30 Days of Thankful: Part 4

November 19

For the internet. This day I both found an excellent place for breakfast thanks to yelp and also was able to watch a live football game despite my hosts not having cable  or even a TV at all. Oh an for helping me find the amazing lactose and soy free ice cream place near my house. SO GOOD.

November 20

For the TV show the West Wing. I don't think that there is anything on currently or in the past that is as good as it or really anything that will ever be. Its smart, witty, thought provoking and epically relevant. I am now finding things happening and being like THIS IS JUST LIKE AN EPISODE OF WEST WING. 

November 21

For airplanes. After 6 weeks away I traveled home. 2 Airplanes, 30 children under 3, one dude in handcuffs, one middle aged man who couldn't stop kicking my seat, and about 8 hours of travel I made it home. Showered (in a clean bathroom) ate some home cooking and went to bed in my own bed. Glorious

November 22

For Acupuncture. I can honestly say that acupuncture saved my life when I was so sick. I went in for a tune up today and I forgot how good it makes me feel. I need to make an effort to find a good practitioner out in Washington.

November 23

For Job offers. I got an offer from my top choice out in Washington today. Pending the official offer and information about benefits I won't be unemployed forever it seems! This came at a perfect time as I found out that the Army job I have interviewed for a million years ago (back in July) has started notifying applicants of acceptance and I didn't get a call. I am still hopeful that I'll get a call before I accept the WA job. But I'm going to have income again! Just in time to start paying rent. 

November 24

Last year on Thanskgiving morning I went to visit a recently wounded Marine (a triple amputee) for work. He had arrived a day or two before from Afghanistan and was pretty out of it when I visited. I visited a handful of times over the next few weeks (we purchased a new wedding band for the couple as his left arm along with his ring had been left behind in Afghanistan). This year I am most thankful that that Marine is walking and fishing and thriving and succeeding beyond wildest expectations. 

November 25

For family. I love Thanksgiving with my Aunt and my Great Uncle. We don't tend to do the Black Friday thing but my Aunt and Mom and I go to a craft fair every year up in Frederick. It gets smaller and smaller and more and more expensive every year but its tradition. This year my Uncle and my Dad went and bought him an iPad. I know that I don't have tons and tons more years with my great uncle (hes 85 and the only surviving of his 4 siblings) so I'm very grateful to have this time with him. 

Recent Travels Part 4: Portland

This series of post is about 5 weeks over due. I really had hoped to live blog my travels out to the west coast but hanging out with friends and family and the time differences made that untenable. And then life started up again but no more excuses. You'll get one of these a day this week and if you click on the headings to each city it will take you to my Picasa albums for the rest of the photos from that local.

Portland

My trip to Portland was the last stop in my voyage westward. I spent 3 nights and 2 days staying with a former coworker from DC out of our Portland field office. I also had a great dinner with a friend from college I hadn't seen in years. I loved Portland and the vibe of the city although the cold and damp weather certainly was an adjustment. I found the public transportation while it took me everywhere I needed to go a bit unwieldy since I had trouble orientating myself with all the rivers. 

I could have spent DAYS in Powell's books. As it was I spent more than 4 hours there. 

I found the Food Cart pods. Including one that sold  Vegan Grilled Cheese. It was AMAZING. 

Visited the Oregon Historical society. Not sure it was worth my admission but it was interesting all the same. 

Found occupy portland.

Visited the Duck Store and spent WAY too much money on gear for myself and my Dad (an alum)

Visited the International Rose Test Garden and took a lot of flower pictures

Visited the Japanese Garden and spent a long as I could before I froze to death taking pictures of the gorgeous grounds. 

Recent Travels Part 3: San Francisco

This series of post is about 5 weeks over due. I really had hoped to live blog my travels out to the west coast but hanging out with friends and family and the time differences made that untenable. And then life started up again but no more excuses. You'll get one of these a day this week and if you click on the headings to each city it will take you to my Picasa albums for the rest of the photos from that local. 

San Francisco

This section of the trip was entirely dedicated to family. I stayed with my Dad's younger sister and husband, my Aunt Laura and Uncle Jay. However, my visit coincidentally coincided with my Dad's older Sister and husband (who travel the country in their RV) visiting for a few weeks and staying in an RV park about 500 feet from my Aunt and Uncle's home. This combined with the fact that my grandparents (Dad's Dad and stepmom) live about 30 minutes away led to A LOT of family togetherness over 4 days. But thankfully I only have to do that much of my Dad's side about once every 10 years so it was do able and we did a lot of fun things!

Enjoyed this view every morning while enjoying a hot chocolate from the shop just behind this view and steps from my Aunt and Uncles home

Enjoyed this view every night from my Aunt and Uncles home 

Visited Half Moon Bay and wandered around enjoying the small shops and quaint town. 

Found a stingray in the water. Unfortunately it was dead or as we told the young boy near by "resting"

Wandered out to the point where they host the Mavrick surfing competition each year and is the winter destination for many big wave surfers. There are underwater rock formations that cause the waves to break unpredictably and has killed 2 surfers in past years. 

Wandered the Labyrinth. That's my Aunt Laura taking a meditative stroll. 

Visited a street fair in Kerouac's Alley in downtown San Fran.  

Went to Club Fugazi for a showing of Beach Blanket Babylon, America's longest running musical review. Performers wear disproportionately large hats/wigs and gaudy costumes while performing satirical renditions of popular songs. It was pretty silly/stupid but I enjoyed it. 

My uncles relieved their aging hippy ways and serenaded us ladies in song. 

I snuggled with my Aunt's adorable 6 month old kitten Simba. 

we visited the California academy of science where I took too many pictures of animals including this adorable octopus. 

Recent Travels Part 2: Austin

This series of post is about 5 weeks over due. I really had hoped to live blog my travels out to the west coast but hanging out with friends and family and the time differences made that untenable. And then life started up again but no more excuses. You'll get one of these a day this week and if you click on the headings to each city it will take you to my Picasa albums for the rest of the photos from that local. 

Austin
Austin seems to be where a lot of my friends from undergrad ended up. My friend Josh for his phD and other friends for just the vibe of the city. I stayed 1 night with Josh and 2 nights with a former coworker from my time in DC with an agency that had a field office in Austin. I had also supported her boyfriend while he was deployed as a doctor last year by sending him DVDs of his 49ers playing so it was good to meet him in person. I wanted to like Austin but I just don't think that I'm the kind of person attracted to Austin. It was nice to visit but 3 days was plenty! Here's what I saw:

The Atrium was really impressive. All those red boxes hold presidential papers

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center where I took a lot of pictures of butterflies because Texas doesn't have much in the way of wild flowers in October

The 307-foot tall UT Austin Tower is best known for the 1966 sniping rampage by Charles Whitman which killed 16 and wounded 31. Prior to 2007's Virginia Tech shooting it was the deadliest school shooting. 

I really wanted to buy cowboy boots when I was in Austin. Do you know how freaking expensive those things are?!

Recent Travels Part 1: San Antonio

This series of post is about 5 weeks over due. I really had hoped to live blog my travels out to the west coast but hanging out with friends and family and the time differences made that untenable. And then life started up again but no more excuses. You'll get one of these a day this week and if you click on the headings to each city it will take you to my Picasa albums for the rest of the photos from that local.

 San Antonio

I flew into Austin and rented a car for the day to drive down to San Antonio. The purpose of this trip was 2 fold--one because I've always wanted to see the Alamo and two, my former boss and her husband retired to San Antonio about a year ago and I was looking forward to seeing her, touring Brooke Army Medical Center (like her husband said only I would visit a hospital on vacation) and seeing the new home they're having built from the ground up. I really enjoyed San Antonio but I also lucked out at getting AMAZING weather. I think that I would love it a lot less when it was 167 degrees out. 

Visited the Alamo, its a lot smaller then Texans would lead you to believe based on the battle

Learned that I missed a very basic lesson on taking self portraits I either look confused or constipated (or both!)

Visited the Riverwalk. Which if we're being honest is just a very pretty gutter. But it was a gorgeous day and because it was 3 pm on a Tuesday was pretty much deserted

Visited the Mission de San Jose. It was GORGEOUS and I took an excessive amount of pictures as evidenced from the rest in this post

30 Days of Thankful: Part 3

This is a day late because due to persistent unemployment I have no idea what day it is at any given time and totally forgot yesterday was Friday. :) 

November 12

For friends who are judgy in the good way. KatjaMichelle and I went out for a night on the town. I'm glad that I have friends who won't let me out of the house like some of the ladies at the bar. LBD with vans? White Body condom? Jersey cover up as an outfit...in Nov...in the pacific northwest...

November 13

For modern technology, one of my good friends here is training out in the Eastern part of the state (its still strange to me that the inside of a state on the west coast is the east haha) so we'd been texting a lot (hes bored and I like his company) we managed to go through 500 texts in a little over 2 weeks. Thankfully verizon was running a deal and we could switch to unlimited texts on all the phones on our plan for 8 bucks more. But now my mother can text, this might be dangerous!

November 14

For leaps of faith. I bought a 1 way plane ticket back here after thanksgiving banking on the biggest risks sometimes create the biggest rewards. 

November 15

For emails from an online dating prospect that do not include things like "nice tits" or "wanna hook up" or tYpInG lIkE ThIs. This guy seems like the real deal and I look forward to meeting him when we both return from thanskgiving travels (me back to DC him to Denmark...he totally wins cool points)

November 16

For the power of modern medicine. A bloggy love was just diagnosed with Endometrial cancer at a very young age after a very scary emergency surgery. I am grateful that shes in good medical hands and on the mend with a plan. Hopefully this will be a very scary blip on the radar of an otherwise amazing life. I'm grateful she has good doctors and is in a good place to get good care (and has good insurance!)

November 17

For the gift of service. I met with the VA to get the process started with volunteering. Volunteering in general is something that fulfills me greatly and I'm thankful for the opportunity to give back when I've been given so much.

November 18

For job interviews. I had 3 job interviews this day all for jobs I could really see myself doing. They also pay more than enough to allow me to live out here comfortably. One of them should pan out! Though I did also learn 3 interviews in one day is my limit! 

Ch-Ch-Changes

Well we're coming up on my last week in Tacoma. I head back on Monday morning for Thanksgiving. But the big news is that I will be coming back to Tacoma for more job hunting on Dec 3rd! I found a fully furnished room in a great house (in a okay neighborhood) with 3 male roommates (a doctor, a nurse and a CPA) to rent.  The room is massive and has its own bathroom so I wont have to worry about sharing a bathroom with a boy (for a few more years :) I still haven't nailed down a car for that time. One of my good friends out here is deploying in mid Jan and will need to do something with his car so we've talked about me using it while hes gone so I would just need a car for 6 weeks or so. I am pretty sure I'm just going to rent at the very least until I figure out what I'm doing job wise. If I get a real job then I'll sell my car at home and buy something out here. But I'm not comfortable making a car payment without a salary.

Not too much to report on the job front a couple of promising nibbles that will hopefully turn into interviews here shortly. I've also put in about 15 retail applications so hopefully something will click sooner rather than later!

I realize that its pretty delayed but I hopefully will get a short cross country travel recap up in the next day or so.

Thanks for bearing with me when my life is not so exciting!