Sometimes I'm Still Surprised...

We've lived in Eastern Washington for 7 years now.  Most of the time, I think I've settled into the lifestyle here and go with the flow.   Seriously.  I don't even pause when I see a minivan with camo side panels (do families go hide in a duck blind with their minivans?).  Testicles hanging off of trucks don't faze me.  Baby clothes in blue and pink camoflauge patterns are de riguer.  Going to the local mall gives you a cross section of kids ranging from gang bangers to cowboys and everything in between.  Heck, we're even members of the local indoor shooting range.  (Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, I am a terrible shot.)  Needless to say, I feel like we have settled into a rhythm here in our adopted home.   

Every once in a while, however, I am reduced to being a gaping child at some new-to-me sight.  Seriously.  I get all wide-eyed and pull out the camera, as if I need to be able to prove that I'm not just telling a tall tale.  So, look at what I saw at our local gas station one morning:

Here, have a closer look:

Yep, that is a cow in the bed of a pick-up truck.  (Oh, did I mention that here pick-up trucks are for work, not show, and they're referred to as rigs?)  So, some rancher/farmer had a cow in the back of his rig at the gas station.  I've never seen that before.

Of course, after I saw that, I wondered if the cow was off to the slaughterhouse because that is the other part of living here.  Cows aren't just scenery.  They're food.  I guess if my name is on the list for 1/8 of a cow, I have to own that.  Those beautiful cows grazing on grass in the pasture are destined for the dinner table...that is why they are being raised.  Meat doesn't come on a foam platter wrapped in cellophane.  Meat comes from animals.

Still, I sure hope I'm not getting part of that cow.  We bonded over the gas pumps.

Six Years Ago This Weekend,

Superman and I took a huge leap of faith, piled our kids in the car, hooked up a U-Haul trailer, and pulled out of the driveway of our Glendora, CA house for the last time. 

(our California house)

People said we were crazy.   We were born and bred Californians.  Our children were 4th generation natives to Southern California.  Truly, we knew nothing else.  Still, we felt compelled to make the move and the real estate boom financed our dream and we headed off into the unknown.  We left behind our So Cal heritage, our wonderful friends, and a house we loved and headed to the unknown. I had never seen the house Superman had purchased for our family. We were headed to a town we didn't know, where we knew no one, had no job waiting, and really had no clue how it would all turn out.  Despite all that, we were full of expectant enthusiasm.   It felt "right" and we really didn't hesitate.  (Besides, we were used to people thinking we were crazy...our friends and family thought we were crazy 23 years ago when we moved in together 2 weeks after dating, got married less than a year after our first date, and had our first child 15 months after we got married.  We're used to following those "right" feelings!)

(Our "new" home in Washington!)

Six years later, I can't believe how well our move turned out. We have amazing friends and have created for our family a life we love. We are fortunate enough to have a home we love in a wonderful neighborhood that has provided the backdrop for the formation of amazing friendships that have helped us celebrate the high points and weather the inevitable storms that hit every family and allowed us to help them weather their own storms. Is it perfect? No, of course not. The faltering economy has hit our area hard and Superman continues to work overseas to support our family. Still, we are happy and continue to feel blessed by the opportunities that have come our way these past six years.

So, here we are on the anniversary of the leap of faith and, as I reflect on all that has happened since that exhilarating day, I just feel so fortunate...I lead a truly blessed life.