Tacoma.

Oh, Tacoma. I have so many mixed emotions about Tacoma. There is so much traffic! For a girl who grew up in a town of 300 people the traffic is practically unbearable. People *couDANIEL&JUJU&BENgh* keep trying to tell me that this town is arranged as a grid- and they are completely wrong. It stinks. Tacoma itSELF stinks. The town. It's actually been pretty bad lately.  

BUT- there are so many good things. So many little adorable niches that we are discovering. The neighborhoods, the best coffee shops, a nice park to go to relax. We have amazing friends. Many not pictured. We have a beautiful community. Lots of which is going on at Tacoma Community- http://tacomacommunityblog.blogspot.com/ 

Jason has decided to leave his job at Sound View. This means we are about to have a big change in our life. It is monumental. So now is an excellent time to ask ourselves some big questions. Such as, but not limited to, "What are we doing with our lives? What do we want to be doing? What brings us alive? What are our hopes and dreams for Crosby's future? How can we make it happen?"

When we got home from South America I was ready to "settle down"- white picket fence style. But it didn't happen. We have been moving around, going where the wind blew. And it has been amazing! We have done so much and experienced so much and- above all else- continued to learn the amazing lesson that anything is possible! It's the lesson I felt imprinted on me while we were traveling, and in this time of big changes, it's coming right back. So as I find myself asking what's next, I don't want to limit it to what feels easy or close-at-hand. I want us to do what is right, what is timely, what is exciting. And I'm ready to white-picket-fence it.

What does this mean for us and Tacoma? We are still deciding.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

One of my favorite things about my marriage is that my husband makes the decisions. Everything in my life became so much simpler once I was able to relinquish all the big-picture decisions to him. A lot of people (especially those from my Sociology classes) would tell me that this is anti-feminist, or outdated. But lemme tell you- it feels so good. I feel taken care of, beloved and cherished when I know that my man has it under control, on lock down, all fig'red out*. I find that I can worry myself to the bone if I let myself. When my mind wanders uncontrolled I come up with all sorts of scenarios that usually end with disaster. But recently, when I was verbally barfing all this fear all over Jason, he calmly told me that he had it under control, that I didn't need to worry about it. I breathed such a huge sigh of relief. He would take care of me. Of our family. I know I can trust Jason because he always prays about and weighs each decision he makes, and I know without a doubt that he has our best interests in mind. Today I am so thankful for my husband.

*say with accent (hip-hop or leprechaun.)

Holiday House

Every town has one.

That house that has gone into the outer limits of what you thought was possible in lawn ornamentalizing and holiday themed decoration. Of course, there is such a house in Tacoma. It's on South 9th, near Sprague. It's a real beaut. It got me thinking- when does a house cross the line from trashy-too-many-lawn-ornaments into all out amazing-fest. A visual feast for the eyes. A smorgasbord fiesta of twinkling dazzling horrible decorations.

This is not the real house of which I write. I don't have a picture of it. But believe me, each and every decoration from this house, if taken on its own, is hideous. Really awful stuff. You know what I'm talking about- the giant inflatable snowglobe with the fan inside that's blowing styrofoam bits all around a misshapen snowman, the rows upon rows of rope lights that are missing chunks here and there due to bulb outtages, the creepy Mrs. Clause who looks like she might decide to eat you later on- it's all there. But somehow, when it all comes together, against the backdrop of a dilapidated house extremely well lit by thousands of multicolor Christmas lights- the recipe is complete. And it goes beyond trashy. Far beyond. It's fascinating. You can't help but slow down your car to gaze into it. There are so many layers! They call to you! But when did they cross the line? Because I know there are a hundred houses with a whole slew of inflatable Christmas characters gracing their lawns that I don't look twice at except for to scoff. But at some point, a shift takes place, and you get this.

Charlie Brown

One of my holiday pet-peeves is when people misuse the term "Charlie Brown Tree."

The tree in the movie was pathetic; a tiny branch nailed down to pretend to be a tree. But you'll hear people all the time: "What a perfect little Charlie Brown Tree! Awwww" and I just look at them, really confused. Once, and only once, a friend of ours referred to one of our trees as a Charlie Brown Tree. I freaked. I don't believe he has ever said that to anyone ever again. The only thing that prompted him to say it in the first place was that our tree was a Noble Fir, (the best kind, a "silvertip" as my dad calls them)

*Okay, maybe ours was a bit more sparse than this one, but you get the idea.*

instead of a Douglas Fir - what I like to refer to as a "bush tree."

Disgusting.

I guess my point is, if you're going to use the term "Charlie Brown Tree"- do it right. Refer to the intention of the tree, how it doesn't matter what the tree looks like, it's the spirit of the event. Did you know that when we were packing our backpacks for South America, Christmas ornaments were in mine? I made sure that I had a little bit of Christmas with me, so I could celebrate no matter where we were.

I still have it. Although it's pretty beat up, and musty and a bit mildewed. But I'll have it forever.

The Oregon Trail

We're home sweet home! Enjoying all that our homeland has to offer: drinkable tap water, toilets that flush paper, food that you can eat without second-guessing; not to mention family and friends! We will have our cell phone on Saturday, the 28th, (same number) so feel free to call us and we'll hang out!!

Thank you for all the love and support throughout our traveling!

Two of us Sunday driving, not arriving, On Our Way Back Home

We are coming home! We just bought our tickets! We will be arriving in San Francisco on the 21st of February! That's only 9 days from now! We will visit some friends in California and be making our way north shortly after that! So unreal! The Beatles song is running through my mind... We're on our way home! On our way home! We're going home! ... You and I have memories, longer than the road that stretches out of them.....

Can't wait to see everyone!

Today we went on a hike to the top of a hill in panama city called Cerro Ancon and it was really hard and long, but it paid off because we saw an armadillo and four tiny and cute monkeys and some weird jungle animal that we couldn't recognize. There were amazing views, but we didn't have a camera. :( We've decided not to buy a camera because the next camera we buy will probably be the 'baby camera' so we are going to want it to be really really good, with video and all that.
The other day we saw a crocodile in a river! Also, the other day, I saw a sea snake while we were snorkeling and almost jumped out of my skin.
The hostel people here offered us a free room if we would promise to conceive our first child in the hostel and if it was a girl, name her Luna. The hostel is called Luna's Castle. We did not agree. But we did chuckle. I miss you guys. I miss family a lot. And friends. A lot a lot. A lot of travelers aren't homesick at all and it makes me think that they must not have the amazing and supportive family network that we have. hmm....
I want to take a roadtrip across the US this fall, or next spring. Being away has made me realize how little I know about my own country. I know almost nothing! Southeast Iowa and Oregon. A little Washington, a little California. That's IT. I want to see the south, DC, Arizona, the grand canyon, Maine, Toronto, Canada...that's not in the US, but I still want to see it.
The hostel is playing Creedence right now.