I'm sitting on the couch, with the sun blinding me through the west living room window. Erik's watching gymnastics (Shawn Johnson!) on his phone. Lupin lays, sprawled, next to him, while Mucca snoozes on the back of the couch at my eye level. Only 20 minutes ago, we were sitting in the backyard, letting the hose run in the grass, watching for birds to come and bathe. Dinner was summer squash and fresh fruit. I'm savoring this evening of normalness before our life is upheaved and the next adventure begins.

Last week, the whirlwind truly began. We met with our property management company on Thursday to sign the final papers. Saturday, they brought out the FOR RENT sign, and traffic has been nonstop ever since. We'll have no trouble leasing out the house, which is a relief! Now, it's just a matter of packing everything up. We did the linen closet Saturday evening and after seeing the 5-10 items we decided to keep, Erik blurted, "Why didn't we go through all our junk a lot sooner?" I've told a few people that it's ironic, but we're at a good point in life to go through all our material possessions. We've accumulated quite a bit, but most of the big items are from IKEA while the little baubles and trinkets are from thrift stores. We're truly evaluating what holds sentimental value, and will soon be free to accumulate only the things that have emotional value to us.

Last night I truly got excited about moving to Holland. It really hit me. I'm great at intellectualizing the experience, but it's almost impossible to explain that gut feeling of excitement you get before a big adventure. I got a visual of Erik and arriving at our apartment building, walking up the narrow stairs, cursing our luggage, then opening the door and exclaiming over how tiny and ghetto our single room apartment with linoleum flooring and flourescent lighting is. After unpacking and grabbing a bite to eat at the nearest hole in the wall of a bar, we'll immediately set out to buy the cheapest bikes we can find, intended to balance out the most expensive bike locks we can find. Then we'll set off, straight to Erik's university, doing as locals do, admiring the sites. Maybe on the way back, we'll stop at a city park or museum, since, after all, Van Gogh was Dutch and he's always a favorite. That's as far as my vision goes, but its vividness kept me from sleep last night.

It's that spark of... life... that gets lit at the thought of travel. Sure, it can be tiring. Sure, it's disconcerting to box up your life and reflect on all the future things that will be missed back home... but there's no denying the exhilaration of understanding a foreign film without subtitles, learning a foreign city's streets by heart, or taking in a brand new way of viewing the world and reconciling it with the old way.

I think people forget that I'm only 23. That's all. No older. It's easy to find Erik and I older than our years --we're old souls. But we're still 20-somethings, craving experiences that can be used to fill the blank pages of an unwritten future. Pyschologically speaking, identity is ever changing, but no epoch of time is more tumultuous than the 20s. That's when identity gets tangled up, becomes many things it is not, and finally finds a course to stick to. While one of the big mysteries in my life now has the face and tangible qualities of Erik, nothing else is certain, despite the facade of stability...

*I've been a teacher's assistant the past two years, which is hardly an inspiring career, but it sure is nice to come home at 1pm. Why don't we just have a kid since, Lord knows, I have the time for it?

*No, I want a career. Always have. But then I'm saying to myself, "Ok, I'll go for my PhD then, so I can get on tenure sooner rather than later." Does that sound like the words of a career woman? Hardly. With the focus of family and friends drawn to Erik's blossoming career, it's easy for me to hide behind my masters program, but there's a professional within me somewhere that isn't being cultivated.

*In addition to pierced ears, I now have a nostril piercing, and a cartilage piercing (The "rook" of my ear to be exact.) My husband has a tattoo on his wrist. Whoa, hold on now, we're some of those people? How does that jive with my feminine, vintage style, and his preppy old man shoes and cardigans? I'm standing fiercely behind my piercings as representative of a new me, whoever she is, and only once I internalize her, will the piercings lose their effect and be taken out.

*I ran a 10k in November. Does that make me a runner? Maybe. How about the fact that I've gone for a jog only once since then (7 months ago)? Is that a passing fancy, or do I just need to get off the ground, then I'll truly make running part of my identity?

*I play the piano only before my piano student shows up. Am I still a musician? I quit the local choir before the season was over. Was singing just for Bible school/college? I don't journal anymore, that rock of my teenhood. Do I still enjoy writing, or was I just out to prove something back then?

Even my alignment with Spanish language and culture is about to be shaken by diving into a Dutch experience. Does that mean I might prefer Dutch over Spanish when speaking to my children? Would that be wronging them out of their heritage?

Mundane and profound dilemmas of self can only be resolved through discovery. Perhaps some people discover all they need right in their hometowns, but I'm not that type. That's why Holland beckons. And that's why we'll box up our house, board our dog indefinitely, and give up our jobs. This life will be here for the year-older, year-wiser Marisa when she gets back.

It's official! We are going on eight weeks as homeowners, and the feeling is fantastic! We closed escrow on Thursday, May 27. We had expected to close two days earlier, so our life sat in the moving van outside while we sat inside twiddling our thumbs, but we couldn't have been happier when we got that phone call!

A few weeks before moving, we met up with a lady who breeds Alaskan Klee Kai dogs. We had discovered this breed last fall and fell in love with their Husky appearance and not-so-Husky size. The lady had a few puppies available and we arranged to pick up "Lupin" two days after we moved in. Since we closed two days later than anticipated, this meant picking up Lupin en route to get the keys and start unpacking! In retrospect, it was stressful for her, but we are glad to have had her from the very start.

Our first project for Memorial Day weekend was building a backyard fence. Our property backs up to a church and there was only a chain link fence separating the two. We wanted to create privacy, plus replace the rotting fence on one side, so all hands were on deck for that! Erik's parents, brother, and brother's friend, along with my parents and brother, came to help us. It took much longer than any of us expected, but by the end of the weekend, 200 linear feet of fence was up and two trees were down!

When Erik's family left, his brother, Ramon stayed with us. We wanted a little extra help with other projects, plus Erik would be going back East for ten days and didn't want to leave me alone. That next weekend, we tackled the kitchen. Erik strongly disliked the "standard" oak kitchen cabinets and wanted something more custom. We purchased some Ebony stain and found backsplash tiles on sale, so we had our work cut out for us! Ramon did ALLLLLL the sanding, which was a huge help, and four days later, the cabinets were black and the backsplash was up! We doubled the counterspace two weeks ago with an IKEA workbench, complete with a makeshift breakfast bar, and last weekend, my mom made us valances. Now we love the kitchen!

Erik's trip to the east coast consisted of a visit to some New Jersey friends (twins Salenna and Shannon) he knew in Italy, and a work conference in New Hampshire. He really enjoyed himself but I think it was hard to be away from a two-week-old home. While he was gone, my mom came over to install a tube skylight in the kitchen. It was already a dark room, then with black cabinets, we needed to bring in the daylight! That, and gating off our driveway were the projects of the weekend. During the week, I "stained" a window. In 7th grade art class, I really enjoyed our faux stained glass project, and knowing that our 1910 bungalow likely had a stained glass window originally, I couldn't resist. I drew out the design after doing some research, bought the precut "lead" strips, and glass paint. It wasn't nearly as hard as I expected, but took a good 40-50 hours to complete. Erik was pleasantly surprised when we got home, and many a visitor has said it looks like it belongs!

Ramon stained the new fence (two coats), broke up a lot of the debris, and started tilling the backyard. Super helpful, since those are all large jobs in themselves! I think he was happy to go home though, when he got on the train a mere half hour after Erik's flight arrived home. Erik was surprisingly energized, so we headed to my parents' house for Father's Day weekend. The next day, Monday, we went to straight to Kristina and David Ranzolin's wedding in Stockton. It was really great to catch up with some PUC friends. So much so that the next day, Martin Surridge and Tomas Lopez came over and we had lunch before they flew out of the Sac airport.

As if we hadn't had enough work, Erik wanted to landscape the front yard more to our liking the next weekend. Although I've never been much interested in gardening, I quickly became a plant expert so we would know what we were doing! We came up with a simple design, removing the small fence, adding a planter up the walkway and removing some grass to make room for a small tree. The bugaboo of the project was loosening the RIDICULOUSLY hard dirt. My parents had loaned us their tiller, but it bunced and jostled, without making a mark in the ground. Erik "McGyver" Gomez rented the solution at Home Depot: A jackhammer! That quickly loosened things up, and the tiller did the rest!

Sadly, it was the hottest weekend of the month (just like our wedding a year earlier, perhaps June 28 is a cursed day?) so the less hardy plants shriveled up over the next few weeks, but others are flourishing. The Hydrangea that was here when we moved in soldiered through a month of no water (oops) and being flung onto the grass for three days until we knew where to put it--it has new growth all over. Our Forsythia will bloom bright yellow flowers next February, the same time the Oklahoma Redbud tree turns bubblegum pink; the Goldenrod was a single stalk when we planted it, and now has eight offshoots; and I discovered yesterday three teeny buds on the Clematis vine!

We had an animal menagerie for a few weeks, which was, surprisingly, more stressful than all the other stuff! We agreed to dogsit for Edwin Garcia for two weeks and though Chiquis was a very laidback mini pinscher, having another dog in the house added a new dimension. Plus, when my mom came to install the skylight, she brought Mickey, who was a gift from Erik while we were dating but had been making his home at my folks'. After three weeks, he still stayed under the bed, refused food and water, and was vicious to Lupin. As an anniversary gift and solution, we got a kitten to help comfort him, but alas! More viciousness! My parents agreed to take him home but for a few days, we had Mickey in the bathroom, Mucca in the bedroom, Chiquis in the kitchen (since she was a little overly cat-curious) and Lupin running free. We were pulling our hair out! Once Mickey and Chiquis went home (for which they were extremely grateful) we settled in with Lupin and Mucca, now a 12-week old tortoiseshell, who is social, loving, and Lupin's best playmate.

Fourth of July was celebrated at our home with my family. My parents, brother, his girlfriend, cousin Jenna, grandparents, aunt, and great aunt and uncle came over. We had delicious food: hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake, and July Jello parfaits. MM-MMM! It was a fantastic afternoon, and Erik and I were sad to see everyone go after such festivities. Means there's room for more in the future!

Since family came for the holiday, we had an "Open Housewarming Party" for friends and coworkers last Sunday. It turns out we picked a popular weekend so many couldn't come, but the crowd was just the right size that we had a trickle of people coming and going, but still could visit with everyone. My mom came over to help us with the food, and we've been eating leftover pasta salad and spinach dip ever since!

In case it isn't obvious, we decided to forego the Peace Corps. For awhile, we thought we could manage joining in a year or two, but the thought of being so transient almost saddened us, because it meant we weren't enjoying the moment we were in. We made a conscious decision to put down roots and enjoy life as we have it now, so that involved getting pets and more actively making friends. It's felt amazing to change our mindset. The Peace Corps is still in the back of our minds, but we don't have any sense of longing for it. We're thrilled to be exactly where we are.

My Maranatha job opportunity may still exist. I was their second choice for the position I mentioned in the last email, but they plan to create another, similar position and expressly would like me to come on board. Even so, everyone in the organization is stretched thin, so the process is taking awhile. It may happen in six months, or not at all, but that's a future possibility.

The school district eliminated all Teaching Aide positions for budget cuts, so I am most likely jobless come September. Then again, they're rescinding the order for some schools, and mine may be one of them. Regardless, I'm following through with my Master's in Applied Linguistics and start classes September 13. I get more excited about it with each passing day!

While Erik was back east, his boss took a different job. So some of his coworkers are being bumped up and moved around. He's not apprehensive, but is remaining watchful of how his role on the team changes. He's decided to go for his Masters as well, in Applied Economics, to make him that much more competitive. He's applying to an online program for Spring term, and is also excited about the new intellectual challenge. Looks like we'll be needing another computer though!

Next week we're going to San Francisco for another of Erik's work conferences (together, at least!). The following weekend he's going on a road trip with some high school friends. Lupin and I started formal dog training last weekend and will continue for seven more weeks. One night in August, we're entertaining again, with game night. We're going camping next weekend. We're done with the house for awhile. We're running again. We're happy. Life is good.

Marisa & Erik

A year ago this weekend, my mom and I helped Erik move into this little apartment and he felt so lonely by himself that first night! It certainly doesn't feel like this has been "home" for a year, but it's been lovely!

Now I look back and realize that you haven't heard from me since the end of January! February was primarily spent preparing for a trip to Mexico in March! Erik's folks hadn't been back to their hometown in 18 years and they requested that we buy their tickets online in time for his mom's grandmother's 93rd birthday. When we saw how great the prices were, we thought, "Why not join them?" We decided to plan a two-week vacation around the 6-day trip and visit as many people as possible, and it worked out well!

The first day of the trip was the annual Corned Beef and Cabbage get-together at my grandparents'. From there, we spent the night with my college roommate, Shelley, and her husband. We drove down to southern California the next morning and spent two days with family friends from Erik's old church. They were kind enough to drive us to the airport to surprise his parents--we hadn't told them we'd be joining them in Mexico! They were absolutely thrilled when we showed up at the gate! The town of La Goma has about 300 residents, mostly related, and we spent most of our time visiting family that Erik remembered (and didn't) from when he was 5-years-old. Most of the time we used bucket-flush toilets and bucket showers, which weren't half bad since the weather was wonderful. We spent a day at the beach, a day at the national fair, a day partying with the 93-year-old grandmother, and many days taking in the slower pace and street-fresh food!

Our last two days before flying home were spent in Guadalajara visiting a friend from PUC, Yaritza Santos. She's going to medical school there and was happy to see some familiar faces for a few days! She and her boyfriend were generous enough to drive us around the city and entertain us with an amazing cultural meal (complete with folkdancers), a huge mall (flashback to Europe), the historical center, and neighborhood tours. We fell in love with the city and can't wait to go back!

Once back in the states, we spent two nights with my cousin Jill. Her son Andrew was on spring break from Walla Walla and since we don't get to spend much time together except holidays, it was awesome to kick it for awhile! Later, we spent a day with Erik's brother (who had stayed home from Mexico all by his lonesome), an evening with some of his high school friends, and ended our trip with a night in Bakersfield with Erik's closest gal friend, Jessica Hirschfeld. We couldn't have planned it better to visit so many people in such a short amount of time, and it was a wonderful trip.

Since then, "real" life has really been challenging us. I was waiting to type this email until all our ducks were in a row, but since it's taking longer than expected, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version of the three directions our life could go, at any moment.

Scenario A: The original plan.
Since I was accepted into both the grad school programs I applied for, (UMass Boston's online Applied Linguistics, and Sac State's TESOL), life would continue as it is. In June, Erik celebrates two years with the Army Corps, and that's consistently being reflected in his responsibilities and pay now. Remember how the Corps almost stole Christmas? Well as of this pay period, that's been made up, and he's gotten his final raise, qualifying him as an official journeyman Economist (intern >junior >journeyman >senior). My job as a Teacher's Aide will have its hours cut for next year from 17.5 to 15/week, but I would start the Applied Linguistics program, and the lost hours wouldn't go to waste. In Fall of 2011, Erik would start grad school as well.

Scenario B: Grand adventures.
In late January, we reevaluated Scenario A, and started considering more radical alternatives. After consideration in the past, the Peace Corps immediately recaptured our attention. It's a 27-month committment to volunteer service abroad through the federal government. We applied (8+ hour process), interviewed in Oakland (4+ hours), and in March, received our official nomination to Eastern Europe/Central Asia, with a departure of March 2011. I would be teaching ESL to adults, and Erik would be business advising (i.e., one man owns a sheep and another a loom, so he puts them in contact to improve their wellbeings. That kind of business.). Although it's official acceptance, we aren't guaranteed to end up exactly where/when or doing what we're nominated for. In order for things to become official, we undergo major medical and dental screening. The entire month of April has been a whirlwind of physicals, blood tests, urinalyses, vaccines, and eye exams. We have a final blood test in a week and our dental exams before we mail in the packet. If the Peace Corps finds us healthy and sane, they'll send us the plane tickets with our exact country, departure, and tasks. We are committed to service and enchanted by the idea of living in Bulgaria,, Ukraine, or any of the "-stan" countries. However, giving up a life here and all it entails is a greater challenge than we initially thought.

Scenario C: The curveball.
The day before we got home from the Mexico trip, I received an email from one David Lopez of Maranatha Volunteers International, asking if I'd like to interview for the Group Projects Specialist position. A year ago, one of my major professors at PUC referred me to one of her old classmates that works for Maranatha, and I never heard hide nor hair. Well, I guess they filed my information, because out of the blue, here was this job. Recognizing it as an awesome opportunity, I interviewed for it on April 2... went back for a second interview with management April 15... and now am waiting to hear if they selected me or the other final candidate. I really, REALLY would love this job. It's just the kind of place I'd like to work--an international nonprofit! The position is a liaison between volunteers in the US who want projects, and projects in the field that need volunteers. Besides the fact that it's a great fit for me, it would be wonderful to have a full-time job to occupy my time and energy.

As if these major decisions weren't enough for the moment, we've been house hunting since the beginning of March. With the federal housing credit, and now an additional state housing credit, and the market slowly picking up, it's the ideal time to become homeowners. Many of the homes we can afford are in need of major repair but on Thursday, we found a gem of a bungalow in a transitional neighborhood. We made an offer that night, they countered us the next morning, and we are officially in escrow! It could still fall through, but it's looking like you should mark your calendars for a 4th-of-July-Open-House-Warming-Weekend get together. =)

Now cast your votes!

The holidays have passed and we are now in 2010! I feel so space-age saying "twenty-ten" these days, but I suppose that feeling's here to stay for the rest of my lifetime! As are our student loans, I'm afraid... you don't realize the weight of those suckers until the first bill arrives in the mail, though we have been assured that they do eventually disappear!

Our first married holiday was almost a non-occurence. About a week before Christmas, the ball dropped at the Corps for Erik. Flood prevention measures on the Napa river were begun in 1998 but completion requires a hefty $100 million. However, with the rise of construction costs, the project wasn't deemed "economically justifiable" from a federal investment standpoint. Even so, Napa county has major political pull in Congress... so, the project needed to be done PRONTO. Someone had to man it, even if it meant working Christmas day and weekend... and Erik decided to step up. It would be the final step for him to establish residency with the federal government, which allows transfers to other Corps branches and different agencies, and also entails another 20% pay raise! The extent of work to be done dashed our hopes of spending a long weekend with my parents, but after a complicated few days, we were able to have a holiday with them after all, though Erik had to bring some work with him. Most of our free time was spent playing Monopoly. It appears my dad has finally met his match in Erik! He can no longer womp the other puny players that lose regardless their strategy without a good fight from my husband!

Christmas day was spent at my great-aunt's house with virtually all of my maternal family (see pics). We hadn't had such a complete get-together in years (some of the relatives couldn't come to our wedding) so it was really wonderful! Good to see extended family and gush over all the cousins growing up! In the gift exchange, my grandparents drew us, and they helped us round out our camping and baking supplies (Thanks!). My personal highlight was seeing cousin Holly, a gymnast, do a rather impressive hand stand on the porch railing. =)

I quit GAP soon after my last email in November. The week after Black Friday I wasn't given any shifts, and my hunch is that it was "punishment" for not agreeing to work on Saturday (on short notice, no less). I submitted revised hours that took my new job into account, but they require 24-hour availability on either Saturday or Sunday, or you're out. Erik was incredulous at that, saying, "What is this? 'Paging Dr. Denim: Immediate sweater stocking needed stat!' You aren't a surgeon! Why are you on call?" So I got out of there right away, and not a moment too soon, because the very next week I started at Hollywood Park Elementary. I love it! I work with 3-5 other resource teachers, speech pathologists and psychologists (depending on the day) in one classroom. Each works at her station with a certain group of students, and naturally, mine are the English learners. I take 3-4 kids for a half hour at a time from K-6 and they are just a pleasure to work with. All of them speak perfectly well but their reading comprehension is limited, and only two students really concern me. Just last week, a Cantonese aide was hired--a retired teacher from China--and she is absolutely wonderful to work with. It's an extremely agreeable job, I'm learning a lot, and I have no complaints whatsoever!

The choir concerts at the Mondavi center were quite an experience! Performing at such a notable venue was an honor, and it was easy to get into the holiday spirit. We did have one slip-up! Somehow, the score to our only German song (not a recognizable tune) never made it to the soloist! At 9pm, the night before, she started studying like crazy and pulled it off wonderfully! Those concerts were my last with the choir, as I decided to quit. It was a lot of fun, but sacrificing three hours a week was easier said than done. Erik and I decided to use that time to build joint hobbies instead. We were considering ballroom dancing or Russian, but the one that fit our schedule best was a "Bootcamp Fitness" course at a junior college. Not as glamorous as dance or language, but certainly useful! Class starts tomorrow and goes through the middle of May. Hopefully at that point, we can attach pictures of some washboard abs, but don't hold your breath!

This past weekend, a group from Erik's work got together for game night. It was the "young" professionals from all the departments and we enjoyed ourselves immensely! It was interesting interacting with quick witted 20-somethings with Masters under their belts, and certainly made Cranium and Balderdash fast-paced! We arrived around 6pm and didn't leave until 1am--that's how fun it was! The vibe from the group was really great and there are more get-togethers planned for next month.

The highlight of 2010 so far (for me) has been a 2.5 gallon aquarium, a Christmas gift from Dad. Erik continues to roll his eyes at my enthusiasm, but after seeing my dad's 55 gallon tank get established with really neat fish, I caught the bug too. Mine's at full capacity with three guppies, three endler guppies and a panda catfish (see pics), but I dote on my fish as I would any cat or dog! In a no-pets apartment, one must catch as catch can!

Erik's Christmas present was actually to himself... a new car (see pic)! This 1998 VW Beetle suited our joint desire for an eye-catching and frugal car... until it wouldn't start last Monday! We took it to the mechanic that evening and walked the two miles home. They found nothing wrong, but after we picked it up, it failed on me again! So I rode the bus to work two days in a row, which actually wasn't bad, but having no car caused more urgent complications... Terminix was to fumigate our apartment this weekend, but with no car, we had no way of getting out of the building! Our landlords provided the solution: loaning us their car! Pretty generous! After packing up ALL food stuffs and emptying the fridge so toxic fumes wouldn't get into our food, we finally made it to my grandparents' for the weekend where we watched old movies, worked on projects in Grandpa's shop (see pics) and relaxed. We're now back in Sacramento with no termites, reorganized cabinets, and at 5pm, the car should be ready to pick up after replacing two parts! And to make it even nicer, they're not charging us labor fees. Whew!

Things are busy but good in Sacramento for Mr. and Mrs. Gomez. Hope you can say the same!

November has been a strange month! It snuck up unplanned, and has busily passed without our noticing! We've noticed a difference being out of college though--we are free to relish and prepare for the holidays in a way that never happened when school was the main priority. Our Christmas tree went up on November 1st, and it may just become a tradition to set it up on my birthday (Oct 25) because it's so nice getting a few more weeks out of it!

My first choir concert was November 7 and it was a success. They had hoped to get 900 people to attend and we were busting at the seams with 1100 attendees! It was the first ever choir concert in the historic downtown cathedral and although we were nervous about the acoustics, it went well. The next day, we began Christmas music, as there would only be four more rehearsals before the concerts at the Mondavi Center on December 12! That is fast approaching but its easy to prepare such fun music--"Home for the Holidays, "Need a Little Christmas," and the "Hallelujah Chorus" are among the set list.

Erik's job is going very well. After three grueling weeks involving 52 hours per his four-day work week, his major project was finally completed and we sighed with relief. The hoped-for Mexico honeymoon didn't happen for multiple reasons, but we're aiming for next November. We felt better about it when we realized that Erik would NOT have to take two weeks off to get his promotion--only three days! So he became official at the start of the month and we'll see that reflected in the paycheck tomorrow!

I've been working at Gap sporadically since getting hired. I'm only a filler person for the holidays, so scheduling is somewhat disorganized, but no matter. My favorite shift is shipment from 5am-10am. It entails unpacking 50+ boxes of randomly assembled products, removing plastic wrap from every item, organizing them according to style, and restocking whatever is lacking on the main floor before the store opens. Things move very quickly and by the time you've finished a five hour shift, it's time for breakfast! I worked Black Friday, which was the first time I'd ever been out on that notorious day, but apart from parking a few blocks away and being shuttled in, it wasn't that exciting. The store wasn't any busier than it would be on a Saturday night. The managers were a little disappointed, but it must be the slower economy.

Erik spontaneously decided to fly down to visit his parents a few weeks ago since we won't be spending holidays with them. It was our first time apart as newlyweds! They were all very surprised to have an unknown person jump at them from behind the shower curtain and whatnot... he had fun cooking some of our favorite recipes for them, gifted his mom with a cute new hair cut and style, spent some time with friends, and generally had a nice time. We were still happy to see each other when I picked him up at the airport! Although I had anticipated a monotonous week alone, it was extremely productive. Apart from visiting Santa Rosa, working a few shifts, and spending a day with a friend from PUC--John Osio, I signed up with a high school Spanish student to tutor, which has been fruitful, and I got a call for another job opportunity...

Back in August, I found the Sacramento school district website and began applying for Bilingual Teaching Aide positions as they arose at various schools. Hollywood Park was the first to call. I interviewed on Tuesday, Nov. 17 and three days later, the district HR called to offer me the position! The job entails working with children who come from non-English speaking homes and getting them up to national proficiency levels. It's 3-4 hours a day, five days a week, and at nearly double the wage of Gap. I'm just tickled pink about it, and they've just called today to say I'm ready to start next week! I hadn't expected to begin until after the holidays, but that's all the more exciting.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Colby and Annie invited us to attend the Italian Film Festival in San Francisco with them. We saw one film, PA-RA-DA, which is Italian-produced but takes place in Romania. It's about a good-hearted clown who heads to Romania to teach street urchins his trade and get them on their feet. It sounded more lighthearted than it actually was, but it was still a good film. We wandered the city a bit, and the funniest event was when we stopped at a "Japanese Dessert" shop. If you've ever had one, you know that they contain bean paste, but somehow, that fact was generally ignored. Erik bit into our treat and said, "Not for me, you can eat it," as it wasn't very sweet. Colby bit into his and with powdered-sugar coated lips said, surprised, "There's refried beans in mine!" Annie responded dryly, "What did you expect when you saw 'bean paste'? And wipe your face--you look like a crack addict." She ended up finishing the treats herself, since she liked them best. Take this as a word to the wise, next time you're looking at artful Japanese desserts and expecting them to taste as delicately sweet as they appear.

Our first Thanksgiving was a memorable one. Since starting as a volunteer at the Food Bank, I've heard a lot about "Run to Feed the Hungry" on Thanksgiving Day. It sounded fun and at the last minute, we mustered the courage to give it a go. Neither of us had run a timed race before, and after some debate, we thought it'd be most satisfying if Erik ran 10k (6.2 mi) and I ran 5k (3.1 mi). Registration was online, we picked up the T-shirts and numbered bibs at REI, showed up on Race Day, and off we went. It was surprisingly simple to participate in the largest Turkey Day run in the nation, with over 30,000 participants! Erik finished 1008 out of 4273 runners, and I ranked 2877 out of 4747 for my race. Neither of us had aspirations of finishing near the top, so we were both very happy with our performance. That means there's only room for improvement for next year!

Participating in a rigorous run only made more room for delicious food that afternoon! My folks, brother, and paternal grandmother came over to share Thanksgiving with us. Alas, we had no turkey, but the meat eaters enjoyed a beef steak, and the veggies some Big Frank-Stripple Skewers. Among the traditional sides, we also had cranberry-brie puffs, goat cheese piquillo peppers, and squash soup, and dessert was a pumpkin pie with carmelized pecan crust. Mm-mmm! They headed home after a movie, and 24 hours later, on a whim, Erik and I were on our way to their house! My maternal grandparents came over so we had a repeat Thanksgiving, and everyone went to see Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side. I think it was enjoyed by all!

So that was November! I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Happy holiday preparations!

Just like that, it's the end of October! I am looking at the calendar with amazement over the fact that my last email was August 30--almost two months ago! Things have stayed busy and we have a comfortable routine now, carrying us through the end of the year.

Labor Day weekend, we had Erik's parents, brother, grandparents, sister and her brood over. His grandparents visit from Mexico every summer and this trip came a little later in the year, so we had the whole gang over for a weekend. At first I was dubious of having space for nine extra people (two being children) but we made it work with everyone lined up like sardines on the floor for sleeping space! It was a gorgeous weekend so we were able to spend most of it out of the house--Old Sacramento had "Old Time" reenactments and live music, and we took them on a tour through the Capitol building. It was my first time being responsible for so many mouths to feed AND cooking meat since getting married, but it went off without a hitch and when they left, we were both sad to see everyone go.

The next weekend, we went to my parents house for the first time in two months. Since the dust had settled in our apartment and we knew the true bounds of our available storage space, I needed to rid my parents of unnecessary Marisa-junk. They were busy prepping for the camping trip they would be taking the following weekend, and we too would be camping, albeit with a different group. Krista Brieno and Eric Jett had invited us to go to Bodega Bay with them and another couple for the weekend. Amateur campers that we are--no one brought a stove, so we ate at the Sandpiper Restaurant and had delicious fish and chips for dinner. Perhaps the funniest moment of the weekend was seeing the life-sized shadow of a skunk projected on our tent as it scurried by. We remained unscathed, thank goodness!

The last weekend of September found us in Placerville with my great aunt and uncle, Millie and Milton. They have a beautiful house they built themselves, and we thought it would be a good time to visit the family that lives so close! Saturday after church, they took us up to El Dorado National Park where a friend of theirs is a lookout fireman. We went up in the tower and had a 360-degree view of Northern California! It was a little hazy, but on a clear day, you can see all the way to Auburn and Sacramento! Jim's eagle eyes were capable of seeing the slightest curl of smoke on the horizon, and he showed us how to use the instruments to find its precise location and report it to the firefighters just down the hill. (No actual smoke for us to see though.) After that, we got a tour of the helicopter the firefighters use--it's from the Vietnam war and each blade on its propeller costs a million dollars! That fire team is the only one in the country that uses the "fast descent" method to fight fires. That is, they let down a thick nylon rope like a fire pole and slide 50 feet to the ground from the copter in flight. All 12+ firefighters can be off the copter in less than a minute! The next day we checked out the Apple Hill Festivities that were just getting started. October brings people in droves, but we were there before the crowds. It was such fun seeing the artisans and their crafts, especially all the amazing things done with apples! The day ended with a veggie burger and slice of apple pie, and Erik and I were on our way. It was such a fun weekend, and we're glad to have M&M only a half hour away!


The first weekend of October we were home alone for the first time in a month and we didn't quite know what to do with ourselves. So we did exactly that--nothing! Well, not nothing. We saw an amateur production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial by Jury" with our new couple-friends Colby and Annie, but that was the only event of the weekend! It was nice to rest up after the hustle and bustle, and to prepare for the next visit to my Uncle Dino and Tia Jenny's house in Reno. It was the annual Italian Festival downtown so we were of course, happy to go with a legitimate Italian uncle! They have live music, a grape stomping contest, and little booths set up, representing each region in Italy. Each booth makes its own tomato sauce and you can buy a bowl of plain pasta to go around, sampling the sauce and vote for your favorite! It was extremely crowded and none of us were that hungry, so we skipped the pasta part, but did get to sample a few sauces with bread for free. Some tasty stuff there!

Now we're home alone once again this weekend. I finished a blanket I had started to crochet back in May, so that was a large accomplishment and last night, we fancied up and went to dinner (PF Changs, my new favorite) and saw "The Invention of Lying." It's a quirky little comedy. Today, my husband is being something of a workaholic and has gone to put in a few hours at work. This week was hard on both of us--we had a days-long rainstorm so neither of us were keen on him taking the bike to work in the wind and rain at 5am. I drove him to work (three hours before my usual wake-up call) and TWELVE HOURS later, picked him up--two days in a row! He has one project that demands a lot in a short amount of time, so he's trying to get it taken care of, especially with the upcoming events. I think I mentioned last time that his boss has been working to get him up to a competitive wage instead of intern wage. In order to do so, there's a lot of paperwork and processing, but it's all being taken care of and the last step is for Erik to "quit" his current job, be off the books for one pay period, and come back in two weeks on the new pay scale. This will finally happen in November! Although it's a slight hassle, a 40% wage increase is DEFINITELY worth it! And with the requisite two weeks off work, we've been toying with the idea of a pseudo-honeymoon to Mexico. It's been extremely tentative but yesterday, we found two roundtrip tickets to Guadalajara for just under $700. We can't book them until HR sets his (re-)start date, but we're both really looking forward to about an 80% chance of sunny weather in a few weeks. =)

I've been on the job hunt myself recently. The tutoring firm hasn't called me with any students since starting with them in August, so my guess is that parents are pinching their pennies when it comes to extras like paid tutors for their kids. I'm still an ESL volunteer and they've even given me one day of teaching a week--structuring lesson plans is a little nerve-racking, but some of the students have said they enjoy it when I teach and that's , which is challenging and fun. Even with that, I have been slightly under stimulated and decided to look for something else to get me out of the house. After dropping off resumes to about twenty different retail spots, I finally interviewed with Peet's coffee and GAP last week. (I expect Starbucks will call for an interview this week as well, thanks to a connection there.) Thursday, I got the call from GAP saying I'm hired so I'm extremely thrilled about that! It'll only be a few hours a week at an embarrassingly paltry wage, but it's something to keep me busy at a place I really dig, my social network should grow a bit and the extra gas money won't hurt. If Starbucks works out as well, I'll probably take that too, at least for a few months to keep my options open.


A week from today is my 22nd birthday! We're going to my parents' for the weekend and having a little get-together, since my brother's birthday is the 29th and Mom's is the 30th. Mom's also having a PartyLite candle party that I'll take advantage of. Erik's birthday present to me is tickets to a Regina Spektor concert the following weekend, which just tickles me pink! She's my current favorite artist and we've never been to a concert together, so it's a big event. The following weekend is a concert of a different sort--my first choir concert. November 7 will find us in the K Street cathedral singing English cathedral classics. I'm looking forward to that as well (though with a different sort of enthusiasm).

My most recent culinary successes include lentil soup (during that rainstorm) and Russian tea cookies. You know--the ones with powdered sugar that melt in your mouth. These were both MAJOR successes and will probably be regulars on the menu through the winter. But never fear, we've been running four days a week! I found a six-week routine that allows me to build up to 30 minutes of running at a time and next Sunday is the last day--the 30 minute attempt. Happy birthday to me!

So now we are in the most joyous part of the year for me: The brink of the holidays. The weather is perfectly cool with the occasional rainfall, the leaves are turning, the Christmas shopping begins, and the most delectable food starts appearing from the oven. I hope you all are relishing it as we are!

Our two month anniversary was Friday and after nine weeks of rearranging furniture, purchasing random things like duct tape and a 3-hole puncher, and watching movies galore, our married routine is nearly established! I feel like it's come to the point that I actually have "news" to share about our life together.

We have yet to spend two consecutive weekends at home in Sacramento, but it's nice to have places to go and people to see. We've visited my parents, Erik's parents, my grandparents twice, had some friends over, and spent a Saturday with new friends. And things aren't going to slow down any time soon--we're going to my parents' for Labor Day, camping with friends the middle weekend of September, and hope to visit some other relatives by October. At least things aren't going to be boring for a long while!

Many of you know that I was accepted to the Sacramento Choral Society. It's the largest chorus in the area with about 200 members and puts on 4-6 concerts a year. Many of the concerts are held in the Mondavi Center for the Arts and the larger ones cost a whopping $70,000+ to put on! The director is an extremely kind French-Canadian man with many accolades to his name--Don Kendrick. One of his choirs was requested to sing in private audience for the pope last Christmas. Rehearsals start tomorrow night and I'm quite excited! When concert time rolls around, I'll be sure to let you know in case anyone wants to purchase (yes, purchase, I'm afraid) tickets.

I've been gearing up to start a Masters program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Sac State this spring but apparently, enrollment is closed in all state colleges for Spring semester. This was frustrating to find out, but it's freed me up to consider other masters programs for next fall. It also means I can devote some time to other resume-padding ventures for the year, the first of which being a paid position with a tutoring firm. I accepted the position on Friday and orientation is Monday. They require a minimum of 10 hours of tutoring a month, and I'm pretty sure I'm capable of that. I believe the director wants me to tutor high school Spanish tutoring primarily, though she's aware of my musical strengths and writing capabilities as well. It'll be good to bring in some extra income as well as dedicate some time to education, since that's where I'm headed professionally!

Even more exciting than tutoring is a volunteer opportunity. The local Food Bank is one of the most successful nonprofits in the area with ten different programs, and 700-800 regular volunteers. Erik and I have been in touch with the director of the Adult Education Program and will both start volunteering September 8--him tutoring adult GED prep and me supporting the ESL classes. This year, the school district can only provide a credentialed ESL teacher two days a week, so the other three days will be volunteer led, meaning I may get some teaching experience soon. I plan to be there five days a week for starters and Erik will come in on Fridays--his day off.

Erik's certainly been keeping busy at work! He works four ten-hour days a week and this past Thursday, had a 12-hour day! He's quite in demand at the Corps of Engineers, given his unique knowledge base. While in college he took a few GIS (Geographical Information Systems) courses, which give him knowledge of mapping software that many of his coworkers lack. In fact, he was responsible for a project at work and when talking with his boss, found out that there is only one other Economist in the whole Western Division who has equivalent skills to head that project. Pretty impressive! Erik's becoming interested in mastering in GIS, so we are researching our respective grad schools with a special interest in online programs. We may both be in school again, come next fall--sounds like fun to us geeky academics.

Food occupies a large place in our lives. I'm excited to try my hand at new recipes and most have been palatable at least, stellar at most. I've become a favorite among Erik's coworkers for making zucchini bread from one colleague's home-grown produce; Butterfly cupcakes were a highlight among my extended family, and though I would love to make desserts regularly, Erik tries to keep my sweet tooth at bay and channels my creative energy into more nutritious alternatives. Mango-lime brown rice with salmon was one memorable meal, as well as 13-bean soup and Greek Quinoa with avocado. We also tried our hand at canning peaches last week--all seven quart jars sealed on the first attempt, so I'd call that a success!

Before getting married, Erik would play tennis twice a week and run to the nearby park regularly, but we were a bit sedentary those first few weeks of marriage. Needless to say, that didn't couple well with my propensity for dessert-making, so we've both picked up running as a hobby. Although it's never been my favorite activity, I've seen encouraging improvements in my routine, and Erik appreciates that I now motivate him to put on those sneakers, and not always the other way around. Yesterday was our crowning attempt at exercise, as I rode the bike and he ran six miles to a grocery store, round trip. We made it in just over an hour and felt more rejuvenated than exhausted upon return. Yay!

Three weeks ago, we reconnected with Shelley and Snucky--she was my roommate and sang with me in a quartet at PUC--and her husband. They spent the weekend with us and we were joined by John Osio--a fellow quartet member and friend--Saturday afternoon. Hanging out with them reminded me of why we got along so well at PUC. It's nice to have a "couple" friend, and since John is a music teacher at one of the SDA academies in the area, it's good to have a previous friendship nearby.

A few weeks ago we found a website called "MeetUp" which hosts a bunch of interest groups. We checked out one Italian meeting and had a really good time--Erik was able to converse with other competent speakers, and I got to do my typical "I'm half-Italian" spiel among other Italian descendants. One guy in particular, Colby, was a little older than us and seemed to like Erik, so they met up for lunch last week and he invited us to have a movie night with him and his wife last night. We had homemade pizza and salad, and I brought cherry cream cheese pie. Annie is a high school Biology teacher who was a fencing champion in high school, and Colby is a computer programmer and self-taught Italian speaker. Interesting people, and they seemed to like us, so they're our first new friends in the Sacramento area.

Well that about covers the recent events of our lives. Today we'll be folding laundry, working on my Spain photo album (finally), fixing the squeak in Erik's bike, and brushing up on our math for the GRE (the standardized entrance exam for graduate school--I'm taking it in two weeks!). It's great being married!

Yesterday I auditioned to be in a choir. It was such fun! The director was ADHD-status energetic and invited me to pick between two of his choirs--one with 180 members, one with 50 members. He said he never lets anyone pick but, "I'm a good alto that can read music and seems smart and pleasant--logic bids me welcome!" After he listed me the differences between the two, mostly related to scale, I chose the big one. This is my opportunity to sing in the largest, most professional choir I've ever been in so I'm taking it! It's the only choir in the NATION with its own orchesta, maintained by the nonprofit fundraising of the whole organization. Each concert costs $75,000 to produce, so the fundraising is very necessary, but the society has flourished. All the members sell tickets, plus they're available for purchase through the website. The Christmas concert in particular is so popular, they do two showings of it and had 4000 people last year! I'm very excited to be singing again, especially at this level! Rehearsals start at the end of the month and I just can't wait!