Holding hands at midnight

Frank's crooning to me right now. Love it. Ever since I've started this blog I've had a jumble of thoughts in my head that I feel are worthy of sharing with you. It's likely that none of them are.

For the past two years I've been waiting for my life to start. Well, scratch that. I thought life would start after college (I know, reoccuring theme here). I got to G-Funk and expected things to just fall in place. Eventually I gave up and here I am, two years later and my ducks still aren't in a row. Big surprise.

Now I'm at this point where I expect life to start again. It's always hurry up and wait. Today, and for the past few weeks, I'm waiting to find a house. I'm waiting for things at my new job to just "click." I'm waiting for a feeling of normalcy, routine.

I had this terribly mind-numbing job that paid (sometimes) this bills in college. For as much as the work sucked, the pay was decent, the hours were great and the boss was awesome. I also met a few great people at this place, some of whom I still consider good friends. (I'm sure some day I'll explain my view on co-workers as friends in the workplace, but this was a job, not a career so it's different.)

Last summer I was honored with attending my first wedding as an adult. (Yes, I guess I'm an adult.) It was awesome. A two-day party in beautiful Seeley Lake (I named my dog Seeley, I'm sure you can understand how much I love this place) to celebrate the future of two great people, one of whom I met at said mind-numbing job.

Weddings as an adult are different then when you're a kid. First off, kid-weddings are usually confined to people who you call family. You end up loving the dollar dance (a whole DOLLAR!) and the mambo number five. If that is a dance. Last summer I paid more attention to the fondant on the cake and forgot cash, so I had to run to my car to get some, and ended up missing the dollar dance. What. A. Bummer. (Haha, not really, I'm a terrible dancer.)

Anyway. my ex-co-worker-turned-friend, her husband and their dog moved into a great little one-bedroom in Missoula's northside. The northside isn't somewhere I venture often, but it really has a lot going on. There's a community garden, a tool-shed that offers reduced-priced or maybe even free rentals and a sense of family. When my friend found out that I'm moving to town she offered to tell her landlord about our housing search (dogs are such a pain). Then, days later she told me that she bought a house in Lolo! Exciting for her and her family.

What's even better: the opportunity to move into her house. Boyfriend and I had a few other options but this is perfect. Bike rides away from downtown, the grocery store and work. Campus isn't even too far for the boy who WILL be going to school in the fall.

Today, I learned that we were "accepted" into this house. I mean, who wouldn't want us, we're pretty cute, right? So, check. One less thing to wait for.

Does that mean life finally is starting? Or am I just the fool who misses life as it flies by? Or, I think the better (and hopeful) thought is that I've been living life all along and that lists and hopes aren't what makes memories.

I hope you're not foolish like I am. I hope you realize that life is what's happening when you're not looking.

These aren't my full thoughts on the matter, but I need to go. Friends are imploring my to play gin-rummy with them. Isn't it nice to have people?

Tune in next week, friends. Unless I have time to write more later this week. Just keep checking back. Or if you would like to learn more about life from a kickass person who's living the dream, check out this blog:  http://honest-b.blogspot.com/. She's a pro at this thing and I've learned a lot from her. Plus, she's just pretty cool.

Laters.

New beginnings

OK, I know that I've been here for over a week and I've lived here before. But I've finally gotten around to creating a blog, so this is it: New beginnings. 


For the past two years I was living in Great Falls, Mont., working at the Great Falls Tribune. It was ... an experience. Before that I was a college student at the University of Montana-Missoula. And before that I lived in and grew up in Lake Elmo, Minn., graduating from Stillwater Area High School. I'll come back to those things from time to time as I recount things that are important to new stories. What's important — for the time being — is now. 


I started working at the Missoulian in Missoula, Mont., on June 12. My formal title is assistant news editor but that's the title that everyone on the desk gets, I think. I'm just getting into the swing of things and so far it seems to be going OK. I haven't screwed anything up too terribly, yet. Right now I'm working on wire pages. For those of you who don't know what that means, I'll explain more later. Eventually I'll work up to doing the Montana section, A1 and features pages. At least that's my hope and what I've been promised. 


Today, Monday, is my Sunday. My work week is Tuesday through Saturday. I work nights, or afternoons I guess because it's not an actual overnight shift like some people do. (I'm sorry for those people, and thankful that they do those jobs because I know I wouldn't be able to do that.) Typically, I'll work from 2-11 p.m.-ish. 


Mostly I like my schedule. It doesn't hurt that it's summer in Missoula, though. At the Trib (which is what I will be calling my former job from now on), I worked form 3-12 p.m.-ish. I've already found that there are things to do here when I get off work. There, in the windy place (known as Great Falls), I would get off, go home, play with my dog a bit and go to bed.


Another difference might be that I know people here. Some of my college friends still live in town. It's been nice to pick up where we left off, like time hasn't changed. In reality, we all know it has but we'll leave that discussion for another day. 


I was lonely in GF. Being a twenty-something who works nights does not give you the means to make friends easily. Being a twenty-something who has odd weekends doesn't help, either. And then there was the issue of my stupidity. At least that's how I look at it.


I left college riding high. Boyfriend, best friends and a great job offer. I assumed my Missoula mecca would follow me to the windy place. It didn't. Boyfriend and friends had ups and downs. Job was a learning experience. And though GF is 2.5 hours away from Missoula, sometimes it seemed like 25. 


I didn't try. My days were spent with my new best friend, the silliest of the silly dogs in the world: Seeley. Without her I would have gone crazy, become a hermit and starting to stink. Maybe not in that order. She and I would walk and play. My other favorite thing to do (when I could afford it) was to bake. Or watch Gossip Girl or Dexter or The Tudors or ... the list goes on and on. I never once attempted to make friends. I didn't have time with all my dog time and TV watching and baking. Duh.


Life here is not the same. Here, I live with boyfriend and boyfriend's boyfriend (as I like to call him) and boyfriend's boyfriend's dog and dog. It's nice to be surrounded by people who love me. I'm not often bored. 


I'm sad my weekend's coming to an end. I didn't do much. Yesterday boyfriend, dogs and I went on a nice bike ride. Boyfriend, friends and I made sweet and sour pork for dinner (nearly gluten-free ... nearly) and it was delicious. It was a relaxing, nice end to the week.


Today was more productive. Boyfriend, dogs and I went to dog park. (See attached photos, beautiful flowers are in bloom!) I cleaned the kitchen (it hasn't been done since probably 1982, or somewhere near there), painted my nails, started my laundry, baked cherry turnovers, made roasted pepper-sauced tortellini and eventually, when I'm done writing this post, will read the Game of Thrones after taking The Silly and maybe The Buddy for a walk. Boyfriend even started project one of cleaning in preparation of moving out of boyfriend's boyfriend's house.

It's all coming together. This first week was more learning. I will bike to work this week. I will take short lunch breaks. I will wake up before 11. I will start my life. My new beginnings.