New Year, New Adventures

Welcome 2013!!!  We rang in the new year with our wonderful neighbors at Katie and Brian's house, one block over.  The guys entertained themselves all night with table shuffleboard and cornhole while the ladies swapped stories and watched the kids zip around.  We're so thankful to have such a wonderful group of people in our neighborhood and even more grateful that everyone embraces the classic notion of neighbors - spending time together, looking out for one another, and making this a great place to live.  

Just before the clock struck midnight, we passed around champagne so we could toast with the ball drop.  It's the first time I can really remember feeling a sense of excitement and relief with the start of the new year so it was fun to stay up to officially welcome the first few minutes of what I feel will be a great year for us.  It was icing on the cake that we could start the new year surrounded by great people and new friends.

Happy New Year everyone!  We hope it's filled with good things for all of you!

34

Like Christmas, it was a little hard to feel celebratory for my birthday this year.  At the last minute we decided to invite some folks over for a bonfire the night of my birthday.  Our holiday party bonfire really helped get us in the spirit for Christmas, so I figured some time with friends was just what I needed for my birthday too.  

I awoke on my birthday with snuggly cats in bed while Wade was decorating the house and making breakfast.  He surprised me with a beautiful orchid, fun decorations, and a breakfast feast of a veggie omelet, roasted potatoes, and orange slices from our garden.  It was a great way to start the day.  After that I opened presents and cards, then dug into setting up one of my new games while Wade took a much deserved break with a cup of tea and a book.  It was storming and rainy out as a cold front pushed through so it was good time to relax at home to let things dry out before we headed to the farmers market.

Lately, I've been really getting into playing board and card games - I used to love board games as a kid, but over the years and many moves, only just a few of the classics stayed with me (Uno, Rummikub, Pente, and Parcheesi).  We frequently play games when we are at the beach house in the summer (Pass the Pigs, and Mexican Train Dominos added to the others) and realized we needed new games we could enjoy year round.  This fall I started watching Wil Wheaton's gaming show on Geek & Sundry, Tabletop, and I was hooked since it was a great way to learn about new games and see whether we'd like them.  It's also a great way to shortcut the learning process for new more complex games. Since we've been trying to curb spending and aren't the type to go out to bars, having game nights is something I'd like to do more often with friends.  So, we started adding new games to our collection over the last few months and I was excited to get a few new ones for Christmas and my birthday. 

Our growing collection of games... I spent the morning unpacking Smallworld - what a fun game!

Once I'd unpacked some of my new games, the rain finally moved through so we headed to the Saturday Farmers Market downtown.  The market was less than half full, we're guessing due to the weather and the holidays, but we bought some organic veggies from a local farm, bought a small orange cat print I'd been admiring for months, and enjoyed some delicious tea.  On the way back to the car we did something I've been wanting to do for months - we stopped at the Fountain of Youth that's near the market for a sip and a picture.  It's been a tourist attraction in the city in few different locations since before 1900 and I've seen a lot of funny postcards of it from the 1950's, so I wanted our own fun photo op.  The light wasn't great, and we don't have a good camera anymore, so we did our best and it was fun.

We finally headed home so Wade could get started on my Key Lime pie (instead of birthday cake) - we froze juice earlier in the year when our tree was making fruit like crazy and saved a few jars for key lime pies.  While Wade made pie I wandered the yard checking on things, weeding, and chatting with the other birthday ladies in the family - the chickens.  They were happy to kick in the wet ground and nibble the rye grass Wade planted for them that's finally taking off.  When the pie was done, Wade made us some big garden salads for lunch, then we tidied up the house a bit for company, and played a new game, Star Fluxx, which I finally beat Wade at after he had stomped me 3 times the day before.  By then it was time to get in the shower to clean up for the evening.  Mom and Larry came over before dinner to open presents, then they treated us to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Ceviche, a tapas place downtown with fantastic food and great cava (spanish sparkling white wine) sangria.  After a fun dinner we headed home to get a fire going before people came over.  Wade put out a nice spread of snacks and drinks, I made some lemonade from our Meyer Lemon tree, and we had s'mores.  It was such a fun night and I was really thankful to have such fun and wonderful people in our life.  Chris & Julie, Mom & Larry, Brett, and Jess & Libby (it was also Libby's birthday) were the best presents of my day. :)  We topped it off with Wade's famous homemade key lime pie that had a layer of dark chocolate on top - nothing is better than that.  I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who can also bake!  

You can see some pictures from the day here.

Kind words

This week I finally sent out my departure email to colleagues outside my organization (I sent my internal notice last Friday).  It took time to craft the right email that was diplomatic about what was happening, yet let people know "hey, if you know about a job opening, I'd love to hear about it!".  I also wanted to thank folks who had shared their expertise over the years which was critical for building my program.  

Apparently, I got the wording right, because I have been a little overwhelmed by the positive responses and phone calls from people inside and outside my organization.  Many well-wishes, many surprised exclamations, some offers to help find me a position, but what has surprised me is the outpouring of kind and supportive things people have been saying about my work and my talent and that they know I'll land on my feet.  Someone I didn't think respected me even called me "a force to recon with" and offered to be a reference or help however she can, which was really surprising.  In some instances I've misjudged people, which has been a good lesson, in other cases, close friends have gone beyond what I expected to be supportive.  This past year I've been doubting myself and my abilities quite a bit, so it's been a bit shocking to hear others call me an inspiration or someone who inspires passion.  These gifts of words have been the best Christmas present I could ask for and I am truly thankful that they have shown me a new standard to strive for when supporting friends and coworkers facing a challenging time.

This week I am packing up my office and will ship it all out next week.  I will also file for unemployment next week.  Super.  I am incredibly thankful that the bit of severance and vacation pay out I will be getting will buy me a little time to really think about what I want to do next.  At this point, I'm actually feeling excited, and dare I say a bit hopeful and relieved.

Christmas

We did our Christmas early this year and woke up on Christmas Eve as if it were Christmas Day.  We did stockings for the furry kids which is always fun since the cats go nuts for catnip toys and treats while the dogs are more about munching on treats and snoozing with the stuffed toys Wade's mom sends every year.  Once the animals got to enjoy their stockings (the chickens got firebush berries and millet) Wade and I opened the few things we made for each other.  Wade made some amazing Star Wars cut out snowflakes (see pictures here) and he repurposed one of my old cooking aprons to make a wearable pouch for when I'm harvesting veggies in the garden which I am really thrilled about.  For Wade, I printed and framed some of the photos from our Big Sur trip for him to enjoy on his desk at work, and he really wanted a sprayer for the yard, so I found an affordable one on Amazon.  He uses it to liquid fertilize or treat things in the yard that need some help.  The last two little cheap ones didn't last long (compost tea clogs them up), so I found a professional grade one with a filter at an affordable price.

Getting into the stockings for the furry kids.

Wade made some cinnamon rolls from scratch for breakfast, then baked two more banana bread loves for family presents.  We packed up in the mid afternoon and headed down to Anna Maria to stay the night with Mom and Larry.  It's been a few years since we stayed with them on Christmas and thought it would be fun to spend it on the beach with them this year.  Unfortunately, Wade and I have to work the rest of the week, so we can't stay more than a night.  I have to work through my exit paperwork, send out a notice to my contacts, and start packing up my office equipment to mail it back before the end of the week - fun fun.  I'll just be relieved to have it done before my birthday so I can enjoy a long weekend to move on and let go of that chapter of my life.

Christmas on the island was really lovely.  We had a nice Christmas Eve dinner at The Waterfront before coming home to watch Elf (a yearly tradition).  We were all pretty tired after that and crawled into bed.  Christmas morning we got up, made a big breakfast of Wade's banana nut bread and scrambled eggs then finally settled down to open presents.  The cats and dogs enjoyed treats and some toys, while we had a nice small exchange with Mom and Larry.  Before we knew it, it was time to get cleaned up and start cooking for Christmas dinner.  I made a gluten-free pumpkin lasagna for Wade and I to enjoy and helped mom get the other casseroles ready.  My Aunt Cindy, Uncle Rick, and cousins, Curtis and Ericka joined us for a fun dinner.  We had a great time catching up with them and feasting on all the holidays goodies.  After a desert of GF Christmas brownies and apple pie Wade and I packed up the car and the kids and headed home to get ready for a short week of work.  It was a peaceful and wonderful Christmas and just what we needed.  We hope everyone else is able to share quality time with loved ones for the holidays!

Winter Solstice

We decided to start a new tradition this year of celebrating the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year (Dec 21st) that in ancient times used to serve as the demarcation for the new year to begin.  Later, organized religions started borrowing some of the various Winter Solstice traditions to celebrate their holidays too - the lighting of candles, Yuletide celebrations, big feasts and revelry, etc.  It was a way to ward off the dark gloomy days of winter and celebrate the return of the sun as it would slowly spend more time in the sky after the solstice.  

This was something that always struck me as a mere astronomical observation until we actually started growing food and raising chickens.  The solstice is usually when our crops reach their worst due to the limited sunlight - some are prone to bugs, they aren't growing like they should, and the chickens slow down production with less light to keep them up and feeding.  Suddenly last year we found ourselves rejoicing when the solstice passed because we knew it could only get better from here - more daylight for the plants and chickens!  I now find myself feeling relieved on this day, like it's all easy sailing from here.  Since we've been thrilled with the productivity of the garden this year, it seemed fitting to do something to celebrate.  Wade had a great idea of using the Yule Log tradition to burn wood from our property all night long then stay up to welcome the sun back at dawn.  The bonus, as some traditions follow, is that the ashes from the fire go back into the earth to nourish it (wood ashes have a lot of important minerals for plants).  The other part of this tradition is to create a feast from your own harvest, so we were preparing a meal using eggs and our veggies.  This comes from the traditions of northern cultures harvesting their food at the end of the season to store in anticipation of needing to survive a long hard winter, so a feast of everything while it's fresh is one last hurrah before the lean times.

We were all ready to do our own Yule Log and feast, but the weather had other plans when we found out that a burn notice had been issued by the weather center - it would be too dry, cold, and windy to light a fire safely outside without fear of it spreading.  Too bad we don't have a fire place in the house...

So we quickly invented a plan B with Mom and Larry.  Instead of the bonfire, we ended up having a candlelit Mexican food themed feast for dinner, followed by watching some old Charlie Brown Christmas cartoons.  The next morning we headed downtown to the Farmers Market to stock up some produce, enjoy the lovely weather, and sample all the tasty fresh food available.  Afterwards they treated us to the Florida Symphony Orchestra's Christmas Pops concert which was a lot of fun.  It was also a good way to try to put some of the awfulness of my work week behind us so we could start relaxing and enjoy the holidays.

As if to prove that the passing of the solstice meant the return of good times, Clemmie, our Ameraucana chicken finally started laying again this morning!  She started molting (shedding old feathers and growing new ones) back in late October and stopped laying her pretty grey-blue eggs in early November.

Twas the week before Christmas...

...when I got laid off.  Yep, that's right, a week before Christmas, I was told I am subject to a "Reduction in Force", which is not a Star Wars pun, but instead means my program has been cut and my position eliminated.  My last day of work is January 1st.  Merry F*ing Christmas.

I do get a little severance since I've been at the organization for over four years, and I was hoarding vacation days which I'll get paid out for, so that will help cushion the blow.  In the mean time, we're really grateful we had some whiff of the impending doom and had started belt tightening already.  I'll have to get rid of my cell phone (currently work pays for it) and start paying for our phone and internet again, which sucks so I'm going to see if I can bargain down our bills to the bare minimum.  We're lucky that Wade's job is stable and we can transfer over to his health insurance (we both have been on mine since the coverage and cost were better).  It could be a lot worse.

I've been networking like crazy, but this time of year sucks to look for a job.  I have a few job applications in, but I suspect it'll pick back up in the spring.  I am looking at everything in the conservation field, not just marine work, and frankly have been talking to anyone around town who might be able to hire me, even if it's not conservation work.  Tomorrow I'm going to get signed up at a nearby private school for their substitute teachers list.  Many of our neighbors take their kids there, and our neighbor is the middle school principle, so I've heard a lot of great things about it.  I've toyed with the idea of teaching quite a bit over the years, but the timing (or pay) have never been quite right.  So it'll be nice to give it a try and see how I like it.  

I keep telling myself that the silver lining is that this will give me some welcome time to figure out what I am actually passionate about and to work through my burn out.  It's also been good to help cure me of my shopping/materialistic impulses and remind us of the true meaning of Christmas for us.  We've really enjoyed spending time making and baking things for family, friends, and each other and want to do more of it from now on.  Feeding loved ones from our yard has a surprisingly fulfilling quality we weren't expecting.  We also really enjoyed making the season about spending quality time with friends and family rather than buying gifts - memories last longer. :)

Twinkle lights make everything better

After Thanksgiving we found it hard to get into the Christmas spirit with all of my work drama.  For the past two years, we have kicked off the season with the 30th JingleBell 5k Run that's down town (complete with participants dressing up, musicians playing Christmas music along the route, and lots of twinkle lights).  This year we weren't going to participate since we've been cutting all non-essential expenses, but our friends who walked with us last year, Julie and Chris, offered to cover our registration as a Christmas present, which was really sweet and generous, so I offered to barter with them to repay them in veggies and eggs.  We were really grateful to them because it was just what we needed to jump-start some holiday spirit, and we had a lot of fun with them.

Posing in front of the soon to be demolished Pier in downtown St. Pete.  (Yes, that is a Death Star wrapped in twinkle lights on my shirt - my one and only holiday shirt)

Celebrating our completion of the JingleBell Run(walk) - Me, Wade, Julie, and Chris.

Almost 2 weeks passed before we even bothered to get the decorations out, and even then I wasn't really into it, which is unusual.  Doing the JingleBell Run finally got us going, plus we were motivated to have the house decorated in time for our holiday party.  This year, instead of giving presents we decided to invite all of our friends over for a holiday bonfire so we could enjoy time with everyone before holiday chaos took over.  We baked a bunch of Christmas goodies, had hot cocoa, wine, and cider, and of course, s'mores.  We really enjoyed treating everyone as a way to say thank you for being such supportive friends, and it was good to catch up with folks we don't see as often as we'd like.  Most people brought their kids which was pretty funny to watch since they all seemed mesmerized by the fire or unable to keep from exploring every inch of the garden.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the festivities, and I have realized that without my beloved Canon G series camera, I am really really limited by the shots I can get with my little Canon Elph I got for my birthday 3 years ago.  It's great for times when you don't need a good big camera (like the JingleBell Run), but otherwise, it's not good for capturing much else.  While wandering around in the garden today trying to capture some things, I realized I was spoiled by my old G (which recently died on our Big Sur trip) and until I get a new camera I'm going to feel pretty frustrated - and my blog pictures are going to suffer.  Since the blog is also like a garden journal for us to keep track of what blooms when, it'll be hard to keep that up with my little "party" camera.

Still no update on my work situation, other than this past week they eliminated my manager's position (which was a huge shock) and we still aren't sure we'll get enough money to keep me on.  I do know I'll have some severance that would start January 1, but I'm still in the dark as to whether my program is getting cut.  Merry F*ing Christmas.  In the mean time, I've been doing a lot of networking and applied for 2 jobs, which has been nice to feel like there are some new horizons out there for me, and frankly, the way everything has been handled by my organization makes me want to just take the severance and find a job where I actually feel valued and I enjoy going to work.  I keep telling myself that after everything that has happened this year, 2013 has got to be my lucky year!  Now that all of our twinkle lights are up (inside and out), maybe I'm finally feeling a little optimistic - they always make everything look better.