Balancing

Since arriving in Los Angeles about a year-and-a-half ago, we have attempted to get out as much as possible and soak in all this city and its surroundings have to offer. When I say "all" I mean, concerts, plays, hiking, exploring other communities etc... If I had to give us a grade on how well we've done, I'd say we deserve a "B." A solid grade but one that can be improved upon.

We have managedto attend more concerts than ever before and have wedged in a few plays and hikes. But, I'd like to do better at quick, weekend camping trips (I should work on overcoming my fear of bears). Last time we went camping, I made Russ pitch a tent in the middle of a desert because I didn't want a bear to eat us.


I credit the frequency of our stellar entertainment to a couple of key factors: being KCRW members and not owning a house. We are huge KCRW listeners and so we decided to become members (besides, they guilt you into joining during their phone-a-thon). One of the perks of our membership is that we can call in during contests and try to win tickets and Russ ALWAYS wins! In fact, we win so often that we had to get separate memberships because the rules state that a member can only win once every 90 days. Winning too often is an excellent problem to have.


I'd also attribute our "go get em" lifestyle to not owning a house. When we lived in Seattle, we were attracted to the real "fixer uppers" and spent every spare moment sanding, cutting, painting, planting, building and cleaning up our home(s). While we desperately miss house projects, we've had to learn to relax and find other ways of connecting. This has been great for our relationship and for our faith. Honestly, for the first few months it was like we were paralyzed on the weekends. We had no idea what life outside of house projects looked like...if not a trip to ReStore (in Seattle) what should we be doing? We've been stretched and have learned to think out of the box, be focused on the present and honestly, the quiet has allowed us time to reflect on the bigger picture of life (a much longer blog entry...to come :)

Our newly remodeled home in Madrona. Everything was redone: deck, siding, painting, walkway, floors, walls, plumbing, staircase, kitchen, bathrooms completely gutted, backyard, fireplace, etc.. It makes me itch just thinking about it - - o.k., I wasn't always the happiest camper every weekend and every evening but am glad we did the projects - "balance" is the title of this post for a reason :)

Russ working on the walkway

Kitchen before

Kitchen after (notice the bowling alley counter - that was sad to leave)

We are slowly testing these waters of non-house projects and are finding ways to involve ourselves in our church, with our friends and of course, we are finding all sorts of time to take advantage of free concerts! Last week it was Dengue Fever (a Cambodian Rock Band) and this week it is Conor Oberst - - woo woo! We also have a couple of bigger hikes planned for the summer - - Catalina Island and Devils Gulch!

Malibu Family Winery - Ang's 30th Birthday

At Dengue Fever at the EchoPlex - Free tickets are best!

Hiking at Lone Pine, California (not too many bears up here)

It seems glaringly obvious now that living a good life is about finding a balance. Nonetheless, I am glad we've had the two extremes of house projects and endless entertainment because, hopefully now it'll be easier to spot the middle - where the balancing takes place.

There is nothing in the world like witnessing the transformation of a dodgy dwelling to a beautiful abode and knowing that your sweat and hard work directly attributed to this change. As well, our favorite date is sitting on the grass at an outdoor music venue, drinking a cold drink, eating good food and listening to great music. Perhaps these dates are all the more rewarding after a hard days work of remodeling.