Richmond...

Hello from Virginia!

First off, I'm so glad to hear from Megan! Keep us updated with your goings-on though be gentle when referring to the excellent snow you have there : )

Secondly, I'm enjoying the east coast. Everyone we have encountered here is SO friendly! I've been called sweetie too many times to remember : ) Crystal, as you predicted, the fall colors are beautiful! I think they must have the kind of trees that don't just "give up" their leaves in October. The weather was in the 70's yesterday, wait, did I take the plane to Hawai'i?!? The buildings here are amazing! Each is so unique, I just want to stand and admire, even when we are in the car. We scoped out VCU last night and today Mike has his interview. I think I may be stressing more than he is : ) The medical campus is located east of the main university, giving it a PLU feel. Except their buildings aren't quite as "unique" as our building was... Mike was quick to point out VCU has the same colors as PLU; I haven't figured out if that was a good thing : )
One thing I have learned not to like is toll roads, grr! They seem to be every mile or so AND their roads are pretty crappy. Maybe there aren't as many once you get out of the city a ways...we'll see!

In other more mundane news, work is picking up considerably. I am swamped with intakes and treatment plans. I am still deciding what is better, being so bored I have no other choice than to improve my chess game (damn computer keeps winning!) or being so inundated by phone calls, emails, sessions and supervision that the day flies by... Given the recent stressful nature of the job, I have re-started taking ballet. It's very easy to forget self-care when you don't feel like you are actually working. My goal is to make classes two nights a week. We'll see how that goes : )

Co-habitation life is good. The only on-going "conflict" we have is over Capone's newly re-discovered habit of waking at 5am and playing with Mike's feet, claws included. Being a therapist, I re-frame the gesture as an expression that Capone has now accepted him and is trying establish a bond. He isn't buying it. Clinically, she has increased her threshold for friskiness to new levels, voluntarily climbing in the tub to play, turning the living room into her own private pin-ball match and oddly, licking the windows in the morning. Shrug, maybe its like coffee to her : ) If anyone notices any patterns, please feel free to share!

Janett