Move

I spent the past month in Oregon taking care of a lot of business and pleasure.  I was sent outside from Alaska to take care of myself while a difficult situation resolved itself.  I thought I would have to adjust to the noise and traffic, however, I have been able to relax.

Leigh and I moved our lives forward and today spent the day in my storage area looking for ways to merge our households more.  I moved every box in there which was no small feat.  I am grateful for the help from the foot surgeon. 

Last Friday I took my National Examination and passed.  I was amazed to get the results right then and there.  That was the last step in Oregon licensure.  It could transfer to Alaska as well. 

So, in one month, we completed the exam process, registered as domestic partners, started to merge our households and we're leaving for Alaska in a few days.  Leigh gets to spend 10 days there with me.  We have lots of friends waiting for us to celebrate passing the exam, becoming legal partners and Leigh's turning 50 in the beginning of March.  I would say that my life is coming together in some amazing ways.

All glory back to the Creator.  And, I might add, I have had a blast with my friends in Oregon whenever I was not deep in my studies.  We're planning our Michigan summer trip and all that entails.

Domestic Partners

There is this thing in Oregon called a Domestic Partnership.  First, let me tell you, the form is excruciating, the process enduring, the frustraions, huge.  Moving mountains to please the State, priceless.  I went to Alaska prepared to face a life of service, something akin to those vows made by nuns.  I could work, play with friends and cavort in the snow, all single, all in the service of the Lord.  I had a calling, a calling to serve.

I sat in the cabin, when not serving, and thought about my life.  Seems the events of the past four years wound around time like a coil.  I had no idea what might happen if I let just a little tension off that coil.  So, I took a risk.  I was perusing a site and saw this woman that made me stop, ponder and write.  I thought, seriously, I did think, "This woman won't write back to me, I'm in Alaska and she's in Oregon."  Those of you who know me know that I challenged those odds.  So now the story is no longer about me.  The story is now about We, Akki and Leigh.

Priorities

Of late, I find I'm asked to examine my priorities.  You see, I've reached the stage in life where I'm all about maintaining the success I have achieved.  That's the theory anyway of career maturation.  I find, however, that I have entered into a relationship that turns my head to stare at the view.  This past Sunday, while at church, I had a great time seeing my friends.  We greeted, hugged, welcomed, fussed over and enjoyed a great deal of connecting.

We looked at a house and wondered at living back where I moved from before I landed in Alaska.  I visited with friends at their houses and cheered on the end of the Superbowl.  People asked if I would have more time to see them and I had to put forth the effort necessary to prepare for my exam.

I met with the foot surgeon today to receive a prescriptions for 12 weeks of physical therapy, the word "fragile" as it now relates to my other foot and some more limitations.

I studied hard today, filed for my passport, changed my address and prepared a few steps closer to my goals.  We worked together, played Guitar Hero, loaded my iPod, given as a gift and spent time talking about plans, goals and needs.

Potential is in the future.  Whatever I am doing right now makes up my priorities.  We're doing our priorities.  I'm asking questions regarding my potential, my limitations and measuring the length of my wing span.  I am prepared for take off.  Navigation nearly at the ready.  Direction still not locked and loaded.  Desire, plenty.  Flying doesn't really require the use of my feet.  Thinking this through.

Moving Forward

I have been chunking out a 550 page study manual for two weeks now.  I have just under two weeks left until I take the examination.  I have taken study quizzes, practice exams and read all but 100 pages of the manual.  Several years of education are summed up in that manual and in this study process.

Some of the information rocks my world and reminds me why I got into this field.  Other of it provides hours of pure tedium as I memorize so many things.  I realized, however, from a Native friend that it is important to ask the Creator to help me prepare.  So, I have begun to include that request in my daily prayer time.

Circumstances are changing rapidly in my life.  I have been forced to face that which I'm willing to sacrifice for a job.  I have come to realize that I have spent a lot of time recently dealing with unrealistic expectations toward me and from me.  I have not felt safe in my work for a very long time and a recent situation escalated that feeling and sense of threat.  I have had to ask myself several questions regarding my own obligation to myself and those outside me that love me and want me safe.

Sometimes, it is hard to see the picture when we're in the frame.  In this case, the situation mounted, the expectations toward me, the messages that I would be the problem if I could not handle very difficult situations and all of that has entered my awareness as I take a break from all of it.

So, back to my studies and more on the adventures of life soon.

Guitar Hero 5, to be precise

I recently had a visitor who went to hang her coat in my closet and saw the stack of boxes containing Wii, Guitar Hero 5 and the like up in my closet.  I had a tv given to me here in that I had lent mine to someone else in Salem.  This tv here has some qualities one remembered from years past and so I thought better of trying to hook a bunch of electronics up to it.

Not so much my friend, however, she hooked all of it up let's say 10 minutes, whipped out the guitar and started to jam.  Keep in mind that when I moved into my cabin I didn't even have a microwave.  There was no beeping, humming, background noise of tv, nothing.  I loved the silence, loved it.  I started slowly adding creature comforts to my life and the noise level escalated.


So, that night there was a fire in the woodstove, the winds was blowing and the cabin was rocking with tunes.  I was able to hook my bose speakers to the tv so the sound really is loud and great.  She is accomplished at this game and thus I found those flying fingers impressive.  Watching her, though, I thought that is just not something I see myself doing well.  She was/is fast.  So, this past Saturday night, while on Skype together, I asked how to get started.  I did beginners, strumming for a little while, she moved me to easy and I started to add notes.  On Tuesday I decided that I had been at this for a few days so I should try medium difficulty.  I was being told that most people take a year of practice to move through medium.

Okay, I have two new addictions: skype and Guitar Hero 5.  I burned through four medium sets and am now having to practice hard.  The goal has become not to get kicked off before the song ends.  Last night Kryptonite smoked me and I went to bed wondering if I could get through it.  This morning, I did.  You see, my goals in life have become pray easy, pray lots, pray hard, work hard, work easy, play hard, play easy, love easy, easy love, love is easy, love hard, not love is hard.  I am having so much fun with toys, friends, dancing.  I am finding out that the Creator does mean for each of us to have prosperity and love.

I have no hate for anyone in my heart.  I love that feeling.  I have ceased judgment and accepted that I am not God and am not qualified to judge anyone.  I have no idea what the big picture of their life has done to them.  In other words, the more humility I live with, the more fun I'm having.  Get that.  Who knew?

Popcorn

Okay, I like popcorn, plain, buttered, full of hot sauce, I however, do not want to be the popcorn.  I was the popcorn this morning on the bush plane flight in.  Plane popcorn, versus, plain popcorn.  Sort of funny, that.

My buddy, school counselor, sat next to me and burst into tears as we dove and twisted.  I sat calmly next to her rubbing her back as she leaned forward to hug the seat in front of her.  Two weeks ago she was in a near collision with another bush plane up over Saldovia.  Her year or two of scary flights, her near miss and her very angry pilot after that near miss, took its toll this morning.  I thought she was really brave to get back in the plane and to keep going.

The ice is profoundly intense here today and we're all walking carefully.  It's been more difficult for people to be happy in that winter is dragging on, gray skies, rain, snow, ice, wind...I'm finding out about the depression in the villages and in Alaska during the winter months.  I, however, discovered the Guitar Hero that has been in my closet.  This past weekend I started strumming as a beginner and with Leigh's encouragement, tried easy.  I think it is so much fun.  As I study for this exam I allow myself two songs for every chunk of study time.  I think I'm still a external reward based person.  Oh, that would be Behavioral Theory.  See, Guitar Hero is helping me study.

Off to the business of being the therapist, a role.

Focus

I had forgotten just how goal oriented I am.  I like to set a challenge, set the steps to meet it and execute those steps.  I realized today that I have a deadline to meet in February and added physical fitness to aid in my focus.  I have been somewhat challenged in that regard since my foot is back in an aircast, however, I am finding ways to work around that.

This time it's my right foot and I'm finding that I will have to work around having two feet challenged by potential fractures.  It makes it hard here in Alaska to get around, however, I am maintaining a good attitude around that. 

Today, I met my gym goal and am confident that with persistence that I will meet my larger goals.  I met a friend for dinner, worked at the office, studied hard for an upcoming exam and spent time with Leigh on Skype.  I think I might be a Skype addict. 

I see this time of focus as a good time.  I like the concreteness of the goals I have set.