mission accomplished, i think

well, we have an apartment to move into! we just found a temporary place so we can start looking for a house. there were a lot of cool areas to live in, but we had a hard time finding the right fit. (i think we were being a little too picky...we just had to many things we were looking for...cool location, character, amentities, a 2-bedroom with a decent price, short-term lease, not too run down...and trying to find it in a weekend.) so we got something close to the airport, a two bedroom with a dishwasher and w/d. I have to admit i'm getting a little sick of doing the dishes. I've just been spoiled my whole life. But I have to say i'm a little disapointed not to be close to downtown. We are about a 15 minute drive. I'll just have to go there often. we are across the river in vancouver, washington. the area we are in has no character, but it is close to a trader joes (at least) and i'll have a second room for my office. I'll be riding the light rail into the city a lot, i think.

i really like portland and i felt like i was able to see a lot of the cool areas while i was here. and it won't be long until i'll be here exploring even more!

now i'm on my way to phoenix for a few business meetings and hoping to catch up with some friends. my head is spinning!

the search begins...

well, i'm in portland right now trying to find an apartment for our move in just a few short weeks. trav's meeting me here tomorrow and we hope to find something by the end of the weekend. I'm excited to have a place and make this whole move thing a bit more real. (although you would think reserving a truck, packing up boxes, and flying to portland would be real enough.)

this would be a good time to give my first impressions of portland. it is a great city and there are so many places that i am cna't wait to explore...but i'm too tired to think about descriptive words right now, so i'll just have to say more later.

minneapolis

It was almost this time last year that we thought we could be moving to minneapolis and i was so excited. I really prayed that this was the city we would end up in. and i have absolutely loved it. i love the city and i love the people. it has been incredible being a part of the porch community. i feel like i can learn so much from each person i get to know. i feel like my life is richer and deeper because of each friendship. and it makes me incredibly sad to be moving away. i felt like i was just beginning to settle here, just beginning to get to know people pretty well, just beginning to experience the city and now we will be moving. but i'm glad i was able to be here for the last 8 months. i wouldn't have changed it. i feel like i've grown as a person, i've been exposed to new ideas and thoughts, i've been shaped by the passions of others. it has been a good time for me to relax and hang out and feel inspired. and with travis being away a lot, it has been the community around me that has kept me sane.

so, although i'm very excited about a new place to settle in, i'm filled with sadness at what we are leaving here. i'm going to miss my friends, i'm going to miss my community.

travis has started packing up our stuff. he was able to sit reserve in minneapolis and hasn't been called yet (keep your fingers crossed) so, he is packing before he has to go back to work. and i'm trying to finish up the big design projects i'm working on. i was feeling a little stressed last night, but feeling a little better this morning. i have to take each day at a time. it looks like we might be packing up the truck to make the long drive on february 11 and we'll go look at apartments over the weekend of jan 28.

usually i'm pretty excited about moving. it is an adventure, it is a challenge, and you get to start with a fresh palette. but this time, it just seems like a hassle. it isn't a convenient time, and i don't really want to be the "new person" again. don't get me wrong, i really am excited. but i'm processing through a lot, as i had hoped that minneapolis would be our home for a while and now we will be making our home somewhere else.

once i get to portland it will be fun...finding the unique things that make the city what it is, shoping at trader joe's again, decorating a new apartment (although i would like to be painting the walls of a new house soon!! ; ) and i won't think about meeting new people just yet, that is a little overwhelming! but there are other things that i'm excited about...i'm excited about the rain, i'm excited about the weather, and i'm excited about a possible apartment with a dishwasher and washer and dryer!

a little more info

so, travis will be furloughed from mesaba feb 15 and starting at horizon on feb 16! What amazing timing! We are so thankful for this new job opportunity and that travis will continue his piloting, which he is absolutely loving. Sometimes I wonder where God is in things and then things like this happen and i wonder why i doubt!

It looks like we will be moving to portland! travis will actually be based in denver for about 9 months and then portland after that. So, we decided just to go ahead and move to portland so we don't have to move again this year! We are looking into moving before he starts his training...which means a quick move over the next month. crazy. we are hoping to visit portland soon to look for an apartment.

the moment we've all been waiting for...

we just found out that travis got a job at Horizon.....wahooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is the plane he will be flying, a CRJ 700.

we will be moving to denver or portland. (it will be exciting, but i'm very sad to leave minneapolis)

travis will start training on feb 16

i'll post more later...now we have to celebrate!

telling a story

i hung out with a few people over at bob and lauren's last night...and at one point we were talking about Bob's "previous" life as a DJ...and he said something that i really liked:

"a good artist knows how to tell a story so that others can understand it, so that others can relate to it."

and this is simple, but profound. taking whatever medium and telling a story with it. there are a lot of artists out there that tell a story that no one can relate with and they get upset because no one can identify with it. (i'm paraphrasing the great words of bob brown) And then there are artist who are still being genuine, still producing art that is real and raw, but they tell it in a way that people can find meaning in it, can understand it.

i think this is a great way to look at artist...instead of criticizing someone's painting on whether you think it is "good art" or even art at all, you look at it and ask what story they are trying to tell and look for meaning in that story. it makes you look at things in a different light. it makes you appreciate different styles and forms of art that you normally wouldn't stop and listen to.

a book i just picked up

here's a book i'm in the middle of and it is very powerful. i read the original ragamuffin gospel several years ago and loved it...now they have come out with a "visual edition"...very cool...i think art mixed with words has a way to move you far more than words alone.

dichotomy

is it possible to feel anxious and nervous, but deep down still maintain a sense of peace and hope? well, that is how i'm feeling right now. the dichotomy of anxiety and peace are filling within me...anxious about the current happenings, but filled with hope about life in general...

the waiting continues

no news on trav's job, yet. soon and very soon...this is testing my patience!!

and i have a cold. not just a little sniffle...one of the colds where you feel you are going to sneeze at any given moment...and when you do, you blow snot everywhere...yes, that kind. but i slept 12 hours last night and am feeling a little better...

i'm full of anxiety and feel like i can't get anything done, but i managed to have a glorious day yesterday. my new digital camera came in the mail, i got a new haircut (not that new, it was just a trim...i'm still trying to grow my hair out....this is the longest it has been in 8 years!!) and my new boots were delivered in the mail...and i spent most of the day IMing with my friend cate...what a day...it is the simple pleasures in life!

and then, all of sudden, i have a ton of work to do. It always comes in like a flood. i have a little break where I can go play and then i'm drowning in design work...so, i guess i'll have to go back to being my productive self...

lord of the rings

last monday, a group went to see the trilogy, Lord of the Rings...an 11 hour spectacular on the big screen. I was excited about it, a little nervous that I wouldn't make it through that much movie time...but oh, was i wrong. It was such an amazing experience. you may laugh, but it was absolutely wonderful. the crowd went wild at all the great parts. (it was better than any sporting event...but that doesn't say much with my distaste for sports) it was great to see all three movies together. I was smiling as I left the theatre at 10:30 that night.