hello to spring!

Once again, I have neglected this blog for quite a long time (last post on 1/20/11!?! yikes.) Since it has been so long, let me reintroduce myself and get you all caught up on my life...

Hi! My name is jenna! I am 28(?!) and am currently working for Fred Meyer in their main office in the Rewards department. You know that card that the cashier asks you about when you check out? Did you forget that card and have now missed out on all of those Rewards and fuel points? No worries! Just give me a call and I'll add the points for you! Didn't get your $0.10/gallon discount when you got gas? It's probably your own fault, but I'll try to make you feel better about it. This is not what I want to do for years and years to come, but it's a job and it's comfortable enough (for now).

Since I started working at the FM corporate office last September, I have been staying with my Grammy, who lives much closer to the office than The Momma, who is still in Sandy. It has been a good arrangement, but I defiantly do not brag about still living with my family at my age. College and three years of AmeriCorps did not allow for any type of savings and I know that I have been very blessed to have family that I truly enjoy being with and who will put up with my broke-ass, free-loading shenanigans.

But, little jenna is finally becoming a grown-up. I still have my car Babs and she is totally paid for. I have a job with no end-date. And in May, I'll be moving into a house! My friends Stephanie and Heather currently live in Gresham and they wanted to move into Portland and into a proper house. Two-bedroom houses are hard to come by and I was looking for roommates, so we decided in March to find a place together. It's been a long and painful search, but on Saturday we looked at a house that we all fell in love with as soon as we went in. We had been looking on Craigslist for houses and looked at several. The places were either in sketchy neighborhoods, too small or were already taken by the time we called the property management people. I was also having a hard time swallowing the $30-$45 application fees we were going to have to pay once we decided that we liked a house enough to go through the application process. We saw a "for rent" sign at this particular house when we looked at a house that was three doors down. We filled out the application on Saturday with the owner/landlord of this place and didn't even have to pay an app fee. After the landlord reviewed our app, he called Steph this morning and said the place was ours!!! I'm giddy with joy!

"Where is this house?" you may be asking. To you, I say, "Leave me alone, stalker!"

But really...It's on NE 31st off of Ainsworth and near the McMenamins Kennedy School. It's a super-cute house with four bedrooms, one bath, a nice yard and a bonus/family room in addition to the living room. The living room has a fireplace and built-in bookshelves. The kitchen has new cabinets that are a pretty rosewood and granite countertops. Heather and Steph are going to take the bedrooms on the main floor and I am going to take a room in the downstairs area. The two rooms down there are a bit small, but I might use the bonus/family room as my bedroom instead. I haven't decided. I am so, so happy that we got this house. I can't wait to move in and get settled. I am tired of living a hobo life and don't plan on moving for a long time after this.

So, that's the excitement in my life right now. I might keep up this blog a little better now, but don't bet the farm on it. I am hoping the writing muses visit me more often so I can become a more consistent writer. I don't delude myself by thinking that people who read this hang on my every word and pray for a new post daily. Writing this blog is a process I enjoy and is just another outlet for story-telling. I'm amused by it, anyway...even if I am the only one :)