Holiday Weekend

Last weekend was President's Day Weekend, and we headed to Aberdeen to visit our dear friends, Jeff and Tina, and their two daughters, Natalie and Alanna.  It was wonderful to get out of town and relax for a few days.  I took a nap every day, Wesley was well cared for whether it was me, Matt or his Auntie or Uncle looking after him.  Even his cousins liked playing with him.  Matt and I even got a lunch date, which was wonderful.

Sunday we finally made it out to the beach, which was supposed to be the nice day.  It was a bit blustery and rainy at first, but the weather finally cleared up enough to where we felt like we could take Wesley to the beach.  And he LOVED it!  Matt insisted on putting Wesley's hands and feet in the water, Wes couldn't get enough.  He was so excited to see the ocean, to feel the (icy) cold water on his skin.  We then quickly hurried back to the car and got his wet, sandy clothes off, at which time his lips turned a little blue.  We got warm clothes on his little cold body, wrapped him in blankets, and in no time he was back to his normal, happy self.  (Binkies help too.)

I can't wait to go back to the beach, and on our next family vacation.  We had such a good time!

I should also point out that he was fussier than usual.  Turned out he had a major growth spurt and sprouted two new teeth - the seventh one is out, the eighth is on it's way.

Winter Wonderland

This may not look like much snow, but that's all frozen snow and ice.
Happy to be home with a working heater and a cup of hot tea!

I knew that when we moved from Southern California to Western Washington, it would be hard to acclimate to cooler temperatures. I certainly didn't expect snow and ice! My amazing husband, however, patched up our roof after the second windstorm took off more shingles, and even cleaned out the gutters so they wouldn't freeze over. My poor little flowers that I got at Fred Meyer are dead, and I forgot to bring in my jasmine plant, so that's dead too. But all in all, we are safe and warm, just a bit cold and not wanting to venture outside.

I am really glad that we went grocery shopping yesterday so that we didn't have to worry about food today or tomorrow. But we are hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and I completely forgot to get the ingredients to make my sister's favorite potatoes. Looks like we'll be heading to the store for a quick trip tomorrow! We totally lucked out with my Dad being in charge of the turkey - he's bringing my grandparent's turkey roaster - and stuffing. I'll be making sides and pies like a mad-woman, and my sister will be in charge of the sweet potatoes. I have no idea what my sister-in-law and her new hubby will bring since they just got back from their nuptials and honeymoon! Let's just hope the weather warms up. I'm remaining hopeful and trying to not listen to the weather report that says it might snow a little more Thursday morning!

My cell phone says it's 13 degrees right now. Sorry, LA peeps, you have no right to complain to this girl right now. I'd take a low of 40 degrees any day!!

I know, I know, it's been awhile.

And my apologies. Life gets me sidetracked, and frankly it's been easier (and faster) to update the goings on of life via facebook and twitter rather than trying to come up with a witty paragraph or pouring my heart out online.

Rehearsals are going well. We are three weeks in and already off book! I am so impressed and honored to be part of this show.

Work is fine. I've been fighting off a cold and stayed home yesterday. I am feeling better, except that I was a bad girl last night and had a chocolate macaroon after 9pm, therefore last night's sleep wasn't as restful. When will I learn that I shouldn't have sugar at night? Why must I test this theory, especially when I'm fighting off an illness?

I miss my friends in L.A. I miss having weekdays off and being able to get things done. I sometimes loathe spending 2 hours a day in the car, only to be home for an hour or so before leaving for rehearsal. I can tell that I'm going to miss L.A.'s winter weather of sun and warmth. This cold weather changes is already starting to get to me.

Next weekend I'm taking a few days of vacation and heading to Spokane to visit family. Technically, I'll only be in the Spokane area. As my grandpa passed away a few years ago, he was the only blood relative that lived there the last few times I visited. Now I'll be sticking around Nine Mile Falls and St. John. Matt has several cousins that live in Spokane proper, though, and I'm hoping to see them too. I'll be cramming quite a bit into 4 days. I will likely need a vacation from my vacation!

My poor elliptical machine. I bought it just before I got a part in the play. And I really want to use it. After rehearsals are done and the performances are in full swing, I'll be using that sucker more often.

A new look, a new life

I figured the raindrops were appropriate considering the weather these days.

I'd just like to write a quick note:

Dear Mother Nature,
I realize that it's not officially summer yet, but do you think you could warm things up just a little? Fifty-five degrees isn't really warm enough for me right now, and I know my long-term PNW friends and family would appreciate some temparatures in the 60's. Please do what you can. Thank you!

Moving-in is overwhelming and we've had lots of visitors, friends and the cable guy, someone from the geek squad, and the bird-removal people...it's been pretty hectic. But I'm glad we're home. It's an amazing feeling!

More to come...brain full...and there's more boxes to unpack...

Reflections

In times of reflection, where I think about where I've been and how much I've changed, I tend to get pretty wistful. Especially on days like today, where we celebreate mothers world-wide and while I am continually amazed and grateful that I had such a wonderful mother, and that I am surrounded by amazing mothers, friends and family alike, I can't help but feel, sometimes, that I got cheated, that our family was robbed. I don't stay there very long, but every once in awhile, it just hurts. Instead of pushing it away like I used to do, I deal with it for 5 minutes and move on, figuring that one meltdown is better than five (mother's day last year, anyone?). I also take this opportunity to celebrate my mom, who was an incredible woman and I was very lucky (and still am) to have her as my parent, as my guiding force in life.

I'm reflecting too, on the big changes ahead. We are gearing up to move back to Washington State, where we'll be first time home-owners, and with that comes more (albeit new and kind of scary) responsibilities. Something goes wrong? Breaks? We must fix it! Yardwork? We've it cut out for us. But I'm SO EXCITED to explore a new city, to strengthen new relationships, to start a new chapter in my life. To start auditioning again, to explore my home-state as a grown up, to live my life in a new way. I feel like I've taken California for granted, in a way, and become stagnant. I don't intend for that to happen as often up in Tacoma, except on bad days. And they'll happen, hopefully just not as frequently. Because I'll have a new house to slowly decorate and keep me busy (cleaning it will take longer, I imagine). And a commute. To Redmond. Blech. Anyone for carpooling?

I'd like to imagine, too, that moving to Washington will get me off my lazy bum and inspire me to exercise with friends by going for beautiful walks and exploring Dash Point State Park which is fairly close to my new home. I'll have a living room and a rec room, both with their own TV's (and fireplaces) to stretch out in should I want to do yoga at home. There's a few bikram studios nearby, and a lovely suburban neighborhood to explore. And if all else fails, there's the gym. But I'm hoping I will be able to avoid a monthly fee and figure out a routine that's adventurous and satisfying.

And let me just tell you that I'm THRILLED with our new kitchen! I plan on many more culinary adventures, and hope to have a grill fairly quickly after moving in so that we will have another avenue for cooking. And I'm thinking that in August we'll have a house-warming party tied in with my birthday. An end-of-summer bash. With a bbq. And maybe I'll have that firepit going in the backyard? You know me. I like hosting. So come on over for dinner, just let me know when you're on your way so I can set an extra place for you!

I'd like to end this with one of my favorite pictures of me and mom from when I was a kid:

Love you mom. I miss you every day. Thanks for everything, and continuing to help guide me from afar. xoxo

Pictures of our house!

The west side of the house.

One of TWO fireplaces!

Our gigantic backyard. I have ideas, but right now it's just WAY overwhelming.

My kitchen! Look, it's not a shoebox! AND there's a dishwasher!!

The lovely entryway. I LOVE this house!

A little update

I think we found our house, matter of fact I'm pretty sure of it, but there's still some things to think about;

I'm still slightly sick, but so much better. Hubby let me sleep 10 hours last night, bless his heart;

Jessica did an awesome job looking after our place and the precious meows - thank you!!

I hate money;

I miss Matt something fierce and can't wait to see him in 24 days;

I had a great time in Washington, and can't wait to go back. Permanently.

Sneezy, Sniffly, and then some

The last week or so I've been slightly sneezy and sniffly, but usually spring starts in February here in LA LA Land, so I attributed it to allergies. Unfortunately, I caught a chill on Saturday night as Kari M. and I waited for the subway in downtown, and by Sunday the chill turned into a sore throat complete with sniffles and sneezing. I guess my body was trying to tell me that I was sick, but obviously I wasn't paying attention.

This morning the sore throat is gone, thankfully, but it's unfortunately been replaced by that classic nasal tone, and the sneezes and sniffles are still visiting. I don't think I'll make it into work today, which sucks because I could use the hours and the cash. But hopefully tomorrow and Wednesday I will make it in, and I'll just tack on a few extra hours to make up for the time I'm missing today.

I'm also hoping this cold will be completely gone by Thursday as I'm flying back up to Seattle to continue the house hunt. I'm excited, but not exactly hopeful. Our house is out there, but who knows when it will appear. Right now, I just have to stay open minded to all possibilities.

Planning Ahead

My mother-in-law has a fantastic quote (albeit annoying at times when I just want life to work out my way): "Life is what happens when you're making plans."

Ugh.

It's enough to say that searching for a house is stressful. Add to it that we're 1000 miles away and the only way I can really see houses is through the internets. I am stressed out, emotionally drained, and just want it to be over with already. And what's worse is that I can really plan anything more than a few weeks ahead because I don't know if we'll find that perfect place or not. I can't plan to see my family who's visiting Seattle at the end of March, because I could be packing up our place by then. I don't know when Matt will be back from shooting, so we can't plan the Grand Canyon trip, and even if we could, we don't know if we'll be moving by then.

The point is, I just don't know and it's driving me nuts.

In the meantime, I'm just trying to enjoy L.A. and not think about moving. Right now all I can do is search for a house, because without a house, moving isn't involved. Today, hubby and I are going to the Huntington Gardens, and then out for a cheap dinner. Or I might make something. Who knows? Tomorrow is full of chores and laundry, but today, I get my hubby all to myself.

Distracted

I can't seem to keep focus. I just keep dreaming about the fabulous houses we'll be looking at with our wonderful realtor at the end of the month. I can't seem to get much work done. At all. At least the workload is mildly light and I have blogs like Emilie's to keep me highly entertained while I plug in numbers during the afternoons.

Calm Before The Storm

So most of you know that we're doing all we can to move to Tacoma in February, yes?  

Ok.

We are supposed to be hearing from two more lenders this week about pre-approval and a grant program that would give us extra $$ towards our down payment, closing costs, or whatever.  We are pretty sure we've picked our our realtor but want to meet with another one just to be sure.  We narrowed our favorite houses from 25 to 10 to 4, most of them being in the vicinity of Fred Meyer and 6th Ave.  :)  We are taking a first-time home buyers class on the 28th in Parkland.  

It's a crazy time in my head these days and I'm really grateful I've been exercising so much (even though I'm the weakest in my class - grrr) because otherwise no one would want to talk to me, much less comfort me when I call all stressed and anxious because I'm trying to learn about what's going on.  Too many terms and numbers were floating around in my head last week.  

Oh, and on a completely different subject, my in-laws have a blog about their adventures in Istanbul!  You can read it here.  Enjoy!

Big News!

Dear friends and family,

We know that much of this will come as a surprise to you. Most of you know that we've been seriously considering a move back to the Pacific Northwest for the past six months, maybe more, maybe less. In any case, that dream is about to become a reality! We just got pre-approved for a house this week in the Tacoma area and are starting the process of buying a home. Right now we are still working with a few other lenders to try and get the best rate possible. We are also meeting with a few Realtors while we're in town at the end of the month, and it is our hope that while we're there, we'll find a couple of houses that we love.

If everything continues to happen as it has been, then we'll be moving in February. We'll miss our family of friends here, and I know I'll miss the warmer winters. But in order to move on to the next phase, we need to make a major change. And we're excited for what is to come!

Much love,
Camille and Matt

P.S. One favor to ask of you. Please don't post anything about this on Facebook as Camille has not told her employers yet that she is leaving. Thank you!

Everything and Nothing

Hello? Anyone still reading this?

You ever have so much to say you just don't know where to begin? And suddenly when you feel like talking, you clam up because suddenly you don't want to talk about anything, feeling overwhelmed with all that's going on in your life? It would just be easier for the other person in the room to talk so you can escape from your world for a little while?

Welcome to my world.

October has been a whirlwhind of events. Three trips to Washington in a month, concerts, plays, a funeral, Matt's career talking off, moving possibilities, the talk of starting a family...my brain can't keep up. Just when I thought I might have time to process everything over vacation last week, I got food poisoning on our 8th wedding anniversary. Joy! So now my appetite is gone, and I have to force myself to eat and drink water. More joy! But it's not all bad. Yes, it's overwhelming, but it's nothing I can't handle. And now that I'm home, with hubby, everything seems to be settling down. For a short while. Then he's off to WA again for location scouting for 10 days next month and while I could go up for a few days, I think I need a month to go by where I don't get on a plane.

Pictures to be posted from past events soon, I promise. Just give me a few more days. I appreciate your patience and words of support.

So much to say!

But I don't have time or the energy, frankly, to go over it in detail, so here's some highlights:

-Matt lost his job at Epic Level due to funding issues;

-Matt's grandfather died so we're heading up to Olympia tomorrow for the funeral;

-Crazy cat had dental surgery and has recovered beautifully;

-In-laws are pretty well settled in their new place in Turkey, only to fly back to WA days later;

-Both of my jobs are insane, but that's the way I like it.  Perhaps there's a raise in my future;

-8th wedding anniversary is on 10/20.  Where has the time GONE?  Oh, who cares, it gives us an excuse to go to the Oregon Coast and live it up for a few days.  

-I joined Matt's church.  I think.

-Grateful for my awesome girlfriends who have helped me keep my sanity over these last few nutty months.

-Have gotten addicted to the following shows:  Weeds, Drop Dead Diva, Army Wives, Project Runway, and desperately waiting for LOST season 5 to come out on DVD.

-Oh, and did I mention that my picture (and Paige's too) got in the LA Times?  See picture number 16!  

Yo from Evergreen State

I went to Pacific Lutheran University, a small liberal arts (and obviously Lutheran) college in Tacoma, Washington. Eleven years later, my little sister is off to college and she chose Evergreen State College, a very liberal college in Olympia, our state's capitol and with a reputation of being a bit odd. Having now spent some time here and hearing Katie talk about the community, I think that this is the perfect place for her. And at Evergreen they really push for taking care of your environment, they have an organic farm, require that all students recycle, and the campus is aiming to be waste-free by 2020. I think that's pretty amazing. I did express to Katie that maintaining this kind of lifestyle to this degree will be hard when she leaves campus, but she already knew that, and is just excited to learn as much as she can.

It's been great to meet some of her suite-mates, to see these baby-faced kids so excited and enthused about learning and about their futures. The gal across the hall, Audrey, her ultimate goal is to be a tree-hugger and to save the whales. My thought was "Well, you're at the right place then." It's so not my place. I needed structure and grades at that age, hell, I still do. I think it takes a certain kind of student and person to succeed here, and I think my kid sister is just the type to make the most out of her time here.

Yesterday we went shopping for 10 hours, and spent 5 more today, getting supplies and all kinds of stuff for her to cram into her single/single room. It's been fun, tiring, and interesting, seeing things from her perspective. I am so stinkin' proud of her!

Why am I still hanging out here in a dorm room that is in a bulding that looks like it was made for public housing in Philadelphia? Because Interstate 5 at this hour would be much much worse than listening to my sister sing along to Sublime and un-pack her stuff...

...I gotta go. I guess it's time for me to get to work and put together her "steam buddy".

Catching Up

Courtesy of Brie. The happy newlyweds, Emily and Michael!

I went to Seattle healthy but tired, and came back to L.A. tired and with a nasty cold. I spent my first day at work in a fog of day-quil, followed by a few sleepless nights thanks to coughing and hacking. My poor husband. His first few nights back at home and his wife can't seem to stay quiet. :(
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It's been a busy but good week aside from being sick. I've caught up on some posts for my blog and am thoroughly excited about my new part-time job. Working on Sunset & Fairfax is just a hoot. It's such a different community than from where I live, so it's great to go outside and people watch for a few minutes. It's wonderful to be working with and for a friend who is excellent at explaining what I need to do, especially since I've never done bookkeeping before. I feel bad interrupting her all the time!
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The wedding was amazing. Em looked beautiful and Michael looked very handsome. I got to see friends that I almost never get to see during my frequent trips up North. For the first time, I felt a huge pull to move to Tacoma since we moved to L.A. back in 2005. (4 years this year, sheesh!) I know that we might be back eventually, but I'm still determined to make this city work for us and not the other way around!
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All in all, it's been a good, busy, productive week. I send my heart and love out to those who had rough days today - you know who you are - and wish for good news for loved ones.

By Myself

Matt is in Seattle/Tacoma for the next few weeks helping out his family.

It's a strange feeling being the one holding down the fort. For the past few years, it's been me that leaves to help out and leave him here, at home. It's a strange role reversal and suddenly it occur ed to me is how he must have felt when I was gone in Seattle for 2 months, helping Dad and Katie adjust after Mom died. How frustrated and lonely this position is, how I just want to keep myself busy and entertained, exhaust myself so it's easier to sleep at night.

He and I talked the other night and he mentioned what a strange marriage we've had. So much time apart and yet we always make it work. Our relationship certainly isn't conventional, that's for sure, but then what relationship is? Each one has a unique connection and quirks that make it tick, that make us want more from ourselves and the other person involved. These last few weeks I've certainly come to appreciate and count on friends that I'd lost that connection with. Or maybe lost is the wrong term...that connection had just been resting.

I know that famous quote "distance makes the heart grow fonder". But it's dangerous to like having the bed all to myself so I can sleep in the middle of it. It's not OK to get used to doing things my way all the time. It is difficult when the other person comes back and suddenly the old routine is back. It was really hard when I came back from those 2 months away, and emotionally I was completely spent. I imagine it will be the same for him, and the adjustment will be different because the circumstances are different. Marriage is about being together, no matter what. I never thought mine would have so much travel back and forth involved, especially by ourselves. But again, we always seem to make it work. And when the 16th rolls around and I get to see him again, this will all be worth it.

(I love you, babe. I'll be in Seattle soon. Hang in there, you're stronger than you think. :) Don't worry, I'm staying busy and I'm OK.)

Holiday Letter

For those of you who didn't receive it, here's our end-of-year letter...

~ Camille & Matt's 2008 Holiday Update ~

2008 was a year of minor triumphs and enduring frustrations. It was a year of pulling weeds and planting seeds. A year of too much travel, more separately than together, that left us craving our cat-infested apartment. A year we escaped as much as enjoyed. We celebrated cousin Leah’s wedding in Fairfield in the summer. In the autumn, we celebrated our seventh anniversary in Cambria on the central California coast. And more than once we snuck away to the Edna Valley to replenish our wine rack and leave the flashy noise machine that is Los Angeles in the rearview.

In June, Camille left Ajilon to work full-time for Northwest Art Glass. She oversees the creation of the product catalogs from the home office. In August, she entered her 4th decade by celebrating her 30th birthday at a Venice Beach barbeque. Her paternal grandfather sadly passed away in November. In December, following her father’s knee surgery, Camille flew to Seattle to play nurse and cook him two weeks worth of leftovers. As usual, she’s made many new friends this year and continues to ponder when she’ll return to the world of Community Theater.

Despite the WGA strike that began the year, Matt maintained steady if not glamorous work in Hollywood. In April, he traveled to Las Vegas to attend the GAMA Trade Show where he and a couple other Dead Gentlemen promoted the Demon Hunters Role-Playing Game, released by Margaret Weis Productions. In August, Matt’s feature debut as a writer/director, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, was released on DVD by Anthem Pictures. Dorkness quickly became Anthem’s fastest and best-selling DVD. The film screened at several conventions, including the world-renowned Comic Con in San Diego.

With a team that included an Emmy-award winning producer and an agent from Paradigm, Matt pitched his sci-fi TV show Hopjockey at four networks: ABC Family, the Sci-Fi Channel, the CW, and the Cartoon Network (oddly enough). Matt’s zombie horror TV show ALIVE, which he co-created with Star Trek veterans Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, came within a meeting of being picked up by AMC. The producers on both teams are confident their shows will find a home, in some form.In September, Matt joined the staff at Epic Level Entertainment in Studio City, where he works part-time. The end of the year finds him writing another animated sitcom pilot for Israeli producers.

In December, under increasing pressure from Camille, Matt wrote this letter. He hopes nothing significant happens next year so he won’t have to write another. Camille just slapped him in the back of the head.

2009 promises more trips to the Pacific Northwest, a venture to Hawaii in May to celebrate Julia’s graduation, and a possible trek to visit family in Santa Rosa and San Francisco in the summer or fall (or whenever Matt wants a free meal).

We wish you many happy celebrations this holiday season, and good tidings in the New Year!

Much love,
Camille & Matt

Northwest Bound

This afternoon we are finally on our way to the lovely Pacific Northwest. Because of the snow, our trip has been cut in half: from 10 days to 5, but we will make it work. With a wedding, a party, and a few friendly get togethers along with family gatherings, it it sure to be a busy but memorable trip.

And please, mother nature, please keep the snow at bay while we're up there!

We had a very pleasant first Christmas in L.A. this year. Matt wrote everything I wanted to say, so you can read all about it here.

And with that, I must go. The cab will be here any minute! Happy New Year to all!

P.S. I have to add that Christmas with palm trees just isn't the same.

Christmas Traditions in L.A.

This is going to be our first Christmas away from our families, and yet, we will be with family this Christmas.

We have many friends who are here for this special time of year and feel very grateful that we have places to go and things to do. And we are grateful that we are home and comfortable. My heart goes out to those who are still fighting to go home via plane, train, and bus.

Last night I made some of my Christmas presents and then we decorated the tree. Matt even said that next year we could get a real one or a bigger fake one! :) We watched Chronicles of Narnia with cups of tea, and then Nathan came over. We ordered pizza, drank beer, and watched old episodes of The Simpsons. Poor guy has to work today and tomorrow!

Today I'll finish the Christmas presents, get some wrapping done and go shopping for Matt's stocking (something else I didn't plan for). Tonight we'll have a get-together with friends (Jeremy, Katy, Paige A, and hopefully Matt and Jessica). Tomorrow we'll catch a movie or two (hopefully Nathan will join us) in the morning, and then head to Pasadena for dinner with Gayvin, Eric, and their 4 year old son, Jack.

While we have plans, and are grateful for all that we have here in L.A., I am still missing my family and our traditions. I know there is no time like the present to start our own, I guess because this was so unexpected I am not prepared for these emotions. It's a bit of a rollercoaster. Having our place decorated is so important to me, and yes, we have our tree, and our stockings are on the wall, and I really hope we can hang some lights tonight.

It just occured to me why this is so hard. My mom. She made Christmas so special. Presents were artfully presented under the tree, with the main gift or gifts not wrapped in boxes. I remember one year, when I was 10...I had begged and begged for an American Girl Doll, specifically Kirsten. I wanted her because everyone else I knew had Samantha or Kirsten, and I felt she deserved some attention, and I loved her story. Anyway, come Christmas morning - must've been around 5am - I went upstairs and there she was!! Just waiting for me as if she had planned the trip herself. I was so beyond thrilled. There were some other things I got that year, that were out on display, so I carefully removed her from under the tree and then bolted to my parents bedroom to share my excitement. They smiled, gave me a hug, and promptly told me to go back to bed, that it was too early. So I went back to my bedroom, but took my new doll with me. Over the years, I got more outfits and even her trunk and bed. Now she's in storage, awaiting perhaps our future daughter to play with her.

But I digress. Mom was an artist, and her artistic ways really shone through when the holidays came up. Advent calendars on the wall, stockings, decorations, our tree with all of our old ortaments, the one year we got Coconut and she was quite lively so we got a small tree and put it on a table so she couldn't destroy the ortaments. There was just something so cozy and warm about the house, the love and attention she put into the details. And the cooking...oh my gawd, the food was delicious! All kinds of Christmas cookies, the baked ham, mashed potatoes, brownies, Keith's chocolates, egg nog and homemade apple cider...YUM!! My Dad said they don't even have a tree this year, no decorations, and I doubt he'll even hang stockings. I hope weather permits Diane and Gregg to make it to his house for Christmas dinner. Hopefully a neighbor will offer to drive him to church.

Like I said before, it's a mix of emotions this year. I'm happy to be in L.A. and not dealing with the stress of traveling somewhere, but I'm also missing my family and traditions. It's up to me to try and keep those traditions going while creating new ones and making the old ones work for our little family. With this being our first Christmas away from the Pacific Northwest, I think we're doing pretty well so far. :)