“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Well, basically everybody agrees that 2016 was a flaming trash fire, but I wanted to take some time to go back and find the good things that happened to me this year.  For one thing, Peri and I both got accepted to Evergreen State College.  But lots of amazing things happened to me in 2016.  Here we go!

January:
1.) My partner and I spent a weekend in Portland, hung out with a friend there, and took a beautiful scenic drive on the way back home.

Long-Distance Moving Advice Needed

My long-distance partner & I just had our 3-year anniversary a couple of weeks ago, and we have decided the time is finally right to close the distance. I will be moving out west (WA) to be with him (I’m currently in CT) in mid-June of this year. I feel overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of the move.

I am looking into various options for moving my stuff in the cheapest (but most reliable) way possible. I don’t have a lot of furniture to move, and I’m probably going to sell off a lot of my stuff as well, including my car.

One uncertain factor, is whether my cat will be coming along with me; I absolutely want to bring her, but there are other complications that might prevent it. So, the factors I need to consider: 1.) If my cat comes with me, I can rent a U-Haul, & it will cost about $2500; 2.) If I don’t take my cat, I could rent a PODs or a U-Haul container, and just fly to WA. ** The latter option seems the easiest & cheapest, but after reading some awful reviews about container moving (PODS in particular), I feel reluctant to go that route.**

If my cat DOES come with me, I need to figure out the best way of transporting her that will result in the least amount of stress to her. The long road trip will take about 5 & a half days if we’re on the road for 8 hours a day. I’ve never taken her anywhere except car rides to the vet, so she’s not very fond of car rides. How do I handle potty breaks for her, etc.?

I also need advice on transferring my state insurance to my new home state. I am currently on Medicaid (Obamacare), but my coverage is done through the state, not the federal level.

TL;DR – Moving 3,000 miles, have limited income, need to move cat safely with me, need to figure out how to transfer my healthcare & ANY other advice you may have (I’m sure there are plenty of things I haven’t considered). Thanks in advance!

Catching Up — Apparently, I’ve Got a Lot of It To Do

So, I’m visiting my partner on the other side of the country and I’ve been here a month, and I still haven’t really updated much since I’ve been here.  It hasn’t been for a lack of things to blog about, more like.. I’ve had too much to do.  One of the things I’ve been most excited about my time here is my ability to pick up some art activities in Second Life after having been cut off from it for over two years.

SOOooooo, I am going to attempt to give the short version of my month here thus far, in pictures — real life & Second Life things — a lot of it art-related.

Owen Beach, Tacoma

Owens Beach in Second Life… no relation, I presume

With only a week left before school starts again, it’s time for another round of…

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Ellington Farmers Market — flowers and mint chocolate chip gelato.

Lots & LOTS of photos behind the cut.