I'd never moved in my life, unless you count my four years at Grove City College (which I don't). The house I grew up in was the only place I called home...until about a month ago. Going from a small New England town to just outside Seattle was jarring, to say the least. Thankfully, my husband (then boyfriend) had introduced me to the rainy winters/springs and chiseled mountains of the Evergreen State when I visited him and his family. I had an inkling then that I might one day find myself here to stay. But no amount of preparation can fully spare you from that starling moment of revelation, "I just moved across the country, and nothing will ever be the same."
How do I cope with these huge life changes? One answer- You're reading it! Since moving to Washington and settling into life with the man of my dreams, I've felt the familiar tug of the pen...er, keyboard. There are so many new things to observe, not only in my new home, but in newlywed and postgrad life as a whole. And while the nagging pull of the business world tugs at my common sense, I decided to take a break from the job search to do what I love. Write!
And now my brainchild (one of many, though most are books still unwritten) stands before you. Welcome to the Squirrel and Student Society! I'm one of three founding members of this "auspicious" group. We were English majors at Grove City Collge, sharing a meal and our latest writings. As fellow fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and other writers of the Inklings Literary Society, it was only a matter of time until we fashioned a name for ourselves. We longed to have a meeting spot as inspiring as the Eagle & Child Pub in Oxford (where the Inklings often met). However, we found ourselves there, in the college cafeteria, surrounded by hungry students and hungry squirrels scavenging the quad outside...the animals that is, not the students (although students have been known to embark on "squirrel tagging." My husband may or may not have been one of their number). That's how The Squirrel and Student Society was born.
The three original Squirrels have since parted ways, but we still stay in touch and share our writings with one another. It was they who actually inspired me to start blogging too! I figure one way to link my new life with the old is to record the journey here, to share with the people I had to leave back east (or scattered all over the globe). I hope this blog will be a place to explore my tranformation from east-coast girl to west-coast woman. It should be a fun trip. Care to join me?
