Who ladypirate, please tell us more about you!

[ladypirate]

Thanks, Freke! We pick up the moving truck this morning and get to Portland on Thursday (we''re spending a couple of days with Kris'' family in NorCal on the way up), so I will probably not get a chance to post until then. And yes, it would be totally awesome if you could make it up in October!

 

[gwendolyn]

That is so exciting, LP! I hope you enjoy your time with Kris'' family and have an uneventful rest of your trip up to Portland!

 

[ladypirate]

Well, we''re not in Portland yet, but we get there today! We actually ended up getting out of Santa Barbara late because on our way out, I got REAR ENDED. It was so ridiculous. The woman didn''t speak any English and refused to exchange information, so we had to wait until the cops got there TWO HOURS after it happened. We were supposed to be driving for 8 hours--yeah, didn''t happen. Luckily, we have friends in Salinas so we were able to stay with them rather than driving all the way to Kris'' parents that first day. I''ll post again once we''re all settled in the new house!

 

[FrekeChild]

Yay for getting close LP!!

Boo for getting rear ended...

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 7/3/2008 10:40:46 AM
Author: ladypirate
Well, we''re not in Portland yet, but we get there today! We actually ended up getting out of Santa Barbara late because on our way out, I got REAR ENDED. It was so ridiculous. The woman didn''t speak any English and refused to exchange information, so we had to wait until the cops got there TWO HOURS after it happened. We were supposed to be driving for 8 hours--yeah, didn''t happen. Luckily, we have friends in Salinas so we were able to stay with them rather than driving all the way to Kris'' parents that first day. I''ll post again once we''re all settled in the new house!

Ew. See, when I said to have an uneventful trip, getting read-ended was one of the things you weren''t supposed to do!

Seriously though, that sucks. I''m sorry you''ve been delayed, although it''s good that you have friends in the area to get to hang with. Almost there!

 

[ladypirate]

Well, we got into Portland yesterday and spent our first night in our bee-yoo-tiful house! We got everything out of the moving truck and into the house and have been busy re-assembling furniture, figuring out which box has what and other general moving-in stuff. Other than the accident on the way out of Santa Barbara, the trip was nice and almost all our stuff made it no worse for the wear (with the exception of one of my nice pillowcases that Kris decided to use to cover a table leg with, meaning it got torn and covered in grease.) All in all, I call it a win.

I still probably won''t be on much for the next few days as they will be rather full of moving stuff, but once we''re all settled, I''ll post some pictures and get back into the swing of things!

 

[miraclesrule]

Yayayaya, it wasn''t the easiest trip, but you make it!!

I hate moving, but I love new beginnings. Moving is always easier with a partner around, that''s for sure.

I''m just glad nobody was hurt in the accident and that you finally made it to your destination.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 7/4/2008 7:28:37 PM
Author: ladypirate
Well, we got into Portland yesterday and spent our first night in our bee-yoo-tiful house! We got everything out of the moving truck and into the house and have been busy re-assembling furniture, figuring out which box has what and other general moving-in stuff. Other than the accident on the way out of Santa Barbara, the trip was nice and almost all our stuff made it no worse for the wear (with the exception of one of my nice pillowcases that Kris decided to use to cover a table leg with, meaning it got torn and covered in grease.) All in all, I call it a win.


I still probably won''t be on much for the next few days as they will be rather full of moving stuff, but once we''re all settled, I''ll post some pictures and get back into the swing of things!

Yay, so glad you are safe and sound! Sorry about the pillowcase, but everything else sounds like it pulled through. Enjoy settling in and check it when you''re able!

 

[sunnyd]

Boo for accidents, but yay for getting there! Can''t wait to see the pics, that house is so cute from the outside.

 

[ladypirate]

Thanks for the congratulations, everyone! We''re slowly getting things unpacked and put away, as well as constantly searching craigslist for a few items we still need (read: dressers. Seriously, we are living out of plastic storage bins with clothes in them for the time being). Things are good here, though, unlike back in California where both my home town and Kris'' home town are surrounded by fires. They have the one in Santa Barbara (where I''m from) mostly contained, but a family friend of ours lost 95% of her orchards, which were her livelihood. We''re hoping she can get some federal assistance, but she may lose everything.

In Kris'' home town, they have evacuated about a quarter of the houses and put another quarter on notice. This is less than a month after the last huge fire there, which burned about 60 homes. If you could keep his family in your thoughts, it''d be much appreciated.

 

[gwendolyn]

Absolutely, LP. That is just terrible.

 

[ladypirate]

OK, so time for updates! I can''t believe we''ve been here two weeks already.

Portland is awesome. It''s been hot for the last week or so, but the last couple of days it''s cooled off to the point of being beautiful (according to the paper, Portland is currently one of the least warm places in the nation, so I guess I shouldn''t be complaining!). Our house is lovely and I want to post pictures, but apparently the cable for the camera got lost in the move, so it will have to wait until we either get a new cable or get a sim card reader.

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of getting unpacked, setting up the house, declaring residency, getting drivers licenses, switching banks (to an awesome credit union up here--we''re getting 5.5 APY on our CHECKING account), retitling the car, and searching for jobs. I had an interview with the organization I worked for in Santa Barbara and they are in the process of opening a new position, so they''re going to bring me in to interview officially once it is in place (should be in the next couple of weeks). Kris officially just finished working at his old job (since he took his last few weeks as vacation rather than cashing it out for tax reasons), so he''s spent the last couple weeks in vacation mode and will start job hunting in earnest next week.

To cut to the chase, then, I''m ba-ack!

 

[ladypirate]

Also, both of our families are fine and the fires are mostly contained. Thanks for the well-wishes, Gwen!

 

[FrekeChild]

Yay LP!!!Sounds like things are going awesome!!!!

 

[miraclesrule]

Whoooohooooo, nice to hear from you again. Wow, you are really busy. There is so much to do when you move into a new home, in an entirely new state. I can''t wait to hear how the job search goes.

 

[ladypirate]

So now that I''m a bit more settled, I suppose I should pick up the story where I left off! Kris and I had our first official "date" a week after we''d officially started dating at the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland!

 

[ladypirate]

We did the long distance thing from Santa Barbara to LA for about six months. In January, he was preparing to quit his job and move down to Los Angeles to be with me and then I got laid off. It sucked, but actually it ended up being one of the best things that could have happened. I decided to move back to Santa Barbara to be with him instead and we started planning our move up to Portland (which is where we wanted to be anyhow).

I guess to some people it would seem like we moved rather quickly--talking about marriage & moving in together after only six months, moving a thousand miles away together after a year, but it has never felt that way to us. We actually didn''t like to tell people how long we''d been dating for a long time because it felt like so much longer (probably since we were so close prior to it).

Throughout all the long term relationships I''ve had prior to this (2.5 years, 3.5 years and a year), none of them had ever felt like home, and this one did immediately. I found someone who brings a smile to my face every day. Actually, way before we started dating (while I was single), I made a list of everything I was looking for in a guy. Kris meets or surpasses everything on it. Here''s a copy (from an old journal post):

Things I want in a guy:

1. Highly intelligent and knowledgeable (and able to communicate that).

I want someone who actively participates in conversations about intellectual things. I want someone not just interesting, but interested. In a plethora of things. I want to be challenged and made to think. I want to use big words in conversation without being given blank stares. Ideally, I want someone who uses big words too.

2. Sense of humor.

I need someone who can be just as silly as they are smart. Liking puns is a huge plus. I want to laugh until I cry when I''m around them.

3. Strong personality.

I have an extremely strong personality. I need to be with someone who will push back. I want someone who will argue with me without getting upset and who will talk as much as I do.

4. Adventurous, active, positive and energetic.

I like going out and doing stuff. I like camping/hiking, going to museums, exploring, being active, etc. I need to be with someone who also likes doing stuff, preferably with a smile.

5. Romantic streak.

This doesn''t need to be the typical candlelit dinner with roses stuff, but I think everyone appreciates someone else going out of their way to make them feel special on occasion.

6. Not an alcoholic, but also not a teetotaler.

I enjoy social drinking. I rarely get drunk, but it happens occasionally. I like having a glass of wine with dinner. I don''t want to be the only one drinking at the table.

7. Enjoys culture.

I like going to concerts in a variety of genres, seeing live theatre, visiting museums, and watching films. Someone I date should enjoy cultural activities as well. I try to be a bit erudite. If they don''t, we might not be a good match.

8. A secret geek.

I''m a huge geek, but I don''t really come across as one until I start talking about nerd stuff (or so I''ve been told...whatever.). That should describe the person I date as well. I like guys who are into geeky things, but I also like guys who have well developed social skills. If someone doesn''t have both, I will probably not be interested in them. We could totally play some WoW, though.

9. Attractive.

This varies. None of the guys I''ve dated have looked alike, but I need to be physically attracted to whomever I''m going to be having makeouts with. I can''t tell you whether I will be attracted to someone or not. It''s not something I can really control.

9a. Tall.

This deserves special mention in the attractiveness category. I am not attracted to people shorter than me. 5''10" is in all honesty the absolute minimum requirement. They should also outweigh me, although this can be bent a bit on a case by case basis. I like a guy with a little meat on his bones, although (going along with what I said before about being active), not too much.

10. Chemistry.

This is the most important thing on the list. We have to click. Someone could meet all the other requirements and it still just wouldn''t be there. It''s intangible.

So that''s it. I think it''s good to know what I want...but I''m not saying all of the requirements on this list have to be perfectly met, either. I think the real trick here is finding someone who fits all of my requirements who wants me as well. Fingers crossed, right?

So yeah, Kris pretty much rocks. And that also pretty much brings us up to date. Woo!

 

[gwendolyn]

Yay, glad to hear you are loving Portland! Shame about the cord to the camera, but you know we''ll be excited to see photos of your new place whenever you get around to replacing it. Very sweet story and photo of you and Kris at Disney too! You guys really are an adorable couple.

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 7/26/2008 11:26:17 AM
Author: gwendolyn
Yay, glad to hear you are loving Portland! Shame about the cord to the camera, but you know we''ll be excited to see photos of your new place whenever you get around to replacing it. Very sweet story and photo of you and Kris at Disney too! You guys really are an adorable couple.

Aww, thanks Gwen! You and J are super cute together as well!!!

I''ve been flat on my back for the last few days because of a bout of sciatica, which is really obnoxious. On the plus side, though, we got a dresser, so we are no longer living out of plastic storage tubs! Yay!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 7/27/2008 12:17:34 PM
Author: ladypirate


I''ve been flat on my back for the last few days because of a bout of sciatica, which is really obnoxious. On the plus side, though, we got a dresser, so we are no longer living out of plastic storage tubs! Yay!

Oh no, I hope you feel better soon, so sorry.

That picture of you and Kris is adorable; great pic! How is Portland? I have never been there but I have heard wonderful things about it and hope to someday go!

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 7/27/2008 1:46:51 PM
Author: Skippy123
Oh no, I hope you feel better soon, so sorry.

That picture of you and Kris is adorable; great pic! How is Portland? I have never been there but I have heard wonderful things about it and hope to someday go!

Thank you, Skippy! You are such a sweetheart.

Portland is wonderful; you and DH should definitely come visit! It''s beautiful up here. We have a huge park right by our house so we can go for long walks there. We ordered a card reader for the camera since the cable got lost in the move, so I should be able to post pictures soon!

 

[ladypirate]

House pictures!

This is the front door/entryway:

 

[ladypirate]

From the front door, looking up the stairs:

 

[ladypirate]

Again from the front door, looking left into the living room (and no, I have no idea why none of the downstairs curtains match--at some point I will make new ones, but I haven''t had a chance yet):

 

[ladypirate]

Different angle of our living room, showing the awesome down-filled couch we found on Craigslist!

 

[ladypirate]

Standing at the left side of the living room, looking into the dining room. The painting is an original watercolor that Kris'' great aunt did of the barn on the farm where Kris lived when he was little.

 

[ladypirate]

The kitchen. I don''t love the electric stove, but it has worked ok so far:

 

[ladypirate]

I forgot to say in the last post that we LOVE our kitchen butcher block--another craigslist find! It is awesome. So that concludes downstairs (except for the guest bathroom, but I don''t seem to have pictures of that). Upstairs is where the three bedrooms and another bathroom are. Here''s a shot of our bedroom, where you can see our new dresser and one set of the curtains I made!

 

[ladypirate]

A reverse shot toward the door of our bedroom, going out into the hall. The guest bedroom/craft room is to the right, but the only picture Kris took is when it was messy (because I was making curtains!), so I am not posting it. You can also see the bedside table here--imagine another one on the other side of the bed and you have a pretty good idea of what the whole room looks like.

You can also see the weird button-style lightswitches that I believe are original to the 1922 house.

 

[ladypirate]

If you turn left down the hall rather than right into the guest bedroom/craft room, you have the office on your left and the bathroom on your right (the stairs are pretty much across from the master bedroom). Here''s a picture of the office: