The Interview

Paul and I have known for a very long time that we want to live and work overseas for at least some part of our lives. We figured that now is the time before we're bombarded with financial commitments and munchkins. After many discussions about what all these dreams of ours mean and look like, we landed on the Peace Corps. Last November we took the first step of many and applied, and today we had our interview.

For three hours we were asked about life experiences we've had, how we handle stress, and times we've dealt with challenges, conflict, and loneliness. We were asked about our own relationship, what we want to do, where we want to go, and if our families are supportive. We talked and talked and talked, and the more we talked the more I began to realize that none of the experiences we talked about could possibly compare to those we may soon experience.

So, at about hour two of the interview, Paul was asked what job he felt he most likely would qualify for and want, landing on community development. I was told that I don't have a choice as I have a teaching credential, which was just fine by me. Most likely those are fields we would work in. We hadn't specified a region in hopes that not restricting the Peace Corps would increase our chances of being placed. Well, we were quite surprised when we were told that we had to choose a region or two so that the Peace Corps could contact those regions and see if they could use us (basically placing individuals is far less complicated then placing couples). After some discussion (again), we decided they ought to start with Africa and Asia. And that was that.

The only real negative to the interview was hearing we may not be able to leave until sometime between March and June of 2010. We knew that it takes longer to place couples, but it was both disappointing and frustrating to hear nonetheless. We drove home from Orange County, all the while talking about the possibility of being given this great opportunity to work in a developing country, as well as the wait to do so. Still, the more we talked, the more excited we became. Now we just hope and pray that someone far more intelligent than us will work out the details, and soon enough we'll be on our way.

-Alyssa

That Boring Married Couple

This year Paul and I rang in 2009 the best way we know how: by going to bed at 10:30. I had worked all day so we/I decided that instead of staying up late and spending one of my only weekdays off catching up on sleep, we grabbed some dinner, rented some movies, and fell asleep right after the first movie ended.

We did wake up at some time around midnight to hear some of our neighbors with air horns. All was not entirely missed.

So I'm not very fond of new year's resolutions. Often I think we just set ourselves up for disaster and failure. However, I was challenged to look at it more as a reflection on the past year and moving forward. So, another year brings with it new goals )notice how carefully I avoided the word "resolutions"). Paul created several goals, and in typical Paul fashion, categorized them. I won't go into detail but I was quite amused and impressed by his orderliness. I came up with a couple myself, but the best ones we came up with together.

1. Live off one income and save/tithe the other. This would force us to constantly live within our means and have enough money to embark on whatever adventure we want to embark on, whether it be now or later.

2. Take better care of ourselves. That includes eating better, sleeping better, spending more time being active, and spending more time just relaxing.

3. Start volunteering and become involved with something on a regular basis that we do not get paid for.

4. Read more, whether that be the Bible (Paul has a very ambitious goal) or pleasure reading, to read some of the many unread books we own. It's somewhat pathetic to realize that we've only read a small percentage of the books occupying our bookshelves.

5. And Paul's personal favorite, don't get pregnant.

We'll see how it goes.

-Alyssa

Pictures from the (mis)adventure

I thought some of you might enjoy these. Now that I see the pictures and relive the day it all seems so ridiculous that it could ever go from beautiful to ugly that fast.

-Paul

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Merry Christmas!

I know it's a little late, but I was a bit wrapped up in everything (no pun intended). I absolutely love Christmas. The weather cools down and people are happy, unless you are trying to park at the mall, which I happened to encounter only once this year. Christmas brings an abundance of lights, presents, hot cocoa, peppermint mochas, friends, and family. I particularly like those last two (well, three).

I know that Christmas is a particular favorite of most, but it has become even more special to me since last year. If you're curious as to why, check out here. This holiday, like last year, brought it's own surprises. It was my first Christmas without my parents and sister, and first with my new family. It was our first Christmas together. It was a Christmas of new traditions being made amongst those that already exist.

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas is check out the lights. There is an area my family and I used to go to when I was a kid called Christmas Card Lane where most of the families put out giant Christmas cards. That's how it must have started but people have become quite creative since I was a kid. Paul was game enough to walk around with me on Christmas Eve and check out the lights. He was not disappointed.

I always thought Paul looked a little like Will Ferrell. Hmm.

One of my favorite houses. In case you're wondering, it's from the movie "A Christmas Story", complete with leg lamp and Ralphie in a bunny suit.


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love from the Quinlivans :)

(Mis)adventures

The picture maybe a bit dramatic and inaccurate of my recent backpacking trip but the story is factual.

This past Sunday my friend Chris Knoll and I drove out to the San Rafael wilderness in the Los Padres National Forest which is about a four and a half hour drive from San Diego via the 5 freeway. The area lies about five miles (as the crow flies) from Santa Barbara. The wilderness area is one of the last known strong holds for the California condor.

The planned trip(see page 31 in January edition of Backpacker magazine)was to hike four miles through a series of valleys and switchbacks which would then lead us to the top of a ridge line. This ridge line ran from McPherson peak (the highest in the range) and would follow the trail down the valley floor and then back up on the West end. Four miles from where we summited the ridge line we were supposed to camp and then continue the rideline loop for the rest of the trip which would end up being approximately thirty miles in three days.

We began Sunday at the trail head at about 11am after we had lunched and made sure we had all of the necessary equipment in order. About a mile into the hike up to the ridge line we began encountering small patches of snow, which is extremely rare at 3,000 feet, and as the trip up continued the patches got larger and deeper. When we finally reached the ridge line we estimate that it was about 2 pm or so, we forgot a watch so we don't know exactly. Along the ridge line we reached even longer and deeper patches of snow, think 6-8 inches of nice powder by 2 1/2-3 football fields long, but they were only mainly in the shadows.

Throughout the trek the weather was perfect, as evident by the shorts and short-sleeve shirt I wore, we estimate about 65 degrees. Because of the weather we never really worried about the snow which also kept us from having to fill up our water supply.

We finally reached the planned campsite around thirty minutes before sunset which gave us just enough time to set up camp and start a fire. The campsite was called painted rock for the nearby cave which was painted by the local Indians. The site sat up on top of the ridge directly underneath the only oak tree in the area. We quickly set up camp and attempted a fire but with the recent storm any and all shrubs were wet, so we went to bed.

Here where it gets interesting:
About two hours into our sleep (im guessing about 9:30 or 10) the wind started to pick-up, light at first and then a bit stronger. Eventually it got so strong the it took a few of our stakes out and collapsed the tent. Chris drew the short end of the straw so he got out and re-staked the tent and placed rocks on all of them. He also took the guy out lines and securely tied them to rocks.

The guy lines lasted for about two more hours, by which time the wind (we think) reached anywhere from 30 to 40 mph and it lightly began to drizzle. It took me about 15 minutes to get up the courage to jump out and fix the tent. When i jumped back into the tent after to a short 2 minute fix-it I was soaked by the winds flying in all directions. By the time we were resettled in the tent water had begun to leak through the rain fly and subsequently onto my sleeping bag. My sleeping bag stayed dry for about two hours when it began to soak my feet and my midsection. By the time the guy lines had been ripped from the stake and the rock which they were tied too and the wind was consistently ripping the zipper of the rain fly open and spraying all of our belongings with water.

I estimate that at about 3 am the worst possible thing could have happened, our tent collapsed again. This time any repairs we attempted would have most likely been fruitless seeing as the wind was only getting stronger and the rain was coming down harder so Chris and I made a drastic decision. We decided to make a run for the car. We each took turns holding the collapsed tent open while we each readied our gear in our packs, put on our boots and all of our water proof gear. The plan was to drop any unnecessary gear to lighten our packs and then to put nearly all of the left over gear into one pack so that the other pack would be free for us to quickly stuff the tent into and leave the Ridge line.

Everything went according to plan, my pack was loaded with all the extra gear and Chris was going to jump out and load the tent but when we got out of the tent we had completely underestimated the severity of the storm and we were unable to load the tent so we left it. In all we left the tent, cookware (pots, pans, handle, sponges and soap for cleaning), all the food except cliff bars, sandals and a thermarest. We nearly left the stove and the fuel but we thought that if worst came to worst we may need it to stay warm.

Once we stepped off the ridge and down into a deep snow patch merely 50 feet below our camp we were completely sheltered from the wind however, the rain kept coming down very hard and we were wet within 5 minutes. Before we discuss the trip back you need to understand the gear we had with us. Our packs had been soaked through because our pack covers had been ripped off in the rain. I had a fairly new gore tex jacket but Chris only had a light weight jacket as well as a soft shell for a mid-layer. On our feet I had gore tex boots but Chris only had a pair of trail runners. On our lower body all we had we thermal underwear and light weight hiking pants. Also, Chris hadn't thought to bring gloves. So as prepared as we thought we were, we were not even close.

Once down on the ridge we immediately began the trek towards the ridge line. Our thought was that if we could make it 4 miles to the ridge line then even if it was raining we would be out of the wind. However, the 4 miles were almost entirely exposed to the weather, with only small shrubs and no trees or significant shelter we had to push through. Early on in the trek another issue came to our attention Chris's headlamp lacked sufficient power so we hiked the ridge line solely with my head lamp which had a maximum of 30 feet visibility due to the freezing rain.

I am not sure about Chris but within 30 minutes of leaving my legs were soaked through as well as both of my boots. I felt like I was walking in a swamp but my feet were still warm even though we were trekking through slushy snow. Occasionally an extremely strong gust of wind would come and would blow us around, using our packs like sails.


We finally reached the ridge line and began our decent of the peak through the single track switch backs. The way down was extremely sketchy but we hiked as fast as we possibly could. About 2 miles down Chris slipped at landed on a Yucca plant (see picture)where he stabbed his hand which instantly began bleeding everywhere. He quickly wrapped a bandanna around it and we continued down.

By the time we reached the base of the switchbacks the rain had yielded to a drizzle and the sun was beginning to shine on the valley. A trip that had taken us about 6 hours on the way up only took us about 3 hours back.

When we got back to the car we found the key and turned on the car to warm us up and I quickly took off all of my wet clothes and wrapped myself in a towel in the trunk and left the trail head. About half an hour into the drive I was so tired that I had to pull over and take a nap.

Nothing mattered at that point. We had survived a dangerous situation. Now that the (mis)adventure is over I feel that I now understand how weather in the back country can go from perfect to the worst and we need to be prepared for any situation. I now also feel like I can conquer anything. Anyone up for a trip to Everest?

-Paul

To GIve Thanks

I love Thanksgiving. Food, and more food, and then when you think you cant have anymore there are the leftovers. But there is also family.

This Thanksgiving was full of family. Probally the largest family gathering I have been to since our wedding, which I was at but wasnt completely conscience of all the family there, I was focused on someone else. This large gathering of our family reminded me that family, whether it be the new family I am creating or my family that has raised me, is the one thing I am most thankful for.

Family is, or should be, a constant in your life. Those people who love you unconditionally even though you hurt them, ignore them, etc. I just wanted to thank my family for being there for Alyssa and I, throughout our engagement and into our marriage.

Last night Alyssa and I went to Green Valley Church, the church we have been attending since we moved to Rancho Bernardo. At GVC last night they had a "Thanksgiving dinner" where each family brought a salad or a lasanga dish. We sat and ate together simply sharing a meal like a family.

After dinner we worshiped together and then a microphone was passed around and people publically shared the things in their lives that they are thankful for. Many people have conquered illnesses, lost loved ones and even becomes successful in or at something but each and every person who shared was thankful for their church family. It reminded me of Jesus' orginal purpose for the church. Not only did we have an opportunity to break bread together but we also opened our hearts to share in eachothers triumphs and tragedies and to praise God for our continued faithfulness. May you find a family to be thankful for.

-Paul

Keep moving forward

Heres a little life update:

Our life is officially moving forward past the life of mondane dermitology work and school, the Peace Corps applications are in. At the momment we are waiting on our references to be sent into the peace corps office and then we can move forward with interviews and then onto placement in a country.

Unfortunately, we are not really sure on the time frame of all of this. The soonest we would be leaving would be July, but more realistically we wouldnt be leaving until late fall, possibly in winter. The regional recruter recently e-mailed me and said that according to our said skills and our desire to volunteer as a couple we may not be able to be placed until 2010. However, there are certain things that we can do to boost our availiblity and move us up the ladder in terms of placement.

We are also looking into other options aside from the Peace Corps, so if you know of anything that you feel would be a great fit for us please let us know. Also, if you can offer prayer, advice or just friendship at this transitional time in our life it would be greatly appreciated.

In terms of life at the moment, Alyssa just had her progress report at the derm office and they countinue to love and appreciate the great work and dedication she has shown to her current position. I just registered for what I hope to be my final semester of undergraduate work. In six months I will officially be free of the bondage that is the school system. I also just began a new position with RBCPC (say that 10 times fast), or Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church (http://www.rbcpc.org/middleschool/) as their Junior High assistant. This job will be great for me personally, as it will give me a great freedom to be creative and to just love on junior high students. It will also be great for our family as it is a ten minute bike ride from our apartment and will save on drive time.

We hope your lives continue to be blessed and that you are able to find something to be thankful for during this holiday season.

-Paul

Incredible

A friend of mine posted this on his blog a few months ago and I still cant get over it. I watch it about once a week now (yes I know, a major waste of time but when you are trying to stall for studying midterms it is worth it). Watch the whole thing and you will remember why you dont skateboard like they do.

Let me know what you think. Maybe i can dig up other videos like it so you can procrastinate with me.



-Paul

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALYSSA!!!!

26 years young! WOOOHOOOO!!!!

Vectors, 3 months in

A good friend and mentor of mine likes to refer to his life in terms of vectors, which in mathematical terms essentially refers to directions. A vector can be long or short, steep or flat, but the primary basis for a vector is that it is continually moving. Such is life.

Whether we want life to slow down so we can cherish the important moments or whether we wish for life to speed up so we can get through the daily grind we can not escape the fact that our vectors are moving and changing the way in which we view life.

Recently, Alyssa and I have begun a new vector in our life. One with new challenges.

I have started, what I hope to be the final year of my undergraduate degree, followed by a new position in a local youth ministry. While Alyssa continues the "grind" of a medical office. Our schedules have left us apart for a large majority of the week. However, I am starting to feel that it is also giving us a unique appreciation for each other. While the time apart can sometimes be needed and most necessary, I find that after time I long for her relationship.

While marriage can be a challenge, we have so far risen to it. God is continually creating new vectors for us to engage with while granting us a greater understanding of love. May you find and engage in your vecotrs.

-Paul