Happy Birthday to the Sweet Sagi Sisters!

May all align for us, dear Becca, this coming year and in years to come. Love you!

Local/Foraged/Homegrown Food Challenge

Hi friends! Sunday afternoon here on the Big Island. It's been a lazy one so far. I slept until 11:30 following a 2:30AM return from a festival last night--whew! Seems like a good day to post to the quadblog, give a little slice-of-#abigailinhawaii-life. Hmmm, here goes! Yesterday I went to the Kohala 'Aina (Land/"that which feeds us" in Hawaiian) Festival and it was remarkable. SOOO many bright, healthy, happy, loving and kind people celebrating local and sustainable and traditional food systems, working together toward food sovereignty and health for the people of this island. http://hipagriculture.org/events/kohalaaina I really feel like I am where I am meant to be, doing good work both personally and through teaching. We as westerners, and as Hawaiians, are at a cultural crossroads, and killing ourselves through many of our choices. Living in a way that our planet can support, and teaching the youth to own their health and honor both their bodies (nutrition education) and the land has been really powerful for me. Related to that, I started a "spend no money on food" challenge five days ago, and am not going to use any USD for food purchases for the rest of the month! Really. Involvement with the food sovereignty movement here has really inspired me to see what I can do to reduce my dependence on imported, manufactured food. SO much oil to ship things to this island, which makes me complicit in international war crime and the desecration of land, air, and waters. This I want to change. Plus it's just not as healthful as eating local, fresh food. Decided it was time to educate myself, through experience, on what it actually takes to practice what I'm advocating. Other reasons/inspirations for this personal challenge fall into the spiritual (and monetary) categories. Deepening my spiritual practices and moving beyond my ego to connect with my true self has opened my eyes to how much I think I am doing /the illusion of control I have over my life. Really, there is no need to worry, or have anxiety. I will always be taken of. All manner of provision comes in its time. (Are we not all okay? Things always work out!) I'm realizing that my work here is simply to focus on being pure of heart, and working toward becoming my best self, and I will be taken care of. I truly believe that if I am the most loving, kind, helpful, understanding, patient person I can be, and take care of others and the land, I know that I too will be taken care of, in all ways. There is a "myth of scarcity" that is easy to believe in, and which I am trying to challenge for the sake of spiritual growth. Here's an example: yesterday while volunteering at the festival I saw that a guy I know, a cute (married) 30-year old farmer named Kyle, needed some help setting up his Hawai'i Farmers Union United booth. I came over and helped him find the materials he needed, and connect with the people who could answer his questions. At the end of the event he told me to take whatever vegetables I wanted from the table's display. I got huge delicious radishes, a beautiful squash, and was offered even more (cabbage, bok choi, noni fruit, bees) that I knew I wouldn't be able to carry. My roommate was also at the festival and came by my volunteer station (where I was selling musician merchandise) and gave me four unripe avocados someone had brought from their own tree. Later I wanted some kava but it's food so I didn't want to spend money on it. A friend I drove up said, "Let me buy it for you!" and did this as a trade for the ride. The whole time there was ample food: organic, vegan, almost all raw, and definitely all local, for me to eat as a volunteer. This challenge has encouraged me to volunteer at events like this, too, which is a wonderful way to connect to community. :) Finally, as a part-time teacher, I am only paid hourly. I'll be missing a paycheck over the holidays. Almost 1/4 of my income seems to have been going to food. If I can learn to eat from the land around me, the school garden, and grow more of my own, I'll be able to redirect some money into things like savings and TRAVEL FUNDS!!! Yeah! So that's the biggest thing I'm doing right now. I'm also in love with my co-teacher again. Haha. Dated this awesome triathlete guy for a little while, who is STELLAR on paper, but broke it off because I didn't feel like I was honoring my sexuality as sacred--something I am learning to do as an adult. Working on some soul healing, have had to make some hard choices to cut out nice men who are genuinely interested in me. Not feeling lonely, though, which is great. Let's see if I can get some photos from my phone into this post...

Addresses - 11/2015

Becca
P.O. Box 1288
Montrose, CO 81402-1288

Erin
2040 Silverlake Road
Yadkinville, NC 27055

Abby
2126 Waianuenue Avenue
Hilo, HI 96720

Erica
4840 Macarthur Blvd.
NW #604
Washington, DC 20007

Gwyn
2 W. 2nd St.
Apt. #1
Frederick, MD 21701

Liz
3003 Decatur Ave.
Kensington, MD 20895

Nicky
3005 Sable Road
Henrico, VA 23233

Umm...some really random things have been happening

Hey guys,

So, I thought 2014 was the year of upheaval, but 2015 is a little bit kicking its (and my) ass. And I kinda just wanted to keep you guys updated (and maybe request hugs from afar).

First, I want to apologize again for the alumni lodge situation. There was really no excuse for not having that paper finished so close to deadline, even if I did have the wrong day. Three days was cutting it entirely too close to begin with. I was just ridiculous. I had a really hard time getting schoolwork done over the second half of last year. I think I was a little depressed (not knowing anyone, ending a long term relationship, far away from family, eternal darkness, etc). Anyway, I'm so sorry that it culminated in me having to miss quad/SMCM time -- especially since it was the 10 year reunion for some of us.

I actually still haven't gotten a grade back for it, and I'm super nervous. Mainly because I re-used about 10 pages from a previous paper, which I discussed doing with my adviser, so it should be cool, but I keep waking up in a panic that they're going to decide not to give me the degree... In addition to the obvious, this would really suck because, in other awesome news:

I don't know if I told you guys that there was an entrance language exam for my PhD program, but there was, and I actually failed it. For the first time ever, I made less than an A on a language test, and it was really the only time it actually mattered. So...there's that. I'm still super embarrassed about it, but at the same time, a little bit feel like it was a little unfair. I made a few stupid mistakes, but most of them were grammar based, and I think the tests were geared toward the students who came through CMS's MA program. But that could just be an excuse to make myself feel better.

Anyway, I had the option of staying here and paying for an MA and still reapplying to the PhD, but I thought that was a stupid thing to pay for, since I already have a master's (or hopefully will soon - which is why I'm a little panicked about it). It just sucks because I know that I'm actually really good at translating Latin and can't believe first, that I failed, and second, that it means I'm out of the program. I've talked to a few friends and professors, and they're all kind of surprised by both of these things, too, which makes me feel a little better, I guess.

Anyway, so that happened.

But that's not all! (Though this is just really random and crazy but not necessarily bad. Actually, it's kind of awesome):

So, this is super secret because she hasn't even told my mom, yet (so absolutely no social media comments -- not that you guys would, but just in case). But Sarah is pregnant. She's the one in Australia. The thing is, she dropped out of her PhD program about a month ago (she decided to pursue a different career) and had been planning to break up with her boyfriend (she has a lot of the same issues with him as I had with Nick) and move back home in the spring. So now, she's moving that schedule up (though maybe not the breaking up part? -- it's unclear) and is planning to move back much sooner, though again, she has had about a week to think about things and hasn't really talked this through with my mom...

SO, tentatively, I think she and I are going to try to get an apartment together in Winston Salem, near my mom, so we can both deal with this crazy, unexpected year (well, much longer than that for her) together. She's really happy about it but kind of freaked out, at the moment.

Also, it should be noted that my other sister is also pregnant (again), but that one is planned... [As a side note, I'm not having sex again until I'm 85. Apparently, in my family, if you even think about it, you get knocked up. Bit was off birth control for like a month both times, and Sarah used Plan B after the condom broke and had to turn her appointment for an IUD that she had scheduled for the week after she found out she was pregnant into a pregnancy test...though, I'm not really sure why she was only just now getting an IUD...]

Right?? So crazy. So many things happened all at once. It was almost like a sign that the Toronto path might not be the one for me, at least not right now... But I am going to start the application process for schools again next year...ughh.

So, that's where I am right now. Searching for jobs, looking at schools, trying to help my new housemate find a replacement, studying Latin, trying not to freak out about my thesis, and gearing up to move back to NC (to my mom's basement). Obviously, the first two weeks of 32 have been awesome.

And now that I think about it, I feel like my last few blog posts have been downers (ish). I guess I hope I'll have some better news soon. But I love that I have you guys that I can be awesomely happy with but also tell you all the shitty things.

Love you guys.

~E.

Happy Birthday, dear Elizabeth!!

Can't wait to see most of you so soon

For this: http://www.theonion.com/article/female-friends-spend-raucous-night-validating-the--27446
and nudity, of course.

PS - Not really sure if this link is going to work...

Ugh. This is driving me crazy...

...but I can't remember -- What was the name of that band we (most of us maybe?) used to like that played around campus occasionally at the bar that wasn't the Green Door but the other one that let people in who were 18 (the name of which I also can't remember because beer (?) )? Erica, Nicky, and I went to see them once in Charlotte, also, when they came to visit NC one summer, and I drove the stick-shift Saturn and then was super irresponsible and got drunk on peppermint schnapps (fer real? Did we really do that?) in the bathroom that Erica smuggled in via flask-in-bra, so Nicky-who-remained-sober still couldn't drive us home (cuz stick-shift), and I had to call my sister to come pick us up and felt sort of lame. They had a song about a window maybe? It's driving me crazy that I can't remember, but I have no idea why their existence is currently in my head...

Peony Cake for Tokar :)

Happy Birthday, Erica!!

Overdue Notice

I am long overdue for a Quad Blog Post!

First, I owe Congratulations to the following:

Becca on your new job and move to CO
Abby on your sweet career and position in HI
Erica on your new job and move back to DC
Nicky on your move to Richmond and Mik's new job
Erin on your academic success and upcoming move
Gywn on being all around awesome

I feel like you guys look pretty darn cool all lined up above like that.

So I am still at my same job, working 3 days a week as an OT for MCPS. The rest of the time I am with Jayne and Sprocket! We have been enjoying playing outside now that the weather here is warm and Jayne is walking. Here are some recent pictures.

I'm moving to Colorado next week!

Hi lovely friends!!! To follow up with Nicky's lovely post and awesome news, I have some updates for myself! I'm moving to Montrose, Colorado on May 4th!!!!! It's so crazy how this happened so quickly and I feel like all of the planets have aligned for this! So basically, I arrived in Oklahoma, I was here for just over a week, and my second week here, they told me I had two weeks notice to find a new job because the traveler I replaced accepted a permanent position and they could not afford to have 3 OTs on staff. Sooooo, this kind of sucked for me because I moved out here to be with my family and establish a tax home and I feel like my time with my family has been too abbreviated. I also met a nice gentleman out here and have had a number of awesome times with him. However, the universe kind of pointed me in the direction of the mountains because as I struggled to find a temporary position in Tulsa, my friend out in Montrose, Colorado told me about a position that would be opening up at her hospital during the exact same time that I was looking to start work--a rarity in this field! I already had my Colorado state license and I really wanted to keep working in the hospital setting and this little mountain town seemed perfect for me, not to mention the fact that my friend who lives out there also loves hiking! My resume made it to the top of the list before the job even opened up and I signed a contract for a May 6th start date yesterday!! So it looks like I will be passing you as you leave Colorado Nicky! I haven't figured out what to tell my gentleman friend yet....he knows I have an interview for the Colorado job, things are not really serious, but I would like to continue them for at least the last week I am in Oklahoma, hehe! Anyways, come visit me in the great state ladies! We could have a seriously awesome cabin in the mountains! There are hotsprings and mountains right in my backyard!

We're moving to Richmond!

Mik got a new job at The Martin Agency! He got the offer yesterday and officially accepted today.

Which means we're moving to Richmond, VA! I am super excited and stoked that Mik found a place at an agency he is so excited about. AND I am also excited to be closer to home, Liz, and Tokar! Nervous, excited... lots of emotions!

Not to mention all of this (below) looks like some good exploring:

© Bill Piper

Who's ready for hot, muggy summers? This girl.

News (of the good variety!)

So... I got into the University of Toronto's Centre for Medieval Studies PhD program :) Yay! I'm super excited. It's a 5-year, funded (!) program, so maybe I can sort of start a career-ish like a normal person. I haven't accepted yet or thanked mentors and stuff, so no public postings about this :) But I wanted to tell you guys. Love and miss you all. PS - If anyone has advice about accepting offers, working in academia, all that jazz, it's always appreciated :)

Happy Birthday NNTM!

This may look like a wedding cake, but it's not your wedding, it's your birthday, so there! Colorado-themed at that. Hope all is beyond well in your world. Thinking of you fondly from atop a different series of mountains (the kind with a really big moats).

New Address

As most of you know, Matt and I will be relocating back to DC in a few short weeks.  My last day at work is February 2 and we'll arrive at our new place on February 12.  We're roadtripping it up via Dallas to see Dan (man in bag from wedding) and Lauren; Nashville to see RJ and another friend named Sophie; Hot Springs and Mammoth Cave National Parks; and the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky (which has been on our list for ages!!  so excited!).  I start work February 16 at a firm in the Watergate doing businessy business type law.  I will continue my commitment to refugees and immigrant advocacy through zealous pro bono work.

Our new place is an adorable little bitty apartment in Palisades, right across from BlackSalt.  This neighborhood is about 15 minutes south of the Glen Echo house and less than 10 minutes from my new job.  It will offer me the opportunity to commute down my all-time favorite road, the Whitehurst Freeway, every day and take in morning views of the river and the Kennedy Center whilst the wind whips my hair about with fervor.  We'll be about 10 minutes from Matt's parents, 25 minutes from my parents, very close to Z and Jax in NoVa, an easy drive to Lizzy, and convenient to the highway for jaunts to HoCo when NNTM is in town.

Assuming the job ends up being a fit, this is a very long-term opportunity, so DC could be home (again) for many moons to come.  But, we shall see.

For at least the next year, we may be reached at:

4840 Macarthur Blvd, NW #604
Washington, DC 20007

Leaving San Antonio has been a really difficult decision.  It's a wonderful city, we've met awesome people, and I genuinely love my job/neighborhood/breakfast tacos.  This opportunity is a bit of a gamble, because I have no experience or prior exposure to the type of law I'll be practicing.  But, I am inspired by the prospect of trying something new.  I am also joining a rather elite team of attorneys, so I'm excited rise to the challenge.  Hopefully I can get enough of a handle on work to take some time off and visit Abby in six months or so!  (she said foolishly)

Gwyn is in town now and we're having all sorts of fun--perhaps at some point we will convene for something not related to food or booze.  Cheers to all!