I'm bad at blogging

Really, it's not that difficult. I spent the better part of the last decade blogging on Livejournal, but I've fallen way out of touch with writing online. I read and follow and tweet and post snippets of my life on a semi-regular basis, but when it comes to writing about my own business, I flake out. This blog doesn't really have a a theme at the moment, but I'm okay with that. I pay it a visit once a month, jot a few things down, and continue living (ultimately hoping for inspiration for that next great blog post next to which you'll place that gold star on your Google reader feed). 

Image from http://www.nataliedee.com/

Here's a topic: the places you've lived in the last 10 years! Just for kicks, I'm going back to 1999 when my great moving adventures began. 

1. September 1999 -  NE 58th St, Vancouver to NE 50th St, U-District, Seattle (sorority livin' for 9 months)

2. June 2000 - NE 50th St to NE 58th St, Vancouver (Mom's house for 15 months)

3. September 2001 - Ne 58th St to NE 105th Ave, Northgate, Seattle (with Theresa for 6 months)

4. March 2002 - Northgate to 8th Ave NE, U-District, Seattle (with a crazy 40 year old woman, Sara, and Hanako for 15 months. The crazy lady moved out in July 2002.)

5. June 2003 - U-District to a Bellevue storage unit (while I was in Romania for 2 months)

6. September 2003 - Bellevue storage unit to Franklin Ave E in Eastlake, Seattle (with Ashley for 12 months)

7. September 2004 - Seattle to NE 26th Place, Vancouver (my Mom's house for 13 months)

8. October 2005 - NE 26th Place to Ellsworth Ave, Vancouver (with Arnie, Matt and Jessie for 21 months)

9. July 2007 - Ellsworth Ave to Hazel Dell Ave, Vancouver (by myself (!!) for 14 months)

10. October 2008 - Hazel Dell Ave to 112th Ave, Vancouver (to move in with my boyfriend, Andy, for 4 months)

11. February 2009 - 112th Ave to Blairmont Drive, Vancouver (with my fiancee, Andy, for 17 months)

12. July 2010 - Blairmont Drive to NE Spring Ave, Depoe Bay, Oregon (with my husband (!!!) for ???)

Have I really moved 12 times in the past 11 years? We're already discussing moving back to the Portland area in the foreseeable future, but we won't be setting a specific time line as to not warrant any disappointment on our part if we can't find decent paying jobs right away. Living with family is an option if we need, but of course, we'd like to keep our big kid pants on and move into our own place.

Moving is always a stress and I can definitely say I've become great at packing and ridding myself of items I no longer need. For instance, we were able to rid ourselves of two couches, a coffee table, two end tables, lamps, multiple bookshelves, a bed, recliner, two desks, and other various household items before we left the 'Couve. However, about 50% of our stuff is still packed up in our garage. Are we using any of those items? Not at the moment. Do we need any of those items? Yes and no; I'd really have to take inventory to see what we have, but I SWEAR we're not hoarders (although I know a lot of what's still packed is books, childhood belongings, a video game/console collection, holiday decorations, garage items, etc.). On a sidenote, if you are not in the mood to clean, watch an episode of  Hoarders and you'll be good to go. We moved from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom duplex, so it's expected that we don't have room for everything. We downsized quite a bit before we moved to the coast, but it would be nice to downsize even more (if we can) before we make another move. Now that I've mentioned it, I think I'll go clean out my closet.

Day #2: Your first love, in great detail

I'm already behind...wtg, me!

First great loves: the movie Annie, New Kids on the Block, trips to visit my grandparents, trying to think of creative ways to earn money with the neighbor kids (lemonade/craft stands, neighborhood newspapers, En Vogue parody performance group).

My first love was MR (initials used to protect identity), and we maintained boyfriend/girlfriend status for just over a year. We met via mutual friends in December 1996, half way through our sophomore year in high school. We attended different high schools, but somehow ended up attending the same youth group with said friends. There was a lot of talk over whether or not we should 'go out,' and by the time everyone else agreed, he finally asked me on my way out of a car. This quick proposal was deemed cute & hilarious to my girlfriends; so cute that they decided to make a mock video of the event. It went something like this:

Scene: Two nervous 15 year olds squished into the back of a Ford Explorer. Vehicle reaches destination of girls' slumber party.

M - "I was wondering if you would go out with me...?"
Cara - "Yes, I will."
M - "Okay, great!"
Cara - "Okay, bye!"

Cara quickly exits the car and makes her way inside the house, pondering what just happened as her girlfriends squeal with glee. End Scene.

Yeah, talk about smooth! Some major events that occurred throughout the duration of our relationship included the attendance of a Veruca Salt/Bush concert, attending a church leadership retreat, long bus rides to each others houses during the summer, and going to my high school's Homecoming dance. We spent a LOT of time on AOL, chatting and updating our profiles to proclaim that we were "taken by SuperM**MC" or "taken by Berta629". We also spent hours on the telephone, even to the point where the conversation would lull and one of us would fall asleep. Our demise came about in February 1998 after an argument over something silly; he broke up with me the next day after church, showing little remorse. We'd simply grown apart and ended up arguing over nothing half the time. A few weeks later, I was still sad and he missed me, and we dated again for one more week before his mom finally told us to call it quits. We both obliged and knew we wouldn't work out at that point in our lives.

Our paths have crossed over the last few years at house parties and bars, and at one point, M did apologize to me for the way he ended our relationship. I think we were both buzzed when this took place, but I seem to remember telling him thank you, that it was water under the bridge, and I appreciated his apology. I may have also blurted out that he was promptly nicknamed Crackmonkey shortly after our breakup. When a 16 year old heart is broken, all you can do is pick a silly nickname and roll with it for years to come!

Day #1: Who are you?

I'm Cara. I'm half of this blog (although I complete 99.97% of the writing, Andy did contribute once), and wish oh-so-much that I had the tenacity to update it more frequently. I think this meme that I'm borrowing from April will help to break the mold.

So, I'm a daughter (to several parents of birth, step, and in-law variety),  a sister (to one sister and 3 step-brothers), a wife (to my adorable husband), an aunt (to my old-soul of a nephew), and of course a granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend, and co-worker to many others. I currently live in Depoe Bay, Oregon and although this town shuts down by 7pm each night, I love the quaint and quiet feeling that comes with it. We recently moved here in mid-July due to a job change on Andy's part. I'm working at Rogue full time, tending bar at our distillery. It's not very thrilling and I've had time to read a few books, in-between customers and tours. I'll most likely continue my job search, even though I've been turned down recently for two jobs that I thought were in the bag. :( With that comes reading up on better interviewing techniques! I'm not terribly excited to switch over to serving full time, but at least it will involve more interaction during the working hours.

I'm into crocheting, scrap booking, taking photos, traveling, thrift shopping, volunteering, cooking and baking. With our lack of extra spending money, it's allowed me to tackle on more crafty and baking projects. I'd love to delve into new volunteer work once I get my work situation straightened out, seeing as I've been volunteering in some capacity for the last 10 years. Our traveling adventures are on hiatus at the moment. And with photography? It seems I have taken more photos of food I've cooked/baked in the last year more than anything (which reminds me of a post idea!). 

I am afraid of change, and with that, afraid to start new projects unless completely certain. I've recently looked into the qualifications to become a Doula, but think that I should experience a birth of my own before really delving in (but I think I'm just creating an excuse instead of jumping in!). I've had a lot of biological urges to procreate in the last several months, but know that a few things need to be put in place before this becomes true to life (money, for one). In the meantime, I read awesome baby/parenting blogs (along with several others dedicated to marriage, crafts, cooking, baking, traveling, feminism, sociology, home design, and life in general).

Well, this is me in a nutshell on the 15th day of September, 2010. Thanks for reading!

Movie Trailers!

We haven't had television service in quite some time. One of the things I've been missing out on (and didn't realize until recently) is new movie trailers (which I loveLOVElove). Thanks to You Tube's The Tube Trailers, I can now catch up with the rest of the televised world and become super giddy over new movies coming to a theater near me. Here are more than a few of my favorites:

Black Swan (with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis)

The Next Three Days (with Russel Crowe)

Love and Other Drugs (with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway)

Freakonomics

The Romantics (with Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin and Josh Duhamel)

Burlesque (with Christina Aguilera, Cher and Stanley Tucci)

Heartbreaker (with a few French actors)

The Company Men (with Ben Afflek, Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Costner)

Due Date (with Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis and Jamie Foxx)

Stone (with Edward Norton and Robert De Niro)

Welcome to the Rileys (with James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo

The Dry Land (with Ryan O'Nan, America Ferrera, Wilmer Valderrama and Jason Ritter)

Flipped (with Anthony Edwards, Rebecca De Mornay, Penelope Ann Miller and Aidan Quinn)

Little Fockers (with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro)

Winnebago Man Not sure why I've never viewed this internet phenomenon!

Dream a little dream

We're being featured on A Practical Wedding tomorrow today and as soon I received notification, I immediately said "Oh shoot! CNN just covered this website, there will be mass traffic in the next few days, and I'm not as seasoned in blogging as I once was. Must write something ASAP!" I've had a few ideas spinning in my head lately, particularly about following your dreams within a relationship, even when they're not your dreams. When do you do decide to follow these dreams, you may have to take a big leap of faith leaving behind jobs, family, friends and the normal routine to which you and your partner have been accustomed. I'll try to condense and clarify my rambling so this is easier to digest.

Leaving your job - Andy had been offered a position that included working in his dream career field, a move 2 1/2 hours away, and a significant pay cut. As he told his future employer that he'd jump in the car to interview, the wheels in my head were turning more quickly than I anticipated. I knew that we could potentially be moving away, Andy could leave his dull production job, and we could potentially get closer to creating our family (yes, we think that far ahead). What I didn't think about until he was offered the position (a mere 4 hours later) was that I would have to quit my job; not necessarily my dream job, but a job which I'd enjoyed for the entire duration, in a field that always brought excitement, positive and easy to embrace changes, and numerous chances for my skills to shine. It was even harder as the tears in my eyes began to well up as I turned in my letter of resignation. My boss only promised to hate me 7% more each day until my last (all in good humor of course). I was told by many that I would be missed, but was always welcome to return to the agency, should we find ourselves living in the area again. That last bit helped a lot in my transition out, but the looming fear of not finding meaningful work still lingers... Tourist season is in full swing on the coast, which brings ample work serving tables or working at a hotel. Having a fun & carefree job may be in the cards for me again, which wouldn't be so bad. It would definitely give me time to delve into new volunteer work and continue to beef up my resume, while still collecting a paycheck twice a month.

Leaving your family and friends - We've lived within close proximity to our families for the last few years, always trying to make time for dinners and outings accordingly. It can and has been hard devoting our time to three sets of parents, siblings and extended family, but we've made it work. This will be our first opportunity to thrive and further develop our relationship as a married couple, without our parents just a quick drive away. My own parents moved 200 miles away shortly before I turned two years old, being away from their extended families for almost 10 years. My mom still states to this day that it was the best event that happened for their relationship. As for our friends, not all have lived close to us during our time together, but we've still tried to make the most of the sporadic visits over the last few years. Now, we'll have to learn how to cultivate new relationships together without retreating to our hermit-like nature when we're not feeling up to the challenge. We're both naturally social people, so hopefully this won't be too difficult. As for our current relationships, making a visit to the beach won't be so bad for the masses as now they'll have a free couch to crash!

Leaving your normal routine - Oh, 8am-5pm Monday - Friday, how I will miss your conformity, dependability and guaranteed two day spread of time off. I will NOT miss rush hour traffic, the 3pm lull, or the double snooze epidemic that I could never quite shake. I know that Andy will also not miss his 4:45am wake up calls or his required overtime shifts that sucked away his days off from work. But really, what is normal? When I worked as a server right after college, my normal schedule entailed working until 2am most nights and sleeping in until noon. Granted, I only had to work 30 hours/week but it didn't match what other people were doing at the time (and some often wondered when I would acquire that "real job"). I still put a lot of my extra time into volunteering, using my brain when serving and cooking didn't take the cake. With the possibility of rejoining the ranks of the service industry, it doesn't so much feel as a step back but more than a step in the direction to help my husband follow his dream. His 10 year plan ultimately involves owning his own brew pub, and the more knowledge I acquire about restaurants, management and the service industry, the better I can help him develop his own goals. Andy's never had a dream job before, so it's been hard for him to identify with the loss I've been feeling over quitting my job in the non-profit sector. When finding normal, you have to find happiness in what you do, no matter what it is. If you're going to serve tables, do the best you can and be the best server you can be. Keep it light, make it fun and continue developing your skills and passions outside of your job.

You're probably wondering what my dreams are; that's a great question! Or maybe you're thinking that I've given up a lot to follow my husband's dream; how 1950s of you, Cara! I've dreamed of becoming a doula, teacher, or continuing helping those in need on their paths to obtaining self-sufficiency. I've also dreamed of starting my own catering business or cupcakery, or even a vintage store on Etsy. I will always find a way to be an advocate, even if it's within volunteer work. And yes, giving up my job has been tough, but this adventure could potentially open up many doors for us both. We're following the yellow brick road to the coast in hopes that in taking this journey together will help ease the stress that we might encounter from time to time. In the mean time, boxes still need to be packed and we're patiently waiting to hear from our potential new landlord. For now, enjoy the view!