Jen Russum

Or San Diego???

Or San Diego???

The other place that Micah and I dream of moving to is San Diego. This is probably Micah's number one pick. Nashville is my number one, but San Diego is pretty tough competition... He dreams of having a house right on the beach and wants our kids to grow up surfing. It doesn't sound too shabby to me... Here is the thing. My husband was born for the beach. He is a California boy at heart. I think he was born in the wrong state. When we go to California, he just fits in instantly. He runs for the beach, surf board in hand. After an hour or two of surfing, he will come back to the sandy shore to rest and eat a picnic lunch. He then goes out surfing one more time before calling it a day and riding around town on his skateboard to hunt down his afternoon snack or the best place to get fish and chips for dinner. When he's not wearing a wet suit, he is dressed in a tank top and board shorts and just soaking up the perfectly sunny, seventy-five degree weather. You would think he was a local... Here are some pics from our recent weekend in San Diego... So what do you think? Again, there are pros and cons. The two huge pros are clearly the ocean and the best year-round weather you could ever ask for. Also, there is just a fun, carefree feeling in California. It's kind of its own little world. There are also four great universities in San Diego and I would be happy working at any of them. However there are clear cons as well. Expensive cost of living, high taxes, messed up government. And it never gets really HOT there, and I kinda like really hot weather sometimes... Please share your thoughts... would you rather live on a peaceful lake in Tennessee or the lively beach in California OR some place totally different? I would love to hear your ideas. ... Read more

Nashville?

Nashville?

I have this crazy dream of moving to Nashville. I don't really know why. Sometimes Micah and I talk about where we might move after we are done with our Arizona adventure (in four more years...after I am done with school and have the biggest graduation party in history...you are invited...five years of school requires a HUGE celebration afterward...I am already planning it in my mind), and I always dream of moving to the south. Namely Nashville. I've only been there once for a weekend trip. But I loved it. Something about a Tennessee life sounds so peaceful to me... Just jamming with my best friend at the Ryman in Nashville... So I dream of moving to Nashville and living in a house outside of town with a big porch and a yard and a rope swing into the river (and maybe a couple horses if we have the land for it. Micah and I are not pet people, but we really want horses. Is that weird?). When I first started envisioning this picture in my head I wasn't even really sure if there was a river in Nashville, but then I did a little research and confirmed that Cumberland River does, indeed, run right next to the city. I did a little more research and discovered there is a lake called Old Hickory about 20 miles upstream from Nashville and near the lake is a little town of 40,000 people called Hendersonville. Hendersonville just happens to be the hometown of Johnny Cash, June Carter and Taylor Swift, so it doesn't get much better than that for me, unless I am living next door to Tim and Faith or something. Hendersonville has also been named one of the top ten cities to live in with a family...which should be just about right for us in five-ish years. Old Hickory Lake So what do you think? There are some definite pros and cons to Tennessee. It's humid in the summer (ick), but it doesn't get too hot overall. The hottest temp ever recorded is 107. The winters are mild with only an average of nine inches of snow per year. The falls and springs are BEAUTIFUL. There are lakes, rivers, mountains, lots of greenery, great music, a fun culture and it's conservative and I love that. I feel like I would be right at home with my pointy toe shoes and lacy cardigans. Tell me your thoughts! ... Read more

washington visit

washington visit

So we just returned from a two week trip to Washington to visit friends and family. As I mentioned earlier, we spent our first few days there celebrating our anniversary out on the coast and then camping with friends in eastern Washington. For our second week in town, I lounged around my parents' house, updated the blog, met up with old friends and spent lots of time with family. All in all, it was a fantastic and restful trip. Here are some of the highlights... SeaDooing on Lake Washington with my best! Out to brunch on the Everett waterfront with Micah's mom and grandparents Sister and I bought matching fedoras, of course. Up on the helipad at the new hospital tower in Everett. One more from camping because Jersie is just too cute! Eating appetizers on the lawn. So much fun! Bekah and Alicia. Love them! Shopping at the Anniversary Sale. Do you like the shoes I picked out for Micah? Goofing off with my fam. Got to meet up with my old Young Life girls. So much fun! Now we are back in Arizona and it's time to buy a house. Pray that we find one! ... Read more