6:: June

I think it's time for a bit of a blog break, dear readers.

First of all, my camera is broken.

Second of all, the next 7 weeks are going to be a time of both preparation for our move and soaking up the good things that the current area does offer. I am just feeling the upheaval already, being as sensitive as I am, and I have 7 more weeks to get through at Trader Joe's, which isn't the easiest as I am just bursting to be preparing a Montessori classroom again. The whole past year from last May has been a year of so much change and transition, some expected, some not. I sit in this tiny apartment that was never really mine, despite John's complete openness to myself and my things coming into it, and I hate the carpet and the color of the walls and how noisy it is around (we often wake up to the neighbor's baby screaming, mom talking loudly on her cell phone, delivery trucks, and a crazy 1940's era fire siren, to name a few near-daily at-once sounds). I feel no inspiration toward my creative pursuits like writing or knitting or even reading, and have put learning to sew on hold for virginia where i hope to find a studio with some great classes. I am on my computer/watching netflix and hulu shows too much.

By nature, I feel happiest either pursuing all that in a space that I feel peaceful and settled in; when I don't have that, I look outside the home to satisfy my natural "introverted explorer's" (think scarjo in Lost in Translation, and there you have me) needs. So that is to say, for the remainder of the summer I need to find pleasure in walks, drives, parks, and the little cute shops of Philly and Collingswood, et al. Why, just today i had a very pleasurable vegan lunch at a cute Philly place called Pure Fare. I shopped at the Sal Val and Redding Terminal Market's fair food stand, and on the way back came across another cute veg cafe where I got an iced green tea with agave. Explorer need satisfied, in just those little bits.

For the past four months of living in what I call this "limbo," the kitchen has definitely been my savior. I am fastidious about organizing the fridge and freezer, and keeping things clean and cozy. But we don't even have a table to eat on, we often eat on the coffee table or our laps, or sometimes I even eat standing up because I suck at lap eating, my clothes are always stained from it. (I am that person at a party afraid to eat because I'll drop my food all over myself/the floor). Heather's whole foods workshop certainly helped.

Blogging is difficult when you feel that your life is kind of working in fits and starts and here-and-there bursts of fun energy are being infused into you. (also camera not working is really discouraging, so much to share! it's like a closed window shade to me, a huge no no!). I want to take the time to keep myself mentally healthy as I move toward yet another big change (but yet a good one, one we can settle into for at least the next two years). I often say, I want to do nothing but knit and read novels all winter and walk my dog on the desolate beach. And I'm hoping, truly, that's the case (with a good dose of home-cooking thrown in, too!). On the other side is a job where I'll actually be making money, a wedding to plan, stability of sorts.

Hope you'll meet me in Virginia once we're more settled in. And who knows, I may poke my head in here once or twice along the way there. I'll be back. I'm still going to read the blogs of others that inspire me.

I miss the blogger already. But it's the right thing for me to focus on myself, my still-new (seven months this week!) relationship, and finding our perfect place to live in Virginia, then doing all the intensive planning it will take to get there. I also want to focus for this summer on eating as much whole, unprocessed food as possible -- not that I don't strive for that already, but I've found myself falling lenient and I want to fuel myself best in that middle ground i've currently found:: eat food. mostly plants. not too much. a good summer mantra to have.

my only wishes otherwise for the upcoming summer are: don't take work too seriously. take a day to visit the cliff walk in newport, and eat some fish and chips. go to a picnic/barbeque of some sort! practice banjo a little bit (john just bought me a great book to get started on this goal of mine).  and read lots, lots more than i'm on the computer!!

We are so excited to be landing on two solid feet in Virginia and becoming a real part of a very lovely community down there!!

See you soon!

xoxo,

karen