7 Quick Takes, aka a life update

1. My job is going really well. It's about a 45 minute commute, my co-workers are super nice, and the stuff I'm learning about international health projects is interesting. Win-win-win.

2. I'm not coughing anymore. Holy moly, did I catch a cold in the Grand Canyon. So I slept the weekend I returned, and was at about 75% energy for my first week of work, and slept a lot outside of work. But even when I felt fine again... I. was. still. coughing.
Oy. So almost a month later, I seem to have fully recovered. Coughing is the worst.

3. I went kayaking last week and I remembered how much I love being on the water. Bird pictures in the future, since I got some good ones of a green heron.

4. It finally feels like July. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been pining for 95 degrees and 100% humidity, but it was bound to come sometime. Thank goodness for AC.

5. I just finished an interesting historical fiction novel set in the early 60s in the rural midwest. It was sort of coming of age-ish, and then took a dark turn concerning race relations. "A Fireproof home for the bride." by Amy Scheibe. I recommend for those that like historical fiction. Trigger warning for sexual abuse and racial violence.

6. Speaking of racial violence. This week has been awful, between the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and the 5 police officers in Dallas. The result seems to be a lot of incensed people on social media. I'm hoping to find ways to be more involved in working for justice than just facebook conversations. #blacklivesmatter

7. I got to hang out with one of my childhood friends on Tuesday, who I haven't seen since before I left for Peace Corps. She and her husband are really fun, neat people, and their 6-year old is adorable and sweet. Old friends are the best. When they marry cool people, it's like bonus points. And being able to hang out with their kids is another level of amazing friendship.

I'm back!

Wow, I didn't mean to not blog for almost 2 years. So, same blog, but new adventures.

In a nutshell...

I completed Peace Corps and went to Mozambique for a week!

Then I came home, saw lots of family, and enjoyed the holidays in the states.

Babs and I went to Williamsburg right before New Years.

Then I became interim youth director at my church, and got to hang out with lots of fun teens for most of 2015.

After I finished that job, I took a roadtrip down to Tennessee and Atlanta, to see friends and family.

I also went with friends to Frank Beamer's last football game at UVA.

We got a LOT of snow in January of this year. 

I also started being more of a bird nerd and photographing birds.

Karen and I and a few hundred thousand of our closest friends went to see the cherry blossoms on the national mall.

I went to the National Zoo a few times this spring, and PANDAS!

My church went on a mission trip to Charleston, SC and I got to help lay some floors.

I visited Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion (pictured) National Park with friends.

I also went white water rafting down the grand canyon again. 

And now I have a job! I'm a project coordinator for a public health project in Malawi with a cool public health/international development company in Maryland.

So, more adventures coming, and I'll back-blog on some of these and other things from the past 2 years as well.