Smokey the Who?

Well, it's official. We've either done something really dumb or really great.

I've had a lot of conversations with people lately about taking risks, which has perhaps helped me deal with the risk that our family recently took this summer. Generally, I prefer a quiet life in which I can enjoy my friends and family and have a reasonably good prediction of the near future. Why I prefer this type of life, I don't know, because I have rarely enjoyed such a luxury. Truth be told, do any of us truly get to enjoy such a luxury? I have learned in my teenage and adult years that when I am faced with a choice that presents itself as scary or unsettling, I should probably lean into that challenge and just do it. Those choices have typically resulted in being the most rewarding. What's the saying? With great risk comes great reward, I believe it is.

It so happens that I married a risk junkie, and that has probably been one of the best things for me. Because of him, I've:

• climbed steep mountain peaks (he doesn't think this is a big deal--poo on him)
• furthered my education
• frolicked amongst 1.5-ton elephant seals
• moved to a foreign country
• stood up to old men in a foreign country
• ridden a scooter in a foreign country
• flown down a country highway in China at midnight to who-knows-where in a taxi driven by a crazy Chinese guy who was passing cars with oncoming traffic staring us in the face
• eaten sushi, seaweed, jellyfish, and crab innards

So it should be no surprise to me that after several years of butting our heads against the job market, that we've decided to take another risk and side-step this lovely economy and hope to inject Michael into it another way. This summer, he is attending Ranger Academy to become a Law Enforcement Officer in our national parks. He quit his job and is spending the summer learning how to arrest people, shoot guns, take people down, and "employ tactical driving techniques," i.e. drive big trucks like they do on TV. Sounds like a fun summer camp for grown-ups, huh? We are hoping that despite the fact that he quit his job (gulp), this new set of skills will place him on a path that may allow him a career that moves somewhere and doesn't rot his brain. So far, even though we are spending the weekdays apart, he is feeling optimistic about his career for the first time in years and is really enjoying what he's learning. That's certainly something for a wife to be grateful for!

So pray for us; for Michael's ongoing safety and for the unfolding of the path ahead.

Here's a photo of Michael and Evie. They miss each other when they are apart but have a blast when they're back together. :-) Evie and I escaped the heat of Chico and met Michael in Marin for a weekend on the beach. It was so much fun. And speaking of Evelyn, I will proudly brag that she is standing by herself for long periods of time and threatening to walk sometime when we aren't looking.