The Interview

Today I had my first interview in about two years. I did my best to razzle dazzle and wow them. At the very least, Adam said I looked nice. We'll see what happens. If I get the position (which I should know in the coming days) I'll give a little more detail about it here. Wish me luck!

Tea Me, Baby

I realized the other day that I totally forgot to mention my tea obsession this year. I've always been a tea drinker, but somehow the casual cup of tea became a virtual fetish as I started visiting tea houses, mystic shops, and a chain (Teavana) that we found when we were in Ft. Lauderdale. Then my very perceptive mother got me a tea set, complete with selected loose-leaf green teas for Xmas. Our refrigator is jam packed with all of the teas I've collected over the last few months. I am definitely even more "regular" than this vegetarian usually is! My favorite loose tea that I've found is from the Perennial Tea Room in Seattle; it's called Sweet Citrus Mint with Licorice. Even Adam loves this one and he hates licorice. We were in Seattle on a cool, dreary day, and I had a cold. We went into this place and the woman who worked there had this one steeped and ready to pour for samples. I took one sip and fell in love! I got a cup and it helped clear up my symptoms. We also got some for the trip home. Our favorite bagged tea is the Market Spice, also from Seattle. This comes from the Pike Place Market, one of the most famous places in (and my favorite part of) Seattle. It's an orange-cinnamon blend, heavy on the cinnamon (to the point that it just bearly stings your lips when sipping). I don't add sugar to my tea anyway, but if you do, you don't need to with this one. That cinnamon is so sweet it makes the entire tea sweet. Everyone I've shared this tea with has loved it. So I guess that's that. If you're not a tea enthusiast, I've just bored you to tears; if you do like tea, maybe you'll order some online, or go visit for yourself.

SCM No More!

So, I got a funny (hee-hee, or ha-ha?) tidbit from my friend Janice back in Oregon. It would seem that the internet cafe that I used to go to, the one where I was constantly harassed by Sleazy Cafe Man, has gone out of business! Not that I ever take heart in a small business owner losing their sustenance, but I am feeling a little bit of schadenfreude on this one. Janice commented that SCM either skeezed out too many women or else he just couldn't go on with the business without me coming in anymore! My gut tells me it's the former, but who knows?

A Year in the Life

Today is the one-year anniversary of Adam's departure. I remember at the time not being able to imagine what life would bring us in the course of a year. Between fearing for his safety, dealing with an ailing Shabbi, and trying to get my mind wrapped around being solitary for an undetermined time, I was a bit of a basketcase. Ne'er would I have imagined how a year could have gone so perfectly--great opportunities, perfect timing, unimaginable adventures (I STILL can't get over canoeing down the Willamette River with my girls sat behind me), and wonderful friends. Perhaps the saddest and happiest and most perfect part of all was Shabbi sticking around the entire 9 months that Adam was gone, so he could have just a little more time with her before we had to say good-bye. That girl was awesome to the end and we will treasure her always. Thanks to everyone this year--the family and friends who supported us with phone calls and e-mails to let us know you were there; the strangers we met along the way; the friends we've made for a lifetime; and the family and friends we reconnected with who made the trip even more complete. We indeed had the time.

We're Baaa-aack

Arrived back in Lansing after a harrowing trip through torrential rainfall and flashfloods on 127 North from Ann Arbor. It was so bad we had to pull over and wait out the storm.
Luckily, we arrived to a mouse-free house, clean and orderly as we had left it. Now we just have to clean up all of the stuff that we unpacked from the car...
Now that we're home again (jiggety-jig), I'll start downloading all the pics from the 2nd leg of our travels so you can see what we've been up to since November. I'll also have some final thoughts about our travels and give you an idea of what the blog site will be up to now that we're back in town.
For now....

(Next-To-) Last Stop, Clearfield, PA

Decided to take an overnighter here in PA. We're not the youngsters we once were, so tackling the 12-13 hour drive from NYC to Lansing just ain't a non-stop deal for us anymore.
Had a nice pit stop in the Poconos earlier today to visit some old friends, which was great since we were both getting a bit teary about leaving NYC. I feel like I'm reverting to my 2002 self, but I gotta say it, "There's just no place like New York". More and more, when we leave to return to Lansing, I wonder why we have to. Although I AM hoping to broaden our horizons by moving westward, I think I would move back to NYC in a heartbeat if opportunity came a-knockin'.
Well, all you Lansing-ites, we'll be seeing you shortly. Be well, be swell.

Babies, Tacos and the City

So after 2 1/2 weeks in Virginia visiting my family for Christmas, I made it to New York to be with Adam and his family for New Year's. I fit in a quick trip to western New Jersey to see an old college friend and her family on the way. So far, this visit to NYC has included some beautiful babies (although I must say that I'm pretty partial to my nephew...), a kitchen incident that involves scorched tacos and worried neighbors, and our traditional 4-mile run through Central Park at the stroke of New Year's Day. So far, so good. This is the last stop on our 7(?) month journey around the country before we head back to Michigan. Scary to think that it's almost over, but at the same time, we are happy to think about settling back into our little house.
Hope everyone has had a warm, safe and happy holiday season and we look forward to catching up with you all in the coming weeks.