cousins! We are really thankful to be close to family on both sides.
We have just now caught our breaths enough to start settling into our city. Yesterday, we drove around a bit, visited the local food co-op and joined. I'm excited about this, because they offer a lot of free community activities to the members-- yoga classes three days a week, square dancing on Wednesdays, a weekly farmers' market, etc. This seems like the perfect way for me to meet people and get involved. We have also found a couple of sources for fresh goat milk for Amelia, and are learning about local resources for buying food straight from local farms-- there is so much more access to local organic food up here, it's a dream come true!
The big, exciting event today was meeting with our realtor for the first time. We are so excited about buying a house, and can hardly believe it's really going to happen. We just submitted a long list of properties we'd like to see, and I'll keep you posted.

We have some photos to share, but I can't find the cable I need to get them onto the computer. It will probably show up on Wednesday as we try to sort throught those last boxes labeled "random!"

The Anatomy of an Amazing Birthday

1. Waking up to balloons, flowers and a husband-made birthday banner.
2. Going to a favorite restaurant in San Marino for a breakfast of (get ready) sourdough toast, candied bacon, fresh berries and a good latte.
3. Shopping at a favorite boutique in South Pasadena for a birthday present. The people there know us, so this time we were able to just walk in and hand Amelia to a lady that works there while we browsed. Jeff bought me a beautiful leather bag-- I have been desperately needing a new purse, but couldn't find the right one until now-- hurray!
4. Birthday wishes all day by phone, e-mail or in-person visits.
5. Having some dear friends over for dinner, eating fancy (but pre-made!) food, drinking wine, talking and laying on the grass looking up at the sky until it actually got too cold to stay outside.

What a wonderful day! Thank you to everyone who contributed!

Here's a picture of my happy self with my #1 birthday present.

It's really happening.
We are moving. Soon. Most of the home has been packed up, and we are pretty much on target for being able to get out of here. Amelia and I fly to Portland on Sunday, Jeff packs the U-Pak on Tuesday night and leaves on Wed. We were thankful and relieved to find out that he doesn't have to start until the 13th (previous start date was the 9th.) We're taking the day off tomorrow to have a good time as a family and see some friends in the evening (in honor of me not being 30 yet.) Then on Saturday we are having a yard sale-- one last attempt at getting people to actually pay us to get rid of the stuff we shouldn't take anyway. This week has been quite a whirlwind, and we are amost through the worst! Whew!

ONE!
Happy Birthday Amelia! What a sweet little girl. It has been amazing to watch her go from newborn to one year old. We are so thankful for this dynamic little life we get to share.



So far, she seems to be having a great day, and likes being sung "Happy Birthday" to, even more each time (I think it's been about 15 times at this point.)

Time to Celebrate!
Jeff had his last day of work yesterday (he checks out today,) and also his last day as a teacher. He is so excited to move on from classroom management to working individually with children and teachers. Hurray! He said he tried to be sentimental, since he's had this job for four years, and it was his first big long-term job-- but he just didn't feel anything but relief and excitement to be moving on!

We had a mini party outside in his honor: grilled chicken, chocolate cinnamon black beans, grilled veggies and sangria. Amelia joined us as diner and entertainer.

So what do YOU do under pressure?
I'm not sure how I would have answered the above question before now, but I have had a funny revelation about myself this week. Tensions are very high. I wish I could push the fast forward button on the next few weeks (or maybe months, while I'm dreaming about it...) I'm not allowed to cope by staying in bed and refusing to participate in the whirlwind of my present life, so I am acting out in other ways. I can't think of a better way to describe it than to say that I am rebelling against my own personal principles. Keep in mind, these are my own personal quirky convictions, nothing serious. Since Sunday, here is a list of totally out of character behavior:
1. I went and bought Amelia a new carseat, FULL PRICE, without even really trying to find it cheaper or used. This is definitely the largest sum of money we have spent on her behalf so far.
2. I put bleach in my load of white laundry. I have never used bleach in my laundry before. I don't even know who this bottle belonged to-- I just had the compulsion to dump it in there, and the really annoying thing is that all of Amelia's stained clothes DIDN'T come out looking any better!
3. I baked a pan of brownies. I don't even like brownies.
4. This is the most embarassing one. I went to the drugstore and bought a lotion that "builds a healthy glow within 5 days and improves skin firmness." I don't use drugstore lotion! I don't put chemicals on my skin! I don't really believe in skin firming lotions! Also, I believe in REAL tans. And I bought some nail polish for the first time in five years, while I was at it.
Jeff is completely bewildered, and I am definitely feeling reckless. He is trying to think of some way to take advantage. Maybe we'll go to McDonalds, grab some donuts for dessert, buy a television, and dump our recycling into the regular trash bins... Yahoooo!

If this doesn't make you smile, then we have a big problem.

Starting a Tradition...

I've been thinking hard about Amelia's first birthday. It's such a big event, celebrating the year she's been with us, but it seems kind of sad to me that she won't remember it at all. Gifts are one of my biggest "love languages" so I've been trying to decide what to give her, wanting it to be special and something she will be able to remember. I finally came up with the idea of getting her something valuable (but not necessarily too expensive) that she can keep and have for years and years-- some original artwork! It was actually pretty hard to choose one, since there are so many great, affordable prints out there. This year, Jeff and I ordered a print of the above painting by Cathy Nichols, printed on wood with some hand embellishment and signed on the back. It arrived today, and I am so excited! We can't wait to give it to her and hang it up in her future bedroom.

It's been a while since I've given Amelia the spotlight, so I will give you a picture and some stats.
We are planning her first birthday party, and although it's been a long year, I still can't believe we're there already! She seems a lot smaller and more "babyish" than most one year olds I've known, but this is a really nice stage we don't mind enjoying a little longer.
She still isn't crawling, although she's looked like she was about to for a couple of months now. I hope she can just hold off until we've moved-- our home is not too baby- friendly right now.
She talks a lot, but it's still all in Vietnamese. I think she might have "all done" down, though I'm waiting for more confirmation.
She had a beef tamale for dinner tonight. I continue to be delighted by all of the things she'll try, only now she wants to fully experience her food: chew, then take some out, see what it looks like, feel it in her hair, watch how it coats nearby surfaces, put some more in her mouth, then atomize onto the person feeding her. So mealtimes take quite a while, and our carpet and floors are hard to keep clean, but it's a lot of fun to watch her discover different tastes and textures, plus she has a blast the whole time!
Amelia is generally very happy, and has such a charismatic personality. She likes to show us a good time and keep us entertained and engaged. She recently mastered a fake laugh that is really really funny. Sometimes it's the first noise I hear from her from her bed in the morning!
Sleep (or lack of it) is still a big thorn in my side, though we are partly to blame for putting her through three different trips last month. Plus, I think she is starting to get her molars and is really feeling it.
On a side note, we had been planning to start trying for a sibling for her when she turned one, but the last couple of years have held so much change and stress for us that we have decided to wait on that for at least another six months. I'm pretty relieved to be let off the hook-- even if I was the one making the timeline to begin with!

No, thanks!
We are not pursuing that house anymore. We found out that there are lots RIGHT in front and back that will be developed into 2-story rental properties this summer. That house is so adorable and has so many great features and I think it's a cryin' shame that it is being boxed in and basically ruined that way. Oh, well. Things got a little hysterical around here trying to figure all of that out and deciding whether or not to try to buy it before someone else. Now that we know its future, I don't think there's going to be anyone rushing in. So we will keep looking. The good news is that we took care of all the financial stuff and are prequalified and ready to go, once we find the right one. There are a lot of cute little places out there!

Portland, Ho!
So Jeff was offered the Clackamas position, and we will be moving in one month so he can begin work July 9th. Now all the wheels are turning and we begin the mental and physical move into the next chapter. We are so thankful for some friends who have offered half of their duplex for us to live in until we are able to buy a house. This makes everything so much easier and less stressful! Speaking of houses, there is one I have had my eye on for the past month, if you want to check it out, go to RMLS.com, then select the number search, then enter 7032867 to have a look. Pretty fun to start dreaming a little. Anyway, our internet has been down at home for the past couple of days, but I am at the library today to give the update. Thank you for your prayers for these decisions. The whole job search process has been an extremely positive experience for Jeff. He was actually offered three of the four positions he interviewed for, and even the one that turned him down really wants to keep contact with him as a networking resource-- what a confidence booster! We could definitely use your continued prayers as we pack up, bid our goodbyes and try to resettle, all in such a short amount of time!

Some News....
So Jeff was finally able to talk to the Lacey people (Olympia area) about that secret position today. And they offered him the job. Today. That was a pleasant shocker, and it's great to know that there is a job secured, no matter what happens with the other three he is waiting on. I'll keep you posted-- we should hear from the others within the next week and a half.

OK, I know I am SO overdue for an update. If there wasn't much to say, I would have done so much sooner!
Last weekend, Jeff (and Amelia!!!!!) went up to OR and WA for two interviews. Both went very well, and at this point, there are four potential job offers in the works.
1. Autism Specialist for Clackamas County (near Portland.) This is the most desireable job so far. Jeff would be working with children ages birth to kindergarten, teaching twice a week, doing home visits twice a week, and staff collaboration meetings one day of the week. He loves the idea of doing something different every day. This is the district he worked for while completing his M.A., so he has some great connections there, and really likes the staff/ team dynamics.
2. Preschool Special Ed. Teacher in Longview, WA. Also a very teamwork- oriented program. The school is extremely well equipped to work with kids with disabilites, with a complete team of OTs, PTs, STs (speech), etc. The school is in a gorgeous old wood building. Jeff would teach some, but also be a primary resource for other teachers working with kids with autism. We wouldn't want to live in Longview, however, and if he took this position we would most likely live in Vancouver, WA.
3. Today Jeff had a phone interview with Multnomah (Portland) District. The position is for a Special Ed. Preschool teacher as well, although the classroom would be mixed-- so he would have "unchallenged" kids as well as children with autism and other disabilities. Today's interview was the final one, so we won't have to go up there for another one.
4. Someone from the Lacey District (next to Olympia) has been very secretively and enthusiastically calling Jeff, telling him that they have a position they're sure he'll be VERY interested in, but that they're not allowed to tell him what it is until they get an application. So he filled it out last night, and she'll be calling him to disclose the details tomorrow.

The interesting thing is that both of the OR positions begin July 9th. Orignally, we were planning on moving about July 15th, since J's school year ends after June 20th. We should find out about whether or not he will be offered jobs 1-3 in two weeks. I just got a mild adrenaline rush thinking about all that will happen in such a short amount of time. To make things even more complicated and exciting, we would like to buy a house and move into it, rather than taking on a rental and moving again. I have NO IDEA how things are going to work themselves out, but anything is possible at this point.

On a side note, Jeff was quite valiant for taking A with him, and certainly scored some brownie points with his interviewers for having his 10 month old daughter with him (not at the interviews, though) to give his wife a break. Jeff's sister watched her on Friday (bless you Eden!) and I had two nights and 1 1/2 days to myself! I got exfoliated and massaged and went to the beach. It was wonderful.

We are gearing up for a wild ride in the upcoming weeks, and will try to keep you up to date with everything. We could use some prayers for peace and productivity in the meantime!

Yoga Baby

Many of the women in my yoga class have kids in child care along with Amelia, and after seeing her in all sorts of contortionist poses, any work I have done to become more flexible myself has been completely discredited as a genetic advantage! Well, maybe it's true-- some of those gymnastic genes I am happy to have inherited from Dad! Maybe we'll get Amelia into some ballet classes as soon as she's old enough.

For those of you who haven't seen A in action for a while, I caught some personality on video. I'd say her best talent right now is biting things... You also get a brief "fake" smile here. Sorry it's sideways.

We had a great trip. Amelia was the perfect little travel buddy, and did very, very well on our adventure. On all of the flights, we had an extra seat available for her, and that made all the difference. She sat and played, charmed everyone she could see around us, and even took naps on the plane both ways!


My time with Amanda, Andrew and Esly was also wonderful. Nothing too complicated or exciting-- we just spent time together, ate some nice meals and checked out Boise. Their little babe is so sweet, and it is beautiful to see two friends become a family. I'll share the rest with pictures.











It has been so neat to watch Amelia develop into a secure, warm and trusting child. She will go to anyone, and readily accepts attention and love from new people. It is also really wonderful to see other people showing her love and enjoying her charismatic personality.













Although I was initially pretty nervous about travelling and parenting alone for four days, it was better than I expected. And I was pleasantly surprised by the new closeness I feel like I share with Amelia. I think that on a daily basis, I am looking forward to Jeff coming home and taking over parenting. Sometimes I am more in a damage control mode than really trying hard to relate with Amelia and work together with her. On this trip, there was no "off" time in sight, and so I think that the way I approached her was more long-sighted, really trying to ease any frustration she was experiencing, doing everything I could to help her feel her best for as long as possible! This was a great experience.

We're going to Idaho!

Amelia and I are taking a trip tomorrow to visit and encourage a dear friend and new mama in Boise. This will be Little A's fourth round trip flight already! I'm a little anxious about travelling alone this time, but there will be help on both ends and our flight times are in the middle of the day-- perfect! My main concern is that Amelia will have a rough transition, especially in the sleep department, and will keep the exhausted new parents awake even more than their own little babe. If you think of it, please pray that Amelia will adjust well to the new surroundings and have mercy on us all! I am so excited to spend time with a friend and to meet this sweet little one. We'll be back on Saturday.

Some Garden Pictures...
The weather is pleasantly dreary today, but it puts me in the mood to look at something bright and cheerful-- maybe you want to, too!

Ranunculus
Beets
Sweet Pea
Hmm... Squash?

By the way, Amelia is ten months old today! I can't believe it's time to start thinking about a birthday party...
She happily sits and watches while I work in the garden.

OK, I just can't help myself!
I have been so repressed, now I have to just share all kinds of pictures, especially of Amelia.

Amelia now has seven (almost eight) teeth, and clamps down on everything and everyone she can. Definintely some consolation points here for no longer breastfeeding!


She has learned to "make" a smile-- rather than just letting her face take over, she squints her eyes, wrinkles her nose and shows us her teeth. Her forced "cry" also looks a lot like this, accompanied by some funny, fakey sad noises.

Hah! Guess what?

I found our camera. I had looked under the bed about ten times, but I guess I didn't realize that I couldn't see all the way over to Jeff's side under there. I am so elated to finally have a camera again-- we lost it after Thanksgiving. I swore that it was somewhere in the house, but I was beginning to lose hope. I'll put up a silly picture of Amelia that was on it still.


I think I'll also show you my latest project. H. Shack should be particularly interested in this one, since she encouraged me to do it about three years ago! I have an old Danish modern style chair from Uncle Elmer's. I had actually covered the gross plastic cushions with material and scotch tape and a couple of thumb tacks (!) for the past few years. It's kind of embarassing. Anyway, I FINALLY bought new foam and some materials to upholster them with, and it is amazing how much better that chair looks. I was walking past it just now to find some place to sit, and I stopped and went back to it-- I hadn't really thought of it as an actual functional chair! I snapped a smug picture of myself enjoying my handiwork (with hot chocolate from Filipino pure cacao!)



More pictures DEFINITELY to come!!!

So do we look like a Northwestern family? Can we pull it off?


I'm sure you've all been waiting for the report about our trip up North. I've been putting it off because it seems like it would take too long to write it all down, but I need to just get it done! I think I will interview myself for you.

Q: How were Jeff's job fairs?
A: Well, he almost missed the first one, since getting a flight there was quite a fiasco. In the end, we were scheduled on three different flights, had to go to three different airport terminals, and ended up with a layover on the way to PDX. The fair ened at four, and Jeff got there (straight from the airport) after 2:00. But all's well that ends well, and he was able to visit the districts he wanted, and even got a couple of on-the-spot interviews. Most importantly, he went back the next day to interview for a really great position he had been interested in, and he feels like he aced that one! This position is exciting because it is not a classroom teacher job, but he would be working as an autism specialist. He would visit schools and help teachers work with their students with autism, teach inservices, work with students one-on-one, and in the end, train other autism specialists. I think it would be very challenging, but I also think Jeff would excell at these tasks and be very fulfilled in his work.
Q: Any downsides to the job?
A: For starters, I have a crazy fact to share: Almost any job in OR or WA, even if it is a step up careerwise, would entail about a 15K pay CUT. YIKES!! I'm not sure how that will play out, but we are still planning on moving and making it work. The other thing is that this particular job is based in Salem, not a city we had ever considered living in. On the other hand, given the pay situation, Salem may be one of the only cities we could afford to buy a house in!
But that is not the only position we're thinking about. It was such a boost for Jeff to get phone calls from a lot of different districts in both states, telling him how great his resume looked and how much they'd like to have him in their district. Jeff is applying for a teaching position in Longview, WA, with the plan that we would live in Vancouver-- in between Portland and Olympia. Housing also looks affordable there, plus no state income tax is always nice. There were some other interviews and more possibilities continue to open up, but I won't mention them until they become more significant. In a month, there will be a lot more clarity, and I will let you know where we're at in the game.

Q: How do you feel about the move?
A: Well, I am so ready to start setting up shop in a new home. I love our apartment, but I have made the mental break away from it, and am itching for some permanence, not to mention new paint, hanging things up, starting a long term garden, etc. etc. When I think of moving, this is what I think of the most, and I am excited to turn a new space into home, and the idea of actually owning something seems too nice to even think about. I have about three more months here, and although I am a "live in the moment" person who rarely daydreams about the future, I am beginning to make a peaceful separation with my life as I know it now, and have put the brakes on investing and putting roots down for the moment. So as far as I'm concerned, I might as well make the move tomorrow so I can get on with it!

Q: How was Amelia on the trip? Did you get to take some naps?
A: This was not Amelia's best week and a half. She's never really been sick (she's had some vomitting episodes as an allergic reaction, but never even a cold,) and she was SICK for about a week at the start of the trip. She had a fever for three days, a body rash, diarrhea, etc. It could all be traced to teething, but she has never teethed like that before! She was completely out of sorts, and cried a lot at night. One night, she didn't sleep more than a couple 45 minute naps, and other nights she couldn't settle till after midnight, and woke up about every two hours. Poor baby. I was so disappointed because I didn't feel like our family we visited got to see her shiny little personality that we love. Plus, I think ten days is too long for a little one to be in a new environment, although she did love having so many new people around all of the time. She was back to her old self as soon as we got home-- maybe even happier than her old self! All in all, she was a real trooper, and I think she has a newfound contentment with being at home! Oh, and yes, I did take some naps-- but I have to admit that I needed them a lot more than usual. Oh, well.

Q: When is your next trip?
A: I don't want to talk about it. No, just kidding. I think in the next month or so, we will go up again for final interviews and city scouting. Then hopefully we won't need to go up until we move, but you never know.

Q: So when is it that you are actually moving?
A: Mid- July. The plan is that Jeff's dad (Phil) will come down here, and Amelia and I will fly up and stay with Jeff's mom (Amy) while the boys get us moved. I think this is a great arrangement! Jeff's school year ends in late June, and we will be focused on packing up in the following weeks.
By the way, if you live here and are feeling sad about us moving, why don't you call and make plans to spend time with us? Or just Amelia, if you insist! We may be "checking out" in certain ways, but we would love to spend as much time with people in the next few months as possible. Don't wait until our last week!

Any questions I didn't ask or answer?

You've Got Photos!

Bathtime at Grandma's House.

This next week should prove significant for our family's future. We are going up to OR and WA tomorrow for ten days so that Jeff can attend a couple of education job fairs. We have definite plans to move North mid- July, but we have no idea where to! We are hoping that this will give us some good leads, and, eventually, a destination. If you think of it, please ask for key connections and clear direction on our behalf this week.

I'm really looking forward to time with several different family members, and a change of scenery. I can also hardly wait to let some other people fill Amelia's social needs. She has an amazing capacity for social activity, and loves everyone and every moment of interaction (except when it's just boring ol' Mama in our boring ol' home.) Apart from the new sleeping situation, I really expect her to enjoy the whole experience. And I am looking forward to taking some naps!

In other news, the garden is doing really well. Right now, there are a lot of sweet peas and ranunculus blooming, and I can't get enough of those colors. Also coming along quite nicely: asparagus, rhubarb, broccoli raab, strawberries, sugar snap peas, beets, carrots, and onions. I am doing a "voluteer" garden plot again this year as well, and so far I have identified cilantro, spinach, black bean and pumpkin seedlings. Can't wait to see what else shows up. The tomato plants that completely took over the whole area last year are starting to pop up, and I have been pulling most of them up. By the way, if you know someone who wants to plant an avocado tree, I have a couple of seedlings that have been growing for almost a year that are hoping to be adopted by a nice big yard.

Still no camera, but I sent an older one in for repairs... I am hoping to get some pics of Little A while we are with family and post them for you.

It's funny, all week I think about things I should post about on Sunday. Then Sunday comes around, I get busy, and at the end of the day I am put on the spot to come up with something to post-- or else I have to wait another week. This week there were no physical traumas, first steps or job offers. It was pretty busy all the same, we ended up having guests over for dinner twice, plus I made dinner for a family in our church. A couple of massage clients here at home, one night at work in Alhambra and then I spent the afternoon today with a family in Lakewood doing cooking classes. Tomorrow our small group comes over here. And the week continues at this pace. It is all the good kind of busy, and it is nice to feel like we are involved with and connected to the people around us.

This week's report--
It has been a great week, they don't get much better than this.

Highlights:
Five workouts (two yoga sessions, in both of which the class clapped for me!)
A massage-- the first in well over a year. Why so long? I have no idea, and I hope to make it a regular event.
A haircut and a whole new hairstyle. I now have bangs, and boy, do I wish I could show you a picture.
I found a flattering pair of jeans, and bought them!
Our first official "family meal" at the table. Amelia sat in a chair in the bumbo next to me and ate an unbelievable amount of brown rice, grilled salmon, green beans and carrots. She hammed it up the whole time and was an absolute delight.

Lowlights:
Getting a deep scratch from Amelia next to my eye (same one as last time.) There is still a little scab there.
Getting kicked in the eye by Amelia (yes, same one as last time.) It's taken a few hours, but it feels fine now. Yikes!

Actually, I just got a photo, thanks to Chris and Gretchen. We had a fun pool party for the babes this afternoon. Enjoy!

Laundry Day.



I don't have too much to report, so I thought I'd just submit this photo. It makes me feel happy.