Still Home After all These Months

Well, we’ve now been home for quite a while now – longer than we were away. So, how have things been progressing?

I’ve landed a great job with a local engineering and land survey company, working in the Health, Safety and Environment department. I’d be lying if I said it was the most challenging work, but when I’m busy, it’s really enjoyable, and moderately rewarding. What’s most important, though, is that it feels like something that could develop into something resembling a career. Hard to say for certain at this point.

Kathy had a much harder time finding the job that she wanted, but eventually she landed a spot in the circulation department at a magazine publisher. It’s a lot of work, but she seems to be enjoying on it.

Anyway, on other things:
Early in October, we snagged a great apartment – we’ve got a beautiful view overlooking the University farm. It’s not perfect – like most apartments, it has cheap appliances, cheap floor coverings, doesn’t get the same kind of care and attention that resident-owned units do, and it gets pretty toasty on hot days, thanks the large windows that were so attractive when we picked it, but for apartments it’s pretty good. We’ve bought a place that we move into in late August…really looking forward to that. It has a big kitchen, has been recently renovated, and is within walking distance of my job, just a little too far for Kathy to walk.

We’re still thinking about travelling. It’s funny…after about 4 months we started thinking longingly of home, and were really looking forward to it, but it took less than a month of home time before we were thinking it would be so much nicer to just get going again. But we probably won’t do a long trip again, at least not for a good many years. Much as we might enjoy it, if we’re going to get the most out of life, a certain portion of it needs to be dedicated to working, buying property, and accumulating some wealth. So, for a few years at least, we’re on paid vacations only.

We had toyed with the idea of going to the Yukon this year, but, between accelerating our plans to buy a condo, and Kathy’s long job search that means she doesn’t have access to vacation time yet, that didn’t happen. But we are committed taking some sort of trip next year, and the Yukon will probably be it, so that’s something to get excited about…heading up into the land of the midnight sun.

Further away, we’ve been thinking about a trip to South America. Kathy wants to go to Ecuador, I want to go to Peru. Since I picked the last destination, we’ll probably go to Ecuador. And we long to go back to Turkey. It’s etched in our memory as just one of the most perfect countries for travellers, and, despite spending a full month there, we feel like we didn’t even scratch the surface.

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