Meredith Design

It’s been a wild ride since landing back in the States. I had found a sort of equilibrium in Japan and, though I was happy to come home to the familiar things in my life, it seems like everything’s been moving at the speed of light since I came home. I still have blog posts to catch up on in my Japan blog from as far back as November 2011.

Things feel like they’re picking up now. Even though not everything is peachy-keen. A couple updates: Joel and I have been house shopping for a couple months. We found a 112 year old Victorian in good condition but it’s under negotiations with another buyer and the banks that own the 2 leans on the house. It’s a short sale and these ‘negotiations’ have been going on for 3 months now. So we’re looking at other houses on the market… but this little beauty still has our hearts. Things keep happening to prevent us from buying other houses we may be interested in, too. An example is that one house  that had sparked our attention was going to be pulled off the market within 48 hours from when we viewed it (the seller was paying 2 mortgages and had someone interested in renting the home at least).

Another update is that I landed a nice corporate freelance position that i genuinely enjoy. Unfortunately, the don’t have enough work to keep me at full time status on a regular basis. I was also very sick during summer and fall for a rough total of 5- 6 weeks. I’ve had bad vertigo problems ever since then. Supposedly it shouldn’t last more than a year or two.

Did I mention I gained a bunch of weight before I left Japan and turns out I ‘grew’ a gluten allergy? Crazy. It’s been a big adventure and I’ve definitely stepped up my game as a cook. Making everything from scratch gives me a deep appreciation for the art.

Besides all that madness, there’s been weddings and babies and deaths and moving. Like a roller coaster. But through it all, I’ve never stop creating. For the most part, it’s been via work with print design projects but I’ve managed to teach myself some bead weaving techniques and started some new ideas for my kanzashi. Being crafty with my hands is more soothing usually than drawing. I think because I don’t have to think quite so hard but I only just started. I wonder if, as I get more advanced with hand crafts, it will become like with my drawing stuffs where it can be easily overwhelming. I’d like to do a sketch a day but for now I’m satisfied with simply doing something creative each day, regardless of what format it’s in. Cooking counts!

Below is a picture of one of my more recent kanzashi (as of June haha recent…) and Joel with our dog Baku. Baku  has been another adventure. Some rough patches but he’s doing well enough now. Rescue dogs are usually a challenge in some way or another. He just happens to be 110 lbs of stubborn Akita blood in addition.

Here’s to wishing everyone a Happy New Year. May it bring you what you seek or at least help bring you clarity.

With love- M