Friends!
What a delightful year we've had in our neck of the woods. Much has been experienced and accomplished, but everything pales in comparison to the BIG NEWS: Tim and I got MARRIED and then we decided to BUILD A HOUSE! (Pardon my prolific use of all-caps; I seem to be channelling a certain 7-year-old I know.)
I quit my job in February and have been house-wifing my way through life ever since. The job wasn't a good fit from day one, and by the time we got to February, it was making me physically ill. I spent all my time crying and then laid awake all night dreading going to work in the morning. After too many weeks of anguish, I decided to throw in the towel and I haven't looked back. We've had a very pleasant and happy year with me at home cooking and cleaning. And it's certainly come in handy to have someone at home doing the organizing, since we've packed and moved once this year, and we're getting ready to pack and move again.
April, of course, was the wedding. Glorious, wonderful, beautiful in every way. A perfect day with perfect weather and overflowing with love. Our honeymoon was equally wonderful in every way. The train was cozy and fun with beautiful scenery and lots of time for snuggling and watching movies. Niagara Falls is beautiful and we're already itching to go back. The real gem, however, was Old Fort Niagara, which is stunningly preserved and almost 100% open to the public. We spent many happy hours exploring and being enormous history geeks.
Summer was marked mostly by Tim's achievements. In June, he got his first National Qualifier in swimming, which means one of his swimmers went really fast and qualified for the national meet for the first time. In August, after 18 years and 6 colleges, he finally completed his BA in English Lit. (We're all thrilled around these parts, especially since it was just one monstrous class holding him back--math.) Also in August, Tim had the privilege of being a coach for the Oregon Zone team at the Western Zone meet in Oahu. It's a big meet with teams from all the western states. Being asked to swim or coach on the team is something of an honor, and since it was held in Hawaii this year, Tim really felt like he couldn't pass it up. He had lots of fun, worked hard, and missed me desperately. I had the option to go with him if we could afford the airfare and lodging, but I don't fly, so I relegated myself to moping for a week and surprising him at the airport when he returned.
We spent most of the summer looking at houses in the Grove. Tim's swim club has decided to try to build a brand new pool (fundraising starts January 1--anyone want to pitch in $20 million or so?), and with the $8000 tax credit, it seemed like the stars were aligning and the universe was telling us that, whether we like it or not, we're putting down roots in Forest Grove. We found a house we LOVED, but they wouldn't meet us on the price, so we kept looking. And looking. And looking. After becoming pretty frustrated with our lack of options, our realtor suggested we look at the build-your-own developments going up. After a lot of stop-start and will they-won't they, and walking away from the project once, we finally agreed on things and got the ball rolling. Sort of. As of today, we've picked out carpets and floors and cabinets and doors, but we're still fighting with the bank, and there's no solid date for breaking ground. Keep us in your thoughts and send all the good ju-ju this way! I heard a rumour we might actually sign papers and finally get the ball rolling on Monday, but I'm not holding my breath.
Eventually, there will be a house here. Maybe.
We spent a delightful Thanksgiving with the Hamlets in Newberg, and drove to Astoria the next day to see my Grandpa for his 90th birthday! Big news from the Nerenberg side of the family: cousin Nate and his wife Lillian had their very first baby on Thanksgiving day! A big welcome to the newest Nerenberg on the planet, Rio Arthur Isaiah Nerenberg (RAIN--how cool is that for a little baby boy born in the Pacific Northwest?)!
Oh, and we still don't have our wedding photos, which is exceptionally annoying. We haven't heard from the photographers since the summer. They told us three times that our pictures would be ready "this week" and we'd certainly have them "before the end of the summer," and now they won't return our emails or phone calls. I suppose that's the only real black spot on our exceptionally excellent year.
Seems like that's all the news that's fit to print for this year. Our cat remains insane and delightful, we laugh daily, and life is good. Now if I could just figure out what I want to do with my life, we'd be set.
Merry Christmas, friends! Here's to you for a very happy and love-filled 2010.
All our love,
Jess & Tim
