A list of thanks giving

 When I was younger, we had so many traditions at Thanksgiving and Christmas. On Thanksgiving morning, we usually watched the parade on TV, we got up early to bake and cook our last minute dishes, and then we always went to Aunt Janice and Uncle Herb’s house for dinner. I remember sitting around Janice’s beautifully laid out dinner and taking turns sharing what we were thankful for that year. Of course, now that my sister and I are older and we have lived out of the house, many of our holidays have been less about upholding tradition and more about just being together.

One tradition I want to bring back today, though, is giving thanks. Especially this Thanksgiving, Gabe and I have much to be thankful for, and we want to share that with you today. And maybe, we can start our own little tradition.

So here it is, Gabe and Kalene’s first annual list of thanks giving:

1. We are first of all thankful for GPSs and mapquest on iPhones. Neither Gabe nor I ever know where we are or where we are going, so we get lost…a lot. But now, with Gabe’s handy iPhone (thanks are in order to you, Steve Jobs!), we don’t get lost quite as often. We still don’t know where we are, but at least we’re being told where we are going. However, even GPSs and mapquest cannot always reliably track our location in Pittsburgh’s mangled street system. Once, picking up Gabe at school (I didn’t start from our apartment, so give me some credit) took me an hour rather than twenty minutes, even though my dad was on the phone with me telling me which turns to make. But still, despite the unreliability of technology at times, we are thankful that we spend less time getting lost. 
2. We are also thankful for the experiences Gabe has had since he started school here. In October, Gabe was able to go to a networking conference in New York City. He was able to meet with many different companies for potential internships, but he was also able to tour NBC studios and see the sets of shows like Saturday Night Live, The Good Wife, Pan Am, and Boardwalk Empire. He also had the opportunity to be a production assistant on a commercial that aired on ESPN before the Texas vs. Texas A & M game on Thanksgiving. Even though he had to be on set for about twenty straight hours, working behind the scenes on a commercial and then seeing it air on TV has probably been one of Gabe’s favorite experiences this year. It didn’t hurt that he was able to meet and have a conversation with Tom Cruise, who starred in the commercial.

3. In many ways, Gabe and I feel like we are still poor, lowly college students—except now one of us is a poor, lowly grad student—so we are both thankful for my job. No, I am not discussing nineteenth century British lit every day or editing (or writing) the next great American novel, but I am glad to be at a consistent job with coworkers whom I enjoy. I also am glad to be at a company that is able to break up the mundane of the everyday with office drama. A few weeks ago, all of the employees had to evacuate the building when several people went to the hospital from a strong chemical smell in the downstairs lunchroom. Within thirty minutes of our evacuation, a dozen ambulance trucks and three news stations were parked in the Justifacts parking lot. The most hilarious part now, and the worst part at the time, was that even after about fourteen of our employees went to the emergency room, the rest of us still had to go back into the building and work the rest of the day after the ambulances left. It probably goes without saying that not much work got done that day. At a job that involves doing background checks, my work usually keeps me pretty interested, but these little incidents have certainly helped to make it a job that holds my attention.

You can see that story and newscast done by one of the local Pittsburgh stations at http://www.wpxi.com/news/29674666/detail.html. (You can even see me in the background of one the shots!)

4. What we are the most thankful for this holiday season is our family and friends. We are still amazed at the help that our friends and our family provided to us to get us here to Pittsburgh. But what many of them do not know is that their love and support has given us the encouragement we need to stay here and finish what we set out to do. So, thank you for reading, for being interested in our lives, and most of all, for being there for us even from afar.

Fall time memories and the Gilmore Girls

I love the fall. Let me rephrase that: I love Minnesota fall. Missouri always felt a little too warm for real fall. Not enough trees, not enough color. I have found that Pennsylvania’s fall is a lot like Minnesota’s. We went to Gettysburg at the perfect time. Right before all the trees were bare and right after they had all turned colors.

There’s a tree right outside our window and its limbs reach over our little balcony. It’s turned a bright yellow color, and it makes me happy every time I see it. But the branches are becoming a little sparse now. It makes me wonder why I love fall so much when so many things are dieing to get ready for the long winter. I think it was something I decided many years ago after a trip to an apple orchard or after picking out pumpkins to be carved for Halloween. And it has stuck with me.

And maybe now, I’m so excited that it’s fall because when I’m surrounded by so many things that are unfamiliar or unsure, I cling to the things that are familiar, no matter how inane they may be. For my birthday, my wonderfully clever husband bought me the first season of Gilmore Girls. I have probably seen almost all of episodes from this series two or three times. Yet, I still laugh at Lorelei and Rory’s witty banter, and I still feel for them when they experience heartbreak. When I have a bad day at work, it’s like I need a little bit of Lorelei Gilmore in my life.

It’s been a while since I have been in Minnesota for the fall. Sometimes when I step out the door here, I smell the same crisp fall smells that I remember from Minnesota. It brings me back to the apple orchards where I spent time with my family. That’s why fall time usually makes me especially homesick, but right now, I’m experiencing the wonderful things of fall with new people in a new city. I know that I must move forward and make the most of our time here. But it’s still nice to have some of the familiar things to remind me where I came from and to give me strength to keep going forward.  

A snapshot

I finally sat down to upload some of the pictures that we have taken in Pittsburgh. We have enjoyed exploring so far and loved the Museum of Art and Natural History that is pictured here.  Pittsburgh is an old city with many beautiful, historic buildings, many of which that are on the University of Pittsburgh's campus. Carnegie Mellon also has a picturesque campus that is nestled in the middle of the city. It is exciting to be on such a large campus where so many new and groundbreaking discoveries are taking place. We also had to include some photos of our apartment. It is small but has all that we really need: rooms for sleeping, cleaning, eating, and cooking!

There are many other places near Pittsburgh we hope to visit while we're here (Gettysburg, Niagara Falls, and maybe even New York City, to name a few), and we'll be sharing pictures along the way. But for now, here's a few snapshots of life in PA so far. Enjoy!

At the Museum of Natural History--Gabe LOVES dinosaurs. He knows the name of that one behind him.

My dad and me. So glad he helped us navigate through Pittsburgh.

One of our favorite place in the Museum of Art, the Hall of Sculptures.

Hall of Sculptures.

My dad and Gabe next to an athletic looking sculpture throwing a discus.

Attempting to decipher endless halls of modern art can be exhausting.

Gabe and me next to the beautiful butterfly paintings.

Gabe with his dinosaurs again.

Us in downtown Pittsburgh near the University of Pittsburgh.

Sitting in front of the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt's campus.

Locks on the gate? After that modern art exhibit, my dad can figure out anything!

This way to Carnegie Mellon!

I had to take a picture of the building that houses the Humanities Department.

Entrance to Gabe's building: Heinz College

Cool sculpture in the middle of CMU's campus

I always think those two sculptures standing next to Gabe are real people.

CMU's School of Drama where many actors now in Hollywood have performed.

Pretty academic building on campus.

Campus union

More academic buildings

Pretty academic building again

One of many academic buildings for science, technology, and engineering

The VanHuss' on the couch that we picked up for free

Our bedroom

Our bathroom

Living room, kitchen, and dining room

I love that we have closet space!

My wonderful kitchen

I finally have room to cook!

A cube near the window

Pittsburgh so far seems like Minneapolis/St. Paul in a lot of ways. It has its unique little shops and restaurants in the city and the calm suburb life outside the city. We gravitated toward the quiet suburb living while choosing an apartment. It’s about fifteen miles outside of downtown Pittsburgh, which translates to a twenty-five to thirty minute drive for Gabe to get to CMU, depending on the city traffic that I had almost forgotten about since living in Springfield. One reason we are thankful to finally be in a bigger city again is the public transportation. Gabe is able to get to school for free by shuttle bus. And, of course, we love the sights and new restaurants. There’s something exciting about being in a large cityscape with students milling about and businessmen coming and going. There’s so many places to go, so many things to do. When my dad was here with us during our first week, we went to the Museum of Modern Art and Natural History, and we’re planning more museum trips in the future. This past weekend we went walking in Squirrel Hill, a “hip” neighborhood in downtown Pittsburgh where many CMU grad students live. I have never seen so many coffee shops or foreign cuisine on one street.

And we had to scout out our regular weekend eat-outs: Chinese and Chipotle. Sadly, Chipotle is in downtown Pittsburgh. Still, we have made the trip when our cravings called. We found a stand-by for cashew chicken at a nearby Chinese place. We also discovered Lula’s, a noodle restaurant with all types of Asian cuisine and, most importantly, bubble tea, which I have been without since my last trip to the Tea Garden in Minneapolis.

I have had a small change in my job lately as well—I’ve moved out of the training room into a new cubicle with the rest of the world. When I was told my cube faces a window, I thought I was lucky. But, I have now come to realize that businesses have become experts at creating environments with absolutely no distractions. Having a window consists of a tiny sliver of light above the wall of my cube. I can’t even really tell whether or not it’s raining outside. 

My new spot is not without its quirks. On Friday afternoon, I was busily getting my work done before the weekend when something fell from the ceiling onto my arm.  I shook the bug—calmly and rationally, of course—onto my desk to inspect it better. This bug was nothing I had ever seen before. It looked kind of like a small moth with a hard exterior. Fortunately, one of my friends is in the cube across from mine, and she came to my aid and whisked the bug off to the garbage. “Don’t squash it,” she said. “It will stink up your whole desk!” So ended my first encounter with my new friend, the stinkbug. Apparently, the stinkbug is the fall bug of Pennsylvania. Now, my little friends buzz around in the fluorescent lights above my head and in the small crack of window above my cube. At least they get a view of outside.

No need for Bonnie and Clyde

I have some good news—I found a full time job! For months before we left, I worried about finding a way to provide for us while Gabe is in school. I kept having visions of Gabe and me in Bonnie and Clydeish outfits being forced to rob banks to survive…okay, I admit I sometimes enjoy imagining us as infamous partners in crime. But the point is that as a chronic worrier, our lack of income was certainly enough for me to spend nights awake thinking about.

So now, I worry no longer—at least not about finding a job. I was surprised and glad to have interviewed and been offered a job within two days’ time at Justifacts Credential Verification. I work there as a verification specialist, a glorified way of saying that I do background checks on people applying for jobs, loans, apartments, etc. Finally, I interviewed for a job that was truly impressed by my English and writing background. Even though I spend the majority of the day at my desk making calls and writing reports, it keeps my mind stimulated for the most part.

I know I should feel lucky that I have a good job—and really, I do feel lucky. But still, after my trainer pointed out my cubicle and showed me how to work my headset, I freaked out a little. What if I get stuck there in that confined space? What if my hands and my mind become frozen in this time and place and years go by without my realizing it?

But then again, there are some positive things about having the typical 8-5 job. For the first time since probably the sixth grade I feel like I have time. Time to read what I want, write what I want, and just be.

So during the times in my cubicle when I find myself grasping for those lines of Wordsworth and characters from O’Connor that are slowly drifting from my immediate memory, I remind myself that maybe I need this time. I need this time to rediscover the words and fall in love with them again.

A new story for a new city

Gabe’s Post: So here I am in Panera, punching in my first entry into the blog and finally realizing we aren’t in Misery…er…Missouri anymore. What touched off this revelation? The fact that when we asked for sweet tea we received blank stares and pointed toward a packet of Sweet’N Low. So on to my first post. While Kalene will post the more emotional and insightful things in our lives, I will post the stories. Anyone who knows me already recognizes my fondness for a good yarn. Also, I seem to attract the most unique situations. Needless to say we have many stories to tell already. One of my favorites will be first.

Apartment hunting was a challenge. We made enough laps around this city that Kalene and I, as directionally challenged as we are, know downtown like the back of our hand. Many landlords were nice, many were not, but only one offered me the secret to eternal life.  After being led into a decrypted apartment with wallpaper that watched the Carter presidency come and go, the landlord turned to us and said, “What do you think?” Trying to be nice, I looked for anything to compliment and made the mistake of opening the fridge. The whole thing was full of non-descript boxes. To my surprise he pulled out four-pound blocks of almond cheese. “I am 88 and this is why,” he said in broken English as he proceeded to show me the amazing properties of almond cheese. The man knew his dairy. We passed on that apartment and spent two more nerve-racking days searching for the perfect place in a city we had never even seen before.

God provided for us, and I am so thankful he did. I feel like maybe God let me have this opportunity in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles to prove that he can do anything, even give a boy from the Midwest the chance to touch lives through film.  Thank you for your support and keep us in your thoughts when you pray, that God will continue to provide for us in this great new place. Stay tuned for many more stories and pictures as we go coast to coast.

P.S. Thanks to Dustin, Levi, Nathan, Sam, and Josh for helping us pack. Also, both Kalene and I would like to thank our parents for being with us for our first week in Pittsburgh. Could not have done it without all of you.

The things we left behind and the things we took with us

We are now in Pittsburgh after a couple of weeks of hurried packing and last minute arrangements. Last week, Gabe and I (with the help of whom I’m convinced are five of the smartest and kindest guys to come out of Evangel) packed all of our belongings into a 6x7x8 cube that followed us to our destination in Pennsylvania.  Though the space in our storage unit seemed impossibly small at first, we only ended up leaving behind our couch and a small bookcase. It took me probably a whole week to face the realization that most of our books would also have to stay behind. Two large boxes of our books now sit in Gabe’s grandparent’s house in Springfield until we have the room or the money--whichever comes first--to take them with us.

Now, I sit on a new couch that we managed to pick up for free among our boxes of dishes, appliances, pictures, and books (I did manage to bring along a few that I “can’t live without”). After my dad left yesterday and Gabe’s parents left this morning, tonight is our first in Pittsburgh without our parents or anyone familiar.  Mostly, we feel disoriented, like something is missing. Gabe’s grandparents are not a mile down the road, and Kala is not working at the local Chick-fil-a. When we enter a grocery store or walk down the hallway of our apartment, we’re no longer greeted with a bright, Southern, “Hey, how ya doin’?” Instead, people seem to look past us or through us.

Of course, these are the unfamiliar things, the things that can be scary and make one yearn for home and family. There have been many good things about this past week, too. Getting our apartment was  one of them. We knew we were lucky to pay only $355 a month for our Springfield apartment, but we didn’t realize just how lucky until we looked at apartments here. Apartments not nearly as nice as our old apartment cost twice as much near CMU. We saw many apartments and had many interesting adventures along the way, whether it was meeting the local residents or finding our way through the maze of Pittsburgh’s signless streets. But in the midst of confusion and frustration, we found a complex in the middle of renovation. We were able to find an apartment nicer and larger than our Springfield apartment that was just within our price range.  After a few days of apartment searching, we started to feel that maybe our life in Springfield wasn’t so bad. At least we were comfortable. But despite our initial desperate rushing around the city, I think we will be able to make a comfortable living here as well.

We were so ready to leave Springfield, but certainly there are things about that city that we will miss. Gabe’s main regret is that we never had a last meal of the infamous Springfield cashew chicken. Though I can’t say I will particularly miss the cuisine, Springfield does hold memories for both of us. Of course, Gabe and I met in Springfield almost five years ago now. We’ve fostered many friendships in that city, many of which we will continue to keep in touch with from far away.

But, for now, we say a fond farewell to Springfield and welcome the new opportunities that Pittsburgh will bring. 

Pictures and more stories still to come!

On our way

As a lover of literary fiction, I have always been wary of blogs. But lately, it seems logical—and almost necessary—to have some medium for sharing our experiences. Before the end of the month, we will be leaving our home and our jobs to take on a new adventure.

In March, Gabe was accepted into Carnegie Mellon’s MEIM (master’s in entertainment industry management) program. This program first requires us to be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His first year will include mostly business classes at CMU’s campus. Right now, I seem to be more excited about Gabe’s classes than he is, but he is looking forward to trip to Sundance Film Festival and three to four internships in major entertainment studios like Sony, Warner Brothers, and Lionsgate.

After two semesters of studying in Pittsburgh, we will be making another move across the country—to Los Angeles! Within two year’s time, we will have moved from the Midwest to the East coast to the West coast.

The scary part—and the exciting part—is that we have no idea where this move will take us next. We’ve had to face a lot of other scary things with this move. We don’t know anyone in Pittsburgh, and neither of us have ever been there. So, where do we live? How do we make money to live? How do we get all of our stuff from Missouri to Pittsburgh and then to LA? And most importantly, it seems at the moment, how do we pay for this “priceless” education?

We realize that in this time of economic hardship, not many people are attempting what we are. We realize that it’s going to be hard. But I think we also realize that if we don't take any risks now, we never will. And then we would be stuck in Springfield, Missouri, forever…or at least for a long time.

Along the way, we are planning to share with you our adventures, whether it’s finding a place to live or encountering new, unique people. We hope that sharing our experiences will bring us closer to all of you despite the physical distance between us.  Now, more than ever, we will need to know that our loved ones can “hear” us and respond to us.

We look forward to sharing our stories with you!