New Life

I've started a new chapter in my life, and I think it's going to work out really well. I'm really excited about it. I started a new job on Tuesday. I'm going to be a wildland fire fighter and fire lookout. We're going through training right now and for the first time I feel like jobwise I'm where I belong. Thank goodness...I've tried enough jobs to last me a lifetime. I'm also going to get to freelance outdoor articles for the paper that I was working for. Best of both worlds...at least that's what I'm hoping. I get to get down and dirty and do some physical work and I'm loving it. Plus they pay us to work out on the job. Everyone went to a fire tonight and I actually really wanted to go, but the newbies are not qualified for another two weeks to fight fire. It seems like we'll have a good group, there's just two macho types that are probably going to get annyoying during the season. Now that I'm not on a computer all day I don't mind updating about my life. Yesterday was Brian's 31st birthday, so we went to our friend's fire lookout for the night. (Since we've been in Oregon most of our combined birthdays have been spent at this lookout.) We chilled, listened to our friend play the guitar, watched the sunset, watched lightnining strikes, ate cake, and drank our leftover wedding wine, which was just delivered to us after two years in storage and traveling across the country. It was a great night and Brian had a really good birthday. The adventures of wedding wine: I met up with my sister last weekend in Ripplebrook, Oregon, at which time the wine was delivered. It spent a year in my grandparents basement, traveled to Seattle with my surragate grandma, lived in Seattle with my aunt and uncle for half a year and was driven to the middle of the woods to be delivered to us. We had a great Memorial Day weekend. I played the Stars and Stripes Forever, blasting from the iPod as we drove into the woods for a weekend of camping. It sounds cheesy, but I truly love that song. Brian and I drove to Ripplebrook where he used to work to meet up with friends. We chilled in the grass, basking in the sun for a while on Friday when we got there and then Brian and our friend Justin kayaked a 15 foot waterfall. They were both super stoked about it. That night we had an amazing dinner cooked over the fire and just enjoyed good company. (My sister met up with us that night.) The next day we all went rafting and kayaking on the Clackamas River. Only flipped the raft once and got hung up on one rock. (Woops.) Good times though. Brian left that night and my sis and I enjoyed another meal with friends over the fire. (Always delicious.) The next day (Sunday) Rach and I took off for Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge. (Beautiful) We went for a nice long hike and then found a dispersed campsite across the river in Washington. The next day we got going pretty slowly, took a scenic drive and then Rach dropped me off at the airport. I then flew home with four days of scuzzy dirtiness on me, and went straight to a barbecue. I felt sorry for the person next to me on the plane. Brian and I have been busy...Tuesday we went out to dinner with friends at this awesome little locals joint and followed it up with a 3D mountain biking movie in the local theater. (I fell asleep during it though....I officially hate the uncontrollable head bob.) Anyhow, yesterday we celebrated Brian's birthday by going to the lookout and then camping out in the truck. We made it home with half an hour to spare before work, and tonight I'm finally relaxing, listening to our crazy neighbors rock out with some good old tunes on the guitar. Unfortunately, Brian is on a fire tonight and is missing out on some much needed relaxing. Although, I have spent most of the evening cleaning our house and doing laundry since it looked like we'd left five teenagers in charge of the place instead of two "very mature" adults. Anyhow, that's our life. Until next time.....