Southern Living

From Charleston, WV, 4:00am

After a year and a half of not writing- let me catch you up. I've been debating whether or not to even try to catch up or to just start new but I think the last year and a half deserves some recognition so here it goes...

1. I'm dating the most fantastic of humans. His name is Mika and he's a surgical resident in Charleston, WV. We've been dating since September of 2012 when we met in Seattle while he was there on a rotation. I think he's great and I cannot comprehend how I could ever love him more than I do now. 

Our May, 2013 vacation to Charleston, SC

2. I graduated from college at UW in Seattle. Woof!

3. I no longer live with my sister Whitney and I often miss how much fun we had together (see post titled 'Gazpacho, a Box, and a Dead Fish Named Benjerman'). 

4. I am now an aunt- the little guy, Lincoln Owen is my new obsession. I get to live with my sister and brother-in-law and take care of Baby Abe until next summer after which I will be joining Mika in Charleston.

Done.

Now onto Southern Living. 

West Virginia Capitol building grounds.

I have visited Charleston, West Virginia several times now. My first was the last week of June after Mika and I went to London and Paris for a week. He had moved the day before he came to Seattle for my graduation and we left for Europe the day after my graduation. When we got here (literally only a few hours before he had to be at the hospital for his first day of work) everything he owned was in his new basement, his car, or his friend, Dustin's refrigerator. I had just a ball of a time moving boxes full of medical texts from his basement to the top floor in 90 degree heat with 1,000,000% humidity. (Turns out we had A/C the entire time but I didn't know it...) Despite this (miserable and) tiring start, I'm pretty sure I was smiling almost the entire time and the more I explored Charleston the more it grew on me. 

London, England 2013

I've lived in Washington state my entire life. I've known nothing else. I've traveled some but rarely to the east coast or south. I grew up in a small town but had parents who were sure to "culture" my siblings and I with Mariner's games, trips to the 'Nutcracker' at the PNB, and continual service to those around us. I have lived in and loved Seattle now for over four years and consider myself a true Seattleite. I call Seattle home. What I knew of West Virginia though is that a) it's beautiful b) it's one of the most unhealthy populations- also one of the oldest populations, and c) it's rural. I was hesitant to say the least. I was nervous and once I knew Mika and I were serious I prayed and prayed that I would learn to love this new place that I would eventually call my home.  I imagined that my Anthropology degree would come in handy to understand the people here. My Anthropology of Globalization focus was identity and immigration and I envisioned myself using my educational knowledge to relate to people with whom I thought I would have nothing in common. If that didn't work, I thought empathizing would be the next best thing.

I have come to learn that I don't need an Anthropology degree or empathy to relate to West Virginians though. Even my small town upbringing hasn't come in as handy as I thought it would. The time that I have spent here has changed my entire outlook on not only West Virginia and the people here, but on all people. It has reminded me of something that I had forgotten, that people need people. It really is as simple as that. Every persons life is as complicated as my own and every person is just trying to make it through life as best as they can with the hand they were dealt. And I have learned that West Virginians are really good at this. For being from truly rural towns, they are more willing to accept outsiders (like myself) than I expected. They know more about the world and life than I ever will. They believe in God and have no doubt that He is great. So, this is my new home (or it will be shortly- though by the amount of shopping I've done for the house Mika probably wonders if I've already moved in). And I am excited to learn from all that it has to offer. As I was in Home Goods yesterday (or was it the day before? I told you I've been doing quite a bit of shopping) the thought crossed my mind that it really is a smoother transition if we embrace the ride. The change is coming no matter what and it's much more enjoyable if we put a smile on our face and a pep in our step. 

I was especially ashamed at my doubt in and my fear of West Virginia when I remembered my favorite scripture, 2 Nephi 5:27, "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness". The Nephites did not just miraculously become happy. They made a point to be so. They chose happiness, they didn't happen upon it. Happiness, or joy is something that we live "after", we strive for. We are never done perfecting our ability to be happy. We have to deliberately seek after it. I know this to be true. The more we show the Lord that we are willing to be happy and striving to be content (yet not to the point of complacency), the more peace and joy we receive. He has given us literally every tool that we need to become perfectly happy and it is our responsibility to utilize those tools to do so. 

In my case, I think one of those tools is West Virginia. Despite the helicopters landing at the hospital (our backyard) at 12am or the trains passing at 2am, it is wonderful here. I cannot get in an elevator without a cheery "Good morning ma'am". I always feel like I can ask someone for directions. The ladies at the market clue me in on which stall has the best mums that day. The list goes on. It is impossible to be unhappy in a place like Charleston, WV. 

Let me share a quick experience from yesterday- one other than shopping at Home Goods. This story involves me at GoodWill (continue reading to see what projects I'm currently working on). I was at the most rural/sketchy/small GoodWill I have ever seen in my entire life. Literally. This goodwill was probably the size of our house- so no so big. But, while I was there hunting for glass containers there was a preacher there. He was talking loudly to himself but at the same time to the entire store. He would say something and then say "Can I get an Amen?" and then literally half of the people in the store (there were only about ten people total including the employees) would say "Amen"! Isn't that so neat? It was out of a movie! We don't talk to other people while shopping in Seattle. But this preacher was just chatting it up with everyone, and people knew him, and a lady asked him to pray for her cat to stop escaping and so he did, and it was just wonderful. I couldn't help but grin ear to ear and he noticed and started telling everyone what a beautiful big smile I had and then someone yelled "Amen" and I felt awesome. That's why it's impossible to be unhappy here. People need people and people here know that. And they do something about it. 

Not only are the people here wonderful, the sights beautiful (though the trees haven't completely changed quite yet), and the weather nice (sunny and 75, anyone?), but I get to do what I'm really good at. Take care of a household with OCD-like precision. 

I said it. I love being a (pre)wifey. I love being able to support Mika while he works 80+ hours a week anyway I can. I've got shopping for the house down to a science (while remaining within my budget- ish). I'm perfecting my cleaning routine (though sometimes it may not seem like it), I finally have that new washer and dryer figured out, and "it's two thirty" is becoming the sentence that gets me out of bed to make breakfast. And I (not so) secretly love it. I love having dinner ready when he gets home (I'm getting really good at recipes that you can simmer for a few hours because sometimes I don't know when that will be). I love getting to repaint cool old mirrors that I found while antiqueing or getting to buy hoards of varying glass vases, candle holders, and hurricanes for different DIY projects (like making mercury glass, or these cute little Autumn branch candle holders, or to fill with faux Autumn leaves for a nice centerpiece.) I love getting to pray for him as he goes off to M&M. I love making pumpkin ice cream and apple cider slushies with him in the evenings. Whether it's West Virginia itself or just a 'coincidental' conglomeration of good things that happen to be here doesn't matter. It's good here, and I like it.