hi there!

hello friends! it's been quite a while since my last post and i've recently been feeling the urge to blog again. i'll probably be inching my way back into the blog-o-sphere in the near future and have a bunch of catching up on your posts too.

the big move to japan is still on - we have about another week here in snowy alaska and then we start our adventure to the other side of the dateline. two sets of movers have packed up all of our belongings and sent them on their way, not to be seen for another month or two. i finished up my day job in mid september and have been surprisingly busy since then. i honestly thought i would be getting bored, but there's been so much to do day to day that i feel like i haven't had a chance to slow down. i have spent time working on books and printing cards (especially since my big press is going into storage, sadly) - creating all of these items has had a somewhat calming effect on me. i've realized that as things get more and more stressful, i'm going back to doing things that are familiar and comforting - making art and knitting/crocheting.

while the impending move has kept us busy, we've had another surprise come up:


that's right....i've been eating a lot :) hubby & i are expecting our first bipedal kiddo!! i'm at 17 weeks now and finally have a bit of a pooch. it's pretty amazing to see how my body is changing and adjusting to growing a mini-me. i was a bit hesitant on how and when to announce the big news on my blog, but i figured that this community has been incredibly supportive and kind in the past and i'm sure sharing this announcement won't be any different.

i'll do my best to post a few things here and there - i would like to write and share more about my pregnancy, but i don't want this blog to become a journal for baby stuff galore. i want to make sure i maintain my own personality...that being said, if i get a little baby crazy from time to time, try to be understanding :) that's all for tonight....take care friends!

the big news....

thanks everyone for the well wishes regarding the accident. it's nice to know that you all care :)

remember when i said i had some big news? well, i didn't forget about it. drumroll please..........

we are moving to:

OKINAWA!! map source

after the initial shock of the news wore off, i starting thinking of a gazillion questions.
from big ones: "where are we going to live?"
to little ones: "do we need power converters for our stuff?" "can we drink tap water?"

there were some sad realizations: "family & friends will be so far away"
and some happy ones: "i can learn Japanese" "cool Japanese paper everywhere!!"

and then i thought of all the stuff that needs to get done between now & the move...cleaning out & packing the house, figuring out what goes into storage, how to manage tama press....

have any of you experienced a big move? do you have suggestions on how to make this less overwhelming?

a short break

wow it's already been a week since i've posted. oops!

i have some big news but am not quite ready to share it yet. i'm still mentally processing the huge changes that coming up. emotions are coming in waves and there is a to do list forming that is miles upon miles long.

"the news" is why i've been absent. i'm still reading blogs when i have time here & there and will post when i can.

sunday night excitement leads to girl yelling "SHUT UP!"

how do you like my fake newspaper headline? :)

the weekend was good, although exhausting. bfff was taking a gun class all weekend, so i had the joy of spending two long days with our puppies. our extremely excited, full of energy, like to wake up early, puppies. they were actually fairly well behaved and somewhat manageable.

sunday night rolls around and we get home from a nice dinner out with my parents. we debate on taking the dogs for another walk, and opt to let them play for a bit. bfff says "hey we should record them playing & send a video to my parents!" so i say "ok", thinking it's a great idea because they haven't really seen mia in action yet. i move the coffee table out of the way while bfff positions the camera and does some test recordings.

so he starts recording and the dogs are just laying there hanging out. not playing or doing anything. which they NEVER do. it's nearly impossible to get them to sit still for 5 seconds unless they are exhausted. and he says something like "well, since the dogs aren't playing, i have a question to ask you..." i'm kinda laughing, thinking he's just joking around, and then he starts getting on one knee and i'm like "SHUT UP!" (as in, "no way i can't believe this is happening"....not like "be quiet"). i'm starting to freak out and squeal and laugh and cry...and he pulls out the most gorgeous ring and he asks me to marry him!!!!! of course i said (screamed) YES!!! and give him a big hug & smooch.

we are giddy with joy and SO very excited! excited doesn't even begin to describe how i'm feeling.

sooooo i guess my acupuncturist was right....i'm starting on a big adventure after all!