New Beginnings

 

As the family becomes settled in the Pacific Northwest, my photography business is also doing the same. I am excited to announce a new space on the internet. My portfolio and a new blog are up! Please have a look around and follow along if you like what you see. This space will soon be password protected and primarily for close friends and family.

Click on over to Focus In Photography! I am so excited for this new start!

Tacoma Bound

Big news, big changes. Andy was offered a job in Tacoma, Washington. That's two states away. We thought about it, mulled it over. Pros and cons, and all of the above. We have actually been thinking about some sort of a move for a long time. And decided it was one of those, "if not now then when", moments and he accepted the offer.

Packing the house, selling off things that we don't want to lug two states away and gifting other things. I have packed a bag of clothes for the kids and threw the rest of their things into boxes with labels. I have done the same for my things. I have filled up several garbage bags with random what is this? stuff that have amassed in the past year and a half. Pack and purge, pack and purge.

We will be renting an apartment for about six months until we can get our heads wrapped around the neighborhoods of Tacoma. Eventually, we will purchase a house if everything seems to be settling in the way we want it to.

The idea of having a big going away part was tempting, but honestly, we knew we wouldn't get to see and talk to everyone in a way we wanted so we are each doing our best to meet up with friends and family before we are north bound.

It's scary and exciting, but mostly exciting. I can't wait to show you a new city, a new state for that matter through my lens. Here's to adventures!!

Going Coastal

Last month my college roommate asked me if I wanted to go camping. It would just be us girls and the kids. Truth be told, I don't know that I have ever camped without a guy around, but this didn't stop me. I instantly said, "YES"! I mean look at where were going, how could I say no?

 

The bad news had to do with multiple loads of gear in a wheel-barrel down the very steep hill, but I got over that part pretty quickly due to the good news which included no tent or sleeping on the ground and the view that looked out directly to the pacific ocean.

So, I filled up the car, the cooler, the camp box, and the kids. We drove over the mountains and through the woods and found ourselves just outside of Stinson Beach, California.

 

Hello beautiful world.

I haven't seen my friend Amanda since O's first birthday, she hadn't met Fifi yet and we both had our fingers crossed that the kids would hit it off. Truly, we had nothing to worry about.

We hung battery operated twinkle lights and LED chinese lanterns, popped open a bottle of wine for us and a stuck a straw in the juice boxes for the kids and let the fun happen from there.

Wave jumping, hermit crab searching, running up and down, up and down the hill from our cabin to the parking lot. We managed to avoid the poison oak, a total plus since the place is covered in it and I made the mistake of telling the kids we were going on a nature hike, encouraging them to collect plant samples, oooops!

The weather couldn't have been more pleasant, especially since we had been in the 100s the week before in Reno. We giggled with the kids, they giggled with each other, we laughed our heads off at old stories and talked about new happenings in our world.

 

Every night we had an amazing sunset. It felt like the golden hour was actually an hour long. Each of us soaked up every last drop of it's lovely goodness.

I shot a ton of film, my iphone got a workout and my DSLR did the trick when the other two were out of juice. I got extra inspiration when an fellow cabin camper and I were talking and he mentioned that Dorothea Lange used to stay in these cabins. I am trying to hunt down a copy of the book, To a Cabin.

What a fantastic time we had, thanks again Amanda! You always introduce me to the coolest places.

Want more camping goodness? I am blogging about getting out with the kids over on the Reno Moms Blog today. Head on over for a fun read.

on the road

Pop-up Penny's first adventure!

Road warriors

sleeping, and not sleeping.

New School

Lots of kids are starting back to school right now, it's just that time of year. And I know many of them are starting a new school, either for the first time ever or just a new school to them...
We fall into the "new school to them" category.

 

With the move to the opposite end of town, it became to hard to commute to and from the day care that the kids have been at since each was 12 weeks old. It was really sad to leave behind not just all the friends, but the teachers and staff too. I made them all cookies and a big thank you note. I hope they know just how much their daily work of caring for my babies meant to us.

I looked at several daycare centers near the house and my office. Some had room for one of the kids, but not the other. Some just didn't feel right. And so I finally settled on one that had the best playground, great looking classrooms and very friendly staff. They also speak Spanish and English to the kids all day long. I liked that a lot- I would love if my kids became bilingual, even just a little bit. I also chose the school because of a familiar face. One of the teachers from the old school had recently started working and running this new one! I was thrilled.

 

Monday was our first day at the new place. O is officially in "Pre-K" (what the!???) and Fifi is right across the hall from him with the 'twos'.  The first day's drop off went really well, to the point that I almost got sad that they weren't sad... (Crazy, I know). O actually told me, as he saddled up on the swing, "Okay Mom, you can go now. I'm fine."
I guess that's what you want, kids who are ready to take on the world without you hovering over them.

Tuesday's drop off was a little bit harder. Fifi realized what was going down as I said goodbye and I forgot her lovie, "Meow-meow Kitty" at home, rookie move. O got a little teary when he hugged me goodbye and made me promise to call him in a little while. I did, and he was happily playing with legos with his new buddy. Fifi had adopted a new baby doll and was happy again.... all is right in the world.

It isn't easy to have to drop your children off at a day care center, no matter how good of a place you find. It is so strange to think they have a little world away from you, just like I do away from them. sigh. being a mama is hard, hard, hard. I hope these drop offs get a little bit easier... though I know I will always be leaving a little piece of my heart with each of them when I walk away...

235:365, a new chapter

This summer has been full of change and new and scary things. It has been full of challenges and learning and standing my ground and waiting and hoping and wondering and a whole hell of a lot of worrying.

But on Monday, a new chapter begins. I start my new job for a new organization. I am both completely excited and totally freaked out, I feel like I am starting a new high school or something! I had been with my old job for 9 years, but with a reorganization and reduction in force my position was eliminated and I was placed on administrative (paid) leave until they could decide where to place me-seven weeks of  going back and forth with HR about my qualifications, meetings with other departments to discuss why I thought I should be able to bump into one job and not another and even an hour with a lawyer to discuss my rights.
It was a vacation to limbo-land, and trust me, limbo-land doesn't include drinks with umbrellas or pool side service.

In the meantime, I was also applying for new work and scheduling interviews. It was encouraging to know that other offices liked what they saw on my resume and were willing to give me a chance to be part of their staff, even if my old place of work didn't see the value in what I did, it was clear to see that others do.
I was offered and accepted a new job a couple of weeks ago and last Friday gave my official resignation for my old spot. It was a relief, but also a real energy drain too. Saying goodbye is never easy, even when it is the best thing to do.

Wish me luck on my new commute (an hour one way),
my new schedule (three tens and one eight, with Wed. off)
and my new job!
If I'm not around much in the next few weeks, you'll know why!