Reasons why I "dislike" the PNW...

1. The weather, I talk about it all the time.  It is soul sucking and it is no wonder the suicide rate is so high here.  I am not saying that to be funny.  Vitamin D defeciency causes depression. I know, first hand, that the lack of sun will make you feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Whoever said "It can't rain all the time.", never lived here.  ;-)
2. Passive aggressive behavior.  Say what you mean, people!!!  Or better yet, say nothing! I am so tired of people protecting peoples' feelings through dishonesty.  Also, not everyone deserves a trophy, There I said it!  Sucking still happens here even if you're too pretentious to see it.
3. I am far away from my siblings and parents.  The closest portion of my family is 2,480 miles away.
4. I have spent all of my time here broke. The economy busted right after we bought our home in an area we don't want to live in.  It may be self-induced but it fucking sucks. 
5. The drivers, this goes with #2.  The left lane is for passing, the middle for the speed limit and the right for people going slower or exiting.  They all drive the reverse of this so getting anywhere is infuriating. 
6. No Dunkin' Donuts.  And while I love the gourmet donut shops, they are all too far away for me to actually visit them with any type of frequency. 
7. Getting dressed requires a wardrobe consisting of far too many layers.
8. It's so damp no matter how "warm" it is you still feel cold.
9. I can't go to every roller derby bout!  There are so many on the I-5 corridor and I can never choose, or can't go. see #4.
10. Vagabonds, thieves, and schemers.  They're everywhere, but seriously don't tell me you're out of gas, AGAIN, in the exact same place you were 3 weeks ago.  Not buying it or giving you any money for it.

Reasons to "like" the PNW...

1. The weather.  It's mild and passive aggressive just like it's people.  Spring is beautiful and summer is too.
2. The outdoors.  Not my personal cup of  tea but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't always on the look out for a bald eagle or a beaver.  Fact.
3. ROLLER DERBY! OMG! There is so much of it!!  You can drive 30 minutes in any direction and find a top 10 team.
4. Apple and Berry farms.  Because who doesn't like fresh fruit and visiting a farm.
5. coffee shops.  I personally don't care much for coffee but walk a block in any direction and you'll find a coffee shop.
6. Thrift stores.  Rich people can be charitable with their really nice, expensive things.  This means better stuff to find while thrifting.
7. I need to come up with 10? 
8. Cultured people who don't stare at me for being tattooed.  They get that we don't all fit in a uniform.  I appreciate not being oogled and judged.
9. There's volcanoes and that's pretty exotic and interesting.
10. Indoor waterparks.  Because let's be honest how often would they really be open if they were outdoor?

Over the last 2 years, I have learned a lot, grown a lot, and made some of my best friends.  The PNW and the Army are responsible for that.  I am a cynical whiner but I would be remiss if I didn't say that this place will grow on you.  This will be another difficult place to leave.  Change is inevitable and you should never make your heart so tight and hard that you can't let what little light you'll see in the Northwest get in there.
Cheers! 

The Birth of Sailor Cherry and the Death of "I Can't"

So, we have been in WA state for 1 year and 4 months.  I am not going to lie and say I love it.  My poor husband can't roll his eyes hard enough everytime I make a snarky comment about the weather.  That being said, my list of things I am looking forward to delivered.  Although I haven't been snowboarding, yet, I have experienced and understood the culture here way better than last time. 
So, my list
1. The Hackmans
2. Roller Derby.
3. Possibly snowboarding
4. Experiencing a different culture
5. Having my kids close to grandparents
6. Less bugs?
7. Can you tell I'm grasping here?
#1, It is amazing how much you don't realize you miss something or someone until you have them back in your life.  Close friends who know everything about you and love you are indispensable. 
#2. Well it's what this blog is about, really. (see next paragraph)
#3. Not yet, but we may be here awhile considering the housing market took a dive and we're just going to have to wait it out.
#4.  I've drank like 4 cups of coffee in the last 7 months, a record for me!  Seriously.  I have decided I'll keep an open mind about it.
#5.  The kids love playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  They love their dog, their chickens, their neighbor's donkeys, and Grandma and Grandpa, of course.  I am so glad that visiting their Grandparents can be such an experience for them.
#6.  There are significantly less flying cockroaches, lol!  However, in the summer, the flies and bees make me glad The DH bought me an electric fly swatter.

So, Roller Derby!!!  I like it more than I thought I would.  My first practice was the end of July 2011 and consisted of a lot of falls and suicides in Walmart skates barely fit for a session!  The next day I couldn't get up or sit down without excruciating pain.  I went to every practice available and then did a session skate once a week for the first couple months.  I ditched those white Walmart specials for a pair of actual Derby skates (Riedell She-Devils), passed my skills test, picked a derb.y name, and was rostered for my very first bout on October 15th, 2011 
Before I started derby I was anxious, depressed, and quite frankly not much fun.  I had become a "Mom" and didn't know what that meant or even who I was anymore.  I started taking Zoloft and understood that what was happening was something chemical that I couldn't fix on my own.  I also learned that exercise kicks depressions ass!  All that anxiety started dissipating and soon I wasn't overwhelmed by every little thing that didn't go exactly as planned.  I noticed my legs were strong again and my core could support weight again.  I learned that I am a hyper person by nature and that I actually crave exercise.  The inactivity of my life and moreover the complacency I had developed was kind of killing my spirit.  Like many women, and now men, "Roller Derby saved my soul" and more importantly it brought Betsy back.  It has given me a sense of purpose and empowerment that nothing had before. 
Before derby everything was "I can't" or "It's too hard".  It's not like I don't have days or even weeks where I don't feel super awesome.  For instance, in March, after my first job interview in literally years, all of that yucky came back and knocked me on my ass quicker than a can opener to the sternum.  I was blindsided by feeling not good enough for the first time since I started derby.  That feeling carried over into everything!  I was bad at making breakfast, being a Mom, being a wife; I was even bad at DERBY!  Ugh!!  After a very long crying spell one Sunday afternoon and some words of encouragement from my biggest fan, things got back to my new normal.  But even when days are tough I have still learned what people have been telling me for years, "I can" and more importantly, I will! I have been a stay at home Mom and Army wife for nearly 6 and a half years and have spent countless days and nights handling the house by myself all the while feeling incapable.  But when I strap on roller skates and pads, I'm somehow not incapable, I am empowered!  For literally the first time in my life, I have a sport, friends, and some form of purpose. 

So, to all those ladies just starting derby and loving it but feeling bad at it, here are a few insights, 1. you're only gonna get out what you put in.  2. YOU CAN! 3. Sucking is the first symptom that you're actually learning.