We celebrated Russell's graduation from Cal Poly (I have never been more proud of this wonderful man I get to call my husband).I finished the last week at three of my jobs. It was tough to say goodbye to my students, coworkers at the salon, and our family at SLO United Methodist Church.We packed and moved all while I was challenged with an infected bee sting on my foot.All of our belongings were placed in storage in Grass Valley while we got to fly to Hawaii and witness our best friends marry each other on the beach.Russell accepted his new job working for Edmonds + Lee Architecture, and upon return from Hawaii we participated in the mad race that is finding an apartment in the city and moved in to our new home within 4 days.
If you are reading this you probably are well aware of my desire to be in control of life situations. Needless to say, this period was no doubt God's way of showing me I am not in control. At all. Oh how life has changed.
Russell and I have undergone a complete role reversal. He is no longer the 24/7 student who stares at the computer all day and continues to work on his thesis all night. While he does spend the majority of the day at a desk, he is more hardworking and passionate about his career than ever. He is a muni-riding, messenger bag-wearing architectural intern at a wonderful up-and-coming firm smack dab in the city. I am no longer the workaholic with no time to spend with my husband. I find myself as a San Francisco housewife who irons shirts in the morning, explores city districts in the afternoon, and takes pride in making delicious and healthy dinners for the two of us in the evenings. I am extremely grateful for this time I get to serve and support my loving husband, but I also cannot wait to find a job (and I am sure our bank account will be happy when I do).
We are adjusting to life in the city by fully immersing ourselves in the culture (or trying to). We have been fortunate to host a few friends that visited us, and we are hoping to join a weekly community group through RealitySF. There are so many free or cheap things to do in San Francisco, and we are finding that it is so exciting to stumble on events when we least expect it. Although we sometimes stand out as small town people, we have been pretty successful at adjusting to the urban lifestyle so far. Following is a list of some things we have learned:
-always, ALWAYS carry cash (we learned this the hard way when we got stuck at a bridge toll $0.78 short)
-attempt to engage people you pass instead of getting sucked in to the city mentality
-nextbus.com is the only way Russell keeps from freezing when leaving work
-free symphony concerts are the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon
-do not expect the muni to be on time or make it to designated stops
and here are evidences of grace from our short time here:
-sitting next to a couple who moved to the city from grass valley just a year ago on our first Sunday at church (and connecting with them since then)
-a kind man who paid for my parking when I met Diane St. John in San Mateo
-reuniting with a high school friend
-sharing a laugh with strangers at the bus stop
-locating a 24 hour doughnut shop in our district
-getting back into everyday life and learning that it isn't worth it to make a lot of plans for the weekend
