I’m still here, still kickin’! I’m still learning, exploring, and helping. I took a bit of a blogging break over the last few months (if you hadn’t noticed). But now I’m back and ready to fill you all in on my escapades over the summer and what I’m heading out to do next.

My last blog post was way back in April. I celebrated the one year anniversary of the Repurposed Redhead and was finally getting back to normal North American life back “home” in Seattle after nearly 5 months in India. Over the past few months life hasn’t been too exciting, it was maybe even a bit mundane at times. But it was a nice change of pace, a wonderful bit of normalcy in my sometimes chaotic life. The summer was full of family and friends, some old favorites and new experiences. I accomplished quite a bit (though not everything I’d hoped) and even stopped in at the office for real work. I was able to cross a couple items off my Life’s To Do List, there was even a brand new baby.

What an angel! Not mine, of course, but I’d take her any day.

During the past few months I’ve done quite a bit of what I set out to do when I started my blog and new lifestyle. And… I’m blogging about it all – retroactively, that is. I’ve added the following posts on the dates that they took place – click on the links and see what I’ve been up to during my summer of silence (blog-wise that is).

HELPING – one of my grandfathers took a tumble off a ladder and needed a bit of extra TLC – post, an aunt of mine had to go in for eye surgery and welcomed some help with the menagerie of tiny tots in her home daycare – post, my good friends had a baby and were more than grateful for an extra pair of helping hands – post.

LEARNING – don’t cork a bottle of wine before it has finished fermenting – post, keep the rifle nice and tight in the crook of your shoulder and it will still hurt like heck – post coming soon, a peaceful sojourn in a tiny treehouse – post, enjoying the simple things in life like a good book, a wonderful meal, and a sleeping baby on your chest.

EXPLORING – the beautiful merging of river and sea and the prehistoric fish that lie beneath – post, the arid landscape of Central Oregon and how to camp with 20+ people – post coming soon, heading east to enjoy the heat and humidity of India and the beautiful children of Child Haven International –  post (an oldie but goodie).

It’s been a summer of fun, friendship, and family ties; of enjoying the downtime and reflecting on my previous journeys. To tell you the truth, after a year of blogging I had no choice but to take a look at my life and where it was headed, to reevaluate my situation, to question whether to blog or not, and to ponder again life’s big question – what is the purpose?… And while I still am not quite sure of the purpose, I am moving along a path that I quite enjoy. I don’t know where the path is leading of course, but I am certainly loving the journey!

Thanks for reading!

-Rene