Money

I have a love-hate relationship with money.  I like it, I don't have very much of it, I want it, but I don't think it is essential to one's happiness. I don't think you need to own a new car or a nice, spacious house to truly be happy.  Yes, I think life's easier when you have money and I think you have more fun on a jet ski than you do on a paddle boat.  But why does everything have to revolve around money?  Or our jobs?  Why is what you do for a career what defines you as a person?  How often is it that what you love to do more than anything and what you do for a living are the same thing?  Or if they are even in the hemisphere?

I was asked in an interview a year or 2 ago what I would do if I could do anything in the world.  I said 1.  An elementary school art teacher.  2. Coffee shop owner.  3. Work in the wellness field.  Now number 1 is a guess.  I like art, I like kids, so technically I should like this job.  2. To own a coffee shop has always been what I'd like to do since I was 19.  I think I would be good at this, but I can't afford to buy a cup of coffee, let alone buy a whole shop.  And then there's 3.  This I know from experience.  I know I would do this job well and I would love it.  The job I have now is a paycheck.  A tiny, stupid paycheck. I don't feel like what I'm giving up to go to work is worth what I'm getting.  I want a job that challenges me, that I enjoy and one that I am proud to go to everyday.  I know it's not in my future to make loads of money.  I would have chosen a much different major in college if it were.  I am not out to get that Lexus or to buy a huge house.  I don't need a diamond watch or a European vacation every summer.  I want to make what I love and what I do come together.  I want to live my life with the people I love next to me, laughing and crying and enjoying life.  I don't want anything else.  I just want that.



Future

I am sitting in my hotel suite in Boise after a long day of interviewing and exploring what could potentially be my new home.  It's a strange feeling, knowing my life could change in the next week and I could be packing up and moving 450 miles away.  It wouldn't be my first big move, but my life would change in such an drastically different way that it can't even be compared to the last one.  When I moved to PDX I was alone and on a mission to figure out my life.  I don't know if I have succeeded, but I have found a puppy, an amazingly wonderful boyfriend, and I know now what I want to do with my life.  This job wouldn't just be another paycheck, this would be the job I have been hoping for. 

Lucy's new habbit...

Oh Lucy.  Sometimes I can't believe how much we treat her like a human, and how she acts like one too.  But then somedays I realize how much she is 100% wild animal.  Dirty, gross, muddy, wild animal.

Notice how the other dog cautiously avoided the mud puddle.  Not our dog though.  No way.  She decided to take herself a sweet little nap in the puddle.  Thanks, Luce!

2011

Well another year has come and gone and I can't believe how much has happened in the past year.  I think I say that every year, month maybe.  But this year has been packed with so much that I don't even know where to begin.  I am a sucker for those year-end best-of lists- you know, like "best weddings on 2011" etc.  So here is my best-of list for 2011:

Lucy!  May 22, 2011.  We adopted Lucy because I wanted a dog to play with and keep me company.  But we got the most adorable little furry friend we could have asked for.  She is my little side-kick and she is such a good little buddy.

Ironman Boise and Arizona.  I knew what an Ironman was before I met Mark, but I had no idea how monumental an achievement it was before I saw it myself.  The half distance in Boise was incredible in itself, but doubling the distance was nothing short of amazing.  There was so much time, money, dedication and pure determination that went into this event and to be there to share it with Mark was an experience I'll never forget.

3.  Colorado.  We got to go to Colorado three times this year and it is always fun to go home and see my friends and family.  There's so much I miss about Colorado and being back is nice.

Friends!  My friends are basically amazing and lots of them came and saw me this year.  I can't even explain how awesome it was knowing my friends would come from hundreds or thousands of miles to see me!

Kat and I at the beach!

Kat, me, and Terra in Santa Fe at Cristina's wedding

A warm day on the beach with Amanda and Diane

My BFFFE Amanda came all the way from South Korea!

Love.  Mark and I may have moved a little fast.  But when you know you found the right person, you just know.  You know?

2011 was pretty epic.  Here's to 2012 being even better!