3 things:

A lot has happened since I last wrote, too much to write about in just one post. So for now, I will just catch you up on a few major things:

1. I love being married.

Last October, just after we had gotten engaged, Chris Oliver asked me what I was looking forward to the most about being married to Sean, and I promptly responded, "It will be an adventure! There is never a dull moment with Sean," (or something to that effect...) To illustrate this point, I will briefly describe one scenario: Last Thursday night, Sean and I had a few friends over (Lauren, Greg, Jason, Dan, Adria) and we cooked a big spaghetti dinner on a tiny little hot plate (our stove wasn't hooked up yet) and ate outside in the cool evening air, but this story isn't about the dinner really, but about the dishes produced by that dinner. Immediately after our meal, we went to the movies to see Incepcion, and, since I had work the next day, I asked Sean to do the dishes while I was gone. Well, that didn't happen, but it was understandable because on Friday we got our internet installed, our stove hooked up, and our new bed frame set up. So when I had to work Saturday night, I asked Sean to just do the dishes then. I returned home right around 1:00 in the morning, and found my new husband wearing only a bathing suit and a pair of rubber gloves, washing dishes IN THE SHOWER. When I confronted him about the oddity of this situation, the truth came out: Sean hates doing dishes. I said that I wish he would've told me this earlier, because I LIKE doing dishes and was only asking him to do them since I wasn't around. Sean said, "I could do the dishes if I had a sink with two sides, a garbage disposal, and a hose." We do not have any of those things, and so I'm now the official dish-washer in our family, which is fine with me. On Sunday, I washed the three and a half days old dirty dishes (in the sink, not the shower), while Sean did a chore that I happen to hate: grocery shopping. Divvying up chores like this is wonderful! And all is well that ends well...My shower ended up streaked with grease and tomato sauce and the drain clogged with bits of salad and avocado, but even that cleaned up pretty well with a little 409.

2. I love my job.

For me to be able to say I love a job that wakes me up at 5:40 a.m. three mornings a week is a big deal, but it is the truth. I'm sure I'll be writing a lot about my job in the days to come, so for now I'll just describe another scene--in an attempt to show why I love my job so much. On Wednesday I picked up Giuliana from her Little Click Club (where she's learning to use a computer) and we walked over to the park to eat the picnic lunch I packed for us. It was a crisp, sunny California day...the kind of beautiful day that makes everyone want to live in California forever, because sun and wind and sky and ocean combine together in a glorious perfection. Well, I sat on the ground with Giuwels in my lap, peeling Clementines, and the two of us sharing the juicy orange pieces one by one. The warm sun was shining down on us in perfect contrast to the cool air, and I was filled with a deep contentment. Giuwels said, with her head leaning against my chest, "I like you." I said, "I like you too." And she added, "I love when we do this...let's do this every day!"

3. I love my new house.

Perhaps house isn't the most appropriate term for what is in fact a tiny studio apartment, but it stands alone behind our landlady's house, and because we live in a guest house rather than an apartment complex, I insist on calling this our house. Tonight is a good night to write about our new home, because I am completely at peace with it. For the past three weeks we've had boxes everywhere, and today I woke up and said, "No more. I will not go to sleep with boxes in my house tonight." While Sean helped Jason move, I unpacked the last few boxes and put the finishing touches on everything...Now I am sitting here feeling satisfied beyond belief. We somehow managed to fit in everything we wanted: our king size bed, 4 bookshelves, a table, four chairs, a desk, a love seat, and a stove! We live in a tiny room nestled under a great avocado tree. Our sliding glass doors open onto a small balcony and an orange tree. We wake up in the night to avocados falling on our roof, we reach for each others' hand and go back to sleep. Our Harry Potter books are sitting on our desk between two wooden lion bookends that were carved in Africa. During the day, Timmy and Garfield preside over our bed. Our house is overflowing with books. We have way more books than we have square feet to live in, and that's the way we like it. Our portrait done by the street artist in Waikiki is hanging on the wall, as well as prints by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Monet. The picture of Jesus that has hung over my bed since I was a toddler is also hanging on our wall, as well as Sean's crucifix from his first Communion. It is our home, and we love it, and I want everyone to come visit even though there's nowhere for them to stay! We'll make room!