A new chapter

It seems like, lately, I've allowed so many things in life to keep me from blogging. I've been overwhelmed by work, plagued by illness, and blessed with sweet vacation time away from both. Now, when all is starting to calm down, I find that I still am having a hard time sitting down to write.

I think the entries I made earlier last year, when I had left my job and had yet to find another, were some of the best I've ever written. I was going through a pretty rough time, and blogging was a great way for me to shake my thoughts free. I want to get back to that same contemplative style. It feels, however, like everything written since has been a meager attempt to convey what's been going on in our ever-expanding lives. I also realized that I had trapped myself into the "epic-length" blog. After pouring my thoughts out for thirty minutes and 4500 words, quick snippets of our daily existence and transient thoughts on the world around us (both of which have been the format for which I usually have time now) seem like a cop-out.

So, realizing that I felt trapped in that blog, like a college student staring down the barrel of a 12-gauge history report, I'm starting a brand new blog...a fresh page...the next chapter in the life of the Domer Family.

Over the past year, Paul and I have grown so very much...as individuals with unique histories, as best friends learning one another, as believers growing closer to God, as workers trying to find purpose in frustrating and limiting workplaces, and as a couple trying to peacefully and wholly coalesce all of our parts. We've gone through many ups and downs, most self-imposed. The lessons we've learned are ones that have painted our world, our goals, our expectations, and our dreams in a new and exciting light. We've changed quite a bit since we first met, since we got married, and since I started blogging.

So, the new blog may have a new flavor with a new focus and spirit. It will still be ours...it will just be better! Thank you to all our friends and family who have kept tabs on us. We would love it if you would continue on this journey with us by visiting our new blog:

L'amore non verrà mai meno...Love Never Fails

Thanks so much,

Oh, how I wish...

I guess I'm kind of a strange girl. I can honestly say that there's no pair of shoes, sunglasses, perfume, or article of clothing that makes me drool more than a new camera (o.k., maybe the new Audi S6, but let's be real here). To be more specific, the Nikon D80 has me all a-twitter! I'm teaching myself a bit about photography, and I've come to realize that I need more power behind the lens than my little Cannon Powershot A75, 3.2 megapixel, digital camera provides. She's been a great little camera for the past five years, but recently she's started going lips-up on me. I've started seeing shards of light flash across the screen that translate into the pictures. Bummer!

Prior to my Cannon, I had used 35 mm and (gasp!) 110 mm film, and I would still (ultimately) like to be able to shoot 35 mm well and to develop my own film. (We'll save that and the chemical exposure for AFTER we birth children). There is, however, something awful convenient about being able to download the photos, instantly, to my computer. Being able to send them to family and friends and to store so many photos for future reference and documentation is also quite attractive.

The Nikon D80 has some awesome features including shooting 3 frames per second, a shutter speed of 80 ms, the ability to perform manual or automatic focus, and 10.2 megapixels for under $1000. Plus, thanks to Amazon, I can get a 200 mm zoom lens with the standard lens and camera so that I can shoot some of the amazing birds, bugs, and nature that Paul and I see on our regular hikes and walks...all at an amazing price.

So, hopefully within the next few months, with the help of our lovely tax return moneys, I'll be acquiring a new camera and the ability to take the kinds of pictures I've been longing to for a very long time. I guarantee our blogs will have much more interest!

Thanks for listening to my rant...

Hands Full Creations

I was quite fortunate, not too long ago, to get in touch again with a dear, old friend of mine. Sarah and I go way back...to the days of Belinda Carlisle, New Kids on the Block, and Adventures in Babysitting (do you remember that movie, too?). I have some of the greatest childhood memories with Sarah, my first best friend. Years later, she's living in Los Angeles with a beautiful family and a burgeoning business of her own.

Sarah was always an amazing seamstress and one of the most creative people I've known. These days, she operates her own home-based handbag and accesory design company. She designs and sews, by hand, an adorable and utilitarian line of handbags, glasses cases, wallets, and more. She has an amazing eye for fabric and texture and a real penchant for retro designs. She operates her store, Hands Full Creations, on-line. I've been meaning to post a link to her shop for quite some time, but (as always) I've allowed time to get the upperhand. Please check out her store. I know that you'll find something (probably, like me, MANY things) to tickle your fancy. She's coming up with novel designs all the time and truly considers function in her form! I know that you'll love her line of handbags and, right now, she's offering free shipping on all items.

I think I might get myself a little something for Valentine's Day!

Disneyland, here we come!

I'm so excited!!! This year, for my birthday, Paul is taking me to the happiest place on Earth. He's never been to Disneyland, and I haven't been in many years. When we used to live in southern California, we went quite often. As a child, growing up, it was a favorite destination for us. We've taken friends, family, and even our Girl Scout troop. (Yes, we sold enough Girl Scout cookies one year to fly an entire troop of 20 pre-teen girls to Anaheim, spend three nights in a hotel, and play around Disneyland for a couple of days. What a nightmare for our parent chaperons!)

So this year we're going, and I get in free on my birthday! We'll be flying down on Saturday, March 21, and spending four days and three nights right across the street from the Magical Kingdom. I can't wait to show Paul all of the rides, shows, and baubles that were hallmarks of my childhood. I want to take him all over Adventure Land (my favorite area of Disneyland), spin in the tea cups with him, and have a yummy Cajun dinner at the Blue Bayou as the Pirates of the Caribbean boats float by. We have so much to look forward to!

I'll keep ya'll up to date as the trip gets closer! Woo hoo!!!

25 Random Things About Me

My cousin Kristen tagged me on her blog and my dear friend Sarah tagged me on Facebook to list "25 Random Things About Me." Like Kristen, I felt my blog needed a new post. So here it goes...

1. I once worked at a skating rink snack bar. I made cotton candy, popcorn, and corn dogs. And, despite knowing what goes into that movie-theatre-style popcorn (iridescent orange Crisco, anyone?) I still love it.

2. I love pickles, anything with vinegar, bleu cheese, mushrooms, artichokes, olives, and parmesan cheese (not necessarily all together). With all the love in his heart, my sensitive-paletted husband says that I’m like a dog and “love all the stinky stuff.”

3. I’ve spent an evening in the airport sipping coffee and people-watching. The greatest moments in humanity happen in the arrival area of the airport. No one’s sad, no one’s mad…everything is distilled to love, joy, and camaraderie.

4. My first car was a 1980 baby blue Datsun. I broke the key off in the ignition while trying to get to school one morning, and we had to remove the ignition cylinder. So, for the duration of my ownership, I started the car with a flat-head screw driver and kept a towel over the steering column so that no one was tempted to do the same thing and drive away with my “sweet ride.” I loved that car…moon roof, alloy wheels, and a CB radio. I had me some mighty fine times in that car!

5. I met my husband on-line (you’re in good company, Kristin!).

6. I have played the flute for about 20 years. I’ve been trying to teach myself to play the bass guitar…oh so slowly.

7. I love the oriental flavor Top Ramen.

8. The first cd I ever purchased was the soundtrack to Sleepless in Seattle.

9. I’ve been to Las Vegas 3 times, always flown there, and never stayed anywhere but The Excalibur.

10. If I had it to do all over again, I would have kept up with my creative writing in school and tried to make a living as an author. In my spare time, I’d have been a nature photographer.

11. I’ve seen the severed, mummified finger of Galileo Galilei. Those crazy Italians had it on display at the Museo di Storia del Scienza in Florence.

12. I can hold my breath for 75 seconds. Probably not too good for my aging brain cells.

13. My husband and I want to adopt a child one day.

14. As a kid, I was obsessed with the writings of Lucy Maud Montgomery, especially her Anne of Green Gable series. I wanted to live on Prince Edward Island, and I was going to change my middle name from “Ann” to “Anne.”

15. I can swear in six different languages. (Not a point of which I am particularly proud…but the list is supposed to be “25 Random Things” and this is pretty random).

16. I love Jalapeno Poppers…the ones with cream cheese not cheddar.

17. I almost went to school to study forensics because I wanted to join the FBI and bust bad guys using science.

18. I don’t like gravy or other sauces touching anything on the plate for which they weren’t originally intended.

19. My favorite plant is a cycad. The prehistoric plant was speculated to be the evolutionary pressure that forced the brontosaurus to develop nostrils on the top, versus the side, of their snout.

20. I don’t have an iPod. I think I’m the last 30-something alive that doesn’t.

21. The African elephant is my favorite animal in the whole world.

22. I have a large, albino birthmark in the middle of my back called a “Stork’s Kiss.”

23. The coolest conversation I’ve ever had with a fellow airplane passenger was with a Kenyan man en route to Amsterdam. While watching the amazing sunset over Ireland, as we both pressed our faces to the window glass, he said to me, “God…is an artist.” Every airplane/airport conversation has paled in comparison since.

24. I have had size 10 feet since I was in the 6th grade.

25. My favorite candle or home fragrance smell is that of fresh laundry.

We're back!

Oh, how I've missed blogging!?!

Paul and I have been without a computer for so very long. We've had occasional access at our parents' house and sporadic, stolen moments on the computer at work. But it's been a good year or more since we've had a computer and internet access at home. So, it is with great joy and jubilation that I say...

WE FINALLY HAVE A COMPUTER!!!

Thank you to all the friends and family who have checked in on us from time to time. I'm sorry that your diligence and curiosity have been in vain. Paul bought me a new laptop this past week, and we're waiting on our internet service to start up at the end of the month. Once January 30th comes to pass, the Domers will once again join the digital masses and the blogging world.

We've had so many wonderful adventures over the past few months. Paul and I had a lovely December weekend in San Francisco, attending the San Francisco Ballet Company's production of the Nutcracker and touring the San Francisco Zoo for my very first time. We spent Paul's birthday at an African animal sanctuary and Kenyan tent camp in Santa Rosa. There have been some awesome adventures; I look forward to sharing memories and photos of those times with you all!

Until then, take care and we pray that all is well with our friends and family. We hope we haven't lost you guys, and we sure look forward to getting in touch once more!

Must...come...up...for air...

Boy. I just can't seem to get into a routine with blogging again. It's seriously not a lack of desire; I'm aching to get back into it and have made sure to keep tabs on friends and family who share their blogs so faithfully. I've allowed myself to be daunted by the volume of news and happenings and the scarcity of time and resources I have right now to blog. So, until things calm down...until we have a computer at home (for which I'm keeping my fingers crossed)...I figured the Reader's Digest version is better than nothing. So, in 1000 words or less:

*We're finally moved into our new apartment. We love living with Melissa and her menagerie of beasts! The location is beautiful...on the eastern outskirts of Davis, right on a wheat field, with the Sacramento skyline in the distance. We are still living out of boxes, but we'll find our way out of the cardboard fort we've built once work calms down.

*Work...my job is going well. It's keeping me occupied 50 hours a week, but the work is fun, the people are easy to work with, and I already have a publication that we'll be sending out this winter. Whew! However, working my buns off, walking nearly 4 miles and climbing 20 flights of stairs a day, has given me a raging case of plantar fasciitis. I'm hobbling around like an old lady, but Paul is taking great care of me and keeping me rolling to work at the wee hours and rubbing me to sleep when I drag myself home. I couldn't have asked for a better husband and mate!

*Paul is still working in the library, but we're trying to get him out of there. He had an interview this past week at the Vet Med Teaching Hospital here at UCD. He interviewed for the position of Farm Animal Technician in the patient in-take area. They wanted someone who could lead, restrain, and control cows, swine, goats, etc. Paul got a ton of valuable experience working at the dairy, so we're hoping these folks see the light and give him a chance.

*With all of the changes and upheaval, I've decided to postpone pharmacy school applications this year. Too much was going on at once for me to really give it my all this fall. So, next spring and summer, I'll be an application wizard and put my pharmacy school applications in with University of the Pacific, U.C. San Diego, University of Wisconsin at Madison, and (Paul's favorite and mine...the one we're holding out for...the adventure for which we're both been waiting) University of Georgia!!! So, Sarah, we'll be knocking on your door the fall of 2010...for sure! Until then, I have one class to take and a Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) to pass. I'm taking the PCAT next weekend at U.C. Berkeley as a practice run. UGA doesn't penalize you for taking it more than once, so I decided not to cancel this test and take it anyway...cold turkey...we'll see how I do!

*We've not been hiking or camping in quite some time, and I think we both can feel it! Paul and I both need nature, fresh air, and green to put our heads right. This weekend, we're visiting Paul's folks in Marin. I'm sure we'll have a chance to steal over to the Marin Headlands, Samuel P. Taylor State Park, or somewhere equally crammed with redwood trees, ferns, and moss. I love Marin (can't way the same for the Marin-ites!).

Well...I think that's about all the time I have for today. I apologize for the brief nature of the blog. Like I said, I figured that it's better to be brief than to be absent. Thanks, Sarah and Kristen, for your support and sweet comments. Boy, I wish I lived near you ladies!!!

Thanks for your patience...I promise we'll get back into the swing of things soon!