Time for living...

Thank goodness I'm all "settled" because moving takes up a lot of time and energy. I've managed to get out and have fun despite all the moving details, but I'm glad it's nearly done. There's always stuff that requires time, effort, energy, but it's important to not let those things take over.

I signed up to do a bike tour around Seattle next month, mainly because it will give me the motivation to get out on my bike more. I keep making excuses why I can't ride to work (rain, rain, cold, rain), but I keep hearing rumors that summer will actually be here in a few weeks (but it's been so dang cold I'm doubtful of that!) so no more excuses. My boyfriend rides every day (even when he gets off work at 10pm and has to ride home in the rain and dark, and even when he has to be at work at 5:45am and has to ride in while it's raining)...yeah, he makes me look bad!

My dad gets in town on friday and will be here through father's day which will be nice. I'm working all weekend, but we'll have the evenings to hang out together. Plus we have a family wedding on Saturday night which will be fun.

And I am making a serious commitment to get out hiking next week on my days off! It's still been snowing in the mountains here through the past few days (pretty unbelievable!) and rainy and cold here in the city. The weather here has really sucked...and this is mid-June already!! I have faith it will get better.

More later...

Settling in...

The past month or so has flown by! So much has been happening, and I haven't really stopped to reflect on all of it, thus no blog entries. Maybe that's a good thing :-) I'm all moved into my new apartment - it's small, but just about right for where I am right now. If it were any bigger, I'd be less inclined to be out and about exploring my surroundings. As it is, I already feel like I'm spending too much time in my place unpacking and getting settled. Luckily where I work I have met some great new friends that give me opportunities to get out and do fun things. There is a lot more to do here than Yakima. Still trying to figure out a longer-term plan, but for now it's all good.

Met a new guy...we are pretty perfect for each other it seems. This one might be a keeper.

My car broke down in a major way this past weekend on the way home from the airport after picking up my niece and brother who flew in from LA to pick up their new puppy. So my brother and my niece and I had to walk about 10 bocks uphill to my apartment in 90 degree heat (a record setting hot day in Seattle!). The car repair bill came to nearly 50% of the value of the car...yikes! I really should have bought a new car last year when I had the funds to do so.

My job is still fun, but not lucrative financially, so I need to give some hard thinking to my career aspirations...it's good to have fun, but it's nice to be able to pay my bills too.

I started volunteering at a community center in downtown Seattle near where I work. They turned a drug and prostitution riddled city block into a beautiful garden space (the "Garden of Happiness") and a center for community activities. It will be a great opportunity for me to keep my agricultural juices flowing while living in the city.

That's about all for now...just pluggin' along.

One step at a time...

Starting over is never easy...gotta take it one step at a time and not be too attached to any future outcome, which is tough for a hot-headed, impatient woman like myself, but I'm learning!

I'm also learning that it's great to have friends. I'll be housesitting in Seattle for one of them starting next week while he and his girlfriend are off enjoying the Galapagos Islands and Equador for three weeks. It's funny, last year at this time, that was pretty close to what I was dreaming of doing, and it never materialized. For now, this is my path, and I accept that, even if I'm not sure yet where it's headed! It will be nice to have a place to rest my head in the city given that I start my new job on Saturday! Their flat is on the 5th floor and has a huge deck with amazing views of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains (pictures of the view will be here soon for sure).

Then beginning next month I'll be renting a place of my own in Seattle. It's been a while since I've lived anywhere close to permanent or on my own, so I'm looking forward to it. The owner of the house lives upstairs and is my friend's brother, so I won't be totally alone, which will be nice.

Things are moving along...

Here we go again...

Back on the blog roll... Honestly, I had nothing useful to write about these past 4 months. I took the old blog down because I needed a change, a fresh start, but wasn't sure where to start. Now I realize, quite clearly, that I need to pick up where I left off last August...with the vision that went POOF! That vision I lost track of, that slipped through my fingers, was to have "A life centered on outdoors activities, basically. A life not about money, career, achievement. A life where I can just BE. I don't want a big house that I have to fill or a fancy car...I want freedom and adventure."

So I'm turning 37 in 2 days...a good time for a fresh start, eh?! To kick it off, I've signed up for yet another NOLS course, but this time for Mountaineering in Alaska this July. And I start working for a major outdoor recreation retailer (in Seattle) in a few weeks. Yet, while I'm excited for these changes and plans set for the very near future, the past four months have taught me a lesson I won't soon forget...plans aren't worth squat. So I'm taking this all moment-by-moment, and making each of those moments count.