Right now.

Here's a short list of some of the things I'm really enjoying in my life right now:

Ani Difranco's live album.
Driving with the windows rolled down, and not caring at all if it messes up my hair.
Dog park dates with Marie & her precious pooch Bella.
Happy Hour with my work friends, and then evening calls from my drunk work friends. :-)
Sleeping with the fan on, the window cracked, and only the sheet over me.
Working in the garden, getting dirty, the sun in my face, eating asparagus straight from the ground, and coming home with fresh-picked cilantro.
Packing.
Modern Family... Funniest show ever (tied with Parks & Recreation)
bell hooks' Feminism is for Everybody, and my soon-to-start feminist book club.
Cats, duh.
Oh, and have you met my partner? He is the best, ever.

Rollercoaster Ride

So many different things to report!

Life has been a serious roller coaster lately, which has been really wearing me out. But I know there is meaning in all of it.

Today was a really bizarre day at work. We found out that one of our clients, who has been in the ICU, is being taken off of life support and transferred to hospice care. Also today, I managed to stay composed while I worked with a suicidal client to get him somewhere safe. It's actually surprising how solid I can become in those moments. And today we set loose a rehabilitated box turtle that my coworker & a client saved from the road a few months ago. It was a weird day of sadness mixed with a strange sense of hope for the future.

Some unrelated really happy news: yesterday I found out that I was matched with my Little! She sounds AMAZING, and I will be sure to tell you about her when we're officially matched.... She just has to give the okay once they tell her about me. I can't wait to meet her.

We also found out some other big news today (again, not pregnant), which we look forward to sharing with everyone soon.

There have been a LOT of emotions to deal with lately, and I have to say that I am so thankful to have Nathan to support me when my emotions get the best of me. Like an evening of pizza, cinnastix, and Con-Air (only the greatest action film of all time).

Meet Simone Turtelle:

Spread the Word!

If you live in Nashville & know anyone who is in need of housing, be sure to tell them about this:

If you work in public service or social work in Nashville, please post this! It's been a while since MDHA has opened applications. Spread the word! Yay, housing!

Have you met my husband?

He's awesome.

Scenes from nighttime on the balcony.

Fiero wasn't on the balcony with us, but he really wanted to be. Instead, he occupied himself by trying to use my iPad...

We're loving this weather. And each other.

Anticipation.

Y'all, I hope we have some really, really exciting news to share in a few weeks. I'm holding my breath until we find out (I promise we aren't pregnant). Until then, I will be spending a lot of time daydreaming & making mental budget plans.

Life gets more exciting & wonderful by the day.

And if you pray, please say one for us. This potential news would be a huge relief/blessing for us.

Anyone in Nashville want to buy a new desk?

My Craigslist blurb:

$200 or best offer. Beautiful armoire desk in great condition features a three-tiered pull-out desk and multiple great features hidden inside a beautiful wooden armoire. This piece is 64" tall, 44" wide, and 23 3/8" deep. This desk has multiple shelves, including a sliding shelf on the bottom left side (great for a printer), a spacious filing drawer, and top drawer with adjustable compartments for easy organizing. The desk surface is spacious and has a large pull-out keyboard drawer as well as another pull-out desk surface. This makes it easy to have your computer out, several books or papers out, and your keyboard. Above the desk, there are shelves & two CD organizer racks. On the inuside of the left door there is a cork board, and on the inside of the right door there is a dry-erase board. The piece has a few slight signs of wear- a few minor scratches here & there, but it is in overall great condition. We have enjoyed this desk very much, but are moving soon and don't have a good place for it. Buyer is responsible for transporting the unit. Thanks for looking!

Women are Awesome.

Last night I was so proud of my incredibly powerful female friends. Marie planned, hosted, & kicked ass at the Office of Women's Concerns' evening for celebrating amazing women in the community. She spoke eloquenty, hosted wonderfully, and was, as always, so much fun to be with. Two other friends, Sarah & Katherine, presented awards to women in the community, and were also wonderfully spoken & poised. Watching my friends speak such truth & power into being a woman made me feel so encouraged & empowered, not to mention proud as can be. I don't know how I got so lucky to be surrounded by such motivated, compassionate, gracious women.

The women who were recognized each had something unique, meaningful, and inspiring to bring to the Nashville community. From the Executive Director of Scarritt Bennett, to two female brewers, to an openly proud Lesbian leading other women to find their voice, each had something remarkable to say about being a woman.

Let's face it, women are awesome.

Our Big Announcement!

For a while now, I've been dreaming about what city we'd move to for graduate school. Initially, I was thinking about some exciting new city like Chicago, Denver, or St Louis. Then I realized that I'm married now & have a financially responsibility to not rack up a bunch more debt and move to a whole new (expensive) city. So, I started seriously considering moving back to Knoxville for UT's social work program. It sounded so fun... Knoxville is my hometown, and I love the idea of eating at The Tomato Head (all-time favorite restaurant), biking everywhere, paying super cheap rent, and having nothing to do because Knoxville is tiny and boring. It was really fun to dream about, and even though I never actually decided to go there, I needed time to dream about it and hold onto the idea.

But then I thought about the fact that we have an amazing thing going on here. I couldn't imagine leaving my friends, my job, my community, just for a practical degree that I'm getting to basically get a job like the one I already have. Not only do I love my home in Nashville, but I have put in so much time and energy in activism work here, and I can't imagine being anywhere else for internships or fieldwork in my areas of interest. All of the things I've gotten involved with in Nashville are vitally important to me, and I can't imagine studying social work apart from those things because they are what made me realize my passion for social work. Plus, I'm learning that community work is all about connections. A big part of the reason I got my job is because I knew someone who worked there and had a lot of previous service-model work on my resume of experiences.

So, drumroll please..... We're officially staying in Nashville for at least 3-4 more years! We've started hunting for a pet-friendly house/duplex with a yard. We have a lead on one... Fingers crossed!!!

Life is incredibly challenging right now, what with being so new in the career world, and married life, and the so-called "real world". But I signed up for a retirement plan last week, so I'm officially an adult. Bring it on, world.

The next week or so will be filled with visiting duplexes and dreaming about what kind of puppy I want.

And, I can't imagine doing all of this hard stuff without my amazing husband standing alongside me every step of the way. As much as I love the thought of the future, I love my husband even more!

Oh, PS- I got accepted into the Big Brothers Big Sisters program! I'm a Big Sis!!! I can't wait to get paired with my Little Sis. I can't WAIT!!! And I love knowing that I'll get to have a long-term relationship with her, much past my minimum 1-year commitment.

Home sweet home

My dream.

Thanks to my awesome momma for sending me this video. Cats & dolphins playing together? That is like the definition of my dream world.