Sunday night quiz

I decided to take a break from pretending to care about the football game (I'll watch the end with my fellow novice who does in fact care about the game) to take yet another silly internet quiz.

American Cities That Best Fit You::

70% Portland

65% Honolulu

65% Las Vegas

65% Seattle

60% Denver

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

Hmmm... I am surprised about Honolulu and Las Vegas and Denver, but not surprised that Portland's at the top of the list. I loved that town! One of the hardest things about discerning a future with the groovy sisters was that we have never had a presence in Portland. There are groovy ministries 2 hours to the south and 1 hour to the north, but not in the Rose City. As I continued to discern, my head caught up to my heart and I realized I couldn't pass up the opportunity to follow the path to groovy sisterhood, even if it meant leaving Stumptown. Besides, Seattle's almost like Portland - only bigger with more traffic and lots of big bodies of water. And if I was homesick for my friends, my SE Portland neighborhood or Powell's City of Books, Seattle was only 3 hours away.

Of course that's when God and the community introduced the concept of a 2 year Novitiate based in New Jersey. The freakishly mild winter has probably helped, but I seem to be adjusting to my time in NJ fairly well. Much better than I thought I would anyway. Sure I miss my rainy Pacific Northwest, and I certainly miss both my friends and the west coast groovy sisters. But I'm here, and I'm me while I'm growing into the me God knows I can become. It's helped that I'm starting to know my way around places. I hate driving on the highways here, but I've learned a few back roads that makes it more manageable. It's extremely cool to look out my window and see the NYC skyline (although I need to actually head across the Hudson a few more times to take advantage of the location). And it's been a great gift to be able to build relationships with the east coast groovy sisters.

That said, as much as I'll have a say in the discernment of where I go after Novitiate's over, I'm hoping it's back to my Pacific Northwest. Seattle. Portland. Or some other town in the general area. Just so long as I can go for a walk in the forest and smell that smell after a gentle cleansing rain. That's one of the things I miss most.