We had very good intentions of sending out Christmas cards with the above picture on them (I tried, I really did), however, they did not arrive in time, so consider this our Christmas card picture to you! (to make me feel better, you could even print it and stick in on your fridge with the rest of the holiday cards, to make it look like I sent it ;)

After a very busy day, we are finally packing for our long-awaited trip to Hood River. We are really looking forward to spending Christmas with the Parker & Pichura families! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas remembering and celebrating what Jesus has done for us! We love and miss all of you!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Today being December 1st, I'm trying to make the transition into the Christmas season, despite the green grass and lingering leaves on our trees. I've been taxing my creativity trying to think of great present ideas, I've started listening to Christmas music, and I even managed to find the moving box packed with the nativity set. But I will admit, without typical Northeastern weather, it has felt a little less like Christmas...until this afternoon...when we got SNOW! Real, fluffy, cold snow! It is amazing how beautiful and exciting snow can be when you anticipate a snow-less Christmas season. And it was the perfect snow too--the heavy, wet kind that sticks to all the trees. So, we enjoyed an evening of snow-seeing, and it was the perfect way to begin this Christmas season--with a little taste of "home," and even more, a reminder of God's beauty, grace, and love.

Unceasing Thanks

This last week was a time of reflection for us--a time to look back at the last few months and see what God has done. We are so thankful for God's faithfulness and His patience with us as He continues to lead us on this journey.
We are also extremely thankful for our family, and the encouragement they have been to us, especially over the last few months. It was a great blessing to have David's parents spend Thanksgiving with us, and also to have my parents visit last month. We love introducing family and friends to "our" city, and so far, everyone has enjoyed the evergreen, though ever-rainy city.
We've been pretty bad at posting regularly, so I'm trying to make amends by posting a bunch of pictures...and maybe more random ones later. :)

WaMu's Halloween Spirit

Just thought this was pretty funny. Michelle and I were driving home tonight and noticed that Washington Mutuals office building had particular office lights left on. :-) It makes for a great Downtown night shot (of which this picture is borrowed).

An Adoption into the Family

After seeing her in the lot, driving her, and spending minutes bonding with her. I just had to take her home. We have adopted this Mazda pickup into our family. We promise to treat her and love her as we did our Honda, and drive her in a fashion that says nothing less.

Thanks for all your prayers. We received a generous amount from the insurance company for our Honda. Since we have been out here I have wanted a truck, and this seemed like a sovereign time to get one :-). I made a ridiculously low offer on this truck that was 2,500.00 Below what they were asking. They called back and made an offer that was still way higher than I wanted to pay. So I told them if they have any other vehicles that fit my price range to call back. About 10 minutes later I received a call back with an offer for the same vehicle that was $400 above my initial offer. So I am thanking the Lord for allowing us to purchase this vehicle.

Not like this....Not like this....

I was reminded of the line in the Matrix where Switch was watching the "plug" get pulled from a fellow friend, to which she says: "Not like this....Not like this". Well, we aren't in Kansas any more I guess. We have now been officially be welcomed by the city of Seattle.


"Honey, did you move the car?" Was the start of our Tuesday morning. It was a fun day filled with laughter, 911 calls, and a trip to the impound lot. Yes, a little frustrating but nothing to loose sleep over.

Our car was found that morning about 15 miles south of where we live, abandoned in front of a school with the engine still running. They grabbed the hood, bumper, lights, fenders, drivers side window, radio, and my GPS (sorry paul). I also had my toolbox in the trunk with all of my hand tools in there. We have insurance on the vehicle, with a small deductible, so everything but the tools will be covered. I am a little bummed that I lost about $600 dollars in Tools, but I am grateful that the Lord reminded me I left my laptop in the car the evening before it was stolen!

So State farm is processing the vehicle and it sounds like they will total it. The one blessing is that out here state farm gives you what it would cost to replace the vehicle, not what the bluebook value is. So that is encouraging.

But at the end of the day, I am thankful that our car was recovered so the insurance claim could be processed immediately. Otherwise they wait 3-4 weeks before they will process the claim and consider your car a total loss. I am thankful that God is sovereign, and it really is no big deal. A small attack from Satan, and a minor bump in the road.

Wendy's fun.

Ants on a Log

My wife just asked me if I wanted a snack, and for some reason I just had a hankering for ants on a log. I know only kids ask for those kind of snacks, and I think it been about 20 years since I have indulged, but rest assured, as I am eating them and coating the keys of my cell phone with peanut butter, it is bringing back wonderful memories....

baptizing them in the name of......

We just got back from Mars Hill's event of the summer - A mass baptism on Alki Beach. It was really neat to see a couple hundred people getting baptized, and to hear a few share their testimony. Everything went well, and without a hitch. It was really funny, there was a baby seal that beached itself where we were going to setup the stage, so the event had to be moved a few hundred yards west, which actually was God ordained. You can read the news story here
You can read the community's reaction here, here, or here. The comments are always very lovely and colorful :-) Update: check out the news video here.

Random Wisdom

I always wanted to post this if I ever had a blog. So here for your enjoyment, a picture from a water fountain inside a Chinese buffet we visited while in Maine a few years back. Hope you got a laugh as we did.

Blueberry picking anyone?

Out here near North Bend, WA picking blueberries with my wife. Has to be one of the most beautiful places to pick berries (like I pick berries a lot:-), and only half hour drive from home.

"Sister" Act

I started work today! God has blessed me with a very unique nursing job...one I would've never expected out here in Seattle. I am going to be the "supportive care nurse" for a group of retired Sisters living in an assisted living convent! Like I said, a very unique job. :)
I had a great first day on the job; I did a lot of note-taking. Once I am trained, I will basically be the only nurse seeing these ladies , so I am really trying to absorb as much as I can from the nurse leaving the position. I think it's going to be a good fit for me-- it will encourage me to be more autonomous in my nursing care, but I will still have medical staff support if I have questions. And I've always enjoyed working with the elderly, so now I can start to focus my nursing skills on that age group. Some other perks: no weekends or holidays, and it's TWO MINUTES from our house!! That's my type of commute. ;)

Anniversary Weekend

Well, after a wonderfully long weekend, I'm finally getting around to posting some more pictures of our anniversary. David surprised me (blindfold and all) with a romantic dinner for two, and our view couldn't be beat! We had a perfect evening, with the best sunset I've seen all summer, with wonderful food, and of course, the best part--> with my sweet husband. I'm so thankful God brought us together, and has continued to grow us closer to Him and each other, over the last 6 years.

The view from the deck where we ate dinner--
this picture is only about 1/3 of the view!


My gourmet meal, cooked by our thoughtful friends
and served by my sweet husband.

Yes, they tasted as good as they look! :)

----

Every year I brainstorm for anniversary ideas, and this year,
I actually thought of one!
There is a big music festival in Seattle over Labor Day weekend,
and one of David's favorite bands was playing, plus some others we enjoyed, so to Bumbershoot we went! (Yes, that's really the name of the event). We had such a great time, and were so thankful for a gorgeous day, great music, and...a parking spot. :)

These next 3 pictures are of the last band we saw, The Frames, and they were amazing!!! Their music is great recorded, but seeing them live really made the music even better...especially with this electric violin, my favorite of the night.

(I "borrowed" these pictures off flickr,
so I'm gonna give credit where credit is due.
Picture 1 by blythe_d, Pic 2 by darby, and Pic 3 by joshc)

I now pronounce you...

Today we celebrate our sixth aniversary! What a more perfect way to celebrate it than attending our friends wedding today. It has been a joy to be able to spend six years with my beautiful. Wonderful wife.

Seattle at Night

A few pictures for your viewing pleasure...

Paul and David (left to right :-)

Want a cool Desktop Background? Right click picture and "set as desktop background."

Nerdmobile Alert

Well....well....well, I feel like I've digressed in the world owning a red VW bug :-). If you asked me a year ago if I would ever buy a new VW Beetle, I would have told you never in my life. And look, here I am now the proud owner of a Nerdmobile! Well, I don't know about the proud part yet, but I'm sure once this thing starts paying me back I'll start to feel a little better.

Honestly, God has been good in his provision for us, even in the terms of buying this vehicle. So I am thanking the Lord. Things have been off to a good start, a little slow, but anticipated. Looking forward to driving up some business, Literally :-) Speaking of......The sun is out in Seattle, time to go "cruise the strip".

Vacation Already?

Well, we decided we worked up such a sweat moving in to our new home that we deserved a vacation. :) Not really, but since a large bunch of David's family was vacationing at Mt. Shasta, we did decide it was worth the 8 hour drive to California to visit with family not seen often enough. We had a wonderful time visiting and enjoying the beauty of God's creation.

Mt. Shasta --I could stare at it all day.

Faith (our niece) & I at the beach.


David and Titus (our youngest nephew).



The Parker-Pichura Clan
(and one new face you may not recognize!:)




And the new face is....Aaron Johnson.
(We'll let you figure out the rest) ;)

The CUTEST kids EVER!!

Mom & Dad Parker
(We are praising God that Mom had a wonderful week!!)

One more picture--gotta keep with tradition you know. ;)

Who said it rains in Seattle?

Well, after a solid week of gorgeous weather, we are starting to think that this rain thing is just a ploy to prevent overpopulation! :) Each day is filled with sunshine, perfect temperatures, and most importantly, no (or very little) humidity!



We've been enjoying the outdoors as much as possible, but are still spending a lot of time hunting for furniture. After a few days of searching, God provided us with a couch and loveseat at a great price, and they're nice and comfy! :) Although we still have much to do in terms of household decor, we are trying to get involved at church as well. We've met a bunch of great people and are excited to get more involved by joining a community group, and by serving at church. So, overall, things are going well! :)

We also got the chance to see David's parents last week. They drove up for a quick visit and a baseball game-- the Mariners v. the Red Sox! It was wonderful to catch up with them--it's been awhile since our last visit. Although the games didn't bring the Red Sox any closer to the World Series, we had a great time and really enjoyed their first visit to our new home.

One more of "The Mountain."
(Can you tell what our favorite pastime is yet? ;)