Fast forward to 2013. That's where I am now. Blogging/journaling has never my strong suite, but I had good intentions to keep it up... just failed miserably!
Since 2008, lots has happened. I got more tattoos. I took my hubby to East Africa (making it trip #2 for me!) Adopted two dogs. Changed jobs too many times to list. Went on an Alaskan Cruise. Got into two car accidents (w/in 3mos of each other.) Watched the economy take a nose-dive. Got my first root canal. Bought a new camera. Swam with wild dolphins. Turned 40 in Vegas. Bought a bigger bed because we have two dogs. Went to Phoenix to visit newly relocated parents. Visited Denver to see all my peeps. Became an Aunt. Learned how to shoot a gun (and found out I'm pretty darn good at it.) Saw the first African-American President get elected... TWICE! Lost 10 of the 20lbs I've put on. Changed my photography business name to Sanctuary Images. Became addicted to Facebook. Went thru rehab for Facebook. And some other stuff.
As for what's happening in my life right now... I've been unemployed (not by choice) since Nov 2012. My hubby got laid off at the end of 2012. This led to the decision to pack up & head to sunnier climates. In the running was Phoenix, San Diego & Denver.
Phoenix made good sense because my folks live there, the climate is much sunnier than Seattle & the cost of living is cheaper than Seattle. But after getting a whiff of the politics & we realize their government is waaaay too conservative for us "bleeding heart liberals". And the heat would've surely melted our pets. San Diego has always intrigued us. Ocean, mountains, lots of sunshine... did I mention the ridiculous cost of living?! And we don't know anyone in the area, which always makes integrating into a new area tough. Then there's Denver. A reliable back-up w/the right kind of politics (pot is legal!), lots of friends & family, familiarity of the area, lots of sunshine (even when it's 7°) & it's more affordable than San Diego. It makes the most sense to move to Denver & if we can find a job there, then that's where we'll go.
We're in the process of getting our house ready to sell. Luckily, it's a seller's market & it'll sell fast. But first, we need to secure a job in Denver. That's not as easy as it sounds. The job market in Denver is making a comeback, but there's still a big pool of workers employers can pull from. And usually when employers see an out-of-state address on the resume, they don't even look at it. The dreaded catch-22. But I keep applying because eventually someone will think I'm a good fit for their posted job.
In the meantime, I enjoy the time off from working. Spend time with my critters & husband. Take advantage of the sunny weather (when it happens.) & as my dad always says... we'll just wait & see.
