Hi there, lovely Pure Jeevan family members!

It's so sweet that many of you are concerned about us, wondering where we are and what we are doing since the blog has been quiet for quite some time. We feel very loved! *blows kisses to everyone*

Well, our trip to Portland, Oregon, went well. We bought the fixer-upper home that will eventually house Pure Jeevan, and did some preliminary work on it (it's a *true* fixer-upper and is going to require *a lot* of work and investment). A few times during our stay in the new home, Jim and I both looked at each other, wild-eyed, wondering what we had done. Following one's intuition can be a bit scary at times, but we've learned over the years that things always work out for the best and that these sometimes scary, unknown times are what help us grow and learn in ways we had never imagined.

KDcat, who has decided to shorten her name even more (now it's just "Cat"), brought a friend along for the Portland visit. Cat rolled her eyes at the house (well, mostly at my tears about the house, when one day I stood teary-eyed about the enormous project we had just taken on), and went out and about exploring the beautiful city. She had a great time and we could easily see that this is going to be a great city for her as she matures more into adulthood. Everything is within walking distance, which gives her a lot more freedom. Cat will be taking all kinds of art and music lessons, and has hopes of beginning a part time job somewhere (she has her eyes set on the Flying Cat Coffee cafe that she and her friend frequented during our stay. So, if you know the owners, put in a good word for her!).

It was fun seeing Cat and her friend enjoying themselves. Jim and I, aside from the shock of what we had just done in buying a second home that requires an immense amount of work and money, had a great time also. The backyard of the house is quite big for being in the city, and guess what ! There are already established fruit trees there!! We have figs, cherries, pears (we think they're pears, anyway), and grapes! In addition to those things, Cat found ASPARAGUS growing against the back fence! ASPARAGUS!!! I ate some right away, as it's my favorite vegetable, and WOW! So tender and delicious!! The front yard is small, but what a treat to see all of the lemon balm, lavender, sage, rosemary, and some flowering plants I'm not familiar with. It was as though nature was soothing and calming us, letting us know we can be at peace while taking on this enormous fixer-upper challenge. We feel confident that the yard will eventually supply most of our dietary needs once we're settled into the place.

When we returned home (Jim and I exhausted from all the house work we were doing, Cat and her friend exhausted from staying up late every night) we slept a lot and tried to get back to the eastern time change (it's three hours difference). Then we began some more purging of items here in our Pittsburgh home. Our attic/family room is almost completely empty, now, and we hope that others will now be able to see the space as a bonus room that they can do next to anything with! If you know anyone looking for an awesome home at an amazing price, send them to the Luck House: http://www.charming4bedroom.com and let them know the price has been reduced by $30,000 for a fast sale!

At this time, our focus is mostly on the home in Pittsburgh, eliminating more items that won't be going with us to Portland. So, for some time you'll be hearing a bit less from us. We're not gone for good, just getting some necessary things done. Coming up, to keep you inspired and to save us some time, we'll be highlighting some older raw food blog posts. For those of you who have been with us from the start of the blog, we hope it will reinspire you. For those who are new to the blog, you're in for a real treat! We have years of information here on the site and it will be fun highlighting some of it for all of you!

How have all of you been? I miss not being able to connect with all of you as much as I used to do. The Disqus comment system is still not functioning correctly on the blog, but the programmers say they are continuing to work on it. We hope to one day have all of the older comments visible, the comment numbers showing, and newer comments easily showing up and able to be responded to with email notifications. Until then, I hope you'll take a second just to check in and let us know how all of you are doing!

Lots and lots of love to all of you!

Wendi

XOXOXO