We're Still Here

Life in Boston is MUCH busier and more full than either of us had anticipated. We agree that we are blessed beyond measure by the enormous opportunities and experiences that exist for our taking here. We LOVE it! Sadly however, our busy lives have left me little time for blogging...I do hope you'll forgive me!

In the adjustment to our new life I have learned a few things about getting to and from work. First, parking at my office is $165 MONTHLY....so I do not drive. Second, taking the train and bus (or train or bus, depending on time and day) takes, in most cases, about an hour each way (the same as Corvallis!). Third, cycling to and from work is free, and EASY! We live only about 3 miles from work and there is a bike path that allows me to ride nearly entirely off the street the whole way to work! Cycling only takes about 20 minutes to get to work, and despite my initial concerns about vanity (messy hair, sweaty, mussed clothes) the ride has proven to be easy and quite enjoyable. That is, unless, I am caught in a terrible and earth shaking lightening storm, as I was today.

This morning I had a lovely start to my day. I got up extra early so that I could sit on my lovely porch and drink coffee on my newly refinished (by me!) red wicker love seat. Anyway, after my coffee there was a little rumbling in the sky and some clouds. I knew that there was a POSSIBILITY of rain this morning. But, being the NW girl I am I was not scared off by the threat of rain (forecasters reported a 30% chance…that’s any sunny day in Eugene!), so I hopped on my bike and took off for a day of writing at the office. About 1/2 mile from home it started to rain, but I was sure it was going to either quit or lighten, so I continued. Another 1/2 mile and the sky opened up and began to dump SHEETS of water. As if my being drenched wasn’t enough to the bone, the sky darkened notably and then fierce lightening shattered the sky with LOUD ‘CRACKS’ followed IMMEDIATELY by deafening thunder. I pulled over, drenched to the bone and waited for a reprieve. Realizing that I was never going to sit at work soaked to the bone (I’d freeze with the air conditioning), I figured I might as well ride home in the storm to change and get dry. So, I hopped back on my bike and rode all-out through the cracking, crashing storm, wind blowing the rain sideways into my eyes, water dripping from my
helmet….clothing stuck to me like I had showered in my khaki trousers. I could hear the song from the Wizard of Oz playing in my head: “the house began to pitch, the kitchen to slitch….” Followed by the wicked witch of the west song….

But have no fear. I got home. Dried off. Redressed, redid my hair and make up and took the train in. Thank goodness I do not melt in water!!!

Wow, there I am!

For those of you wondering what the heck I'm doing here in Boston: One of my many extraordinary opportunities is participation in the LGBT Health Research Summer Institute. I started this on July 26 and it will continue until August 20. It's a remarkable experience and I'm having a great time learning a lot about methodology, analysis, topics related to my research area and generating manuscripts. We (being the fellows and students in the institute) made the paper last week:
Bay Windows - New England's largest GLBT newspaper

Enjoy!

Saturday Fun

Weekends are becoming the sweet, delicious dessert at the end of our work weeks here in Boston. I am working less on the weekends than ever before, and we both seem to have a renewed sense of adventure. Yesterday we spent the day exploring areas new to us here in Boston, namely, Back Bay. The Back Bay neighborhood, situated in the heart of Boston, just a stones throw from fancy boutiques, posh cafes and the financial district, is characterized by the beautiful brownstone buildings that we all think of when we think of 'Boston' neighborhoods. The streets of Back Bay are lined with gorgeous old trees, and the median on most streets is a gated garden or park space used by residents in each block. Back Bay is also dotted with several insanely beautiful public parks including the Esplande at Charles River, Boston Gardens, and Boston Common, to name only a few. These parks are like little jewels of the urban landscape, overflowing with fragrant flowers, lush green spaces, old and stately trees, old and oxidized water features and countless bronze statues paying tribute to innumerable historical events.

Like many of the most beautiful Boston neighborhoods, Back Bay is highly sought by locals, well, locals with bundles of cash filling their pockets. For the commoners like us, Back Bay is a highly sought after day trip. Back Bay is easily accessible from our neighborhood (JP) on a very short, 15 minute, bus ride.

Again and again we are delightfully surprised by the quality and beauty of the parks in Boston. The citizens and city have done a remarkable job preserving and investing in urban green spaces. Charles River, one of Boston's most prized and popular parks in Boston, is a prime (perhaps THE prime) location for long runs on it's more than 20 miles of paved river-front running and walking paths. For endurance runners, like me (who have GI issues), this running path is particularly wonderful for it's clean and readily available 'powder'rooms. The views of Cambridge, sailboats, kayaks and bridges along the water are stunning. And, if you squint just right it feels a little like walking along the Thames River in London.

Boston Garden and the Common will require another trip to Back Bay (and another post, you lucky ducks!) though we did appreciate their loveliness from afar during our adventure and mission to find lunch yesterday.

Happy Friday!

The productivity at my new job continues to grow. I am showing all of the 'hallmark' signs of being a full-fledged 'post doc': losing several hours at a time staring at data, running and rerunning analyses for the sake of exploring new ideas, reading articles, writing papers and developing manuscripts. I arrive at the office at about 7:45 a.m. and leave around 4:00 p.m. and all of the hours in between overflow with nerdy-delight.

Weekends in Boston are the time that we are tourists in our new city. However, I have to say, it is very difficult to 'squeeze' everything that we would like to see and do into the weekends. It turns out that 'regular' life came with us (it must have piggy-backed on the roof of the prius!) and we still have to spend weekend and evening time doing laundry, cooking, grocery shopping and, gasp, cleaning. It is unclear to me today why I imagined that we would have so much 'extra' free time after arriving in our city. It turns out that there are still only 24-hours in a day, 7-days in a week out here in Boston.

Nevertheless we have committed to seeing something (anything) new in our city each week. Last week we visited Newbury Street....a ritzy shopping district in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. It was more than 90 degrees, giving us PLENTY of reason to duck into every charming (read: air conditioned) boutique that we fancied. In addition to ooing and awing at lots of exorbadently priced items, we also found a few FAB-U-LOUS second hand boutiques. But more than anything, it was wonderful to spend an afternoon together doing something that did NOT involve our adjustment.

This weekend it promises to be equally as hot so we may stay close to Myron, our new airconditioner, and visit a few neighborhood venues a little closer to our new home. There is so much to see and do....it would be really helpful if some one would come out and visit...help us see some of these tourist attractions!

Today was the second day of really fantastic, off the charts workout since our arrival in Boston. After we unpacked and felt relatively settled we started back to our daily movement routines. Naively, and despite everything we know about exercise and the influence of life transitions on exercise (and other healthy) routines, we thought I would just immediately pick up where I left off working out a few hours a day. It turns out that the emotional and physical disruptions that naturally characterize a relocation DO indeed interrupt previously well established exercise routines. Something seemed to come up every day that kept us from getting to the gym or the park (for a run). So, instead we have been doing a ton of walking and recently returned to running short distances.

This week however it seems that we have turned over a new leaf. We have tried MANY gyms since arriving in Boston (see my heart is still in it!), but nothing really fit. Despite the mismatch we have had a few really terrific interval workouts in which I combine intense cardiovascular work with high rep/low weight strength training. I have also had a great heavy strength training workout this week.

Today we picked a new gym, located only 1 mile from home, that seems to be a much better fit. I ran nearly 3 miles and felt terrific! I could actually feel my bad mood slipping away under my pounding feet. The bonus was that my lady joined me...is there anything better than running beside the love of your life? I have also found that the time I've taken 'off' from heavy training has given new life to my legs for running and all of my 'lifting' muscles. Turns out these 'exercise-experts' may know a thing or two about 'rest' and 'recovery'.

So, here's to turning over a new leaf in Boston where everything is the same but oh so very, very different!

By the way: have attempted to locate stylists and waxers (aesticians)...boy what a post have I got for you. I have never had such an aggressive, intense, hold me down sort of eye brow wax before. I knew that they were bad, but man-alive...what was that?

Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho It's Off to Work I Go

Go Terriers!
Give me a T.
Give me an E.
Give me an R…....
anyone tired of this yet?
Go Boston Terriers!

I love my new job and I love the institution, Boston University. I love it so much I may never want to leave…well, that might be a stretch (have you seen the weather here today? I’m melting all over my key board). Back to my point: I love BU because from what I can tell so far they do a great job taking care of employees (classified and unclassified) and seemingly make an extraordinary commitment to students with teaching excellence and educational support. Boston University is ALSO a world renowned research institution…’world renowned’…go figure. Turns out that BU is kind of an amazing institution to be affiliated with…huh. I am going to just being grateful and hope that they don’t realize who I am anytime soon and realize that they’ve made some mistake!

My first days of work so far have involved orientations, meetings, and generally getting set up at my desk and with IT. Today I spent a bit of time actually working. This involved locating and selecting literature for reading as I prepare a little mini project for a future conference. The topic involves the role of physical activity and social support in cancer survivors and how ones participation in physical activity differs by years since diagnosis and how physical activity influences cancer survivor outcomes. This is the very rough, preliminary ideas and product of my work today, but I’ll keep you posted on how it develops. But for those of you who wondered what my days would be like, today involved researching articles, reading and looking at available data. Go Terriers!

You can see here that my office is located in a very urban area, in the South End neighborhood of Boston. I take the Orange line train to get to Massachusettes Avenue, followed by a very short bus ride down ‘mass ave’…aka, Massachusetts Avenue (‘locals’ call it mass ave, so I will too) where I get off at Boston Medical Center.

From here I enter the “Cross Town” building (this is the name of my building) and take the elevator (locals call this the ‘elevator’) to the fourth floor.
Here are a few pics of my little workspace.


In my department there are real offices with doors (for faculty, professors etc), large ‘cube’ workspaces (for post docs, research coordinators etc), and smaller ‘cubes’ for temporary students or research assistants. I was given a large ‘miranda’ cube workspace near a very large window. You can see from the pictures that my workspace is ample for research and writing, and the window with view of medical buildings are perfect for day dreaming, or I mean contemplating unique analytic and methodological techniques I will use. Go Terriers!

Updates from Boston

We pulled our little pruis, strategically stuffed to the gills with cat, dog, and girly accoutrement one week ago yesterday. Since then we have accomplished a significant degree of work in setting up our humble abode. When we pulled in to Boston we did not have our furniture (as we knew we wouldn’t) so we spent our first two nights on an air mattress and eating take-out meals from local diners and grocers. Then, on the third day a GIANT truck, carrying all of our most beloved treasures (ha!), pulled in (taking down only small trees and weak branches)thereby ‘delivering’ us from simplicity. As you can see from the picture below we were floor to ceiling in boxes, our house runneth over.When I arrived home from my first day on the job I found Trina digging out from the storm that the movers called ‘delivery’ and Jasmine was perched high above the rest of us ‘lowly’ family members on her kitty tower, which was also precariously balanced on two large boxes. Get her down, you say? And take my life into my own hands? She’s lived a long, full life, come what may. I'm just kidding (mostly), I would have assisted her as necessary but she seemed safe and content.

Since that massive delivery 5 days have passed and we are delighted, perhaps even proud, to say that all of the boxes are emptied, and removed from the premises (thank you craigs list!). The kitchen became fully functional the day after delivery, and we have been eating off of our clothed table dressed with colorful plates and glasses ever since. Our books are sorted. Clothes are put away. Pictures are hung (well, all but three). New roman shades are hung in 10 of our 14 windows (Lowes ran out of blinds!). New dressers and TV stand have been assembled. The internet is very officially, and wonderfully, up. We feel pretty darn close to being set up!

So, enjoy the pics! It was an intense journey that has involved a combined total of more than ten days of driving, unpacking and getting settled without a day off (are we crazy??). Currently we are fantasizing the arrival of our newest family member, the air conditioner (we will reveal her name when she arrives) and about having a ‘down’ day together to explore our new city this weekend.

Movin' In, Feelin' Good

Today I was encouraged to stay home from work to unpack our home. HOLY MOLEY! Why, on God's green earth, do we have THIS MUCH STUFF? Better yet, why on earth did we PAY to ship it this far? Seriously? Yikes.

Enough whining. We have lovely things and are blessed by our bounty (did you throw up a little in your mouth?). Actually, the truth is, we have been working pretty solidly since yesterday afternoon when the movers left (well, since I got home at 6'ish from my first day at work). 24 hours later and this place is starting to shape up! I plan to post before and after pics in the next few days, so stay tuned! If you're dying for a sneak peak, you can check out my facebook page where I posted a pic of our first home-prepared (I can't really say 'cooked' because it was only spaghetti) meal and a pic of the living room as it takes shape. What? Don't tell me that you're surprised that we are 79.4% unpacked and set up...I mean, if you're reading this you KNOW Trina and I, right? We get stuff done. Just ask Jen and Meg about their yard-scape-extravaganza several years ago. Give me a shovel, box cutter, agenda, task list, or general physical labor and I'll work until it's done. Several times during our massive unpacking hoopla I thought of Ironman.....

Amidst the unpacking, sorting, organizing, setting up mayhem, T had to work for several hours today (she is so good!). So, I took the opportunity to make a few donations to the local goodwill (why we paid to ship it so that it could be donated is beyond me) and pick up lunch at the local 'city feed'. I also took a spin around the 'pond', both within walking distance to our apartment.

Jamaica Pond is, in my uneducated opinion, the crown jewel of my neighborhood. http://www.jamaicapond.com/. It is a pond encircled by a paved 1.5 mile path perfect for dog walking, running and enjoying the wooded and sunny glory of the waterfront. The pond is large enough for kayaking (come one come all!!), sailing small crafts, and row boats. The boat house on site rents by the hour and you better believe it will be merely a matter of days before
I'll be out there soaking up the sun as it glitters off the water. The path around the pond gets ample sun, but plenty of shade so that both sun-philes and shade-philes can enjoy the peace and beauty of this little gem amidst the hustle and bustle of urban life.

City Feed is an organic, local (or as local as possible) grocery and deli located in our neighborhood (http://www.cityfeedandsupply.com/) They serve terrific breakfast, coffee (and I imagine other morning beverages as well), and FABULOUS sandwiches. Today I had one of the best mozzarella, tomato, basil sandwiches EVER! I think the thing that I love most about this establishment is that it reminds be of a sweet little place (the Kiva) in Eugene. I ate at the Kiva for lunch every day for 5 years prior to pursuing my PhD in Corvallis. There is something incredibly comforting about the familiarity of the City Feed in this time when everything feels turned upside down...in the most positive way, of course.

Another HUGE benefit to the City Feed is that they are located on my way to the train...and it was wonderful to stop there for a hot, steamy cup of coffee on my way to my first day at work yesterday! More on work later...but for now know that things look appropriately challenging and absolutely FABULOUS and wonderful in every possible way.

Home Sweet Home

I write to you today, on day 2 of our Boston-new-life transition, from 'my' local coffee/home made ice-cream shop (brilliant combo in Jennifer's book of great life pairings), JP Licks (www.jplicks.com). I walked here, from our apartment. I am sipping iced coffee and anticipating my first day on the job. I am in heaven and it seems that we are officially home. This feels great. But these are not the reasons why I feel that we are home-sweet-home, no, you must read on.

As many of you know, I am a faller. Meaning, I fall down. Often. Unexpectedly. Up stairs, and down stairs. On rough roads, and on smooth roads. Where there is debris, and where there are miles and miles of nothing-ness. I will, I have, and I do, fall down. In fact I fall down so regularly that my old friends know not to give it a second thought when I stumble, tumble and get back up without dropping a beat in our riveting conversation. I also warn new friends of this tendency because invariably we will be walking (to get coffee, a greeting card, wine, whatever suits ones fancy) and I will stumble, tumble and fall down. In the past these sweet, naïve new friends, who have no idea that I am a faller, go out of their way to try to catch me or keep me from falling….which all too often ends in my taking them down with me. My warning to my new friends usually includes awareness building of my potential to fall (and I try to do this PRIOR to my first tumble, but sometimes during), and I also let them know that I am not embarrassed to fall down (that ended years ago when I would stumble while on a date, or on stage during a performance), so they shouldn’t be either. Can you see where this is going?
After returning home from a productive shopping trip (think cleaning supplies, window dressings and cat bed) I eagerly carried our bags into the house. I love this part of moving in…new sponges, shower curtains, dish racks and curtains! As I brought in the second trip of bags, daydreaming about the newly purchased roman shades in a gold and burgundy striped pattern, I tripped up the porch steps. With a wild swing of bag filled arms (without dropping a single sponge) and a giant lurch forward, it seemed I would catch myself. Whew. Then, a millisecond later, I realized I that my wild arm swinging and lurching had actually increased my propulsion toward the ground (force times mass…I hate physics). I hit the porch hard, and that handy, rough door mat was like sliding into home (pun intended) on a pad of steel-wool…on my knees. Well, knee to be precise (I always like things to be correct and precision is an essential element to correctness). My left knee took the brunt of the fall leaving me with a wound that looks like I shaved with a rusty, sharpened brillo pad. I am bruised in other places and have a weird scrape on my right bicep…in the fall I believe that I fell onto the boxed shower head. I guess this is the case only because the box is decimated (again force times mass) and was carried under my right arm.

So, I have fallen in my new city, and I think, this means we are home.

Post Script: note to the reader: Picture of injured knee is no where near as gross as the knee actually looks. For the first time ever I am relieved that my BlackBerry doesn't take super clear pics!

Day 5: Boston or BUST!

I will start this post by proudly announcing (insert trumpets) that we have just turned over 3,000 miles (more trumpeting)!!!! Neither Trina or I have ever driven that far in a single trip before. Whoohooo!!!

Today is our last day of travel. It has gone unbelievably fast and rarely (if ever actually) have either of us felt the urge to complain about the long hours 'trapped' in our tiny (and seemingly ever shrinking) prius. We have listened to books on tape, I have blogged (thank goodness I do not have motion sickness, sorry Verna), Trina has taken multiple consultation calls (and I might add, she is incredibly good at her job), Macy has wined, cried, jumped, bucked and slept, and Jasmine has ridden beautifully, stoically even, taking hour after hour in her large, plushly lined crate (what does this queen of sheba have to complain about anyway?). We have stayed in one scary motel and five 'regular' hotels (not scary, though Sarah, you may disagree as Trina has bemoaned a few of these stays), consumed innumerable cups of coffee, bottled water, and (I am ashamed to say) at least three large boxes of nilla wafers. Nilla Wafers. I knew that this trip would defined by some interesting experience or characteristic, but I had no idea that this would be, of all things, nilla wafers. Seriously?

Yesterday we passed through Pennsylvania, Ohio and many miles of NY state. First, the states out here are so small and close together. No wonder no one talks to anyone else...they all need space. Second, the landscape is beautiful. I know I'm beating a dead horse (okay, sorry, just an aside, we need a new euphemism for that saying...I think it's high time to stop beating horses, dead or alive...someone quick, think of a quippy), but really the landscape is remarkable. As we passed from Ohio to Pennsylvania we were struck by the nearly immediate shift from wide-open corn fields to beautiful and green trees and hills. This has continued and has become more dense as we have passed through New York. In fact, dare I say, that upstate New York is remarkably similar to the NW. If I squint my eyes, or simply look at the computer screen for a few hours and then look out the window, I can almost convince myself that we are on the road to Portland or Seattle. *Sigh*.

Speaking of the great NW, having lived for so many years in the great, green, safety of Eugene, Trina and I had become remarkably comfortable in our safety as a couple. What I mean is that in the NW (and most of the cities we vacation in, Las Vegas aside, but that's another post entirely) we can (and do) hold hands, stay in hotels, have domestic partner benefits, social support and are able to engage in the normally observed affection shared between a couple. In short, we are 'out'. In many of the areas we have passed through during this cross country adventure we have been keenly aware of our need to be cautious. I cannot exactly describe any single interaction or distinct characteristic that indicates that we should be careful, but we feel this difference. We avoid holding hands, we allow for the 'appropriate' distance between us when walking, we request two beds in our rooms. I know that we could be using this adventure as an opportunity to both a) extend our own comfort zones and b) to expose folks to the reality of our presence, but frankly, we have deliberately avoided risk. It's an interesting and tenuous balance and I know there are many of you reading this who are far more courageous than we have been on this trip. And I think too it is a noteworthy experience because it reminds me, us, that it is all too easy to take for granted the safety and protections that we have experienced. These protections are not 'special', rather they protect people from hate crime, they afford us the safety of separate but equal spousal recognition (think hospitals, taxes, health care/coverage, etc) (in Oregon, anyway) and the over arching acceptance (or even just tolerance) of the presence of same-sex couples. I think this means we are NOT done. Those of us who are committed allies in the resistance of hate, discrimination, must remember that our efforts can be extended (courageously) into regions beyond our own back yard. And while I am speaking in this moment about resisting the pejorative discrimination of the LGBT people in our nation, my intention extends to all discrimination and oppression of difference (weigh in here any time Dr. Self!). For the symptom of oppression, stemming from hate and fear of difference, against one group is never 'simply' against 'one group'. By design it extends to others who either choose to fall out of the 'main stream' or who cannot enter this stream by virtue of who they are born to be. And who are we to determine and set any one 'standard' for others? But I digress.

My brief slip into the academic, corner, no, conference room, of my mind has been (lucky for you) interrupted by a quick kitty-poo stop. Don't ask. It was gross and it's done.

Our next post to you will be from the comfort of our unfurnished, quaint, hardwood floors of our Boston apartment.

Day 3-4: Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and hopefully O-hiii-o

After more than 2100 miles (21483 to be precise), would you believe that Trina just uttered the following statement?

"I'm having so much fun. I kinda don't want to get there."

Seriously, this is how much fun we are having! How lucky are WE? VERY LUCKY!. Now, I have to say, as much as I love observing the great countryside of our incredible nation, with my three favorite beings within arms reach, I cannot wait to arrive and start our new life in Boston. However, I have great and sincere appreciation for Trina's tribute to living in the moment!

Just to get you up to speed, last night we stayed in Omaha, NE and wouldn't you know it...the NCAA College Baseball World Championships were happening across the 'street' (read: multiple freeway interchange). I have NEVER before in my life seen so many beer loving, baseball adoring men wearing baseball hats gathering in any single location before....they all seemed to be staying at our 'pet friendly' hotel. Did they all bring their kitties to the big game? Did the stadium give coupons for our hotel? If so the stadium purveyors should also distributed tubes of sunscreen for these men, who sadly, seemed to have forgotten that their hats did not cover their, now, red ears and necks.

After settling into our hotel and locating salads and sandwiches for dinner we took Macy for a little walk and saw our first fire-flies. I think that these little sparks are part remarkable biological phenomena and part magic. No matter how tired, how irritable, or how hot and humid, seeing a fire fly always fills me with awe. Will there be fire flies in Boston? Pleeeease say yes!

Trina, quite on the other hand, has been filled with awe by the fields of windmills that occasionally dot the green, mid-west fields. Of course windmills have a long and productive history in the US (and elsewhere I am sure). But these historic windmills are not those that have inspired Trina to begin conceiving of a career in engineering. She has been inspired by the modern windmills of today charged with generating alternative energy for our great (and very wide) nation. I have read mixed material about these windmills and Trina's enthusiasm for these looming and impressive feats of engineering has inspired me to learn more. Perhaps they will make an appearance in a future blog post. More pictures, taken by Trina and I, very soon.

I have been most impressed by the terrain in two states (no Grandma, not Nebraska!). Wyoming was breath taking with it's wide open ranges, expansive plateaus, powerful and gusting winds and ruggedness. I took multiple (read 100's) pictures of the land as I was repeatedly impressed by the mixed and changing textures of the land (impressively boring slide show to come!). I'll post these soon (I bet you can't wait!). I have also been impressed by the lush, green beauty of Iowa. Iowa, home of the Iowa City Hawkeyes (isn't that right Meg?). Yes, there were miles of corn fields, but there was also so many trees, beautiful, rolling hills and quaint silo's and red barns nestled between rolling hills of lush foliage. I loved Iowa.

I will say that I am eating my words (again). The midwest is very much NOT flat as I have been told and have repeated without reliability. Rather, there are many, and in some places relentless, rolling hills that make me think fondly (and with some cellular memory of agony) of Madison, WI and one fabulous and challenging ride I took during my Ironman effort. As we move across the country neither of us can resist noting the cycle-ability of the road, temperature, wind (much gusting wind), rolling hills and occasional flats. I have long, and until recently, secretly harbored a desire to cycle across the US (a confession that I imagine is inspiring eye-rolls from several of you reading now).

Today we hope to end our day in Holiday City, Ohio. At this rate we expect to arrive (though too soon in Trina's estimation) in Boston mid-day on Tuesday. So, guests can begin arriving Wednesday.

Day 2: 10 hours, more than 1000 miles (total) and three bags of hot tamales

Today we got of to a terrific start, right on time, and with a large coffee! It was wonderful! Then, about 2 hours into the drive, at about mile post 232 in Idaho outside of Twin Falls, we came to a dead stop. There has a horrendous, multiple car pile up that kept us at a complete stop for more than an hour. Making the best of the situation I did yoga poses and enjoyed the opportunity to soak up the sun and warmth on the interstate. Trina, on the other hand, worked in the car. The ONLY very bad part of this experience was that we had opted to skip the rest stop 15 minutes earlier. Did I mention that we stopped for coffee an hour prior? I have to tell you, it got a little dicey and I was seriously cruising a large, full, sage-brush bush along the road. Thankfully, I never had to bare my behind on the interstate....but as I said...it was dicey.

While we had hoped to land in Cheyenne, WY tonight, our long 'break' earlier this morning set us back. After 10-hours of driving we decided to call it a day. I am DELIGHTED to be eating my words. Ms Jasmine (feral kitty #1) has been an absolute princess (and not the sort of princess that demands couture and sparking water). She is consistently well mannered, quiet and incredibly purrrfect hour after hour. Macy, I am very happy to report, bless her heart, redeemed herself today. She was actually able to get into her bed and sleep episodically for several of the 10 driving hours. I am feeling really lucky to have such wonderful little beasts. Of course, given how well they are doing it is abundantly clear to me that I a) under estimated their ability to be well behaved travelers and b) we could have flown. Ugh. But the bright side is that we never would've seen the endless 'beauty', rolling range and the odd snow fences of Wyoming without our pet misjudgments. Oh thank goodness for silver linings.

Thank goodness also for hot tamales! We stopped in a fit of fatigue at a random gas station in the middle of, well, no where, and filled up on (god help us) mountain dew and hot tamales. It got us through and pepped us up, despite the holes I am convinced this combination chewed in our teeth and stomach linings. Alas, it turns out that we should have trained for this event. It is more like an Ironman than I ever would have imagined...of course an Ironman sans the swimming, biking and running and avec sitting, eating and looking. I need to sleep.

Day 1: McJabney's Cross Country Adventure

We pulled into Boise tonight around 8 pm. It was a comfortable drive, aside from the anxiety crazed mini-beast who tormented us with her wild wining, jumping, crying, panting and generally wild behavior. Alas, we made it unscathed.

At 9:30 a.m. we pulled away from our wonderful little condo (only 90 minutes behind schedule). We over estimated the cubic square footage available in the prius (neither of us are engineers), and we had to make two 'emergency' runs to goodwill to lighten our load. It was very funny in retrospect. At the time, not at all hilarious. Again, despite all of our planning, strategy and firm expectations things just unfolded as they were intended. I lost my 'patience and trust' mantra temporarily but quickly regained my centered footing. After all, what's 90 minutes in a 3000 mile trip? Hardly even a drop in the bucket.

Day 1 was full of surprises. The drive was far easier than anticipated and it was fun to see the full spectrum of beauty that Oregon offers. The high desert was delightfully green (imagine fresh, green sage, green trees and tufts of green grass), undoubtedly the result of an unusually wet spring. We went through two very interesting thunder storms sans lightening....meaning they were short bursts of rain I guess. The kitty did AWESOME and earned herself the gold star of the day today. Macy, quite on the other hand, did not earn a star or enough points to buy a star if able. Despite repeated dosing of the (usually effective) calming/anti anxiety herbal remedy she persisted in heavy panting, moaning, crying, wining, and jumping about the cabin. Quite frankly she is lucky that she made it our little motel 6 in one piece tonight.
She's also lucky to be so cute most of the time. Otherwise she may have ended up as a mock-jaguar hood ornament around 9:45 a.m. today.

Tomorrow we will update you from Cheyenne....Wyoming's capital city. Did you know that Wyoming is the least populated US state? What a claim to fame. Not a state that sounds at all like my dreamed-of urban oasis. I hope I make it out alive.

Farewell Eugene, Oregon

Today, one of the loveliest days yet in Eugene this spring, is our final day in the great, green, duck-phile, fabulous NW. We each arrived in Eugene more than 12 years ago, at very different places in our lives, and without any knowledge of the other (despite nearly moving into the SAME apartment complex in 1998!). Today, as we make our final preparations to drive off into the wild blue yonder, very much together, we believe ourselves to be finer, happier, transformed versions of our formal selves. We leave Eugene thankful for the countless lessons received, grateful for the abundance, opportunities and blessings. And, as we look around at our empty home and our packed bags we are eager to begin our next journey, together.

We received several pictures of our new little apartment in Boston today. The remodel has proved a great success and we are over-joyed knowing that our destination is such a lovely space. What are your thoughts?




Already we are thinking of where our favorite items will be showcased (large red plate on mantel, bookcase or hutch? Colored plates in hutch or pantry? ). We are also delighted to know that our space is cozy and completely comfortable for guests. So get those tickets and make your reservations for a visit to the McJabney Inn where the coffee is hot, the wine flows in dark rich rivers of Merlot and we will always welcome you with open arms.

Posts from the road are soon to come. First stop, Twin Falls, ID. Okay, this will be nowhere near our ‘first’ stop….after all; Macy and I will be in the car. I bet you can’t guess a) how many stops we make before arriving in Twin Falls, or b) where we actually make that ‘first’ stop (Springfield is not out of the question, nor is that Starbucks driving out of Eugene). But it will be our first night stop.

Currently accepting suggestions for witty, snappy and catchy names for our cross country trip. Make suggestions and see what we choose.