Year of Change

Although later than I had hoped, I have returned to the blogosphere to keep all of you updated on the recent rumblings here in Portland! Coming back to the US after living in Japan for a year turned out to be a much bigger transition than either Shawn or I anticipated. Thankfully, seven months later, it seems we have finally found our way. (If you're interested in reading about our experiences in Japan the links to our blogs are on the right side of this page.)

I like to call 2008 our 'year of change.' A lot has happened in the last seven months and here is the short version:

1. We became vegetarians and budding environmentalists. No meat, no car. It just feels like the right thing to do at this point in our lives.

2. We moved to Portland. We live downtown in a 300 square foot apartment that we pay way too much for. It's very charming in a historic building, but a very small space. Good thing we like each other!

3. Shawn works as a Youth and Family Services Coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club. Kids having trouble or acting up get sent to Shawn and he listens to them. I liken it to a counselor. He also coordinators with school teachers, counselors and parents to help the kids succeed. I'm so proud of him!

4. I am on my third job. Yes, third. I started with two part-time jobs: Barista at City Coffee and Teen Program Coordinator at Southwest Community Center. I moved to full time at City Coffee, became addicted to caffeine, met some great people, learned to appreciate perfectly steamed milk and woke up at 4:30am everyday. Most recently I was hired as the Senior Program Assistant at Willamette University MBA for Professionals. My alma matter hired me to work at the Portland campus. It's great, it's a 5 minute walk from our itty-bitty apartment and I have Fridays off! No complaints.

5. WE ARE GETTING MARRIED! Yes, it's true. After four years, Shawn popped the question on Christmas Day. The date is July 20th here in Portland.

6. In August we are moving to Boston! I was accepted to the Masters in Intercultural Relations program at Lesley University! That's right, two more years of school, thousands more dollars in debt, and a brand new city. We counted, come August, that will be 4 cities in two years. Phew! Hopefully we are nearing the end of all this moving and we can start settling.

So, now that we are all caught up and up-to-date, let's get started! I hope you check back often and comment regularly!