it's not called adobe!!

in the midst of the packing and preparing for the move, i have been working nonstop on a big project. It has been such a fun project and I feel like it has been such a creative outlet for me. There are times I just love designing!

In my industry i use a lot of adobe products...adobe illustrator, indesign, photoshop, and acrobat...i think most people come in to contact with pdfs everyday day...made from acrobat, oh, but that is not what you hear it being called...nope. people like to calll it adobe...they ask me if i will give it to them in "adobe." or do you have adobe? ...and i want to say "do you have microsoft?" because that is what they are saying to me. adobe what? it just makes me laugh. so, for those of you who call it adobe, stop. call it acrobat, call the file a pdf, but don't call it adobe! : )

okay, back to working...

boxes and military haircuts

yesterday was a glorious day. I stayed up until 8 am monday morning working on a project that was due that morning, slept a few hours (this isn't the glorious part) and then lauren and i got to play for the afternoon...it was wonderful. I'll miss my dear friend. and then we went to her house for a going away party. good conversations, good pizza, and good wine. i left smiling and thankful for my time in minnapolis. i should have taken some pictures at the party...i always seem to forget.

well, we don't have too much left to do before the big move on saturday. travis has been hard at work packing. (and today he got a haircut...i guess they thought he would look good with a military haircut. i've been saluting him all day!)

energy restored

tonight I was filled with encouragement, blessings and given the energy i need to move on. i'm not talking about the physical energy it takes to pack up our stuff, drive the 1800 miles, and unpack in a new place. i'm talking about the meeting-new-people-energy, the-finding-my-way-in-a-new-place-energy, the-i-don't-know-anyone-but-i'm-determined-to-make-it-anyway-energy.

it took a lot of that kind of energy when i moved to minneapolis. it took everything i had to go to those community dinners at the porch and be the new person. but it was worth it. people at solomon's porch welcomed me with open arms. they became my family and they were what made the last 8 months such a great experience. I feel a part of them...even those i didn't get to know very well, i still feel connected to them.

and it is because of tonight, because of our community, that somehow i feel i have enough energy to move to a new place. it is because of them that i feel that once again i can pursue new relationships, i can be part of a new community.

tonight was the first night in our new space at the porch and my last night at the gatherings. the new place is beautiful. it feels like home...and tonight the community gathered around travis and i and prayed for us. and during the blessing and communion people encouraged us. and although it is very sad to leave such a great place. I feel like that energy, those blessings are going with us. i feel encouraged. i feel renewed.

thank you to all of you at the porch that have made travis and i feel so welcome. thank you for your love and support. i can't tell you how much i appreciate it and how much i will miss you guys!

preparing for the big move

I just got back from phoenix where it was 80 degrees and a little hot to winter (at least winter to me) here in minneapolis. I have loved the snow and am very glad I didn't have to experience the -14 degree weather I kept hearing about. I'm proud to say I was part of the second warmest winter since 1890! I'll miss this place.

It looks like we will be packing up and starting the drive next saturday, feb 11! I'm starting to get excited! Travis has almost everything packed up...he has quite a packing strategy...i'm impressed!! i'm trying to work and meet some deadlines before we move! I'm so thankful that I am able to take my work with me and that I won't have to look for a job when we get to portland.

I'm not looking forward to the drive. Travis will be driving the u-haul (although it is really a penske...there's marketing for you) and he'll be pulling my car. I'll be driving his truck behind him. I wish I was just riding. I ride much better than I drive! But we'll make it.

We are hoping to get a few hours behind us on the 11th, do most of the driving on the 12th, and then finish up the last leg on monday, the 13th and unload. whew!

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.

a month of superbness

this past month has been absolutely wonderful. i feel inspired, full of joy, and full of hope. and although i have noooooo idea what 2006 will bring for travis and i, i am able to enjoy this moment. this month i decorated our apartment for christmas, played in the snow, learned to snow board (thanks to the pagitt kids), went iceskating, enjoyed a local hip-hop concert (which was very fun!) made christmas cards, went to oklahoma where it was 60 degrees, and worked way too much.

i have learned to have hope, not in things, but in God. and that sounds very cliche', but it is true. i think for so long i would hope in what God would give me or how he would bless me. but i have been learning over the last few months what hope looks like. the hope that is in the psalms...find rest, o my soul, in God alone, my hope comes from him.

and i have all of this creativity stirring inside me...i am about to burst.

walkin' in a winter wonderland

have yourself a merry little christmas

i have been listening to christmas music nonstop...i just love it...i like the old classics.
and here is one that makes me smile everytime i hear it

and here is the station that i have been listening to online...

wahooo! i love christmas!

...It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages boxes, or bags!
And he puzzled and puzzled, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more."
...And then the true meaning of Christmas came through,
And the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches… plus two.
...He brought everything back, all the food for the feast.
And he, he himself, the Grinch, carved the roast beast.

it will just get colder!

It's 7 degrees out! brrrr!!!

a walk to the walker

even though it was freezing out (actually 20 degrees) we decided to walk down to the walker's sculpture garden....isn't the snow amazing! i love it! (although the walk was a little cold!)

winter & planes

Here are some pictures of trav's plane before the de-icing in ottawa, canada. It took an hour to get it off!