Baby on the way!!!

Just read my latest update and thought I'd better update that update. I left the job working for Youth Contact at Tualatin High School and accepted a position with Columbia Community Mental Health for about a year and a half before I had to walk out. It was overwhelming, and there was no way to meet the demands of the agency and actually do good work with my clients because the workload was unrealistic and there was no support from admin. Although I'd met the requirements for direct service hours and supervision hours, I was notified by the state licensing board that I needed two additional months of supervision to meet the 24 month requirement for my LCSW. I was able to get a new supervisor through one of my former coworkers, and it morphed into a new job! I just started working for this non-profit providing mental health services in the school-based health centers in Vernonia and Scappoose. I asked to work four 9-hour days so I have a 3-day weekend for resting, tending to appointments, and eventually doing private practice (probably remotely) one day a week. Anyway, that's all the boring work stuff. Three months ago, Tyson moved in with his girlfriend, Victoria, and her (then 8 y/o) daughter, Grace. Tyson and Victoria are expecting, and the due date is less than a month away now, on December 7!!! It feels weird and surreal to think about being a grandma, but I have a few friends (including Krista and Galela) who beat me to the punch, and that helps a little.

I'm so excited to meet the newest member of my family! They were considering the name Xander for a long time before settling on Milo Benjamin Morris. Tyson has been working as a server up here and spending any time off working on writing songs for others and himself, discussing merch/sponsors/branding/gigs/networking with his new manager, performing shows, and flying back and forth from LA to record songs and videos. He's super talented, and of course I'm incredibly proud, but dang I wish he wasn't so stressed about it and could enjoy the process more.

The new job offers employees $5,000 to buy a house within 15 miles of our work sites, so I've begun the process of getting approved for a home-loan with Tyson so we can get into a place of our own since rent is so ridiculous. I may not have mentioned it before, but COVID hit Oregon 3/13/2020, and life has been very odd since. Here we are, a year and a half later, and it's still the main thing on everyone's mind and the primary topic of discussion (masks, vaccines, symptoms, political implications, etc.). It affects transportation, shopping (supply/demand due to lack of workers), socialization, and even will impact Victoria's delivery. It's strange times we're living in, but the blessing I've chosen to take from this experience is to prioritize better and limit the energy I expend on people so I can reserve it for those who matter most.