Reasons For Change

There's nothing like change.

There's nothing that brings the woes of anxiety or the ecstasy of surprise more than the shifting landscape we call life. Even with Nick's practicality and my intuition put together, we will never be able to predict where the bend of the road will take us.

Deep thoughts, by LFB.

And now, it is with great pleasure (and relief) that I announce some major changes to your favorite Bostonians.

First, as some of you may have heard, Nick has decided to leave his doctoral program at Boston College. While a marriage is an archway over two souls, it's really his story to tell as to why he's leaving and I feel funny trying to explain for him. But, essentially, in a nutshell sold at Kroger, Nick is an individual who thrives in helping people in a relational setting; a ministerial purpose drives his personality, faith, and career. Academia can be an extremely isolating and elitist experience. You spend sometimes over 10 hours a day reading and researching topics that only a handful of people will fully understand. With meeting students who have progressed into the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years in the same program he was in, we observed that not only did the stress never let up, it only intensified with job hunting, more researching, tenure, and the pressure to publish. And just like in any other facet of life, it's not so much about right and wrong, it was about the question of fit. Nick recognized in the past few months that the fit just wasn't there. It's as complicated as that. It's as simple as that.

Shortly after we began discussing our options, Nick, on a whim, sent his resume to a parish in Cleveland, St. Dominic, who was hiring for a multifaceted position as Pastoral Minister. We were on our way home to Ohio for Easter when this opportunity rose. Within a few weeks, Nick had interviewed, received a wonderful offer, and accepted.

I truly believe that as we get older, it becomes more difficult to communicate in original phrases. The cliches of "follow your heart," and "you just know," and "only time will tell," are so overused, I cringe at the thought of further exploiting their usage. But, it's true. These stupid cliches are completely true. What has transpired in our lives in the past few months has been painful, wonderful, difficult, and unpredictable. (Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way, but it's hard on the emotions.)

We had begun to build our home here in Boston, but found ourselves growing silent to more urgent questions of sustainability, fit, and future. What we thought we wanted has, quite simply, changed. We are also crazily blessed that we are able to shift our lives and dreams in accordance to our desires and find support in every avenue we seek. In times where many are without jobs, the market is bleak for so many, and the economy continues to plummet, Nick and I feel are so grateful for our blessings and opportunities.

Then began the House hunting.

I have been wanting to buy my own house since I was, like, seven years old. Finding the right home for Nick and I has been an incredibly exciting journey, but a strenuous conversation in terms of all the countless considerations when buying your first home. Nick and I will be the first to admit proud and loud: WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT BUYING A HOME. Very similarly when we planned a wedding, we started from scratch. We build a layout of what we want and slowly go from there. Very similarly in how we planned our wedding, Nick thinks mechanically: paperwork, mortgages, and equity. I think details: window replacements, roof, foundation, and air conditioning. Now more than ever in my time of knowing Nick, I have thanked God a hundred times this month that he and I are so often on the same page.

This past weekend, we went to Cleveland and between this weekend and Easter, we've probably seen about 25 houses. To put it lightly, we are exhausted. This out of state shopping is so hard! But, we have possibilities and we're keeping the stress level in check. Nick has had more success with that lately.

Onto other big news...as if a new job, house hunting, and moving isn't enough - I am going on a massively large trip...a trip of a lifetime.

In January, I applied to study in a program that would allow me to study and live in the Philippines for six weeks while I attended crash courses in economics, history, literature, and language classes. The program, built specifically for Filipino Americans who have never been to the Philippines, was a golden find. I was accepted last week and will be conducting my own research at the University of the Philippines, their premier university and one of the oldest in the world. The scholars I will study under are some of the best philosophers, historians, and professors in the country and I am more than excited to go. I will leave sometime at the end of June and return sometime in August (dates are uncertain). This has been an opportunity that I have been looking for my whole life and there are no words to express how perfect this is for me at this time in my life.

And so, I have resigned from my job at Emerson College and have begun peeking around Cleveland for possibilities. But I'm in no rush. My focus is on the trip and preparing for it as best as I can. Nick will begin his new job in July and we're prepping each other for not seeing each other for six weeks. My heart hurts already just thinking about that.

And, so, our dear family and friends, forgive us for not spilling the beans earlier, but we wanted to wait until we were certain of our plans. And now they are certain. We continue to be grateful for your support, wherever we may be. (Hence the change in the blog title!)

Hold On To Your Shorts

Big post coming.

Seriously big.

I'm so behind!

AUGH.

Big.

Post.

Coming.

Promise...

OH THE NEGLECT

So, the past two weeks have been full of blog neglect.

I know that it's been a while since St. Patty's when we last posted, but I am up to my eyeballs in writing deadlines and we had 3 weekends with a killer schedule of flying to Ohio last weekend, hosting 4 friends this weekend, and flying to Florida this coming weekend...I know, isn't it just unbearable to travel, fly, and hang out with loved ones and then party like a rock star in Florida?

If you think Nick and I have a blessed life of fun and freedom, you think correctly. I don't think I could imagine a sweeter life than the one we are building right now. I mean, what more could you ask for other than not living in a residential college building with 450+ 18-22 year olds who over-microwave Tostinos and set off the fire alarm at 3am?

More updates on the way!

Celebrating the Irish/Filipino Parts of Us

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!

Over the weekend, Nick and I had an even distribution of ethnic eating. To celebrate his part Irish, we went to a friend's place for dinner to celebrate St. Patty's day. It was the first time that I have ever eaten corned beef cooked with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Very tasty.

To celebrate my Filipino side, we went to a Filipino mass on Sunday that is celebrated in English, but a few songs are sung in Tagalog, the primary dialect of the Philippines. I'm not fluent, but the language is quite familiar to me, since my parents speak it to one another. Afterward, there was a reception with Filipino food, YUM.

We also saw the movie, No Country For Old Men. I think it should be called No Movie for Young Children. We both gave it two thumbs up, but the violence and blood is wayyyy too much for younger kids. So, if you can stand the drama, we give it a high recommendation. Just leave the kiddies at home.

Birthday Update

Below: A funny gift from Nick on my birthday
Above: an old photo of Nick in honor of his 29 years



My birthday was a few weeks ago - February 27th - and it was a great time celebrating the big 2-9. Nick's birthday is coming up as well - this Wednesday, March 19th. We'll be traveling Thursday morning to Ohio for Holy Week and Easter and mostly be staying in the Massillon area with my family and get caught up with my nephews and niece. We have another nephew on the way who is due in May with a potential name of Christopher Factora. We'll see.

This picture is of one of the gifts that Nick game me for my birthday. One of my favorite movies is, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and Nick humorously etched out the "Greek" and put in his own hometown.

The other pic is in honor of Nick's big birthday this week. I believe this was taken his sophomore year or so in highschool.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICK!

Rewind: A Weekend Update

Above: Bride and Groom to Be: Vanessa and Tom

Above: Sunday Mass in the Mountains

Above: Omelets and Friends

The beautiful scenery

Let's back up.

The weekend of March 2, Nick and I went to New York with our friends Tom and Vanessa for another fun New York Cabin Weekend. Our first trip was in early February (click here for a refresher of that visit) and it was a fantastic time. We left Boston Saturday afternoon and arrived that evening and stayed until Monday afternoon. Another fantastic time with our buds!

Great News!

As many of you know, I have been working on my writing career for quite some time now. If I'm just breaking your bubble now, I'm sorry to report that administrative positions in higher education is NOT my sole purpose in life and I have been actively working on my writing career in the field of creative non-fiction, investigative journalism, essay, prose, and poetry. These specific genres are my strengths and I focus specifically on women's issues, feminism, and social justice.

There's a lot of misconception about these issues, particularly feminism, that I have spent many years trying to dismantle. The difficulty lies in explaining this to everyone that asks, "So, what do you do?" Well, just like any other non-traditional kind of job, writing has no specific track. There are no guarantees for success, salary, or benefits. I utilize my other skills and degrees for more secure positions (my job at the Women's Center at Miami University, my Resident Director positon here at Emerson College) that afford flexibility to write my little heart out when I can. Nick has been an extremely supportive partner in this respect, always comforting me when my articles get turned down, when my pitches to magazines are denied, or when my poetry is reviewed with less than an approving eye.

The great news is that I have recently been hired for (part-time) an Editor position with Make/Shift magazine. An independent, non-profit magazine that is dedicated to featuring artists, writers, and activists, Make/Shift is a dream come true for me. Its holistic philosophies and dedication to social justice is a refreshing breath from mainstream magazines and media.

For those who are not familiar with the independent scene, the best analogy I can come up with is mainstream vs. independant films. While Blockbusters may roll in the millions with the likes of Will Smith, Renee Zellweger, or couch jumping freak Tom Cruise, indie films are more known for their deep, artistic, and lower budget styles. Indie films are intentionally different because their values are not in money making or operating under a growth model (i.e. production, "bigger is better" mentality).

The same is true for literature and magazines. Make/Shift is not trying to be a Time or National Geographic magazine. It's based in Los Angeles and their editors are free to live whereever they please as long as they have working computers and internet access. My Editor position is dedicated to keeping my ear to the ground and report the latest and greatest news concerning the issues encompassed in feminism: politics, sexuality, art, conferences, publications, the environment, music, and international news concerning women's rights.

If this entire post has left you wondering, still, what in the hell I am doing, no worries. Just know that I just accepted an incredible position that makes me outrageously excited. Check out its website: http://www.makeshiftmag.com/