Home.

Last night, Caleb and I put down a deposit on a home in Westside Olympia. We'd sort of had our hearts set on renting an upstairs apartment from a wonderful family near Bigelow park, but when push came to shove, we needed to just be logical and take a place that would cut our commuting distance to almost nothing (Caleb can get rid of his car and not have to spend more than an hour riding the bus to school every morning and I can walk/bike/bus into downtown in just a few minutes). Although I'm sad to say no to the other offer of a home, I know this is just plain more practical and I think I'll be very happy there. I extended an offer to the Bigelow park family: that if they need a babysitter or would like to go get coffee/tea with me sometime, I'd be all for it. Such lovely people!
Our new place has multiple rooms (woohoo!) so that we can enjoy study/work space, living space, a roomy kitchen, and a nice big bathtub. It needs a coat of paint and a little of my top-notch decorating skills ;) , but it should be a cozy little nest. We are two doors down from the Co-Op (ring any bells?) and basically equidistant between Evergreen campus and the heart of downtown Olympia. We'll be on a pretty quiet street in a residential neighborhood with a lot of green around above a pretty well-known restaurant.
I've also done a big thing... that I'm a little shy to talk about, because there are no guarantees included with it.... I've handed in a few applications for positions around town. The one I'm most excited about is only a part-time position, but I would be teaching art to children in an after-school program. It's the first "real job" that I've applied for post-college and I feel completely qualified for it and excited about it. Now, I must warn you, I'm hesitant to tell you all this because there's still the strong possibility that I won't make it to the interview process, let alone into the job itself, but I just HAVE to share how excited I am! A home and a "real job" application on the same day! Eek!
Today I rode the Olympia public transit (bus) for the first time (big deal for a country mouse) to get downtown and hand in a a set of applications to jobs and volunteer forms. I figure a toe in the door is worth it as long as I have time to volunteer at the places I enjoy.
Now I'm off to check on the garden and then make plans for the weekend. There is talk of a trip up to Seattle to witness Pride Festival and snatch my beautiful, wonderful, dear Holden friend, Evy on the way up. Tomorrow I also meet with the infamous and wonderfully helpful Carrie for the first time. She's going to talk to me about some potential odds-and-ends jobs she's discovered. Life is ramping up already!
I hope that all is well with all of you in your various places around the country.
Love, love, love to you all!
Lauren