So, yes.... it HAS been a long, long time.
Many things have happened, since last I wrote. I am no longer in South Africa (obvious, if you read the last post), and I am quickly losing my tan. That is sad. I am missing the sun of Cape Town, and I am very very much missing all our wonderful friends (refer to my last entry). I am looking forward to seeing them all in VANCOUVER, BC though!
I think I just ruined any surprises that I could have saved for later on in this entry. But, I am not there yet.
I have been up to no good, since we returned. The first week back, I immediately flew to California, to stay with Sarah Schreiber and her husband Josh, in Placerville. If Sarah had been wanting a beautiful lawn and flowers to take care of, she has succeeded. Their home makes me very jealous, with so much greenery. Kathryn Ward and her fiance Jonathan, came out on Monday to stay for the week, and then Carrie Centeno came on Thursday. 
It was SO wonderful to be with such wonderful friends from my childhood again, and know that although we have all changed a ton, our friendships remain intact. I laughed more than I have in a very long time, and my stomach hurt severely sereral times while we were together! I am very much looking forward to the next time we meet up. We hiked at Lake Tahoe, went to a Nevada casino, gardened, met some of Sarah's California friends, and ate a ton (we also found a candy shop downtown, and I drooled but did not touch). All in all, it was stupendous.
A few days after my return to Oregon, Sebastien and I stole his parents' Prius to drive up to Vancouver. On the way up, we stopped to see his sister, Vanessa, her husband, Dennis, and their soon-to-be-born baby, as of now named "Baby." Although it was a short visit, because we got to their house so late, we were able to celebrate Dennis's birthday with his family and have time for a nice chat. We stayed there for a night, and then got on the road the next morning, to Vancouver, to look for jobs.
Caitlin, Sarah, Joy and Ted, whom I know from grad school, all live in Vancouver. It makes me so happy that I am moving to somewhere that I can be close to this wonderful crew. We got together quite a bit during the week we were there, and I remembered how awesome these guys are, and I am so excited to see them more. I went to the petting zoo with Joy, played frisbee in the park with Seb, Ted and Sarah, and went to Caitlin's sweet little apartment for a wine and cheese party, getting re-acquainted with them all. They all have been helping us so much in this move, and I don't know how we will ever thank them. In terms of getting stuff done, it was a challenging week, looking for employment and a place to live. Mostly we pounded the pavement, going from firm to firm, dropping off cover letters and resumes, like no one's business. We got our resumes in order, and printed (and reprinted) our portfolios. We were constantly calling firms, while keeping our eyes open for good neighborhoods.
Every day (except the weekend), it rained, and when we weren't wet from head to toe as we walked into firms, it was a miracle. Probably the majority of firms just didn't want to hire the wet rats that came into their offices. I guess I can't blame them. Despite the "wet rat" thing, we found jobs. Both of us. It was becoming a sad scene for a while, and it was easy to pessimistic about finding positions with people we could respect. In the end, though, the hard work payed off. I got a couple of job offers, and Sebastien got one at a firm he really likes. We found an apartment that we really like, and we are moving in on Monday or Tuesday of next week. Check out the link at the top (click the title, NOW) to see our neighborhood. Please come visit!
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