Both of Us .org

On Saterday I went on my very first Hash. The running club Minneapolis H3 is a local branch of the Hash House Harriers. I had heard about this group before, but nothing I heard could have prepared me for the Dog Breath Death March that I ran/trudged/crawled on Saturday in Murphy-Hanrehan Park in Savage, MN just south of the Twin Cities.
The run was amazing and the the people were crass and rude and altogether awesome. Something fairly unusual happened in that I got a hashing name at the end of my first hash. The Hashers named me "Pixie Stixs." This is interesting to me because each summer that I have gone to MMF I camp in an area that is called Pixie Stix.

However in my over-exuberance I neglected calling a good friend of mine whom I was going to hang out with that night. So I have some 'splaining to do.

Time has passed at a frantic pace. If you read my partners previous post you understand the reason for our online silence for several weeks. This morning I am in my laboratory doing a bit of work. While I wait I have some precious time to devote to write my thoughts.

I am happy to be where I am at the moment, settled into a comfortable and welcoming home. The career I have chosen is stable and I continue to learn about the atmosphere of my new work place. JB and I have enjoyed hosting and visiting friends and family since our return, and we expect the same or more in the future. This morning we said goodbye to our friend Cees, who was visiting from Den Haag. Cees was our first guest to make an extended visit to our new house. The three weeks he was here were enjoyable. We previously enjoyed a short visit from some friends now living in Denver a few weekends ago. We have received raves about our house and our hosting abilities, so I am confident that we will enjoy hosting more visitors.

My only complaint at the moment is that my level of stamina has decreased since moving back to Minneapolis. I tend to come home from work and be fairly tired during the week. It is possible that I am adjusting to the significantly faster pace of the work I do at my new job. My work in Philadelphia was very relaxed, whereas here everyone is very motivated and many tasks are accomplished each day. I prefer my current level of productivity as the days go faster and I remain interested in my work. The additional responsibility of taking care of a house versus an apartment is also a possible reason for my fatigue. Both of us now take care of a much larger indoor space as well as an outdoors space that requires watering, weeding and grass cutting. We both enjoy the tasks that need to be done, but they do require energy.

Another week has passed and the weekend is forecast to be pleasant here. Our home is empty of guests, and we will likely visit one of JB's sisters. We may see an IMAX movie tonight at the Minnesota Zoo and will likely see a Minnesota Thunder men's soccer match tomorrow afternoon. We have been very active in going to rummage sales and estate sales. We monitor Craigslist for items to fill our house, however I think this weekend we might take a break from this. We are keeping an eye out for a sofa and chair for the living room, but for now we have a warn but comfortable couch given to us by JB's family that will due just fine while we take our time searching.

Our silence of the past six weeks comes amid much change. Both JSP and I are working full time and reconnecting with friends and family in the Twin Cities area. I made my yearly sojourn to the wilds of Kansas and the Midwest Men's Festival in Late July. Our wonderful close friend Cees has been visiting us from the Netherlands. His presence has been energizing and he brings the comfort of our past life together in Groningen into our present. Additionally, we have been throwing both parties and horseshoes with wild abandon. Blogging has taken a back seat to well... living life.

I will encourage my cohort to make a new rant in the coming days, so that you know what has been transpiring in his finely tuned brain, and I will do my best to update you with stories of our new and improved life in Northeast Minneapolis.

Furnishing our new house with furniture has been one of our motivations in the past month. After we moved in we realized that while we had almost enough possessions to fill our hole of an apartment in South Philadelphia, our new home swallowed our things leaving most of our rooms still very Spartan. Craigslist has been our best resource for finding beautiful and gently used furniture. We have found several estate and moving sales through there as well as the occasional direct listing for furniture. We are still holding out for our ideal living room set, but we already found great deals on chairs for our front porch, our deck and a giant wool rug for our dining room.

JSP and I are both bicycling to work each day. My commute is about 20 minutes and JSP's is shortly less at about 15 minutes. I bike through picturesque neighborhoods and over an interstate expressway and look down at the people in their cars as I pedal my way to work. I arrive at work each day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, having gotten my blood pumping through my body. We chose the location of our home partly on the fact that we could bike to work.

Living on our new home has really made us feel thankful for how fortunate we are. We have more than we need and we remain aware that there are many people that do not have what they need. We are making an effort to live by our eco-friendly principles. We also want to live in health and comfort, and so far it seems that we are able to do all this in harmony.

Our garden has been a really enjoyable part of our new homeowner experience. From our first weeding of the garden, to the watering of the dry soil, to receiving gifts of plants from our gardening colleagues, friends and family working in our soil has been rewarding. I have big plans for improving our garden over the next three years, and I will shoot some photos to document the changes.

All in all, we are putting down roots and nurturing the blossoming relationships between the people we love.