Season's Greetings!

Dear Family, Friends & Readers,                                                           Holidays, 2014 Season’s Greetings to you and yours! As always, I’m happy to hear from you and wish you the very best this holiday season and throughout the coming year. I wrote last year that I knew things would be changing…and they have! First off, George and I found a house to rent together. This was a big step as I had lived with no human people, just those with fur, for 8 years and George for 13. The idea made me nervous (terrified or panicked might be a better term) as before my divorce it was basically non-stop stress under our roof, although I didn’t word it that way in my holiday letters at the time. Suffice to say I was very happy with my living arrangements exactly as they were. I’m thrilled to report this transition has been remarkably loving and stress-free. We’ve had our moments, of course, but overall I’ve been struck by how easy (and fun!) it is to live with someone who shares so many of my values and interests, and with whom I laugh so easily and often. As I wrote in a blog post once, what sets this relationship apart is how we communicate, compassionately, about virtually everything, and we each care deeply about the other’s feelings. I am so grateful to have become this kind of person, to have met this kind of person, and to have found this kind of relationship at the age of 48…which made turning 50 this August not so bad. (I’m just not going to get into the hot flashes and all that jazz.) Once George and I set out to look for a place and laid out our criteria for a home together, the right house surfaced within about 10 days. It’s like the Powers-That-Be were nudging us along whether we thought we were ready or not. Ironically, we had already booked a trip to Puerto Rico before we found this house, and we found it earlier than expected. So rent was paid in two places for a month and management here scrambled to get the house ready (it had been on the market for exactly one day before we first saw it), we got a washer and dryer, they installed the refrigerator and stove, etc., and a lot of it didn’t happen until we were in Puerto Rico. Literally the morning after we got back, George’s friends (thank you again, Brandon, Mike, Keith, Dave, and the rest of the gang!) helped him move, then my stuff a week later. They were the first people we invited for dinner in our new home…homemade lasagna, minestrone soup, green salad, parmesan bread, and George picked up some cheesecake for dessert. We loved Puerto Rico and our vacation there. I was thrilled to brush up on my rusty Spanish. George drove the rental car all around the island. We plan to return, fly into Aguadilla next time, and spend more time in Isabela and Boquerón, a small fishing town that has turned into a tourist destination. We may not have heard about Boquerón if it wasn’t for George striking up a conversation with a couple from the east coast on Playa Santa beach near Ponce. You might want to check out Harry the Pelican Whisperer (Crash Boat Beach) on YouTube. Cat Katie Mae (the one who was in the shelter for five years, almost her whole life, before I adopted her) did not adjust well to the move, and – long story short – left us and didn’t return. She was clearly unhappy and I wasn’t surprised. She has a micro-chip, so if someone brought her to a shelter I would get a call. I choose to envision she’s found a new home with people who are home a lot and don’t have other animals. Katie’s a very sweet and lovable cat when she’s not under duress from other animals or too much activity. Cat Lady Jane loves being the queen of the house and we likely won’t be adopting any more animals in her lifetime. She’s 11ish now and keeps us entertained…the cat has personality, what can I say? (She’s also on a diet right now; when I need to clean her butt because she can’t reach it, something is wrong.) We also have frequent visitors to our lawn and feeders…birds (including peacocks), squirrels, and the occasional raccoon. George and the squirrels have an ongoing dilemma over the bird feeder. The four squirrels think they have a right to partake of the premium sunflower chips while George thinks they should leave the bird feeder to the birds and stick to their pressed corn/nut log on the front tree stump squirrel feeder. Peacocks and peahens have lived in this neighborhood for years. Now they frequent our front yard quite a bit. Mr. P, as we’ve come to call him, chilled out and napped there one whole afternoon not long ago. They like popcorn, no salt, no butter. We’ve heard three different sounds we didn’t know peacocks make…a loud, almost screeching sound, a clucking type noise, and a honk!! I almost thought it was a car horn; George thought it sounded like a goose. Who knew…? We visited my family in South Dakota over the week of July Fourth and had a great time there, again with a lot of driving. We flew into Rapid City (thanks again, Tami, for generously loaning your downtown loft to us) and saw the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore like last year…this time completing our hike to the top of Harney Peak. It was so nice spending time with my family on the farm in the house I grew up in (see tree planting photo), and thanks again, Aunt Pam & Uncle Glenn, for the amazing dinner. I left the farm with one of Aunt Barb’s paintings I have wanted for years and was ready to take a photo of for a canvas transfer. Mom was finally ready to give it up, yeay! Thanks, Mom. It was quite a comedy of errors trying to find a place open to ship it the day after July Fourth, but we did finally find one in Sioux Falls. Once again, Kathryn and Erin, thanks for your help with wrapping that package, and for your hospitality! Rachel Helen, nice seeing you too! And Brian, awesome meeting your lovely girlfriend-now fiance. (Hi, Chris!) We went to several shows at the Lakewood Theatre this year, most with our dear friends Kathie and Rod, and two big concerts: Rick Springfield and Pat Benatar here in Portland at the Zoo (it’s a great venue, but I can’t help but wonder what the elephants think of all that noise) and Aerosmith (Slash opened) at the Washington Gorge Amphitheatre, which was a combination birthday present for George and I. Frankly, I wasn’t that big of an Aerosmith fan going in (not like George) but I was an even bigger fan coming out – amazing concert. And Steven Tyler has a really good dentist. Just sayin… We went to kite festivals (George is a kite flyer) at Rockaway and Lincoln City this year. I haven’t yet made it to the big WSIKF (Washington State International Kite Festival) yet, but George always does and this year – the same week as WSIKF – George’s brother, Steve, from Tennessee, visited Oregon. Steve was the first member of George’s family I’ve met in person (not just by Skype) and we loved having Steve, his son Jordan, and mother Donna over for dinner. Speaking of the Lakewood Theatre, I finally brushed up my acting skills by taking a Professional Actors Class with the amazing teacher Nancy McDonald there. I was last on stage as Mrs. Slocum in the 2008 production of THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER at Lakewood Theatre. I came away from this class knowing all the hard work I’ve put into the craft of acting over the years has paid off. I’m ready to act again. And I’m ready to teach again. My first private voice student in about three years drifted into my life when I met her mother, a polarity specialist. I have workshops to facilitate, books to write, students to teach, and authentic performance work to do. I have known this for well over a year, and have prepared in the evenings after work for months…so I was surprised how hard it was to put in my notice at my day job with Matrix Absence Management. Some of you may recall how running into Paul was an answer to a prayer back in 2010…he has been an amazing manager, and I’ve had a good four year plus run with Matrix. Now it’s time for the next chapter. I hope you sink your teeth into and embrace the next chapter of whatever life brings you in 2015. Until then, enjoy the holiday season. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Love, Light, Blessings & Best Wishes, Laura

Lake Oswego, OR 97035 laurahanj@comcast.net 503.409.0421 www.laurahandke.com