March 10, 2008

Spring Break is next week, and I'm working 12hr shifts every other day. Both my mother and long-term boyfriend Erik have their Spring Break this week, so there will be minimal socializing. I recently re-inherited the large (20x10) back bedroom of my mother's house, so I'll be cleaning up and rearranging furniture in my down time. Perhaps I will pick up an extra shift or two at work as well.

My mom recently bought me a new camera - an Olympus EVOLT E-510with two lenses. It's absolutely gorgeous - I can't wait to get out there and start shooting! Sadly, my shiny new toy does not take SD memory cards, which means I'll have to wait until I can afford new Compact Flash cards and, considering the amount of maintenance currently being demanded by my car (oil change, headlight replacement, registration update) as well as the fact that I have two months worth of bills that need to be covered while I am away this summer, that may very well be a while.

I am moving into a new apartment immediately after Finals Week with my best friend (Stephanie) and her boyfriend (Chris), which means that I'll be living in Shreveport full-time from now on. The new place is really nice - we each have a 12x12 bedroom, and I get my own bathroom with a garden tub. We still need to buy a washer and dryer, but we already have a couch, love seat, various tables, and a dining room set. Stephanie's mom is buying us a full set of new dishes, and Stephanie is taking me to buy bathroom decor as an early birthday / house warming gift. I've got an easel-style floor lamp with shelves for my bedroom, and I have my sights set on a gorgeous queen-size dark wood sleigh bed. After that, all I'll have left to buy is a curtain and possibly some wall art.

Two weeks after we move in I am leaving for 3 weeks to Ecuador. Despite rising concerns about the potential of war breaking out before we leave, I am very excited. I'll be going with two professors and a small group of fellow students to ride horses in the Andes, trek through the Amazon, learn how to ice climb, and renovate a school for local street children. It should rove to be the trip of a lifetime.

I plan to get a full-time job locally once I return in June, then change to part time during the school year. Shortly after I get back from Ecuador Erik will be leaving for Alaska, where he will remain for just over 3 weeks, so I will be in desperate need of something to keep me occupied while he is away. In a way I hate to see him go, but I can not bear the thought of holding him back. He loves to travel as much as I do, and this is sure to be a wonderful experience for him. To get upset simply because I will be lonely wouldn't be fair. I just wish he didn't have to be away for our 3rd anniversary. Hopefully I can find a position at a local bookstore or craft shop to pass the time - someplace I will really enjoy.

Once all of the vacationing is done, Erik and I will be heading into largely uncharted territory. I will be living and working year-round in Shreveport, and he will begin flight instructing in addition to his classes. Neither of us are likely to see our families between mid-summer and Thanksgiving, which will be hard because both of us are extremely family-oriented. I am both saddened and exhilarated by the thought - after all, this is a chosen change and a very positive one at that... but still, I will miss spending time with my mom and I'm sure Erik feels the same about his parents. We have gotten comfortable in our little pattern of coming and going together, and now it will all need to change again. C'est la vie, je suppose.