Good life, but busy

With apologies to my dissertation, here are some things that have actually happened in the last several weeks:

Back in early September, Beth and I headed back to Michigan for her brother's wedding. It was a lovely ceremony and reception (pretty amazing how many people I knew there) and the hotel had a water park in it! Congratulations to Ian and Frances (and Berkley, too).

While we were there I got a call from the AK Department of Natural Resources, offering me a job. So I accepted it and started work the Monday after I got back. I work in the easements section of the Division of Mining, Land and Water, adjudicating trail applications for the Mat-Su Borough. In English, this means that while there is a large network of trails on state lands throughout the borough (county) north of Anchorage.

And what else has been happening.... oh, right! Beth and I finally closed on our house the last weekend of September. Since then life has been a whirlwind of painting, packing, unpacking, fixing, buying, power tooling, firewooding and flopping lifelessly onto the couch to zone out for a bit at the end of the day while our neighbors watch our every move (curtaining is next on the list). Things are finally starting to settle down now, and although we've still got plenty to do around here its just really nice and already feels like home. I love it (so does Beth, but she's not writing this) and its just really satisfying to live in a place thats mine. It makes it worth it to put this much effort into making the place nice.

The first snowfall of the season is supposed to start any time now - which is almost the latest ever for Anchorage (Nov 15) - and we've got a toasty fire in the fireplace. Dinner's in the oven and I actually spent several hours working on my dissertation today. Beth's almost done making the bed (literally, with wood and power tools, not just putting on sheets.) and we've got a bottle of wine open. Life's pretty good!