Bon Voyage!

The timing may not be perfect, but this vacation will be greatly appreciated! Before we started packing our suitcases (with lots of Dramamine of course!) , we were already busy packing boxes full of books and baking pans, as we will have one week to pack up the house once we return from our trip! We originally booked this trip months ago, not knowing the blessing of home ownership was coming so quickly! We've always wanted to go to Alaska, and because of a generous family discount, we're going to be able to take a cruise there! We're so thankful for this opportunity to see such a beautiful area, and to be able to "unplug" and really relax. I think this vacation will be especially sweet because we know what lies before us when we get back! Hopefully we'll be able to get some pictures up shortly after we return! Alaska: here we come! :)

Ready or not, here we come!

With Kristin (David's sister) and Bryan now in their new home (Yakima, Wa) for one whole week, we decided it was time for a visit! If we had hosted visitors the first week we moved into our apartment, it would've been interesting...boxes would've been the only furniture ready for "use" as beds and couches! :) But anyone who knows Kristin can probably guess that this wasn't the case when we arrived...almost everything was already unpacked! We had to keep reminding ourselves they'd only been there 1 week!! God blessed them with a rental home that has tons of room for the kids, and they are really enjoying their new church family as well. We really treasure our time with them and are SO thankful they are now only 2 hours away!

What a cutie!

Everyone wanted to "help" Uncle David put together the new grill.

Grace

Micah

Faith

Titus

Faith took this picture-she's becoming quite the photographer!

One Year Ago Today

It's hard to believe, but one year ago today we drove into Washington State and made Seattle our new home! I can still remember our thoughts are we drove into the city: "We're really doing it!" It has been an amazing year, and we have not looked back one bit. We still miss those we have left behind, but God has made it SO clear that this was (and still is) His plan for us! We have been blessed by Him in so many ways this past year and are so thankful for His continual guidance and provision.
The last month has been crazy..as our Pastor would say, we both feel like "a kite in God's hurricane!" A few of the major things that have happened within the last month: David's older sister, Kristin, and her family, have moved from California (aka 16+ hour drive) to Yakima, Wa (aka= 2 hour drive! :). Watching God work through their situation has been an amazing encouragement to us, and we are thrilled that they will only be a short drive away! Also, we sold our VW Bug! We had originally bought it for David's computer business, and now that he's working for the church, it was an unnesessary expense. With the lackluster economy and high gas prices, we were not sure if we'd be able to sell it, but we were trusting God to provide, and He did! We were able to sell it at a great price, and David even had a chance to share Jesus with the new owner! Our last big event of the month is currently in the works: we are buying a house! We are amazed at how God orchestrated the events of the last month to provide us with the perfect house, at a great price (well, for Seattle that is)! Long story short, we submitted an offer on this house a month ago, only to be outbid. We kept looking, but nothing was meeting our criteria...and then, last week, we got the call that the other offer had fallen through! So, we submitted a new offer, and they've accepted it! So, we are thrilled to finally know where we'll be "planting" for a few years! The house is in West Seattle, which is where we currently live (and have grown to love), and is only 5 blocks from work (for me)! God is so faithful, and we are standing before Him humbled and thankful. But we're also aware that, although these things are wonderful gifts from God, we have been given far more "intangible" blessings. To name just a few: We have an amazing church, where David has been blessed with a "job" that is allowing him to disciple and be discipled; we've met some great friends and mentors who are an encouragement and inspiration; we've been able to share the love of Jesus with neighbors and clients; and God has used this move to stretch and grow both of us in our walk with Him. We now realize that our identity doesn't lie in: friends, jobs, family, money, performance, or acceptance...our identity is in Christ, and Him alone!
So, here we are a year later, thankful for God's provision, encouraged by His faithfulness, and excited to see what God will do in the future! Thanks for all your support and prayers!

April SNOW showers bring...Tulips?

We've heard a lot of talk about the tulip fields north of Seattle. They seem to be some sort of rite to Spring out here in the Northwest. So, with the well-wishes and advice of many coworkers, we decided to drive up to Mt. Vernon aka "Tulip-Land" today. It all started out beautiful-- partly sunny skies, no rain. And then, out of nowhere...SNOW. I've been assured by many locals that snow only occurs once or twice during a Seattle winter, yet there we were, driving in 2 inches of snow on the interstate! It was strange...kind of felt like we were back home in PA! :) Apparently, there is a"convergence zone" north of Seattle that encourages rebel weather like this...I'm glad we decided not to live in that zone! Fortunately, once we left that area, the snow ceased and we were left with a gorgeous day for tulip-looking...

The tulips were beautiful..fields and fields of bright colors waving around in the wind. I felt like I was Alice in Wonderland. :)

On the way home, we once again had the "privilege" of driving through the snow again! And this time, it really looked like a good old "Nor'easter!" It was a little surreal to go from Spring tulips to Winter Wonderland in a matter of minutes...
this definitely takes the cake for our weirdest Seattle weather yet. :)

Plenty of Sunshine Heading My Way

Although the weather has dropped back to the 50's this week, last Saturday we enjoyed a beautiful, sunny, warm day at the beach, with temp's in the high 70's! More proof that the sun does, occasionally, make an appearance out here. We had a very relaxing afternoon at the beach -- we had plans of getting some reading done, but you'll see below that the "reading through absorption" method soon took over. ;) It was a very welcome time to rest, relax, and enjoy God's beautiful creation (as you can see in the photo above, the Olympic Mtns were out as well. I can't seem to get enough of them!).

In his defense, he did get some reading done :)

We were at the beach during a very low tide--
it only does this a few times a year, and it was really
fun to wade out 500 feet and only get our feet wet!
This picture was taken about 400 feet out,
but it looks like he's right at the shoreline!

These pictures give a little better perspective of
how far out into the water we could walk (without getting soaked,
which would've been bad since that water was freezing cold!).

Wish you were here! :)

Over Hood River and Thru the Woods...

Last weekend, we made what has become a "short little trip" to Hood River, OR to spend some time with David's family. 4 hours may not seem so short, but when compared with the 20+ hours it would take for us drive to his brother's house, Hood River suddenly seems a lot closer! :) James (David's brother) and our sis-in-law Kimiko, were up from LA to visit David's parents, so we made the rainy drive down to see them (we have yet to drive down with sunshine). It was a short, but sweet visit, and we were very thankful for the chance to see everyone.

We're still here...just enjoying the view.

(Olympic Mtns)

I realized today that it has been over a month since I last posted. Sorry. We're still here. Things have been a little busy (and in my opinion, most of it too mundane to write about). David was off running with his new job--the church hosted a huge conference last month with about 1200 attendees, so he has been busy. (Yes, that's a lot of water bottles, coffee cups, and paper towels!)
He is enjoying the position, and God is definitely growing & stretching him though it. And since he is now working at the Ballard campus, we have switched church campuses (from West Seattle to Ballard). This was a big adjustment for me, but God has used it to remind me that my identity is not in friends or comfort, but in Him. I've started volunteering at the Info Desk during one service, and I am really enjoying it.
Other than that, things have been relatively quiet--my job is going well, and I'm really enjoying my walks to work...springtime has started, and it's gorgeous. The 2 pictures below are taken from the building where I work...those nuns have a nice view, don't they? ;)

(Cascade Mtns)