Newsies

The great thing about being snowed in is that it provides plenty of time for blogging...so long as my internet holds up (I can't seem to catch a break these days, can I?). But, I have lots of new and exciting things going on in my life that I'm sure you're all dying to know about...or at least that I'm dying to tell you about!

New #1: My new phone!

Many of you have been aware of the ongoing bain of my existence that is my phone. Near the end it literally became possessed by the devil and would turn on and off at will. It was particularly annoying when it would do so in the middle of an important conversation or not even turn on and stay on long enough for me to begin a conversation. So, if I have seemed less communicative than usual, it is my phone's fault. But, that is all about to change...because I FINALLY got a new phone. Not only did I get a new phone, but I also switched providers. So, all of you Verizonites out there, we can talk to our hearts' content. All of your Sprinters (which are a dying breed, I realize) you won't have the easy access to my ear you once had.

New #2: My new car!

I wish I had pictures, but until I have the means to buy and write New #4: My new camera! you'll have to use your imagination. She's a 2006 Mazda3 hatchback. Her name is Lyla and she's a little cutie. Kind of like my quest for a man, there are things about her that I never would have chosen but I have either learned to love (the fact that she's red) or just accept (the pimped out low-profile tires) or do everything in my power to change (the funky smell that has now been eliminated). Lulu has gone to the grave (God rest her soul) and Lyla and I are becoming fast friends. I'm just so thrilled to have transportation again that I think I'd love her no matter what, but so far she's been a great little car. We're having all kinds of fun.

New #3: My new job!

I've accepted a position as the Admissions Coordinator of the residential Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder program at the Denver VA. Yes...the DENVER VA. I'm moving to Colorado in mere weeks. How do I feel, you may wonder? Excited, sad, freaked out, overwhelmed, happy, anxious, thrilled...the list goes on and changes from moment to moment. The more it settles in and becomes real, the better I feel about it. I'm really sad to be leaving Portland, because I really love it here! I've had so much fun and have felt really connected to the city since the moment I arrived. I can see myself staying here for a long long time, which is part of the reason I'm leaving now. I am feeling a pull back to Colorado and back to my family. If I don't leave now, I may never leave. I've been away for 12 years, have seen the world, sown my oats (though I'm not sure how wild they've been), and now I'm ready to be back in Colorado and back near my family. I want to be able to spend more time with them on a regular basis and be a part of their lives. I have a lot going for me in Colorado and I hope to make a good life for myself there. It'll be another fun and exciting change and just might be my last stop.

I don't have a lot of details yet on when exactly I'll be back. I'm staying in Portland for the holidays but I should be back in Colorado in the first few weeks of January. We're still negotiating a start-date with my new job, but it won't be later than January 18th. I will be moving out of my house (big sad sigh) the weekend after Christmas and will be homeless (but taken care of) for a few weeks, and then I'll be headed home. I can't wait to see all of my Colorado peeps!! And, for those of you elsewhere around the world, Colorado is a GREAT place to visit! Come see me soon!!