And the adventures begin...

2009 is off to an amazing start :) Here are some pictures/stories...

Lake Wenatchee road trip...(I actually went here last summer to swim, it was equally stunning in the winter!)

Then I spent a couple weekends down in Portland, explored a bit of the Gorge, and Cannon Beach...what a beautiful coast!!

Then a week ago was a wonderful weekend spent in Spokane, WA with the Krista Foundation...I attended a "debriefing retreat" where I met 8 other Colleagues who just finished their year of service as well. It was so nice...great discussions, new friends, journaling, reflecting, amazing food, and even hot tub time in the snow :) This picture is of a stained glass window made from their logo...beautiful in the sun...

And lastly, today...was an incredible day!!!!! I went hiking with my EarthCorps friends Gina and Isa, to Mailbox Peak. We had heard it was a "conditioning hike"...well...yes, turns out it was the hardest hike we've done! In just 2.5 miles it gains 4,000 ft. in elevation. Incredibly steep the ENTIRE way up, not to mention the last 1/4 which was in the snow/ice. It was crazy tiring, but of course we got the biggest high at the top!! And the views were insane, so beautiful :) Wow. So hard...and then the way down was just as painful! Trying to walk down 45 degrees of icy snow is pretty intense, and even without the snow it was tricky footing. Reaching the bottom was the best feeling ever!!! Exhausting. So of course we followed up with an ice cream stop :) SO FUN!!!

I GOT A JOB!!!

Yes, yes, yes, the news I was hoping to be able to share with all of you is now a reality! Last week I came across a job posting through an EarthCorps job board...I got so excited about the job, decided to apply, had a first interview Friday and a second interview Monday...then was offered the job today! I happily accepted :) My title starting mid-April will be Volunteer Program Coordinator with Seattle Works. It's an AmeriCorps position, so I work a 40 hour week but make very little money :) A living stipend slightly less than what I made at EarthCorps, haha. But oh well :)

To describe the position I'm just gonna copy and paste from the application:

POSITION DESCRIPTION:
AmeriCorps*VISTA Volunteer Program Coordinator
This is a fantastic opportunity to join an energetic, creative, fun and demanding organization whose mission is to inform, connect and inspire people in their 20s and 30s to take action in our community. If you are a highly organized, self-directed person with strong communication skills and are passionate about building community, Seattle Works has an AmeriCorps*VISTA position for you! Help increase capacity and inspire more people to volunteer.

....yaaaaayyyy! This is my life :) Volunteering is what I had decided to do full-time this month anyway, lol, so it's incredible that this job came up where I'll get to inspire people to do what I love!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh, so exciting!

So that is my news! Doesn't start until April, but will kick off with an AmeriCorps training in San Diego for 3 days...doesn't sound too bad :) Next week however I'll get to meet the woman who will be my supervisor for lunch. Both my interviews were over the phone, so we've yet to meet in person.

I love Seattle so much, and I am pumped to have this job now that will get me even more involved in the community...from all apsects. They do lots of environmental events with EarthCorps (yay!!) but focus on all areas of service work, including health, education, mentoring, etc. So cool.

More details to come as I learn them! Hope you are well :)

new address!

I am happy to report that I've found a place to live! No more living out of my car :) I'm living about 40 block farther north than my last place, in a neighborhood called Maple Leaf. I really like it!! The house is adorable and clean, I have my own parking spot, furniture for my bedroom, and my roommate is really nice with a cute dog :) Here are some pictures...

it's the yellow one on the left, my car is in front

lower level entry, my room and bathroom are at the end of the hall, around the corner to the left...and next month a 3rd roommate will be in the room across from mine

no more sleeping on the floor! how nice :)

upstairs is the shared living room and kitchen...

and here is neesha the fluffy white dog :)

I'll have more to report soon! Been surprisingly busy these past 2 weeks...job interviews, freelance design projects, meeting new friends, catching up with old ones, working out and cleaning the gym, and of course traveling. I can't stay put if I try! The last 2 weekends were spent in Portland, and this coming weekend I'll be in Spokane, WA with the Krista Foundation! More soon :) Love love love to all!

i love seattle!!

So a quick update....I made it back to Seattle!! And I am just so darn happy to be back :) I love it here. So very much! I've kept quite busy since I arrived on Wednesday...catching up with my friends, house hunting, job hunting, visiting earthcorps, cleaning the gym, etc. I've been staying at a friend's apartment, but get to move into a new room tomorrow. Will update with more stories and pictures soon...no job decisions yet, but for now I'm happy with a handful of design projects that will cover my rent, and then volunteering with the rest of my time! A happy week to you :) More soon!