just laura

What to say about this week that doesn’t sound melodramatic? I cried a lot, for the first time, about leaving for Kenya. I couldn’t help myself, couldn’t stop myself They were crazy amounts of tears (joyous tears to be sure) from being surrounded by some of the people I respect and admire most in life, where the outpouring of support continues to humble me, sustain me, and motivate me. And in a separate event that balances the joy and celebration of this with its own grief and sorrow, my aunt Jennifer passed away unexpectedly this week. She’s a good woman who’s had a hard life. She went into the ER suddenly Tuesday night, was dismissed after tests didn’t find any problems, and died a few hours later at home. Cause of death unknown. She’s survived by her children/my cousins Steph and Zach, by her granddaughter Jordyn, and by a large extended family.

I found a flight to North Carolina for the funeral and am more than interested in spending the money. I’d want to go both to honor Jen, and to see the whole family before I leave for Africa since it’ll be at least a year before seeing them again. But, when I called Dad about the ticket I found, he thought I should stay home. Yes, it’s not the ideal time for a funeral, but when is there really an ideal time for a death in the family? The schedule as it currently stands:

• I just flew home from Baltimore this afternoon (thanks Maggie & Andrea for the ride!) and will have my last gallery show tonight.
• I have my last team meeting tomorrow and leave for my last Northwest adventure tomorrow night (Lopez Island with amazing friends).
• I’d also need to leave tomorrow if I go to the funeral since it’s happening Saturday afternoon, meaning I’d need to miss the weekend at Lopez Island and likely miss my last team meeting too.
• Next week I have my last week of work and training the fabulous new staff, my last photo group meeting, a brunch, a birthday party, dinner plans, packing (from start to finish), and my goodbye party.

Dad’s supposed to call soon and give me his updated recommendation on whether or not I should head out to the funeral. In the mean time, please send your thoughts and/or prayers to my aunt Jennifer’s family.

Did the show tonight at Caroline’s studio. Sold 5 photos (some is better than none). Mingled lots. Got some food at the 5-Point. (If you’ve never tried their Mac & Cheese wedges, you ought to do so ASAP). I’m now ready for bed. Oh, and tomorrow evening I will fly out to North Carolina for Jennifer’s funeral. (I’ll skip Lopez Island and will be back in Seattle on Monday night). Many thanks to Caroline for hosting the show at her studio, and many thanks for everyone who came out and visited 619 Western tonight!

Free plug for my best friend from middle school: Brandi is starting a home business and she just finished the website. You can check out the items at Brandi’s Decor Galore. Enjoy!

Yep, just 8 days till I leave Seattle. And of that time, I’ll be in North Carolina for 3 days, leaving me just under 5 days to pack the important stuff and give away the rest. (And do bdays and goodbyes and such). No pressure or anything. :)

I lucked my way onto standby flights into Asheville on Friday night and back home to Seattle today. (Many thanks to JD for using his connections for my flights!). It’s always good to be back in North Carolina to see family… even if the circumstances were less than ideal. Jennifer’s funeral was very nice and the highlight was definitely Zach’s speech. If you weren’t already crying, you were definitely doing so by the end of Zach’s words. No dry eyes in the place.

And speaking of seeing family, the NC side of the family seems to be expanding at an amazingly quick rate! Seems many of my cousins have kids already or are expecting some soon!

• Kelly & T-Mox were they with little Kenneth (and Kelly is pregnant with a baby girl due in Feb)
• Prentice & Mark were there with baby Wildt (and Prentice is pregnant with another due in April)
• Steph was there and it’s hard to believe her little girl Jordyn is already turning 7!
• Zach was there with his girlfriend Jennifer (who’s soon to be a fiancé!)
• Shawn & Allana were they with Allana’s son Corey and with 7 week old Konner!
• Margaret was there with her boyfriend Jerry… hard to believe I haven’t seen Margaret since she was probably in middle school (she’s in college now!)
• Bobbie’s whole family was there… she, Dave, Brandon, Tray, and big Kenneth
• Tom & Debra were there with Tyler and Michael
• Terry and Grandpa were both there

Like I said… always good to see family. Funerals aren’t so ideal, but Steph, Zach, and Terry seem to be holding up as well as can be expected. I’m now back in Seattle (many thanks to Caroline for airport rides!), and now I’m back at work. Wednesday I’ll be moving bookshelves and furniture, which means I need to be uber productive tonight and tomorrow night. Take care!

If you haven’t already VOTED absentee, today’s the day to do your civic duty. So go on. Now. Get moving, buddy.

Went to dinner tonight with a colleague who spent time in the Peace Corps, spent time as a Peace Corps staffer, and was also a Peace Corps trainer. He had lots of good advice, gave me a pretty calendar goodbye gift, and shared a Peace Corps Kiswahili lesson book (that eventually I should return). Was a nice dinner, even if I received a stern scolding which I definitely deserved.

Now I’m wasting time researching digital cameras tonight instead of packing like I should be. (Speaking of… anyone have advice on this camera?)

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, tonight I’m listening to a fantastic mix of 80s classics like Toto (Africa), Alphaville (Forever Young), Whitesnake (Here I Go Again), and Whitelion (When the Children Cry). How some of my friends made it to age 25 without knowing Whitelion or Toto is well beyond me. Seems there’s some 80s education that I might need to help spread.

On Monday Caroline and I met up with Carly to have some mehendi done! I was amazed at how quick Carly was, and by how steady her hand was! I wasn’t sure what I wanted to get, but am quite pleased with the design she did on my hand. I think it is pretty amazing, and no, I don’t actually think my hand is fat. I also think the work Carly did on Caroline’s arm and back was quite fantastic. If you’re in the Seattle area and are looking for a henna artist, do give Carly a call! She can do design work for wedding parties or just for random fun, and she has a studio conveniently located in the U-District!

Tonight will be my last photo meeting with a lovely bunch of photographers who’ve become lovely friends. :) If you identify as someone who likes to take pictures, please come on out! Second Wednesday of every month we meet at Uptown Espresso in Belltown. 8-10pm. This month’s theme: Patterns. See you there!

Please know I’d love to see you all one last time before I move out of Seattle.

Cat’s Goodbye Party
Thursday Nov 10th from 5-10pm
Atlas Foods in the U-Village
(enter from 45th Street and it’s behind the Barnes & Noble)

Here’s my info for Nov & Dec when I’ll stay with my parents during the holidays. And below is my info for Kenya – feel encouraged to write letters and to write often!

[removed by me]

KENYA INFO:

[removed by me]

New travel website: www.travelingcat.com

The goodbye party last night was amazing and fantastic and overwhelming! As predicted, with 100 people showing up it was super hard to have long conversations with any one person, but it was great to see so many people and great to get so many hugs and kisses and well wishes! Oh how I love the hugs and kisses! I know Kenya won’t be an easy move or job once there, and I’m fortunate to have this giant cloud of love and support that will help sustain me once the honeymoon period ends and some of the harsher realities kick in. Even after having to say so many goodbyes, it still somehow seems unreal that I won’t have you local folks in my life on a regular basis. Five great years in Seattle… I’d never have predicted or dreamed of the network of amazing people I’m lucky to call friends! Again, all my sincerest thanks for all your support and all you do!

Got rid of my futon and bed today… and kitchen stuff… and kites… and bathroom stuff. :) Moses came over with his truck and helped move the big stuff! Was great to see him, and a great help! And it rained all day while moving things… kinda wish I had a pair of rainboots like the little kids at the park had.

Today is the momentous day that we should all pause to take time to recognize my Dad’s birthday! Dad turns an amazing 61 this year and he’s still going strong! I’ll be spending lots of time with Dad this winter, and with my whole family, as I’m leaving Seattle tomorrow and heading back to Austin before Kenya!

Today is also the crazy day that fabulous young Ian celebrates turning 3 years old! If his first two years are any indication of what’s in store for the future, Ian is well on his way to greatness! Today’s birthday party was super fun and featured the Mercer Island Steel Drum Band! There was cake, dancing, drumming, and lots of friends! Congrats to Maggie & Jim on a fantastic party and on an even more fantastic little man!

Andrew was a gnome for Halloween

Erin the wonder roomie was quite convincing as “Miss Cle Ellum – Runner Up”

Silly pictures aside, Erin wins the award for best roommate living situation a girl could ask for! It’s hard to believe we’ve been living together for 2.5 almost 3 years and are still absolutely content with the situation! 3 years is just as old as Ian’s whole life. 3 years is all of middle school. 3 years is longer than any romantic relationship I’ve ever been in. I consider myself very lucky she called me and convinced me she should get the room, and I’m sad to leave such great apartment bliss with such a fantastic roommate.

This morning I finished a two day packing marathon with the unwavering support of great friends. Caroline stopped by for a few boxes after a long day working. Dieter stopped by to help me move a load of stuff to storage. And Martha, Susie, and Abbey saved the day and came by for not just one, but two, amazingly productive shifts at Chateau Fremont. I was pretty manic this afternoon… maybe because I haven’t finsihed packing, or maybe because I don’t know when I’ll be back, or maybe because I’m not ready to leave my great friends in Seattle, or maybe because leaving across the globe is exciting and emotional all at once. Either way, I was definitely manic by 5pm today and they came right over to help. My tears began the moment I saw them step into my dining room. In an hour flat they accomplished the unthinkable and we packed 9 boxes for storage and packed another 6 boxes for Goodwill.

Caroline, Cat, and Andrea in Ghirardelli

Caroline and I are now on day four of the Seattle to Austin road trip and sadly won’t get to see a fraction of what we want to see. And we’ll only get to see a handful of the people we’d like to connect with on the way! Kinda crazy to think of how many friends we have spread across the country in LA, SF, OR, AZ, etc. Sadly we won’t get to see all of them, but a few is better than none.

Sunday: 14 hours of driving in the rain, through the mountains, from Seattle to San Francisco! Many thanks to Alan for hosting our late night stay! Many thanks for Caroline doing a good portion of the driving! I started the road trip after pulling an all nighter, and while I was also to do driving during day light, I was feeling exhausted during the late night hours! For a woman who hasn’t done many long road trips, Caroline is quite a trooper!

Monday: Many thanks to the fabulous Alan and fantastic Andrea for showing us around town… and what a gorgeous day to be in SF! Perfect blue skies and perfect 70 degree weather! Alan and Andrea are both great people and they took us to the Haight, Fisherman’s Wharf, out for ice cream, yummy veggie breakfast, seeing the sea lions, and more! After dropping Andrea at work, we finally had to head out to begin our long drive to Los Angeles in the evening. Upon arrival near 11pm, we got to hang out with Caroline’s fun friend Sue for drinks and conversation at Fiesta Cantina… a lovely gay bar with lots of rockin cheesy 80s music. Many thanks to Paul and Sue for hosting our stay, and many thanks to Sue for the tank tops! They’ve been fantastic for the trip through LA and Arizona!

Tuesday: It’s freaking hot in LA! Tried to read my book (The Tent) on the patio while Caroline and Sue slept, but I was sweating too much to enjoy it! Gotta love LA in November! We started the morning with a screening of Sue’s most recent short film she was in called “Monster in my Pants.” Very classy flick (mocumentary about lesbian porn). Yep, Sue’s an actor, hence the move from Seattle to LA. After the screening, we met up with my college buddy Scott and did lunch with him before he had to head into work. It was fun for me to be able to introduce Scott to Caroline… Scott did the road trip with me from Houston to Seattle when I moved out of Texas five years ago. And now Caroline is doing the opposite leg of the trip with me from Seattle to Texas. Kinda fun that Scott’s moved to LA and is now 1/2 way in the middle! Scott brought me some homemade lemon liqueur, which we sampled and determined it was excellent! Thanks Scott! After leaving Scott and Sue, we met up with my very funny, very first roomie from college Meg. She’s doing law in LA and I try to meet up with her on all of my road trips through town! She also brought gifts… flat, flat gifts that will be lovely for Kenya! (Flip flops, photo album, and stationary!). As always, Meg also loaded us up with drinks, snacks, and even CDs for the road! Thanks Meg! And then we began the long trip to Phoenix.

Wednesday: We arrived in Phoenix near 1am and promptly went right to bed. This morning we did a little sorting at Grandpa’s house (got rid of food stuff, recycling, etc). We’re now eating lunch before heading out to Amarillo and were pleasantly surprised to see Free Wireless Internet Access at the Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Mesa. I couldn’t imagine too many seniors take advantage of free wi-fi, so I was happy to unpack my laptop and put their network to good use. (The owner even came over a few minutes ago to thank me for using it. “I pay extra for the internet… someone should be using! Do come back as often as you’d like!”)

And now, with that, we should be getting on the road. If you’re one the folks who’s called in the last few days, I’m not ignoring you on purpose. The drive through the dessert and mountains not only has limited cell reception, I’ve already used up all of my minutes for the month. I’ll try to call folks back once I get to Austin. Hope y’all are well!

Take care!
Cat

Caroline and I made it all the way home yesterday, landing around midnight in exciting Round Rock, Texas… home of my parents and the fighting dragons. (No, I didn’t go see the midnight showing of Harry Potter with the rest of the city. I slept instead. And btw, yes, my high school mascot is indeed the dragon). This morning we’ve unloaded the car, I’m still sick with a painful sore throat, and I’m excited to see Dot and Laura tonight! Tomorrow we’ll hopefully see a few more friends, and then Sunday early we leave for Florida. (Who wouldn’t want to hop back in a car with four family members after spending the last four days in a car?). I’m now unemployed and homeless, and I think I’m doing better with being homeless. It’s easy enough to give up an apartment and stuff at the end of the day, but trying to detach from the job and the team is a little harder. I don’t miss going to work 8-10 hours a day, but do miss knowing what’s going on. Alas. I still have insiders, who are pretty patient, so I suspect I can still get occasional updates if I so desire. :)

And now, before I go, a request. Caroline has never been to Austin or Texas. If you have suggestions on what to see if you had 48 hours, do leave a comment. Dad suggests we visit the State Capitol, the LBJ Presidential Library, and the new HEB. I love grocery stores too, but am not entirely sure how the ghost of LBJ or the proud people of Texas would feel knowing our new local grocery store was right up there with the capitol for sight seeing. Other ideas welcome! And if you have free time, you’re welcome to join us too!

Beal

Yesterday was a long day of site seeing, which I’ll tell you more about later. For now, know that Caroline and I ended the evening at Sixth Street with Beal and that there was a photo booth involved.

Last week: Road trip
This week: Florida
Next two weeks: Baltimore

After five days of road tripping from Seattle to Austin, I had a fabulous two day break with Caroline sightseeing in Austin. (More later on our adventures). Yesterday my family and I piled into Mom’s Suburban and the five of us took off for two more days of driving… this time from Austin to Naples, Florida. We’ve now arrived at my uncle’s fabulous beach house and it’s time for our annual family holiday bonding. So far we’ve started with happy hour and quesadillas, we’ll do many family meals, we’ll sign some $2 bills, and there will eventually be a gift exchange involved. I think we’ll all do all right. Hope your Thanksgivings are relaxing and fun!

If I wore more t-shirts, I’d think I’d start shopping here: http://www.cafepress.com/shop/t-shirts

T-Shirts: Flaunt modern Americana pop culture; wear a tee. Follow the tee’s evolution from its risqué heyday of “underwear as outwear,” to today’s sexy slogan-wear. Loved by bad boys and blue collars, to jet set fashionistas, the t-shirt is here to stay.

As Caroline proclaimed, “I heart Austin!” She’s my second Seattle friend to ever visit Texas with me and I do believe she was pleasantly surprised. We spent two short days in town trying to recover from the road trip and seeing some of the sights and it was fun! 48 hours isn’t much time, but it was enough to visit a few of my favorite places and favorite people. What’d we do?

• Saw the Round Rock, and the house I grew up in, all of my schools, and drove up and down Sam Bass Road
• Coffee and wi-fi at Mozart’s on Lake Austin
• Tried to see the bats, but I think they’ve already gone to Mexico
• Did happy hour and dinner at Chuy’s on Barton Spring
• A trip down memory lane at my old apartment building: the Metropolis (“the oddest apartments in Austin”). Met two very entertaining young men (Cy and Mike) who told us all about the musician slacker life in Austin. Read about Green Building… Metropolis was Austin’s first apartment community renovation to follow
  the City of Austin Green Building guidelines for a multi-family construction project.
• Coffee at Spider House with Beal
• Sushi at a very trendy new sushi place in downtown (on 5th I think)
• Drinks on 6th Street at Casino el Camino
• Photobooth photos at the Dirty Dog Bar on 6th
• Drinks at the Ritz
• EAST (East Austin Studio Tour) – very cool trip through local artists studios
• Met up with Chris and Alyssa and baby Tyler at the Harry Ransom Center to see the Ansel Adams: A Legacy exhibit. Great to see them, and a very nice exhibit too. I’d never seen his portrait or urban shots… and both were lovely.
• Coffee and wi-fi at Mojo’s… one of the many 24 hour coffee shops around town
• Super premium, all natural ice cream from Amy’s
• Some bizarre Thai candle lighting ceremony in the middle of nowhere (Del Valle to be exact)
• And we ended our tour of Austin with a late night dinner and some great conversation at Kerby Lane Cafe (the original location). It got fancy at some point since I last visited town… no more alt waiters with tattoos and piercings… they now have to wear collared shirts now. Bizarre.

Sadly, our family road trip to Florida for Thanksgiving needed to leave early Sunday morning, so I didn’t get even to spend Sunday morning with Caroline. I dropped her off at Beal’s place for sleep and for the trip to the airport. (Thanks Beal, and thanks for your flexibility Caroline!) Yes, like when the Yellow House girls said goodbye after helping me pack at 3am, I cried at this fond farewell. The Yellow House girls were my last goodbye in Seattle, and I believe Caroline is officially the last Seattle friend I will see before heading to Kenya. Both the Yellow House and Caroline mean so much to me… hard to imagine not having them around. All in all it was a fabulous road trip with Caroline and a fun little weekend in Austin. I continue to extend the invite for out of town friends to visit Texas… it’s a whole other world. :)

Texans in Florida

Feeling more than a little restless tonight. Could it be the one cup of coffee I drank almost 12 hours ago? I’d hope not. The rest of the house went to bed over two or three hours ago. I’m okay. I’m just not ready for sleep. Guess I can offer other updates as long as I’m awake and online. And speaking of online… we’ve got to do something about Dad’s laptop. It’s not a bad computer, but it is so virus infected it’s nearly impossible to open up a web browser and check email. Why they pay for DSL on a computer incapable of basic surfing is beyond me. Must get fixed, or must resign myself to coffee shops for Dec, or for an early taste of what internet-free life could feel like.

In other news, Naples is lovely this week. Sunny and warm (70s). Pretty crazy windy though, hence my indoor activities rather than pool-side lounging. I hope to mix in more of that tomorrow. Tonight was a lovely walk through part of historic downtown Naples, just a few blocks from Tom’s house. They had fake snow shooting out from all of the lamp posts, had live music on every block, and lit their holiday tree and lights. Quite a street party, complete with the open drinking of wine and beer in public streets. Yay Florida!

On a different note, C’s procedure today netted good, very positive results. A surgery in on the horizon, and that means a fix, and that is indeed a very good thing. If you’re one who prays, now is the time. Thanks in advance.

What else? My aunt Linda has announced she’ll be visiting me next October in Kenya! Additionally, she has friends in both Kenya and South Africa who would be happy to have me crash at their place if I’m able to travel. This is very generous of her, and them, and is very exciting to me!

My bank account at a big, national chain is worthless in Texas and Florida and most of the other 40-something states. Apparently I need to close my account and reopen in Texas if I want to ever deposit using the ATM again. Odd and tiresome. There might be a changing of banks in my future… oh, the possibilities.

I’m happy to be with family for our annual family reunion at Thanksgiving, but am at the same time sad to be missing Samantha’s Thanksgiving Bonanza.

In case you were wondering, my amazingly cool and fantastic and smart and talented cousin Jon is not a creep, but oh boy does he have stories about people that are. Ewww.

Unrelated, I’m very excited that RENT is coming out as a movie today! I love the Musical, and can easily sing along and cry every time I listen to the Soundtrack, and I’m quite looking forward to the Film! I know they’ve kept many original cast members from the live productions, and I’m curious about having a whole city to shoot in instead of one scene on stage. I’m a little skeptical about the scenes, but very excited overall. Anyone think I can convince family to go with me to see it? I think a few might be open to it, so let’s hope so!

Chatted with Martha today (hi Marth!). Was both fun and productive. She’s fabulous. And have I mentioned enough times yet how the Yellow House totally saved my @ss when packing last week? I mean it. I was manic. I cried. They arrive and accomplished miracles. They said goodbye and I cried again. Beautiful girls I’m honored to call friends. And along that same line, did I mention my eternal gratitude to Dieter for helping with the moving of boxes to storage and Goodwill? He’s been a saint many times for comforting me when manic over the years, and this moving night was no different. Dieter – thanks for being a friend again. I do appreciate your help and your heart.

I had coffee this afternoon around 3pm (not just any coffee, but Starbucks, which I usually try to avoid). I had a grande Peppermint Mocha and it was glorious. I love coffee, but it’s not good for me so I drink it very rarely. This peppermint mocha was so fabulous, it’s no wonder people get addicted to coffee. Powerful appeal.

And yes, I have been listening to a lot of Rod Stewart tonight, and I am still enjoying every minute of it.

For everyone out there playing along to Cat-Trivia, here we go:

• My favorite holidays song is “Baby It’s Cold Out There.” Not necessarily the Rod Stewart version, but really any version is still capable of making me very happy.
• I love watching old people dance in public.
• Fake snow = cheesy. + I heart cheesy. = I heart fake snow.
• Brownies are a wonder food, as is queso.
• And for those a little behind on the times: A don’t heart sweatshirts. And I don’t heart wearing baseball caps or hats in general.

Okay, I think that’s all for me tonight. I should get to bed. Mental note to self: Hey stupid! Get in the hot tub tomorrow. Why are you waiting this long???

New public art in Round Rock

I’m not sure if I’m posting lots to make up for lost time, but I am apparently posting lots. So, if you’re wondering how the second half of the road trip went after Arizona but before arrival in Austin, you can read all about it.

It’s kind of crazy that Mary and I are friends… considering the first time we met was when I was a bridesmaid in her wedding in Wisconsin. That said, she’s super fun, her family is super fantastic, and I’m quite pleased she’s turning another year older and another year more terrific! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY!

Is that when I woke up two different times from an upset stomach last night, both times I knew I’d dreamt! Yay pizza! (For those playing along to Cat-Trivia, I’ve only been aware that I’ve dreamt a handful of times in my entire life. And I only know what I was dreaming about on even fewer dreams). While I’d really like to dream more like everyone else, I’m seriously hoping gluten isn’t the secret to me dreaming more.

Is that when you go to a movie (like when we went to see Rent yesterday on opening day), you don’t have to worry about shutting off your ringer and not disturbing anyone else’s movie viewing pleasure. I suspect I lost it in Austin, or maybe Alabama or Mississippi? Not sure. And btw, for those following along to Cat-Trivia week, Rent is my FAVORITE musical of all time! And I think the movie wasn’t too bad. Left out some songs, some lyrics, some dialogue, but overall was still good. I didn’t like them making Collins into a druggie. Or making Roger seem so wholesome. However, the early scene with the title Rent track made up for any qualms I may have had… it was amazingly gorgeous! Must have been super fun to shoot!

I never got around to doing a proper Happy Thanksgiving post, so here’s a belated one. (I’m a firm believer in better late than never). This was our first Thanksgiving without Grandpa, but it was still with the whole family and was still nice and uneventful. It was also very laid back… no suit jackets or ties this year, no fancy meals out at hotels, etc. We did the standard cooking-all-day thing, I did some gardening for my aunt, and got in the pool for a little while. I ate a giant meal of stuffing, acorn squash, mashed potatoes, green bean cassarole, and pecan pie. We did the traditional gift exchanges (white elephant gift exchange, then the real gift exchange). We signed $2 bills and laughed about our signatures on younger days (Jim’s first signature was the best). I still miss Jim… hard to believe this was our third Thanksgiving without him. I couldn’t be more proud of my youngest cousins and how they’re growing up, but I do still miss Jim.

So, what am I thankful for this year? Just about everything. Truly, I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so blessed for so long in my entire life. Specifically…

• Five life changing years of growth in Seattle
• Finding my cell phone safely at home in Texas (happily not lost at a truck stop in Alabama)
• The chance to spend time with the K family every Thanksgiving
• Family who announced this week they were going to visit me in Kenya (both my parents and my aunt Linda)
• Family – even if they don’t always say just the thing you were hoping for, or even when you don’t see eye to eye, you know they’re good people with good heart
• Leaving a job I loved in Seattle
• Martha and Pete carrying the torch
• My health
• Fabulous Seattle friends who are so supportive they continue to astound me… I couldn’t possibly list them all, but they know who they are even if they never leave comments.
• Employees, coworkers, and peers who are so supportive they astound me
• Friends with babies for giving me a chance to experience and play, even if only for brief moments
• Two consecutive weeks of road trips that were safe with no speeding tickets, no car accidents, and no fights
• Friends near and far who are always up for visits, no matter how brief or how inconvenient
• The faith of the powers that be to trust me with an opportunity in Kenya
• Hiring an amazing coworker to join me for the work and adventure in Kenya
• Getting seats together with C for my flight this Tues and next Thurs
• My financial stability that will allow me to volunteer next year
• Music that sustains me
• Sounding boards like Caroline and Samantha who kept me sane during much of the last few years, and Dieter, Moses, and Charles who kept me sane when I first moved to Seattle. No easy task. I experienced depression for the first time in my life while living in Seattle (needless to say this required an adjustment from me). My friends are my family and they mean the world.
• Packing and moving help from people who still love me when I’m a manic, crying mess
• Thank you and goodbye gifts. Don’t think me too superficial. I’m a Dec 22nd birthday, which means my birthday celebrations in life can be counted on one hand. Further, my family doesn’t do much in the way of Christmas gifts (ie some years there are none, other years a tree ornament and nick-knacks will arrive). And since I’m generally single and not in a long term relationship, it’s not like I make a wish list and give it over to my sweetie. So for me to get gifts just for heading out on a new adventure… it’s not the monetary value (don’t get me wrong, it’s super nice), but it’s really the thought and the gesture that were so overwhelming to me.
• Mary who never fails to send baby photos that always brighten my day
• Photo friends who encouraged me in my hobby, who encouraged me to show my photos this year, and tyd for setting me up with my first group show over a year ago
• The awesome opportunity to eat myself silly and be surrounded by great people at weekly Sunday Brunches at Rod’s and at weekly Sunday Dinners at the Yellow House
• College friends that remain fabulous even after 5-10 years
• A goodbye party, a farewell tour, and a road trip that all made me feel like a well loved rock star
• Packages soon to arrive in the mail: a film camera (a gift!), an i-pod (a partial gift), and a digital camera (a gift to myself)
• The laptop I bought this spring for actually working with i-tunes (often it’s the little things we overlook that really make the day so much nicer
• Sunny weather in the 80s in Florida and Texas
• Surviving rainy Seattle winters year after year
• People who hug
• People who kiss
• People who say I love you

I think I could go on all night, but it’s already after midnight and I’ve got a crazy busy day ahead of me tomorrow. Thanks for everything! Looking forward to another great year!

Calif. Rep. Cunningham Pleads Guilty and Resigns After Admitting to Taking $2.4M in Bribes

By ELLIOT SPAGAT
The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO – Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, an eight-term congressman and hotshot Vietnam War fighter jock, pleaded guilty to graft and tearfully resigned Monday, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes mostly from defense contractors in exchange for government business and other favors.

“The truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my office,” the 63-year-old Republican said at a news conference. “I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, most importantly, the trust of my friends and family.”

He could get up to 10 years in prison at sentencing Feb. 27 on federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and fraud, and tax evasion.

Investigators said Cunningham, a member of a House Appropriations subcommittee that controls defense dollars, secured contracts worth tens of millions of dollars for those who paid him off. Prosecutors did not identify the defense contractors.

Cunningham was charged in a case that grew out of an investigation into the sale of his home to a defense contractor at an inflated price.

The congressman had already announced in July after the investigation became public that he would not seek re-election next year. But until he entered his plea, he had insisted he had done nothing wrong.

Cunningham’s plea came amid a series of GOP scandals: Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas had to step down as majority leader after he was indicted in a campaign finance case; a stock sale by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is being looked at by regulators; and Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff was indicted in the CIA leak case.

Cunningham, a swaggering former flying ace with the Navy during the Vietnam War, was known on Capitol Hill for his interest in defense issues and his occasional outbursts.

In court documents, prosecutors said Cunningham admitted receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes paid in a variety of forms, including checks totaling over $1 million, cash, antiques, rugs, furniture, yacht club fees and vacations.

Among other things, prosecutors said, Cunningham was given $1.025 million to pay down the mortgage on his Rancho Santa Fe mansion, $13,500 to buy a Rolls-Royce and $2,081 for his daughter’s graduation party at a Washington hotel.

“He did the worst thing an elected official can do he enriched himself through his position and violated the trust of those who put him there,” U.S. Attorney Carol Lam said.

Cunningham was allowed to remain free while he awaits sentencing. He also agreed to forfeit his mansion, more than $1.8 million in cash, and antiques and rugs.

The case began when authorities started investigating Cunningham’s sale of his Del Mar house to defense contractor Mitchell Wade for $1,675,000. Wade sold the house nearly a year later for $975,000 a loss of $700,000 in a hot real estate market.

Prosecutors did not specify if the house purchase was part of Cunningham’s guilty pleas.

In addition to buying Cunningham’s home at an inflated price, Wade let him live rent-free on the congressman’s yacht, the Duke Stir, at a yacht club. Wade’s company, MZM Inc., also donated generously to Cunningham’s campaigns.

Around the same time, MZM was winning defense contracts.

MZM does classified intelligence work for the military. It had $65.5 million of contracts for intelligence-related defense work in fiscal 2004, ranking No. 38 on the Pentagon’s list. The company has established a presence in Iraq, fielding a small team of interpreters shortly after the invasion.

Copyright © 2005 ABC News Internet Ventures

Austin had another gorgeous day, perfect blue skies, highs in the 70s.
Seattle is expecting snow and lows in the 20s.

Don’t worry. I don’t get to gloat for long. I’m heading to Baltimore in a few hours and it’ll be cold as heck up there as well…