Mr. Harper Day

Today I came home from a long day at one job, followed by a one hour break, then a 4 hour shift at my second job to relax for a minute before bed, when my husband brings the mail to my attention.
"There is something you'll want to see," he said.
I think to myself, "I'm so tired, there is absolutely nothing I want to see - especially not from the mail."
I say, "Alright."
My husband hands me a postcard. I look at the front:



" Okay," I think. "Weird, but why is he showing me this?" Then I turn it over.




More information on the back. But wait! Who is this piece of mail addressed to?




The dog. He's getting mail now. And I always wondered what he did at home while we were gone during the day. I guess now we know. Or do we?

Breathing Deep

I've been missing Spain lately. Even though I hardly have time to think anymore, what with working two jobs, coordinating with my husband who has returned to law school, walking our dog and keeping up with my demanding social schedule.

But we had a wonderful guest from a little known European country come visit us this last weekend and it brought back the spirit of Barcelona for me. That's what I think I loved and what I miss. The experience and the friendships that we made in Spain. It was a peculiar time for all of us. Not exactly real life, but a sort of existence that was unlike any other time, where we played and talked and experienced with no thought of what lie before us. We only lived in the here and now and embraced the gift that it was.

Sometimes when I am nostalgic for it I picture a dimly lit courtyard at night in a cafe with friends after a long day at the lake. Sometimes a friend's temporary apartment with tapas and music. Sometimes just walking around the city with no particular destination.

The thought of it makes me breathe in deep and slow. It takes away the urgency and frantic rush of the world I live in. And somehow, in that moment everything is alright.

A Bad Blogger

The latest happenings in the world of this blogger:
- A "getting reacquainted with America" road trip to Utah and back to pick up Harper, our dog
- Moving into the apartment and finding stuff in boxes that we wish we'd forgotten to pack in the first place
- Starting full-time employment
- Getting a part-time "fun" job at the newspaper for the sports section (something which I know nothing about)
- Eric starting his part-time "fun" job making coffee and trying not to spill the milk
- Getting rained on in immense proportions, resulting in those we care about to send us messages that read, "We hope you didn't drown."
- Family coming and going = one non-stop party

Ready or Not

Well, I finally made it home. Life has been a crazy whirl of readjusting to life in America, picking up our big brown dog in Utah, finding a new apartment and moving in, although we can't quite move around in the apartment yet. Rebuilding everything from the ground up takes a little while.

During the midst of it all a major bridge in my city, Minneapolis, collapsed. A bridge I used to drive on everyday. Living in transition means that you aren't in touch with real world, so I found out about the calamity from the worried and sweet phone call from my Mom. I feel grateful that so many people cared enough to check on us. Thank you.

So now the fun part. Rebuilding and readjusting and regrouping. Sorting and organizing and working. I think I'm ready to get started.


P.S. Since I was remiss in recounting the wonderful experiences I had while overseas, I will attempt to share more photos and memories of my time in Europe on this blog over the next little while. It should be fun.

Capital City: Madrid