Okies in Oregon - Chapter 1!

I know, I know - if one is blogging, one should post more often than every 2-3 months!  So here's a quick update on our new status as Oregonians.

Buck and our son-in-law Jason arrived on June 12 after 4 long days driving Penske trucks 1900+ miles, Jason towing the car in which our three doggins were riding.  Molly, Tilly, and Baxter didn't know what the heck was going on, but survived.  You can't imagine how happy they were to run amok in their new back yard!  They learned where their water bowl was kept and settled right in.  Meantime, I directed traffic while Buck, Jason, and brother-in-law Craig unloaded...and unloaded...and unloaded.  God Bless them!  And Jason was such a jewel to hook up the T.V.'s and computers - plus he neatly arranged the garage so we have a walkway between the extra furniture and boxes!  We are fortunate to have a good-sized storage shed in the back, as our little duplex just won't hold all of our stuff.  Though we're still unpacking a box here and a box there, the majority of what we need has been neatly distributed throughout the house.  Strangely enough, I really LOVE this little place! It's got a ton of storage, has a half-bath we were lacking in the OKC house, and the spaces we need, including a study/guest room (with a sink!), a sewing room, and a nice little patio.

After applying for about a million jobs, I began training today for work at ProtoCall Services. ProtoCall does screening, assessments, and intakes for around 300 community health clinics, universities, and crisis lines across the U.S. and Canada.  Their clinicians are all master's level counselors, working in a call center in downtown Portland.  All my work will be via telephone - which will certainly be different - but I am very excited and think I will enjoy the fast pace and community atmosphere.  By working the swing shift (2-10:30pm) Wednesday thru Sunday, I'll make more money, as well.  One of the perks:  riding the MAX line from the Gresham Town Hall into downtown.  Not having to drive is wonderful!  I'm dropped off 1 1/2 blocks from my building, and pick up the ride home 2 1/2 blocks away.

Buck is still at the application stage of his job hunt.  That's a mixed blessing.  He's getting a little restless, but it's great to have him home to do the housework and laundry!  And I'm sure the doggins love having him around.

Portland is a very busy place, and we've already taken advantage of a lot it has to offer. More about those adventures later.  Suffice it to say we won't get bored.  The weather has been simply wonderful - even when it gets hot in the afternoon (we're talking 85-90 here, not 110!), it cools down quite nicely in the evening and even gets chilly during the nighttime.  So far the only significant drawback to our move is not having our kids and grandkids close at hand.  Thank goodness for Skype!

Time to kick back and enjoy an hour or two in the easy chair.  Adventure narratives to come!

Puzzle Pieces and Paradise

Finally the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fit together.  The edge was done - decision made to move, most of the packing accomplished, degree completed, Jaime's possessions transported to OKC - but the center was empty.  This week has seen some real progress and the whole picture is starting to come together.  Right upper quadrant:  on Tuesday, the house sold!  The buyer wants to close as soon as possible, probably next week, but will allow us as long as 30 days to vacate - and with no rent for that time.  The Penske truck is reserved, our son-in-law Jason will do the driving, Buck and the doggins will be here before mid-June.  Lower right:  I'm looking at homes to rent so we'll have a place to PUT the contents of the truck.  Lower left:  I received word yesterday that Oregon has accepted my degree!  Once I find a job - the biggest piece of this part of the puzzle - I only need to submit my supervision agreement and statement of professional disclosure and I'm officially an "intern," which is equivalent to Oklahoma's designation of "candidate."  Left upper quadrant:  Buck getting a part-time job and just settling in to a new routine. 

In the meantime, I'm staying at the Paradise Resort, also known as Toot and Craig's home.  I seep in until around 8am every morning.  The weather has been beautiful, daytime temps ranging from 60-87, and lots of sunshine (so far).  Days are filled with reading, job applications, sewing, visiting with Craig, and working on the puzzle described above.  Oh - and relaxing in the hot tub, listening to the music of the creek running behind the house.  In the evenings, I walk a little ways with Craig and Hooper-Dooper-Dog or work out at Curves with Toot.  Craig's cooking is really spoiling me - not only because it's delicious, but because I don't have to do the preparation.  Red beans and rice with crawfish and shrimp, spring rolls and rice, grilled turkey burgers, homemade popovers with strawberries and real whipped cream....sigh!  After dinner we just veg out in front of the TV - Toot with her knitting, me with my iPad, and Craig sometimes munching on a sugar-free brownie. 

Buck and I talk daily, working on the puzzle from different angles.  I Skyped with Ginny's gang over the weekend, which was fun, and I've talked to Carrie and Jaime several times.  Buck will be here soon; the biggest adjustment is not seeing some combination of kids and grandkids just about daily.  I miss them all!

Overall, jigsaw puzzles - while challenging - are fun.  And what better place to put one together than paradise?

"Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life." ~Henry L. Doherty

Internship is a wonderful experience, one I would recommend for just about any profession.  It offers the opportunity to learn by observation, by action, by discussion and collaboration.  For professional counseling, the intern is assigned to a supervisor, and mine's the best:  Bonnie Blauser at Sunbeam Family Services.  I thoroughly enjoy my time in supervision with Bonnie, and have learned so much from her - I want to take her with me to Oregon/Washington, but know that's impossible.  On that note, I've emailed and spoken with 5 therapists in the Portland/Vancouver areas regarding possible supervision and have decided to apply for licensure in both Oregon and Washington.  To that end, I have appointments with two of the therapists who are approved supervisors for both states.   I look forward to meeting them and expanding my network of colleagues.

But, yikes - time is flying!  In a nutshell, here's how the next few weeks will look:

• March 19: our 'baby' daughter Jaime's 26th birthday!
• March 21: we leave with Alex and Devon Miller for the American Counseling Association's national conference in San Francisco.  This will be my first trip to California, the keynote speaker is Irvin Yalom, and attendance serves as our final paper for internship class.  Now, that's a deal I couldn't pass up! 
• April 12: off to Portland.  Buck's never seen the area (yes, he's still game for the move!) and we want to look at rentals. 
• April 13:  meet with therapists Bob Powell and Ceit Aquin Brooks in Vancouver, WA, to discuss licensure supervision.
• April 25: my final day of class - that means finishing up my case study, continuing the required hours of study for the National Counselor's Exam, and completing a take-home final.
• April 25 or May 2:  not sure which date yet, but one will be the end of my internship at Sunbeam. 
• April 27: my last day of work at OCU, which will be very bittersweet.  I've been here for just shy of 12 years, earned my bachelor's and (almost) my master's degrees, and made lots of wonderful friends - faculty, staff, and students.
• April 27: Jaime comes in for the weekend to host a bridal shower. 
• May 5: Graduation Day!!!
• May 10: our target date for leaving OKC for the great Northwest.  If the house hasn't sold, Buck and the dogs will have to stay behind while I go up to find a job.  Prayers, please - St. Joseph (buried in the yard) needs some motivation!

Throw packing into the mix, and it figures to be a busy couple of months.    And while I get tired at the thought of all the hubbub, I'm excited, as well.  Activity.  Variety.  Adventure.  They're all tied into the best pasttime ever - learning!

Save a Life

This weekend a situation occurred - something I knew would happen sooner, rather than later.  I was confronted with a crisis involving a severely depressed, suicidal, individual.  As an intern, I haven't had any suicidal clients - this was on a personal level.  Thankfully, my training kicked in and I was able to assist the person whose friend was at risk.

We had just spent time in internship class on a procedure called QPR...like CPR, but designed for suicide prevention.  Here's the gist of QPR:
Q = Question...a person about suicide.  Whether directly ("Are you thinking of killing yourself?") or indirectly (Have you been really unhappy lately, and wished you were dead?"), it's okay to ask.  Just asking the question won't push the person closer to the act; rather it allows them the opportunity to talk to you about their feelings.
P = Persuade...the person to get help.  First, listen to the individual, not interrupting or judging.  Push your own fear aside and give your full attention.  Secure a commitment that the person will get help. "Will you go with me to see (counselor, minister, hospital, etc.)?"  "Will you let me help you make an appointment with...?"  "Will you promise me you won't take any suicidal action until you've seen...?"  If the person refuses to get help, call 211 or 1-800-SUICIDE.  Don't underestimate the person's resolve. Remember - better to have an angry friend than a dead one. 
R = Refer the person to the appropriate resource.  A counselor, clergy, physician or nurse, or even someone at a help line, are all appropriate sources. 

The above actions can plant seeds of hope in a depressed or suicidal individual.  You CAN help.  For more information, go to www.qprinstitute.com. 

A Life in the Day(s)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012, about 9pm: Susan Brown comes in to vend at the Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show.  It's always fun to have Susan around!
Thursday, January 12, 2012, about 6pm: Toot (my sister, Tomme Fent) and husband Craig fly in for a visit.  $1000 Sandwiches and Buck's homemade brownies for dinner.  Yum!
Friday, January 13, 2012, all day: Baking apple pies, slow-cooking baby-back ribs.  And hoping Toot's cold doesn't get any worse.
Saturday, January 14, 2012, about 9:30am:  Susan calls from the quilt show.  She can't find her money bag!  Luckily I locate it at the house.  Whew!  Toot, feeling lousy, is off to the am/pm clinic.  Full-blown sinus infection.  She stays home while I take Susan her moolah and meet Sophia Snider at the show.  So proud of myself - I resist the urge to spend tons of money!  Only bought one new book and a marking pen. Back home, Toot and I watch Harry Potter movies to take her mind off being SICK.
Sunday, January 15, 2012:  Toot stays home while Craig goes to see his family in Stillwater.  Buck and I are off to church.  More Harry Potter.  By late afternoon, Toot's feeling better.  We all go to dinner with Carrie's crew and Ginny's gang. 
Monday, January 16, 2012, is spent catching up on laundry and putting away all the extra linens. Until about 9:30pm:  The phone rings.  Buck answers; a short exchange ensues from which I can tell it's one of our daughters.  Since we usually talk to them at least once every day or two, this in itself didn't concern me.  It was Buck's announcement that Carrie had broken her foot that caught my attention.  "What?  And you didn't let me talk to her?"  He pulled himself together and went over to watch the sleeping kids.  Yep - the ER confirmed it.  A broken bone in her right foot.  Makes chauffering kids around and going to school a little hard, huh?  Thank goodness for sons-in-law.

And so it goes.  Other than the broken foot, just the usual utter chaos.  We're so fortunate to have each other - friends and family.  ALMOST makes every day a holiday!  ;)

Winding Up, Winding Down

Starting a blog just seems like the thing to do.  That's the winding up part, the putting-my-life-into-words part.  The winding down refers to this being the final semester of my Masters in Education program and my last few months living in Oklahoma. (At least for the time being; who knows where we'll be in 5 or 10 years!)  Then in May I'll be winding up again.  Moving to Oregon (daring thing).  Leaving the kids and grandkids (hard thing).  Starting a new career (scary-but-exciting thing).  Living near my sister (fun thing).  Buck and I have decided this is our version of a midlife crisis! You can follow along, if you want.  The more the merrier.  And maybe you'll start an adventure of your own.

Gator, later!