Moving incentive

Here's my little niece Ria Rain. She's now six months old and I haven't met her yet. And we haven't met Troy's nephew Jack either! I think I'll look at their pictures when I feel sad about leaving Belgium. What could be better incentive to head back to Minnesota?

Creative Planning

We recently found out that Troy didn't get a teaching appointment at U.Va. next year. This complicates our plan to return to Charlottesville a bit since it means that neither of us has a guaranteed income. One positive thing to come out of this is that we've been forced to start thinking more creatively about what our next move will be.

After talking with a fellow writer this past weekend, I'm seriously contemplating starting my own writing and editing business once I return to the states. Knowing that we are still in limbo for a while is a scary realization. It makes me want to create something of my own to hold onto. Even though we'll eventually return to Charlottesville so that Troy can finish his degree, that will still likely be a temporary move. What I've found out this year is that I really enjoy and can (at least sort of) make a living at writing. I just love being able to work from home and set my own schedule. And theoretically, writing can be done from anywhere, which means that subsequent moves might not be so painful. There is still a lot to work out, so please let me know if you have advice or contacts for me as I contemplate this new career direction.