So it's been a while....I have just returned to Denver after a weekend visit with some friends from Peace Corps. I went to St. Louis to visit Terri (who lives there) and Sarah (who came in from D.C.). I met Terri's parents and they reminded me that they used to read this blog to keep up with what was going on in Albania. The reminiscing made me want to start it up again. My life is nowhere nearly

DENVER This quarter has been flying by - but hasn't been quite as difficult as I first expected. Well, so far at least! Mostly the snow is ridiculous, our street hasn't been cleared and I don't expect it ever to be. We'll have to wait for the snow to melt the new potholes. I've got some very bad news, and I'm not quite sure what we'll do yet. Tani's grandmother died yesterday and I really want

DENVER We had an inundation of couches this weekend. Tani's friend offered to give us an old couch and simultaneously my supervisor at work mentioned she was looking for a place to get rid of a loveseat and lounge chair. Lo and behold, we spent the entire weekend moving the furniture in the living room around to try to fit in are new items. Tani's "Coming to America" hit the 9 month mark on

DENVER I love the holiday season - maybe it's that people go out of their way to make things beautiful and fun. To fill the world with colors and good cheer. Today we had a cookie exchange at work and we all ate entirely too much sugar. But what a great way to get to know co-workers better and relax a bit. Technically, I have been relaxing too much over my 5 week break, but what can you do?

DENVER Wow. Almost a month. Haven't written! I'd like to blame it on my busy schedule (which is actually an okay excuse) but really it's just been that I haven't known what to write. School has been great, we're coming up to midterm season. I'm so busy reading, I don't actually know if I'm retaining the things I'm supposed to be. I've been trying to make sure that Tani and I get to spend some

DENVER Off and Running.... The end of my first week as a graduate student at DU is coming to an end. And how it has flown by. The highlights of the week: *My Presidential Leadership and US Foreign Policy class - the first day we had a guest speaker. Who might he have been? The former president of Poland, the successor to Lech Walesa and the man who wrote the Polish constitution, Alexsander

DENVER Orientation at the University of Denver Graduate School of International Studies started with a bang yesterday morning. I felt myself becoming more and more tense as the time approached and I couldn't tell why I was so nervous. After being entirely too short and impatient with life in general, I decided I needed to get outside and take a leisurely walk to campus to get there on time.

DENVER Some recent photos (Dad took them) Sarah in front of Graduate School for International Studies at University of Denver Tani and Sarah at home Sarah and Tani at Little India restaurant

DENVER I really can't believe I've let so much time go by without writing on my blog. The big news, recently - is that Tani got his green card! We left Tuesday, drove up to Minneapolis, had his appointment Wednesday morning and then turned around and drove home. No one should ever spend that much time in a car. It's unhealthy. I've been working a lot at JCrew and I have been entirely exhausted.

DENVER Yesterday was my offical first day working at J.Crew. I can hardly believe that I actually work there, and I have my doubts whether I'll be able to sell clothes. We found out Wednesday that I was officially hired. The same day, in fact, that Tani was offered a job at a Montessori kindergarten in Englewood! We are both so relieved - he is going to be working full time and will have dental

DENVER I'd like to report a possible success. I think I have finally found a place that Tani likes better than Starbucks. We are currently at a coffee shop called Capuvino. I think he fell in love when the employee actually brought our coffee out to us. They also have a free computer to use (20 minute limit) and at night have live music and wine and cheese. Sounds like a yuppie paradise.

DENVER Yes - can you believe it, we are ACTUALLY in DENVER!! Of course, that means nothing as far as whether we are finally settled. There was a bit of a mattress fiasco, but we finally had our mattresses delivered today. All in all, things are moving along fine. Tani and Abaz have been going out trying to sell Abaz's antique things he brought here and I am having a hard time hiding my

LOS ALAMOS It's an unfortunate fact of life (or perhaps the life of a blogger using dial up) that when there is the most to record, there is also the least amount of time. In addition to that, my computer had a virus which was causing a lot of trouble, but we've been able to fix her up. Our time in New Mexico is coming to an end tomorrow. We have been with so many people and in so many places,

GRAND FORKS Tuesday is the big moving day... Tani keeps teasing me because he knows how excited I am to make the move. In fact, the move is going to be a pain, but I'm eager to be in Denver and settled! Plans for the reception are coming together, much to my surprise as anyone else's. I can't believe it's all happening so soon and there is still so much to do! It's exhilerating and intimidating

GRAND FORKS Yesterday I finished reading The Kite Runner. Talk about a tear jerker. If anyone needs the world of Afghanistan to become a little more real, more personal, this is the book to read. On that note, I might also recommend the movie Khandahar. Tani and I also watched Million Dollar Baby last night. Again, I was in tears.... quite an emotional day, you might say. We're getting ready

BISMARCK, ND Photos from Tani's birthday party Today is Tani's birthday! We've had a busy few days and are on our way to western North Dakota, which is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Buffalo Museum Stagecoach Ride

GRAND FORKS I tried to darken my hair with coffee grinds yesterday. This is classically something silly that I would do, right? Well, it didn't really work out. But my hair still smells like I've just come out of a coffee shop.

GRAND FORKS Went for a walk this evening and rediscovered this little fact about myself: I love to walk. I feel so awake and alert when I'm out walking. Tonight was a lovely sunset, as well.

GRAND FORKS Took the day off to go with Tani to Fargo. He had to get his fingerprints taken at the Federal Building. The day was warm - above 80! Finally! Never thought it was gonna happen. As it turns out, we might have a tornado tonight... I put in my two weeks notice yesterday at work. Next week Grandma is having knee surgery and then the week after Mom wants to take Tani and me on a road

GRAND FORKS I want to clarify that I was not working at home last weekend, but in fact was working for the company by which I am employed. Today, I didn't really work that much. I also have the weekend off, which is GREAT! I am feeling better, the sun is warming us all up. I heard from Univresity of Denver yesterday, about our housing situation for the fall. It turns out that they were unable

Grand Forks Worked all weekend - I am basically a janitor service with a couple helpers. Excuse my pessimism, but the money I get for this is nowhere near worth it. I am literally going to start counting the hours until we get to leave for New Mexico. I can hardly imagine what it will be like when we have to leave NM and go back to North Dakota for 6 weeks until school starts. On to happier

GRAND FORKS Yesterday I got the good news that my grandmother had won a pair of sunglasses from a local optical shop. Well, as it turns out, Grandma doesn't wear sunglasses. So who got to go claim the prize? That's right, me! What a surprise! I am the proud new owner of some very stylish sunglasses by Ralph Lauren. Who would've thunk it? :) Last night I went to my first training night at

GRAND FORKS Talk about a really really long week. I can't believe how different the end of the week feels to the beginning of the week. I started the week thinking I would probably be quitting my new job and wanted nothing more than to find a job in Denver and move as quickly as possible. I even applied for a bunch of jobs in Denver. By now, my job is much more tolerable - which is good - but I

GRAND FORKS This week at work has been much better after talking to my supervisor on Monday afternoon. I was feeling completely intimidated and overwhelmed at the certain program they had decided to match me to. After talking to her, however, they have set me up with some folks who are out in the community doing various odd jobs and I just help them get to and from work and keep them on task

GRAND FORKS I started work on Thursday. It was just orientation, really and nothing really happened besides my signing a lot of papers. On Monday I hope to start full time - it's maddening to go without work! I'll be a job coach at a home for the developmentally disabled. I'll be teaching the clients how to do different types of jobs and then I'll help them complete their jobs in different

GRAND FORKS Starbucks has become one of Tani's favorite places in the United States. Clearly, you can't get an espresso like you can in Albania - but we still both need to get an espresso fix. Daily. It's funny. He loves all of the things that I detested when I got back to the US after coming back from Albania the first time. Menard's. Sam's Club. There are plenty of things he dislikes, too,