FMS Nest

See today's post here.

At Work

Wifey:

Hubby:

(Special occasion shmoozing)

Memorial Day Lists

Apparently, everyone in the world had Memorial Day off of work except for me. Hmph. Well, I do realize it is a bit of a retail holiday, so I guess I understand. It actually turned out beneficial because Henny Penny was quiet, so I was able to tackle my list of to-dos that have piled up since we got back from vacation. On said list:

1. Print and cut 200 pamphlets for In Good Taste, Megan's dinner delivery business.
2. Print and cut birth announcements of Logan for my sister.
   
3. Finish reading submissions for M Review.
4. Edit accepted submissions for M Review.
5. Find yummy vegetarian recipes for this week's meal plan and make grocery list.
   
6. Organize and update my medical binder (recent doc visit before and after our trip rearranged my medications.)
7. Plan itinerary for Allyson's visit in three weeks.
8. Plan menu and details for graduation party, June 21st.
9. Research nursing schools for Dan.
10. Update blog.

I managed to check 3 items off my list, and they were #5, #9, and #10.

#5)

1. Grilled cheese sandwiches with sauerkraut on rye (um, sounded good, but why did I think I'd like it? I had a grilled peanut butter instead...)
2. Pesto tortellini with garlic and olive oil (dressed up with cheese and hot giaridiniera for Dan)
3. Chipotle bean tostadas
4. Chickpea and tomato salad
5. Spinach and orzo salad

#10) It felt good to write about Illinois, because it's something that I am constantly thinking about but find it hard to explain. (One of the reasons Dan and I fell in love with each other and clicked so well was because we both could communicate exponentially better by writing than talking, and our courtship before I moved to Chicago was essentially composed of long e-mails.)

#9) Fortunately, I found All Nursing Schools, a nifty little web site that makes it super easy to find programs anywhere in the country. However, I didn't anticipate the small amount of schools that offer second degree programs. Dan already has a BS in Biology, so ideally we want him to be able to build off of rather than start from scratch getting an Associates for RN, then doing an RN-BSN track, which would take longer and cost more money. Unfortunately, Dan's hopes for trying schooling here in Oregon (and then getting a job wherever we would move to) were thwarted by the fact that there are no programs that accommodate this situation. The results in other geographical areas of interest were:

1. University of Northern Colorado School of Nursing in Greeley, Colorado
2. Colorado State University School of Nursing in Pueblo, Colorado
3. University of New Mexico College of Nursing in Albuquerque, New Mexico
4. University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing in Columbia, Missouri
5. Lakeview College of Nursing in Danville, Illinois
6. Spalding University School of Nursing in Louisville, Kentucky
7. University of Louisville School of Nursing
8. Northern Kentucky University School of Nursing and Health Professions in Highland Heights, Kentucky
9. University of Kentucky College of Nursing in Lexington, Kentucky
10. East Tennessee State University College of Nursing in Johnson City, Tennessee
11. Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing in Charlotte, South Carolina

Whew! It's not much but it certainly narrows things down! (It's both exciting and bizarre to think we will be living in one of these cities.) We'll have to keep our fingers crossed as we continue to research because most of these schools are highly competitive and getting Dan into a program isn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be.

It's funny I did all that research for Dan, because when I got home from work, I found he had spent his day cleaning for me. What a sweetheart. (I told him to take a nap!) Dan's hard work included:

1. Vacuuming carpet
2. Sweeping and mopping floors
3. Cleaning toilets
4. Laundry
5. Cleaning garbage baskets and taking out garbage
6. Dishes and cleaning kitchen
7. Cleaning porch
8. Making bed
9. De-clogging drains in showers and sinks
10. Taking bottles to recycling at the store
11. Washing and cleaning out car
12. Cleaning out litter box
13. Cleaning and reorganizing kitchen drawers

Musings on My Relationship With Illinois

Sometime shortly after Dan and I had brazenly moved across the country and set up our newlywed domicile in Portland, I began an intense internal dialogue regarding my love/hate relationship with Illinois, and to be more specific, Washington, Illinois, a small town outside the "big city" of Peoria, where I spent twenty-four years of my life, and where to this day, remains my immediate family and several beloved friends. On the one hand, it's where I grew up and holds myriad memories, including some very difficult times where I forged a connection with my surroundings, my heritage, and my self-identity. It is why I have a tattoo of corn on my arm. And consider family--All of our immediate family has built their nests in Illinois, not far from many of our relatives. Dan's entire kinship (save one genius cousin at Berkeley) splatters the greater Chicago area, and many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins reside in Illinois. We have great relationships with our families and both come from homes with fun traditions and tremendous love and support. On the other hand, we both wanted to get away--try something new, see a new part of the world. Chicago was a little too big, cold, and stinky. Washington was too small, cold, and boring. We found a place that was just the right size, temperature, and consistency. We made good friends, had good jobs, our marriage flourished. But Portland and Illinois are 2,000 miles apart. And we aren't rich. We are lucky to make a visit once a year.

My internal dialogue reached a peak one sunny afternoon as we took a lazy drive through the country up to Mt. Hood. As we passed rolling hills dotted with complacent horses and cows and dense patches of evergreens, I asked myself Why am I not content here? I decided that I would return to my small hometown, regardless of the qualities that made me flee--a lack of culture, vibrancy, diversity, opportunity--because I owed it to Washington. I thought, How can a place change if everyone leaves? I felt a burst of motivation and a combination of sentimentality, creativity, and entrepreneurship. I would return to contribute to the greater Peoria area as an active and progressive consumer, small-business owner, alumni, community member...Combined with an intermittent longing to be "home" for Christmas, spending shopping afternoons with my best friend, or taking Dan to my Aunt and Uncle's cabin at Spring Lake State Park for lazy days of fishing and reading, this newfound direction back to Central Illinois felt gratifyingly sound. I could justify cold winters and small town culture shock if I felt a dramatic sense of duty and fulfillment. Besides, as long as Dan was with me, I'd be happy wherever I was.

However, pros and cons still racked my brain constantly, almost unconsciously. Every time we tried a new restaurant or pub, the taste of gourmet vegan dishes and seasonal craft brews tugged at me. Every time I hopped on the streetcar, picked up a Willamette Weekly, met a friend for cocktails, saw a show at Doug Fir, or discovered a new locally-owned boutique, I relished in the creative bliss of Metropolitan living, and couldn't imagine giving it up! And how much harder to give up such a unique Metropolitan as Portland--small, nestled in Pines, rivers, and mountains, dog-friendly, and home to the Oregon Brewers Festival?

So the battle went back and forth. The last visit I spent in Illinois, last fall, I felt certain we would return to watch our new nephew grow up, spend summers at Apple Canyon with Dan's family, settle down and buy a house--the major bargaining chip the greater Peoria area had to offer--given its incomparable real estate prices. I could picture it: Our very own bungalow with a cozy kitchen, big yard for more dogs, a cute little nursery. I just had to return to Portland to finish schooling, and then we'd be back! Right?

Wrong. Because when I returned, and I returned "home," I was reminded that "home" is not a place where I was born, where I went to school, where I had my first job, or even where my parents are. The day I married Dan, "home" became Dan. My first priority is Dan, not friends, family, or hometowns. And I realized that my inner arguments had conveniently kept Dan's input out of the equation. What did Dan really want? How could I expect my husband to feel the same sentimentality and sense of purpose for a town he never knew and that offered him very little in terms of his needs and passions? I felt guilty and began researching aspects of Washington/Peoria that would appeal to Dan; nursing programs, state parks, real estate costs, organic produce and farmer's markets, friends living nearby.

Not long after, while we celebrated a friend's birthday at an Irish Pub downtown, I let slip plans to move back. Dan remarked firmly his dissent. Tears stung my eyes at his obstinacy, and I refused to talk about it. The rest of the meal was an awkward attempt at not really talking to each other and pretending we weren't having a DOMESTIC DISPUTE. I didn't want the night to end--as soon as we were alone, I would hear the words I didn't want him to say: He doesn't want to move back. Specifically, he doesn't want to move back to Washington. I couldn't be happy there without him, I couldn't be happy anywhere without him. My dreamy, nostalgic, and dutiful bubble burst.

After traveling back to Illinois to meet Logan, see our friends and family, and celebrate special occasions, we've come "home" again, and our path is clear: we will compromise. With both of us on board, we are exploring the possibilities of moving geographically closer to Illinois (as in, we're broke, but we can still go see our family and friends) while considering our central needs:

• Locations for nursing programs (particularly for second degree candidates)
  
• Milder climate than Chicago
  
• Access to outdoor sports and art museums, farmers markets, etc.
  
• Real estate prices lower than Chicago/Portland
  
• Job opportunities in our areas of interest: nursing, landscaping, brewing, writing, publishing, retail
  

I asked Dan, if we moved somewhere new, and someone asked, "Where are you from?" What would you say, Illinois or Oregon? He replied, "I moved here from Portland but I'm originally from Illinois."

Does anyone have any recommendations where we can go from here?

Happy

We finally met and it was love at first sight.

Together

Fava Bean Salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Perfectly light and nutritious for spring/summer, this is one of our favorite dishes. Found in Martha Stewart Living, you can print a copy of the recipe here.

From the article: "A garlicky fava bean salad brings together the abundant protein and fiber in beans and a slew of antioxidants from corn, cucumber, garlic, and parsley."

Yum!!!! It's perfect for everyone! And if you're vegan (or like me, the cheese-hating-weirdo) just don't sprinkle with feta cheese.

Where Did May Go?

Didn't I just update this site for May? It's the 22nd and we only have 2 posts! Hmph. I plan to make up for this. The final 9 days of May are going to be represented on this blog with such glitter and glam...Well, at least photos and updates on our recent trip to Illinois. (I'm not sure how glittery and glammy Illinois can be?) And I also plan to add new posts that dig into our past, as encouraged by Cathy's post that mentions our wedding. I would love to share photos and stories from the years before our blog began, so I'll concentrate on that for a while. See you soon!

May Artist of the Month: Diem Chau

With Henny Penny smack dab in the middle of the burgeoning Pearl District, I have the delight of walking by art galleries everyday. Diem Chau is represented by Pullium Deffenbaugh Gallery, a mere skip, hop, and reach away. It's a beautiful, white, open space, peppered with a rotating, careful selection of contemporary paintings, sculpture, prints, and other works. Complimented by the equally spare, pdx contemporary art gallery, with its particular windows full of fantastic installation eye candy, this is one block I love to walk everyday.

While I never had the pleasure of passing by during Chau's exhibition, I adore the photos I have come across of her work. The series of crayon sculptures (in photos) strike me as full of irony with their phallic presence contrasting the tools of childhood scribbles. In person, I imagine the pieces take on a greater nod to childhood innocence and creativity with their tiny groupings set out beneath the average viewer, the pleasing colors, the palpable texture we all know so well of the chalky wax, and the distinct smell. Our senses and our identification with the childhood tools recall our youth, while our towering status over the miniature sculptures emphasize our adulthood. I admire her detailed figurative carvings, the masterful craftsmanship belying the nature of the crayon's use, transforming the tool into the shaped clay, the object. And don't we, as children, have this ability to shape ourselves into what we choose?

Other unique and beautiful series involve ceramic plates with figurative sketches made of silk thread, and porcelain bowls and mugs holding miniature objects created with toothpicks and paper. The small, intricate, simple designs evolve from Chau's inspiration of childhood and storytelling.
The following is a quote from Diem Chau's artist statement, published on the Pullium Deffenbaugh Gallery web site:

"I consider myself an artist whose medium is stories, especially those passed on from grandmother to mothers, from father to sons...I’ve spent countless hours gathering memories and pieces of different cultures by listening to incredible stories...Each story is a journey that gives us greater understanding of our past and our culture. Each story is a thread that connects us to each other, the storyteller holding one end and the audience the other."

Lazy Sunday's Photos

Everybody up?

Read the paper, chew the bone.

Coffee on the porch.

Let's take a walk.


Gathering.

Look what we found.


Can we go outside again?