Green Valley Village to the Gaslamp, San Diego

We were warmly welcomed by Tyler, Corrina, Gabe and the rest of Tyler and Corrina's housemates. We ended up staying for two weeks. The first week consisted of being entirely too spoiled by Tyler & Corrina's yummy vegan cooking, visiting the farmer's market in Sebastopol. After the farmer's market, we took a trip to the sea with Tyler, Corrina & Gabe. It was full of yummy Indian food, good talks, and self exploration through the Tao Ching by Lao Tzu. After enjoying the sea and sand for a few hours we were able to purchase some groceries at a natural foods store. The rest of the week we spent with Tyler and Corrina as they prepared to set off on a bike/music tour of the Pacific Northwest. They recently finished at the beginning of November, riding from Seattle, WA to Arcata, CA on the Pacific Coast Highway. We are really proud of what they have accomplished as musicians, as a couple, not to mention the physical and mental mountains they climbed. We will be eternally grateful to them for the kindness, generosity, and wisdom that they shared with us while we were making our journey. We hope life brings us together with them again sometime soon.

That second week's time at Green Valley Village was mostly spent with our new friends Julie, Gil, Aeo,and her son Ocean. Julie taught me how to make blackberry-quince jam. We added a bit of Agave nectar for sweetness and then we cooked it in a solar oven. It turned out great and we still have a big jar to enjoy. We are really thankful for the love that everyone showed us while we were there. While it didn't seem like it was the right place for us at this time in our lives, we really enjoyed our time spent there. Living in an intentional community is certainly one of our life goals as a couple.

While the original plan was for Kevin to stay at GVV while I went to L.A., the best laid plans don't always fall into place. We decided that we were being led to stay together and that Kevin would (reluctantly) come to L.A. to be with me. We secured jobs at the USA Hostel in Hollywood, about six blocks from the Los Angeles Recording School, where I was to be attending classes. Once we got settled, I visited LARS again and started applying for student loans. I had already filled out my FAFSA months before and I recieved quite a bit of financial aide, however, I was not approved for my student loans without a co-signer. I don't have anyone eligible to co-sign with me, so I was really dissapointed in not having the funds to start classes. Kevin and I decided that I should work to save up some money and perhaps come back in a year if that is where I'm led. We also decided that the smog was getting to us, along with the hustle and bustle party life of Hollywood and we really didn't want to stay there if I wasn't taking classes. We asked for a transfer to the USA Hostel in San Diego.

October 1st we moved from Hollywood to San Diego. We made some great friends in Hollywood (namely, Elsa) and it was difficult to leave her and the whole staff behind. Ollie & Nickie were great managers and we have nothing but love for USA Hollywood. Long story short, the vibe and energy at the USA Hostel in San Diego was not what Kevin and I were looking for, nor needed in our lives at that point. Kevin found Lucky D's hostel while going for a walk around the Gaslamp District where we live. He stopped in and inquired about jobs and within two days we moved in and started working. It was such a blessing and we felt overwhelmed with our good fortune.

The past two, almost three months have flown by and we still feel really blessed to be able to work and live at Lucky D's . We've made some great friends, some that will always be in our lives. We have a great boss, Michelle, who lets us have our own room to ourselves. It's a luxury to have that in a hostel, so we are grateful. We've been exploring San Diego as much as our wallet and time allows. We still have a lot of the city to explore, but are happy to report that the beach and Balboa park are our favorite spots, and they are convienently free! We also have had the opportunity to spend Halloween with friends from around the country and are looking forward to our reunion again in January.

We had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas/Winter Solstice holiday with our family here at the hostel. We both have been doing freelance work, but it's not steady. I have applied for over sixty jobs and have had three or four interviews, none of which came through. I keep holding faith that something will fall into place. Many of you know Kevin is up for a job playing his trumpet on a cruise line. He will not know if he will get a position until January or later. If that does happen, it will be a great blessing, but he will be gone for six months at a time. We will let everyone know when and if that happens.

Kevin has been playing with a reggae band three to four nights a week for about the past month downtown here in the Gaslamp. He is playing New Year's Eve, headlining a reggae party, so that is how we will ring in this supposed new year, depending on what calendar you follow.

Despite difficulties finding steady jobs, we find ourselves to be very happy and content with our life. Nothing is taken for granted and we offer up gratitude for each and every blessing we recieve. It's important to us that we continue to practice gratitude and to show love and kindness to everyone. Life is just series of moments, we try enjoy each one in the present without worrying about the ones behind us or the ones that are next in line.

We miss our friends and our families back home in Indiana and Michigan. Shout out to the Black Elk, where our friendship and our love for each other first began. It's been a wonderful six months. We miss the BE and all of our friends there. We also miss the trees and green grass. Kevin misses the snow, but I do not. :) We will more than likely be back in the next year to visit, schedules and life permitting.