Too Long

It has been far too long since we posted. I just noticed that the last posting was in August 2009. At least I can now confirm that my sense of living in a flurry of action the past 9 months was not a mental aberration. It was reality.

I don't know how many folks still check in here. Obviously the author(s) took a leave of absence, so why shouldn't the reader? In any case here are a few brief updates from the past 9 months. And then, I'll get back into regular posting. Promise.
August/September was our re-entry into American living and the highlight was probably having an abundance of water at our immediate disposal. That, and the ability to cook with our own pots and pans with specialty spices which were hard to get (at a decent price) while in Rwanda.

The downside was that work was ramping up for me (Liz) and school was in full swing for Ryan. And of course, we really missed our friends in Rwanda. We also were missing our neighbors/friends B & S who moved to New Hampshire with their 4 adorable children while we trotted about Central Africa. Fortunately, old friends from college moved nearby (hooray for S, L, and son T!) which helped us to adjust. They still help us to adjust weekly, and we are truly thankful for their friendship.
October was a challenging month - Ryan had interviews for summer 2010 internships and completed, I think, about 29 interviews in just a few weeks. Intensity was up! I was also occupied by two different major fund raising events at work. If I were Emeril, I would insert a "bam!" right about here. Oh why not?


November is only a sliver of a memory in my mind. It was a month of great transitions. My only coworker resigned and I was promoted from the director of one of our 4 programs to becoming the Executive Director of our small non-profit. Small meaning that I was, at the time, the only paid employee. I executively direct myself to do a lot of things now. =)

And suddenly it was December! That means year end tax receipts for me and finals for Ryan. Both of which were ghastly. We did get to travel to Missouri for the holidays to spend time with Ryan's family, and we even squeezed in a few days on either side to spend with my parents who live about 90 miles from us.

And then we continue into the January/February blurr when we decided it would be a good idea to move to a new apartment. Live in "the village" was dragging along and not too exciting for us since our friends ran off to New Hampshire, so we thought it best to look for a place closer to campus that we'd really love. And Voila! After a few days of searching craigslist, examining 3 apartments in total, we settled on a place that we absolutely LOVE! We have less storage and no laundry facilities, but the view and location make up for it tremendously. Now we walk to school/work and just about everywhere else. It reminds us of our days living in Cambridge, and we couldn't be happier. We have a stunning view of the Sather Tower on the Berkeley campus and easy access to beautiful walks in the Berkeley Hills. Charming to say the least.

Most recently we went on vacation to Santa Fe, NM for a week. We realized recently that we travel a lot but it isn't always "vacation" because the agenda is packed or we are in a place that requires bed nets to prevent malarial infection. Santa Fe was a week of shifting landscape due to the the sun's position in the sky, art galleries, good food at the Coyote Cafe Cantina (rooftop gourmet!) and hikes to ancient pueblos. Amazing. We actually went back 2 nights in a row and ordered the same dish (al pastor tacos - "Our Special Citrus Marinated, Spit-Roasted Pork with Pineapple. Served with Tomatillo Avocado Salsa.") which I will now try to make at home. The tomatillo avacado salsa may be the greatest challenge.

These days we're gearing up for the LOST finale this weekend (short-term fun) and in the longer term, Ryan's position at a legal firm in San Francisco. We are hoping that some of that old fashioned "wooing" that law firms conducted when the economy was strong, is still in place to a certain degree. I keep hinting that I like spa days and cooking lessons.

In a few weeks we'll head to Missouri again for a family visit and time at Lake of the Ozarks. A perfect way to kick off the summer. It is human nature to let the mind wander further (possibly a trip to Liberia for me in October) but for now I just keep trying to stay in the present moment.

New apartment photos and trip photos to come soon! Oh, and if I'm allowed, some photos of the items I am taking to the viewing party for the LOST finale. For anyone who hasn't seen the sneak peek of tonight's episode, check it out.....