A Journey Begins...

All the Single Ladies…

2010-10-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

It has been on my heart for a while to write about being both a woman and being single. Of course, it also requires me to place myself in a rather vulnerable position and be honest about some things. Everyone loves being brutally honest on a blog that anyone (especially people that know said person) could easily read.

As a single woman in her thirties, I often get asked about my intentions for marriage. “Do you want to get married?” is a frequent statement. It is to the point that small children ask me why I am not married on a fairly consistent basis. There is a few ways to take these inquiries, but only one that truly is honoring to God.

Response #1

I could respond with a flustered “Yes, of course I want to get married!” Outwardly, I express enthusiasm for the idea of meeting someone and being married, but inwardly it is a different tale. I chastise myself for obviously doing something wrong all these years. There must be some flaw that is preventing me from meeting anyone (this is a lie I constantly struggle with). I must be incomplete and can never be happy if I am not married.

I could start to lay out a plan to catch me a man! Change the way I look and act until I become another person entirely. Maybe I will pay $50-$100 to sign up for an online dating service (casting a larger net in hopes of finding the elusive “one”).

Side note: I am not saying online dating is wrong, but I (and a few of my friends) would agree that it affects women differently than men. For me, it is like prostituting myself in front of men I do not know, that may or may not be men of God and are most likely more concerned about satisfying their desires. There is an excellent article by Carolyn McCulley on her blog; Radical Womanhood that I would encourage all to read about looking at your motivations for participating in online dating.

In this response, I have tried to make myself sovereign over my life and find my identity in another person. Even if I were to become married, under the above assumptions, it would be a disastrous marriage. My husband would let me down and suddenly my entire world that I had built around the alter of our marriage would crumble.

Response #2

I could respond, “If God wanted me married, then I would be.” (I have never said this aloud, but it has been in my thoughts.) Taking offense to this inquiry leads me down a dark road. I begin to resent the people that ask it and then take offense with the idea of marriage and of men. Soon I am turned off to the idea of marriage and determine to live my life out alone because it gives me the freedom to live my life the way I want. I do not have to answer to anyone!

Or, I could put a godly spin on my bad attitude and state that God has made me single and that it is wrong of me to desire something like marriage as it is obvious that is not something He has planned for me.

In this response, I have taken the gift of marriage that God freely gives to those He chooses and spat on it. I have decided that marriage is the worst thing that could happen to me and looked to find worth within what I do, what I want, etc. My life is about me. This harsh response is actually a mask to cover my real response. I am not worthy to be married. God looks at me and sees this wretched sinner that has no business being in a relationship. I cannot even manage a regular quiet time with God; how could I handle a thing like marriage that is supposed to be a reflection of Jesus and the church!

Response #3

I could respond honestly. “You know, I do desire to get married, if it is God’s will for me and sometimes it is a struggle that I am not.” I could be honest about my tendency to not always respond in this manner. I could ask for prayer and tell people how they could help me keep my heart from stumbling headlong into sin regarding this area.

Instead of looking at marriage as something that completes me, I could see it as one a many ways God could bless me and stretch me. I focus on what God has already done; how He has provided for me and realize that I am well cared for and loved. Married or not, I lack nothing. I do not need to change myself because God has uniquely crafted me (I wish I believed this more). Though I struggle with sin, I am clothed in the righteousness of another.

This response requires me to see myself as God sees me. I am His child, His heir, a forgiven sinner whose greatest need has been met. If God were to withhold any more blessings the rest of my life; I would have to declare with joy that He has blessed me richly beyond measure because He has! Marriage is a wonderful and special gift, but it is not my everything. Jesus is my everything. It is not wrong to desire a gift, but I do not want to love a gift more than the gift-bearer.

So, I think it is easy to fall into one of these three responses, my hope is to be like Response #3 always, but the other two show up in my life all the time. Marriage will not make or break me, why do I worry about it so? All I can do is pray, confess and look to my savior to show me the truth.

Just Pondering

2010-10-20T19:03:00.001-07:00

So, I have not updated in a while and I bet a few of you are wondering if I will ever finish my book review.

Well, I have had my doubts as well, but I think that I will finish it. Why have I not been posting? I have been thinking about posting a lot, but I am more concerned about what I post than when I post. Now I know that I do not have a million readers (heck, I probably barely have ten), but I want to be intentional about what I write.

I still want to do fun updates and post pictures, but it seems that if a person is posting something on to the world wide web then it ought to mean something. I'm not talking about every post being a life changing experience, but I would like a little more depth and thought to go into what I write.

So that is where I am at the moment, stuck in my head. In fact this very post has been running through my thoughts for about six weeks. It feels good to get it out of my head and onto my computer screen. What will be posted in the coming weeks? I have no idea, but I hope that it is something worthy of being read and something that makes you think. It might make you laugh (because I like to laugh), I doubt it will make you cry (because I am lousy at writing sad things) and who knows it might make you rethink the way you look at the world.

If not, well, I tried.

One last thing! If you like to write or want to write and need some motivation, next month is NaNoWriMo, aka National Novel Writing Month. The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel. Don't stop to edit or make sure your storyline is accurate, just write until you can write no more! Several friends of mine are participating and I am giving it serious thought as well. You can learn more at:

www.nanowrimo.org

Updates and Camping...

2010-08-25T20:30:00.001-07:00

So, it has been awhile since I updated. I promise that the next installment of my review of Voices will be coming soon, but I thought a fun update was in order. I wanted to post some pictures of a few of the trips I took this summer. I actually traveled to Virginia twice and went camping twice: once at the Southern Oregon coast and one in Cougar, WA.

Now I realize many of you may have had to stop and re-read the previous system. Yes, I actually went camping and no, I didn't die...but it was close. ;-)

So first off, I traveled to Virginia for my dear friend Sandy's wedding!


Sandy & Me

What a lovely bride!

Sandy & Jim

There was a forecast for rain, but the weather held out and Sandy and Jim had a beautiful beach wedding!

The following month, I traveled to Sunset Bay, OR with my friends Holly and Karen. It was a great time and that was in part because we camped in a yurt, which is way better than a tent! I took so many great photos that I cannot post them all so here is a link. Karen was awesome in the face of adversity and refused to let the Coleman stove get the better of her. I even started a fire with corn chips!

On a side note, it is interesting that people out here refer to the beach as the coast. I guess it is because the water is so cold that they don't do much swimming (or course I could be totally wrong!).

Finally, this past weekend I went camping with my church. In a tent. It was cold. I survived. I also fried enough bacon to feed a small army! We spent about three days in Cougar, which is fairly close to Mt. St. Helens. On Sunday, we got to enjoy the outdoors, worship and listen to one of our members deliver a sermon. So what did this trip look like? Let me show you!


Susan & Holly enjoying refreshments!


The men doing manly things like chopping wood and starting fires.


Yale Lake

You can see Mt. St. Helen's in the background!

So that is my fun update! I always enjoy sharing pictures of my little adventures!

Voices of the True Woman Movement: Part Two

2010-07-22T23:41:00.002-07:00

Welcome to Part Two of the Voices of the True Woman Movement book! I am going to depart a bit from my usual overview of key chapter points this week as just the theme for this section has significantly impacted me. Part Two is entitled, The Battle for True Womanhood.

A battle.

When is the last time you engaged in a battle? Now ladies, beating out ten other women to get a pair of shoes in a sample sale does not qualify. Nor does Mafia Wars or Medieval Battleplex or whatever the games are called these days on Facebook (I just block these applications anymore).

You may not remember a time that you passionately fought for something you truly believed in and you are not alone. I think the issue has to do partly with apathy. Many of us look at the battle and decide there is little we can do to change the situation and really, who wants to make waves? Instead, we will just quietly go along and let biblical standards be altered. This may be a reason behind the success of the feminist movement. Here was a group of women that were fervent in their desire to reshape womanhood. How hard have we fought against this movement? In the end, their passion was rewarded as womanhood today is a far cry from the biblical model God provided us.

Why did we allow this to happen? I think part of it has to do with shame. We are ashamed of the gospel.

You read that right; we are ashamed of the gospel. Now some of you might say, “Christina, I love the gospel! Jesus died for my sins and I live for him now!” I agree that you love Jesus, but secretly you are ashamed to be set apart from the world. The world says womanhood should look differently than God intended. The issue is not with the world, it is with us. We long to be more like the world than we do God because we live in the world and want to be accepted by it more. It causes us to modify our faith in that it is okay to love Jesus as long as we do not look like crazed fanatics.

That doesn't sound very biblical does it?

To love the gospel means we are to do battle with the world. Now I am not saying we are to go out and beat people down in the name of Christ. We are not fighting against people, we are fighting against sin. John Piper once referred to this in a sermon I heard at a New Attitude conference. He stated that “the fight for faith is a fight to the death.” In other words, we can never stop fighting, as long as we live on this side of heaven, we will face temptation to be like the world.

Several years ago, I was publicly ridiculed for my beliefs. I was talking privately with co-workers about my understanding of biblical womanhood and marriage. Even the self-declaring Christians in the group looked at me as if I had grown two extra heads. They quickly spread the account of our conversation to everyone in the work place. This resulted in men constantly approaching me and asking me really inappropriate questions. The women would stand off in the distance and laugh. Having integrity and being willing to stand for what you believe in is going to result in being ridiculed, put down and possibly persecuted. Battles are not meant to be easy. You will break a sweat; you will feel anguish and heartache.

Remember what Paul stated in the book of Romans:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16)

To the world, biblical womanhood is folly. We women must be crazy to subjugate ourselves before men! That is what the world sees. What I see is women subjugating themselves before a holy and awesome God. Just as men do. God has assigned us roles. Our Creator has said to us, “I created you and want to see you serve in this role as it glorifies Me.” Our role as women, glorifies God. The world’s version of womanhood glorifies ourselves. Who are we to worship ourselves?

Do not be ashamed that God has set you apart from the world, for He has made you to be a light in the darkness. Embrace this amazing gift!

My next post will be on Part Three: The Refining of True Womanhood.

Voices of the True Woman Movement: Part One

2010-07-10T15:48:00.001-07:00

I believe some of you may be wondering why it has taken me so long to write the next installment of this book review. According to the timeline I provided you on June 3rd, I should have written this section by June 17th. However, here we are nearly a month after that self-imposed deadline and I am only just now writing this post.

June was a difficult month for me. My grandfather passed away and I had to return to Virginia for his funeral. Death is never easy for those left to live. I did much to occupy myself last month and did not feel inclined to read much of anything, to include Voices of the True Woman Movement. I tried to exist in my own strength for a time, but it can never last. In fact, as I picked up the book to read part one, the first two chapters told me that. It is a shame I did not read it sooner.

Part One contains the Foundations of True Womanhood. The contributors are John Piper and Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Their objective: to help women look at themselves rightly.

What do I mean by that, look at themselves rightly?

Well, our culture (particularly Western culture) tells us that everything is relative and the world should be interpreted through our own eyes as our experiences make our perspectives unique. My world may not look like your world, so if I view womanhood differently it is because it is different in my world. This is an inaccurate view.

We try to see who God is through the lens of ourselves, but we are going about it backwards. We need to see who we are through the lens of God! John Piper believes that when our worldview is self-centered, it results in wimpy theology. Piper is not a fan of wimpy theology and his belief is that wimpy theology leads to wimpy women. I agree with him. The Bible tells us time and again that our strength comes from God. If we look to ourselves for the source of our strength, we will indeed be a wimpy people. My strength fails me constantly. There is little I can do on my own, though I am often deluded to believe otherwise.

So how are we to understand who we are in God? Nancy Leigh DeMoss used a scripture that I believe is most helpful:

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36 ESV)

In her chapter, DeMoss breaks down each part of this verse. It tells us a lot about who God is and conversely who we are. God is in control, we are not. God is limitless, we are limited. There is nothing God cannot know and our minds are finite, able only to scratch the surface of things. She quotes John Piper in regards to the contrast between God and man: “In every situation and circumstance of your life, God is always doing a thousand different things that you cannot see and you do not know.”

To begin to look at what it means to be a woman of God means to begin to look at God first. Our foundation is in Him and through Him we will find our purpose.

Please join me in a week to learn about Part Two, The Battle for True Womanhood.

Voices of the True Woman Movement: Overview and Introduction

2010-06-03T20:16:00.002-07:00

The book has arrived!

This past weekend I received Voices of the True Woman Movement in the mail. As mentioned in an earlier blog posting, I have the opportunity to review this book for the True Woman Movement. Before I begin though, I thought I should answer some questions that might be floating around in your minds…

1. What this book is about?
This book is a collection of messages that were given at the True Women Movement Conference in 2008. This book will have messages from Nancy Leigh DeMoss, John Piper, Mary Kassian, Joni Eareckson Tada and Janet Parshall. They are calling for women to hold tight to the Word of God and find their purpose and identity in Jesus Christ.

2. Who should read my reviews?
Everyone! If you are a woman, this book is for you. If you are a man, surely you have women in your life (mother, sister, wife, daughter, etc.) that you could share this with. There are no “special secrets” for women’s eyes only that are going to be shared here, just plain biblical truths.

3. How is this going to work?
The book itself is broken down into four parts, two chapters per part plus some additional materials at the end. My intention is to post every two weeks, beginning today and ending the last week in August. I will cover two chapters every post and I hope to include thoughts from other women in my church.

As a side note, I know that not everyone who sees my blog is a Christian or holds to the same views I do regarding biblical womanhood. I hope that you will take time to read these reviews and I encourage open and honest dialogue about any areas you may struggle with.

Now, an introduction to the book!

The book begins by reminding us how we are bombarded by voices. Voices in the media, our families and our churches. Some purpose to degrade us, others to deceive or lead us astray from the truth. We need to listen for THE VOICE who never lies. Once we are able to hear how God desires for us to live, we must spread the word. For we should never keep the truth hidden. Jesus asked the disciples a pointed question,”… do people light a lamp and put it under a basket,[no,] but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house” (Matthew 5:15, ESV). This question almost deserves a “duh” response. Of course you wouldn’t put a lamp under a basket, it defeats the whole purpose! However, we often hide our Christianity from the world in order to assimilate with the culture. It is time to take a stand for the truth.

The overarching scripture reference for this book is

“Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, NKJV).

God does not place us haphazardly in this world. We are part of His intricate plan, NOW is the time for us to spread the truth and love of God to others!

I look forward to walking with you through this book!

Book Review Coming...Maybe

2010-05-20T14:03:00.004-07:00

Hi all!

Right now I am in Virginia visiting family and friends. I just wanted to update you about some possible new blog posts that could appear this summer. On Facebook, I am a fan of the True Women Movement and they offered to send bloggers a copy of this book:

Once we read it, we are to blog about it by September 1st. I put my name in the pot, so hopefully it will be in the mail soon. I am looking forward to sharing it all with you!

I will be uploading pics of my trip once I get back to Washington (it helps if you have a computer that takes SD cards!).

The Importance of Water

2010-05-16T18:38:00.004-07:00

Some of you may be aware that I am not a huge fan of posting pictures of myself on any social media site, especially, if the picture is not particularly flattering. Well today I am breaking away from the norm as part of a pseudo-public service announcement.

How many of you know that it is important to drink water?

How many of you try to substitute alternative beverages because water is not that fun to drink?

I am here to tell you that water is important, unless you like looking like this:

The above photo is evidence of what a lack of water intake can do to a person. I spend most of my days trying to consume caffeine in all its glorious forms to help me stay awake. Unfortunately, water did not hold such a place in my heart.

So why do I look like this? My salivary gland is clogged. Yes, you read that right, my salivary gland is clogged. Because of this, I have pronounced swelling (gee, like that wasn't obvious), pain and I cannot chew anything. Today is Sunday, I have been like this since Friday. Of course, I tried to hold off going to the doctor because I just knew that it would go away on its own. Thanks to some very concerned friends, I called for nurse advice and was sent to Urgent Care.

Now some of you may ask, how do you fix a clogged salivary gland? Well, you don't drink Draino that's for sure! My doctor prescribed anti-inflammatory medication, decongestants and an interesting suggestion: chew lemons.

Apparently, lemons cause the mouth to increase salivation, which could (somewhat like Draino) push the clog out and help my face return to normal. So my hope is that by this weekend, when I attend my friend's wedding, my face will have returned to normal.

One can only hope.

So, let this be a lesson to us all that water is essential to the body.

Easter Cards and What Not

2010-04-09T20:53:00.003-07:00

Well, I hope everyone had a nice Easter. I spent the day at church and then had dinner with friends. My mom sent me a card (as she does for every holiday) and it is one of those "singing" cards. Thought everyone might enjoy a chance to listen to it...

Yes, it is a bit painful, but kind of cute at the same time.

So, I have a dilemma. My church wants to go camping in August and I am actually going to be in town. Last year, I was fortunate enough to be visiting friends and family in Virginia. This means that I do not have an excuse about why I cannot go! I really do want to be an "outdoorsy" girl, but I really hate bugs.

Otherwise, things are pretty quiet here.

Is that contestant on American Idol a Christian? Scorecard

2010-04-06T06:33:00.002-07:00

Today I am participating in a massive guest blog post. Jon Acuff, author of the book, Stuff Christians Like and a blog with the same name has allowed 127 people to participate in a post today. Please go to his website (listed below) and start adding up your scorecard! Be sure to check out all the blogs along the way!

88. The give Psalty a shout out from the stage = + 2 points (If you don't know who Psalty is, go ahead and subtract 100 points off your own score.)

To add up your score with over a 130 other ideas on this scorecard, visit Stuff Christians Like.

Sunny Days

2010-03-07T19:59:00.004-08:00

Well, sunny days are here in Vancouver, WA...at least sporadically. Trees are in bloom and I even aired out the house this morning. I have definitely been busy over the last few months and thought I would give everyone an update.

In January, I did go to see a Portland Trail Blazer game! I sat in the cheap seats, in fact there was only one row of seats higher than me! Sadly, the Blazers lost to the Utah Jazz that night. Of course, until I moved out here, I had never heard of either team so I was not grief stricken. My friend Holly who is a die hard fan, may have felt differently.

In February, for about eight days, I was the harried owner of three cats. It is safe to make the assumption that Jackson, the 11 year old cat (whom I have had for nine years) was not pleased. The two cats were absolutely adorable and playful, except that they wanted to act that way at one in the morning. They managed to break a porcelain potpourri dish and take everything out of my garbage can. I quickly realized that I am a one cat person and found homes for the other two.

Just yesterday, I awoke at 4:44am (a time at which no human should ever be awake) and prepared to travel to Federal Way, WA. I with six other ladies drove that morning after meeting for some much needed caffeine at Starbucks. We met an additional five ladies (who had the common sense to go up the night before and were therefore well rested) for a women's conference. The speaker was Carolyn McCulley and she talked about feminism and her book, Radical Womanhood. She showed that what often happens is that we see problems in society and we try to pinpoint the problem. Unfortunately, we don't always use a world-view that includes God and recognize that we are in a fallen world. So we end up labeling people as problems, when it is not the people but the sin. This is why we do not honor marriage and children the same anymore. I hate to leave this subject with such general statements, but I encourage you that if this strikes a cord with you, pick up Carolyn's book.

Finally, work and school. Always fun topics. Work is going well and I am learning a lot about being a case manager. It is a great complement to my schooling even though I am not my client's counselor. It gives me a better perspective of where they may be at and both of them are all about setting clear, reasonable goals. In school, I am signed up for my next semester of classes and am in the midst of my practicum. This means I am counseling an undergrad. student once a week for 12 weeks. This task definitely keeps me humble and I know I have a lot to learn!

What will be coming up next? Well, in May I am flying back to Virginia for my friend, Sandy's wedding and to see my family. The only sad thing about flying home in May is that I will be in town for the annual church camping trip. I am not sure if you remember my last camping trip, but I forgot a few important things (namely my sleeping bag) and ended up with some spectacular spider bites. I suppose tent camping gets better, but I really miss my family's camper!

Looking Towards the Future

2009-12-26T15:14:00.003-08:00

Well, Christmas is now past. Hope everyone enjoyed time with their loved ones! I spent the day at my pastor's home with his wife and family. Before we ate, he had everyone express what they were thankful for. Many said (including myself) that we were thankful family, friends and the safety of home, but a few were most thankful that yesterday was a reminder that God saw us in our pitiful state and incarnated into man to fulfill our greatest need. For many, Christmas is a time of get togethers and presents, maybe even doing charitable work, but the meaning behind Christmas has been pushed aside. Let us not forget there is a reason why Jesus came and why it had to be him to solve this great problem. If we ponder on that for a while, the meaning of Christmas will become much more clear.

So, what will the incoming year of 2010 look like? New adventures in uncharted lands? Probably not, but I have high hopes for the new year.

I plan to visit the Oregon coast so that people will no longer suffer pain as their jaws drop when they find out I have never been there.
I am going to figure out which schools are the Beavers and the Ducks so I do not accidentally insult a rival school.
I am going to attend a Blazers game to see what all the fuss is about. If the whole team does not end up on the injured list anyway (sorry Holly, couldn't resist that one).
I am going to watch the Olympics and pretend that yes, even I could be athletic enough to contend (I will then quickly come to my senses and just sit back down on the couch and marvel at other's athleticism).
I think a day trip to Seattle is due and enjoy visiting various shops. Who knows, maybe I will go by train!
I will of course, be flying home in the summer to see my family and friends!
I am going to read at least 15 unread books on my bookshelf. I seem to have a compulsion to buy books at an alarming rate, but never seem to catch up on reading them.
I also hope to keep working, being involved with my church, learning more about God's grace and a score of other things which are too lengthy to be listed here.

Now, please understand, these are not resolutions where I plan to do better. Well, the last one is technically a resolution, but it's my blog and I don't like making resolutions so for today, it will not be labelled a resolution.

So do any of you all have big plans for 2010? If so, leave a comment with your thoughts, I not only like to plan things for myself, but also enjoy living vicariously through others!

Season's Greetings

2009-12-12T21:26:00.003-08:00

Hard to believe that 2009 will be coming to a close in just a few weeks! How is everyone doing on their Christmas shopping? I have a bit left to do, but with having moved just a few weeks ago, my budget is a bit slim. So I think that I will try to actually stay at this apartment longer than a year. Quite a challenge for me, but I think I can do it!

So, tonight I rented Julie & Julia from Redbox. On a side note, Redbox is awesome! One dollar (plus tax) and you have a movie for a night. Of course, that requires me to ensure that it is returned the next day. Thankfully, it is right around the corner and I can drop it off on my way to church. Okay, back to Julie & Julia. I love this movie! One, it is enchanting to watch and two, it makes me want to do stuff around the house. In fact, while watching it, I cleaned my kitchen, my bathroom, folded laundry and baked a cake. It was a nice ending to a relaxing day.

This past week at work as been a bit crazy. The executive director purchased three new desks for the office. They are nice, but it required planning of who would get the desks, who would get the old desks and how to dispose of all the extra desks (we are limited on space). So, after four days of chaos as desks were moved, built and reorganized, I now have two old metal desks and a table stacked in the lobby like some weird modern art sculpture. I was one of the lucky recipients of a desk, but alas I was only able to enjoy it for one day. Why you ask? Let me tell you. Last month, we had a case manager give notice and my boss asked if I would like the position. I said yes! So, now I will be carrying a caseload of approximately 16 people and will handle the front office on a more part time basis. I am really excited about this new position. It is a lateral move, but has the potential of something more down the road.

This coming week, I finish Christian Theology and go on Christmas break from school. I am ready for a break too! My ethics class is not nearly as interesting as I hoped it would be. I like learning about laws, but it has been really dry. School is going well overall though. In January, I will start my practicum and will begin counseling and undergrad student and then in the fall, I begin my internship.

Well, that is all the news for now! I will update you on how the first week goes as a case manager.

Photos are here!!!

2009-11-14T15:43:00.021-08:00

Okay, so after a week of moving stuff and several wonderful friends pitching in and helping me out, I am finally in my new apartment! As promised here are photos of my apartment before I moved in and after. Please note that the apartment needs to be organized more, but that is not happening today.

My Bedroom

The other half of my bedroom

Pantry/Coat Closet

Bathroom/Laundry Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Dining Area

Hallway

Balcony

My pride and joy (aka washer and dryer)

And now here is everything with stuff:

Bedroom

Check out the bed, a gift from my dear friends Jason & Anggi. They even gave me sheets and a blanket!

More bedroom stuff (I told not everything was put away)

Bathroom

Pantry/Coat Closet

Linen Closet

Living Room

Other half of the living room

Kitchen

Dining Room

Another Quick Update

2009-11-13T09:14:00.002-08:00

Okay, okay, I know that I wrote last week that I would upload pics of my new place and as one can see, there are no pics of it on this blog. Well, I have been busy and pictures have been taken, but tonight I will be without internet access, so that means that you get a two for one deal!!! I will post both the empty apartment and the furnished apartment pictures tomorrow night! How do you like them apples??? ;o)

Also, I have decided that the Real Time Hit Counter is bogus and have therefore removed it from my sight. I am trying out Google Analytics just to see what all it does. Jon Acuff uses it on his blog, Stuff Christians Like. I will let you know what I think of it after a month.

Well that is all the updating for now, I promise pictures will be posted tomorrow even if I have to highjack someone else's wifi!

Real Time Hit Counter: Fact or Fluff?

2009-11-10T19:52:00.002-08:00

Okay, I added a gadget, the "Real Time Hit Counter", which puts me at over 170,000 hits. Yeah right! Does anyone know of a valid hit counter?

I'm Moving!

2009-11-08T16:04:00.003-08:00

So I have a quick update for you all! I am going to be moving this week to a new apartment in a new complex. It is a one bedroom with washer/dryer included! I will be signing my lease tomorrow and will upload some pics of the empty apartment and then next week, I will upload pics with everything in place.

Trip to Wahclella Falls

2009-10-17T11:44:00.014-07:00

So earlier last month, I went on a day hike (yes, you heard correctly a hike) to Wahclella Falls in Oregon. I had a good time, there was no attacking bugs and the weather was perfect. So below are photos from my trip:

Shocker!!! It's a photo with me in it! My friend Holly insisted that we do a photo op, which I fought against, but peer pressure made me submit.

OMG! Two pictures of me in one posting! Again, I protested, but finally relented. Plus the background of the falls is pretty cool.

So, we had a huge group of folks show and had a great time. We even picniced (is that a word) afterward. Of course, Jason S. didn't show until after the hike was done and I think that was a bit of a cop out (just kidding Jason).

I also had to make a dessert for a potluck at my church and decided on a two layer, rasberry chocolate torte:

It didn't come out perfect, but apparently it tasted great because there was nothing left after the potluck! There is another potluck tomorrow, but I am not sure what I want to make.

Well, that is all the big updates for now!

Camping and Canada

2009-09-14T18:42:00.016-07:00

Well, a couple of weeks ago I finally consented to going on a camping trip with my small group from church. In my haste to get up there, I forgot two very important things:

My camera (this means no pictures of this "lovely" time)
My sleeping bag (how one forgets this essential piece of camping equipment is beyond me)

It rained a good portion of the day on Saturday, but by the afternoon it had cleared and the whole lot of us walked over to Alder Lake (east of Tacoma, WA). I have to admit, the lake was just gorgeous and postcard worthy (at that moment, I was really lamenting I had forgotten my camera). When we got back to the campsite, our friend Holly had arrived with Starbucks (because one can only rough it so much). We ate hobo stew and sang around the campfire. Then Holly and I had to adjourn for the night in a tent we borrowed from friends. It was a very small tent. We had room for just us and nothing else. I was quite happy for morning to come! Of course, when morning came, so did the bugs. I got bit by something(s) and ended up having to go to the doctor later that week when my ankle began to swell. Thankfully, I am fine and my foot is still attached. I still do not have a "warm, fuzzy" feeling about camping. So don't expect to see me out there again anytime soon!

The following weekend, my friends, Chris and Erin drove with me to Vancouver, BC, Canada. We had a great time checking out the sites and visiting friends. We were introduced to Tim Hortons, a coffee and donut shop that our friends stated was a must. We enjoyed coffee (I had a caramel latte and Erin had a double-double, not sure what Chris drank) and had Tim Bits (donut holes). We also learned some interesting facts: even though they are on the metric system, Vancouver BC McDonalds have Quarter Pounders and Subway has footlong and six inch subs. I am posting some photos below of our adventure:

An Article Worth Reading

2009-08-12T06:48:00.002-07:00

This morning I was reading through a blog entry from one of my favorite authors. Not only does she write books, but in her blog, she addresses a lot of social and political issues. On Monday, she wrote 'A Country Awash in Contradictions'. Please take some time today and read it. The article focuses mainly on CraigsList and sex trafficking.

Overdue Update

2009-08-06T20:32:00.002-07:00

Okay, I have truly been neglecting my blog. This is starting to become a habit. So, since my last post I have done a few things. I went home to see my friends and family in Virginia, successfully enrolled in a graduate program (yes folks, more school) and may be preparing to move.

So, I went home for a week in June. It was great to see everyone though it felt a bit rushed. I hope to take a little more time off for my next vacation so I can spend more than a day with people. So during my trip, I went to the beach for about 10 minutes. I am so not a beach person! I played laser tag with a few kids, watched a baseball game and saw a karate demonstration. What more can a girl ask for? I even had baked flounder, which I can honestly say I truly missed. The weather was nice and not too humid.

I also decided to enroll in graduate school. Well, technically, it is a seminary. I am attending Multnomah University and participating in their Master of Arts in Counseling program. It looks like a really solid program that balances both secular and Christian counseling techniques and it will take two years and two weeks to complete. I assure you though, that after this, I am done with school! Really, I will be done.

So finally, this moving thing. Another single lady in my church is needing to move and we are seriously considering rooming together. We met yesterday and talked about our expectations and concerns. So now we are looking at a few places and seeing where it takes us. There are no guarantees, but we are hopeful that this will work out.

So that is my update for now, what is coming next you ask? Well, I am going camping. In a tent.

Yes, you read that correctly. I am going camping at the end of this month with some people from my church. There may even be marshmallows present. This is a huge undertaking on my part so I can almost promise an extremely funny recounting of my adventure at the end of this month!

A Few Fun Things and an Upcoming Trip!

2009-06-20T14:04:00.012-07:00

Okay, I promise that I did not forget about this blog! I just had to find some stuff worth posting. So here we go!

Over Memorial Day weekend I flew to Baltimore, MD for the NEXT conference with my friends Holly and Sarah. It was a great time of teaching and catching up with friends from around the country.

At our layover in Houston, we found this crazy kiosk for Proactiv. Of course, that meant photo op!

NEXT!

Holly and I at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore (check it out you can see a ship with Chesapeake on it behind us!)

USS CONSTITUTION

This is a picture of Sarah and I. Now I know I do not look very happy, but please be mindful that in the past four days I had about a total of 15 hours of sleep!

Earlier this month, I went with my co-worker Carrie to a 3k walk at Washington State University, Vancouver. It was a gorgeous day out and you could see Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood, but unfortunately, I have no pictures to post because I forgot my camera (d'oh!).

Then the following week, my friend Holly and I went to the Portland Rose Festival. It was a really fun parade and there was even dragon skull races. Now if you don't know what a dragon skull is, here is a picture:

It is not an actual dragon skull, it is a boat (maybe you knew, that, but when I first heard about them I was a bit confused). I also took a few videos from the parade that I thought I would share:

This video is of a local step team and drum line.

This video is of an all girl marching band that travelled from Taiwan to perform.

Holly and I went to the Saturday Market, which if full of really cool stuff. There are tons of vendors selling, clothes, jewelry, catnip (yes, gourmet catnip no less) and ethnic food. It is nestled right by the Williamette River, so the view there is just beautiful!

So, what is up for me next? Well, in just a few days, I will be boarding a flight headed back to the East Coast to see all my friends and family back in Virginia! I am so exicted to see everyone and share about my time out here.

The "Good" Recession

2009-04-26T14:41:00.002-07:00

There are some pastors today that state we are in a Good Recession. I know many people that would disagree, but that is because they do not understand the pastors' intent. As I heard from the pulpit this morning, "what is from here, stays here." When jobs are lost or hours cut back and costs on goods rise, it becomes clear what we are relying on. I have a 403(b) (similar to a 401(k)) retirement account. I started it with my job back in Virginia and to be honest, I do not have a clue how much money is in it. I am sure there is less today than there was a year ago, but that does not occupy my daily thoughts. A lot of people would say that is because I am young and retirement is 40 years away, but I would disagree. There are many people my age that fret over money. No, I know what is really important in this life. I may have to cut back on amenities or supposed "needs", but this life is temporary. I placed my trust in God long ago and I know that he will guide me through every mountain and every valley. Sometimes life can be hard, so hard that it seems there is no way out, but at that time are you trusting yourself, a job, a relationship or something greater than all that? It is also important to remember that it is not the amount of stuff, the prestige or bloodline that makes a person worthwhile. In the end we all will die and everything we gathered will be left behind.

Just Another Day

2009-04-04T12:05:00.002-07:00

Well, it is a quiet Saturday at my apartment and I thought I would update everyone over the last few weeks. I finally got Washington license plates for my car. It only took two weeks to get the title for my vehicle sent over from Virginia to Washington. So I think I have almost completely converted to West Coast living with a few exceptions. I still (and will always) say "ya'll" and soda is soda, not pop.

At church, we are beginning the new member's class this Sunday and once it is complete I will be an official member of the church (though I have considered myself one since I got here). I am still serving in various ways there and am loving every minute of it.

At work, it has been busy. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is offering to let a group of our clients' children, a few parents and some staff have an overnight excursion on their submarine and then take a tour of the museum the following day. I am excited to take part, but I don't know how much sleep we will be getting. Kids, submarines and sleepovers is a combination that could be explosive. Stay tuned over the next few months to read about the outcome!

Well that is my update for now. Also, for those ever curious minds...No, I am not dating anyone. I know that you all have been dying to ask and I couldn't bear to keep you in suspense any longer!

Spring is in the Air!

2009-03-21T17:54:00.003-07:00

According to iGoggle, today we were supposed to have thunderstorms. So far, all I have seen is blue skies and spring-like weather. I even opened my windows for a few hours and aired out the apartment.

I hope everyone had a fabulous St. Patty's Day and ate their corned beef and cabbage (not that I would ever eat boiled cabbage). How many of you got pinched because you forgot to wear something green???? I wore a blue-green (sort of shirt) to work and there was some doubt among my co-workers, but I talked a good game and convinced them that indeed I was in compliance with the holiday. Later that night I went out with my friend Holly to see her friend Karen sing. It was fun and afterward we went to a pub for a late night drink (I had a diet coke, I am so daring...).

This past week was actually quite busy considering my normally dull, quiet life (which I really don't mind having most days). I met a few ladies for coffee and we shared about God's faithfulness in our lives and ended conversing in the parking lot for an hour and a half because the coffee shop closed at 8pm. I think the owners need to re-think business hours. The following night I went to Portland State University where a friend read her paper entitled, "Reading Barack Obama". It is regarding his memoir. I am excited for Erin as she has been asked to be part of a panel to present her paper in Chicago this upcoming week. Then last night (Friday) I went to this little dive of a coffee shop to see a co-worker's boyfriend and his band play. The venue was not set up well to really enjoy the music and I think I lost a few more decibels of hearing because of it. But overall, most of the folks from my job came out and we enjoyed hanging out away from the confines of the office.

Today I tried to get my Washington license plates, but my bank would not fax the title of my car. They insisted that it had to be mailed so I get to wait awhile, but at least after 7 months I am making an effort to get in compliance.

Finally, in honor of my friend Sandy's birthday, I have included "The Final Countdown" by Europe on my playlist.

Weird Weather

2009-03-09T20:00:00.002-07:00

Today was an interesting day as far as the weather goes. It was chilly this morning on my way to work, but once I got there the snow started to fall. Then it changed to rain, then to snow, then rain, then snow....and then it stopped. After that there was pepple sized hailed just falling like crazy. It sounded like beads being poured out on to a floor for about 15 minutes. Then we went back to snow, then rain, then snow (are you detecting a pattern)...then the sun came out and it was beautiful.

Now I know that in Virginia Beach today it was sunny and 70 degrees, but I do remember that one day in March of 2005 when it rained, snowed (with thunder and lightening) and ended the day sunny and warm. So Vancouver is not the only place that has crazy weather.

Vacation News!!!

2009-02-23T19:06:00.002-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I bought my plane tickets for my vacation in June! It is official, I will be home from June 24th - 30th and the best part is the tickets cost less than $300! I certainly was not expecting such great savings and it is such a blessing too. I can't wait to see everyone back in ole' Virginny! By my estimate, I have so many people I want to see that I may not have an opportunity to sleep while I am there!

Valentine's Day Happenings and Other Things

2009-02-17T18:28:00.002-08:00

Well, Valentine's Day has come and passed, but I actually had plans this year. No, it wasn't with "that someone special" (I haven't met him yet), I took part in a Single Ladies Night Out. Three other women and I went out to Outback Steakhouse and had a really good time. It was fun to meet new people, dress up and go out on the town. Afterward, we hit up TCBY for dessert.

I am also proud to announce that I successfully baked a Cherry Glazed Chocolate Torte all by myself! Many know my baking skills are not that strong, so I was very happy when my dessert turned out so well. The best part was that it was so good, that I didn't have to worry about any leftovers coming home with me!

I got word the other day that my shipmates from USS PEARL HARBOR are scheduling a reunion in June, but alas I will not be able to make it. I will be flying home that week to see all my friends and family! At least with Facebook we are able to all keep up with each others lives.

Jeopardy, Taxes and the not so Super Bowl

2009-02-02T20:25:00.003-08:00

Well, for those that did not know, I took the online test for Jeopardy last week. There were 50 questions and I knew maybe, maybe 20 of them. Needless to say (but I am going to say it anyway), my chances of getting on Jeopardy are in jeopardy (pun intended).

I am attempting to do my taxes tonight, but TurboTax has decided that I need to wait. Hopefully they will resolve the issues soon so I can figure out my tax return. This money is going towards my trip home in June.

Otherwise not too much is happening out here. Just enjoying the winter weather, working hard and getting to know the folks and area around me. I went to this really neat crepe restaurant in Portland a few weeks ago with some friends and I went to IKEA and got a coffee table! All I need now are some dining room chairs and my furniture will be complete. At church, I get to be part of, I guess it is the sound team (I really don't have a clue). Every couple of weeks, I get to put the lyrics up on the wall for worship. It is so much fun (yes, I know, I am easily entertained)! I also get to be part of setting up the Lord's Table and I have a wonderful, mature woman in the church overseeing me.

I was disappointed with the Super Bowl commercials. Not very funny and I have to say that the Pepsi ones left me confused. The game was alright overall, at least the end was exciting. Now, I admit, prior to the Super Bowl I didn't know there was a football team called the Cardinals, but I wanted them to win.

A New Year...

2009-01-18T20:51:00.002-08:00

Okay, I fell off the face of the earth for a few weeks and I failed to do a New Years post. So did anyone make any resolutions and if so did you manage to keep them for more than 12 hours? I am not into the whole resolutions thing, but after a few not so subtle hints from friends...I am "resolved" to try to do better about maintaining contact with people. So there that is the best I can do, here is a little music video that Rhett and Link made about resolutions, which I find quite funny...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eOu-jVuuxo

The snow is completely gone now and I am thankful for that. I did learn something interesting the other day, fog can freeze to roads. I don't know if anyone else knew that, but I did not. It just seems weird that a cloud can freeze to land, well, maybe fog isn't a cloud, but that is how I perceive it. So with this new knowledge, not only do I have to worry about fog reducing visibility, I have to worry about it sticking to the road and causing black ice. Somehow that just doesn't seem right.

Okay, I know that was totally ridiculous...anyway in other news, my church had their first Children's Ministry service and I was a small group leader. I was really nervous as most of my experience with children revolves around pom poms and chants at football games. I think it went well, but I know I can work on my ability to explain semi-complex matters to 6-8 year olds. I get stuck in my graduate school mentality and use words that maybe are the most appropriate (or understandable) to first and second graders. I would appreciate prayer in this area, that I may be more effective with my group. Today is also Sanctity of Life Sunday. I am committed to the preservation of life; especially the unborn, who have no voice of their own. We had a visit from Options 360, which is a Crisis Pregnancy Center. Women come to them to get free pregnancy tests and many are considering abortion when they enter the door. Options 360 offers these women a free ultrasound, which can detect ectopic pregnancies and other concerns, but also gives these women an opportunity to see their baby and hear the baby's heartbeat. 93% of the time, a mother changes her mind about abortion when she has the ultrasound. I think that it reminds them that the child is not some thing inside them, the child is someone.

Merry Christmas...

2008-12-26T17:34:00.003-08:00

Merry Christmas!!! Okay, it is the day after Christmas, but I didn't have my computer yesterday so this was the best I could do. I hope everyone had a great day and remembered that Christmas is not about the gifts we give each other, it is about the gift God gave us...Jesus.

I spent Christmas with my pastor and his family. It was very nice and I actually experienced my first white Christmas! Probably will never happen again. Today, it started to warm up and we now have slush versus snow. I am looking forward to just plain rain, that is a lot easier to deal with and I don't have to clean it off my car every morning before going to work.

Let see, other news.... I got an email from Liberty University the other day. My final grades are in and my degree is officially complete. I will receive my diploma in 8 to 16 weeks. I will not be walking in the graduation ceremony as it will be in Lynchburg, VA and plane tickets cost way too much for just that. Besides, I did my entire degree online so I don't know anyone there anyway. I was only at the campus once for a conference my church held there several years ago.

Other than that, not much else to say...just a quick thank you to my pastor and his family for letting me stay with them for Christmas!

Snowed In

2008-12-22T11:28:00.007-08:00

Okay, I know my post the other day said "Let it Snow", but that was just quoting a Christmas song. I wasn't being serious! Unfortunately, the snow has yet to cease falling and we are ranging from 9 inches to 2 1/2 feet (thankfully I am part of the first group). I am officially snowed in as I cannot get my car out of the parking lot. This makes for a long day as I was basically snowed in the whole weekend minus the 3 hours I worked at the volunteer center and Saturday. I realize that I am not that found of being home a lot, but I am trying to make the most of it. I am catching up on some reading, watching a few Christmas movies (thanks to Lydia who was so gracious to lend some to me) and enjoying what little is left in my cupboards. I kind of failed to actually go to the grocery store before the bad weather set in. I have enough to make it this week, but I will try to get to the store tomorrow weather permitting.

Well, here are some more photos of the snow:

There is my car buried in snow

This was from two days ago and this is just what is on the balcony bannister.

I tag you!

2008-12-21T19:55:00.003-08:00

Okay, I was tagged by Lydia to post a photo. The rules are:
1. Go to Your Pictures file go to the 5th folder
2. Open up the 5th picture
3. Post it then write about the picture (what you were doing when was it etc.)
4. Then TAG someone else.

Here is my photo:

I was standing on my balcony the other day taking pictures of the snow. Of course, this picture is nothing compared to what is out there now!

I tag Ashley and Jesse!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow....

2008-12-20T07:32:00.008-08:00

Hey everyone! Snow has fallen in the Pacific Northwest! Thankfully, it melts every afternoon so I am not buried in the white stuff. I will admit I was really concerned about driving this week, but Vancouver has been great about plowing the roads. I didn't miss any work, though several of our folks live in Portland and apparently they are inudated with snow. I am so happy to be on other side of the Columbia River.

Last week the ladies in my church had a cookie exchange. As we all know, my baking skills are some what lacking plus I do not have a mixer. So instead of torturing everyone with poorly made cookies, I found a great recipe that everyone loved. Here it is:
(1) Get in your car
(2) Drive to the nearest grocery store
(3) Find their bakery department
(4) Select cookies baked by the bakery department
(5) Pay for them (this is important, you don't want to get arrested for shoplifting cookies)
(6) Drive home
(7) Take cookies out of package and arrange on a plate

This recipe will work every time!

Well, I took a few pictures of the snow to show you all:

Finally, here is a quick video, the graininess is actually the snow falling.

Tis the Season...

2008-12-11T20:52:00.003-08:00

Okay, I know I haven't updated in a couple of weeks, but life has gotten busy! I am in my very last week of school (hallelujah!) and am actually taking a break at the moment from writing my last paper. 85% of my grade is in and I will definitely get a 'C' or better so I will be graduating with my Masters in Business Administration. All I can say is that this has been a long road and I am looking forward to expanding my hobbies from writing papers and conducting group discussions about whether it is better to be a global corporation or a multi-national corporation. I mean, you can see what wonderful conversation starters these can be at parties, right?

I am gearing up for Christmas, I am going treeless this year, but I do have my stocking that I will be hanging somewhere. I still need to do my Christmas shopping, which should hopefully take place on Saturday. I don't have much on my list so my goal is to spend as little time as possible in the stores. I am participating in Angel Tree this year with my church and I have to find a few things in purple, pink or blue for an 11 year old girl. My pastor and his wife invited me to their home for Christmas day so I will not be spending the day in my pajamas watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" as planned. Being around people is probably better anyway! There are a few things I will miss about not being in Virginia this year.

(1) VBCDC's Christmas party. It is always interesting, especially the gift exchange. Watching people fight for gift cards and lottery tickets is always entertaining!
(2) Christmas Yelling. It is a lot like Christmas caroling, but you ride around in a vehicle and scream Christmas carols at unsuspecting pedestrians. It is a lot of fun, plus you get to look at the Christmas lights. Hope Sandy and the kids have a great time doing it this year.
(3) My friend Tanisha had her baby, Jayden. I won't get to see him until the summer. :0(

The weather channel is forecasting snow for my area on Sunday. I am a bit concerned as I am not terribly familiar with driving in snow or ice. I know, I know, just drive slow, but you guys haven't seen the hill I have to go up and down when heading to work!

Well, that is all I really have to report, but wanted to end with a little video that I think will bring a smile to your faces and get you in the mood for Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

I Got Paid!

2008-11-22T19:10:00.002-08:00

I got a paycheck today! I am very happy. My job is going very well and I am working with another nonprofit as a volunteer to help out with either foreclosure or homeownership counseling. This morning I went to observe a homeownership class. It was nice to learn about the programs available in Washington and I learned a lot about homeowner's insurance.

School is going. Only three weeks left and I pray I get at least a C. My group has really been struggling with the business simulation, though last week we finally made a profit. Hopefully we will continue to improve. This class is hard because there are no research papers and how we perform as a "business" determines our grade.

Let me see, other news...hmmm. I was invited to a couple of homes for Thanksgiving. I am trying to decide if I can visit both or just go to one. I was also invited over for dinner tomorrow and I am going to make a salad. I had to go to the grocery store and pick up a few things. I hadn't been in awhile and my cupboards were beginning to look bare.

Update on My Job

2008-11-08T17:10:00.002-08:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to let you know how my first days at work went. I work for a local nonprofit and will be assisting with front office work and also HMIS reporting. The people seem very nice and I got a tour of all the buildings. I have an easy commute to and from my office, which takes less than 20 minutes! I haven't such a quick trip since I lived on a ship.

Tonight I am having a few friends over for dinner (and for all the critics, I am sticking with a tried and true recipe) and tomorrow I am getting together with a few folks to watch Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. It is a very good documentary about the opposition of academic institutions to allow discussion of intelligent design. Well, I better get back in the kitchen and work on the salad!

I Got a Job!!!!

2008-10-29T17:12:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that the nonprofit I interviewed with on Friday called me today and offered me the position! I have to call her back tomorrow letting her know that I have accepted the position. Benefits are great and my pay is equivalent to what I was making in Virginia! I am so excited to start leaving my apartment on a daily basis.

A Trip to Washougal and a Job Info Update

2008-10-28T12:54:00.011-07:00

Well, yesterday I went out to Camas and Washougal, WA to visit with a couple from my church. They took me to Lacamas Park to walk around some trails and then to the dyke and beach along the Columbia River (I never knew you could have a beach along a river).

This is in Lacamas Park. The water is Round Lake.

This is the beach at William Clark Park in Washougal.

It is right along the Columbia River.

Another view of the river and a marina.

Also, a quick update on my job hunt. It looks like I did not get the job with the housing authority in Portland, but I did have an interview last week with a local nonprofit and I dropped off an application to the housing authority here in Vancouver. So still plenty of opportunities. As soon as I know something, I will submit another post.

New Apartment Photos

2008-10-18T10:25:00.008-07:00

Well, as promised here are some new pictures of my apartment. And to appease my mother (who chastised me for having piles of stuff on the floor), I ensured that the room was in very nice condition and nothing on the floor. So please enjoy my borrowed table and chairs (the placemats and dishes are mine).

A Visit to the National Wildlife Refuge

2008-10-11T19:02:00.029-07:00

Today I went with some friends to the National Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, WA to enjoy Bird Fest. We got to walk along a few trails led by a guide and we saw a couple of birds, but in a large group in which children make up half, it is not easy to sneak up on a bird. The area was just beautiful though. We even saw some otters playing! Afterwards, my friends and I retired to their home and baked some cookies (chocolate chocolate chip cookies, need I say more).

I am enclosing some photos of my day for you all to enjoy. Another friend from my church is going to lend me some folding chairs until I am able to buy some, so the new apartment photos will be happening later this week.

Above: Entrance to the trails.

Above: Trains on the train tracks.

Above: The river and some local greenery.

Above: Wild blackberries and tomatoes

Above: Ferns and a view of some very tall trees.

Above: Snowberries and a maple leaf.

A large oak tree (probably existed when Lewis & Clark made their journey).

Above: No, these aren't logs, their otters!

Above: This is a replica of a plankhouse, which housed the Chinook Indians. Also, a fur pelt at the entrance.

Above: Native American items

Above: A real bear skin, and a Native American carving

Above: Mountain Lion skin and a carving for the chief of the tribe

Nothing New on the Homefront

2008-10-07T18:27:00.002-07:00

Well, I don't really have anything new to report. I have an interview next week in Portland and I dropped off my resume today to a nonprofit in Vancouver needing an HMIS administrator for their agency. I am getting a table tomorrow, which again, means I will be providing new photos of the apartment in a few days! I am going to visit the Salvation Army Thrift Store to find some "eclectic" chairs (meaning: chairs that most likely won't match).

I am going out every morning for a few hours to read and write in my journal. It is nice to get out for a bit and do something. I can't wait until I have a table and chairs because then I can have people over for a meal. Of course, that means I will have to cook and I only have a few recipes mastered, so I will need a bit of practice.

So is anyone watching the Presidential Debate tonight? I am considering it, but I better make my mind up fast, it started 30 minutes ago. Well, have a great night!

I have a job...interview!

2008-10-02T12:34:00.003-07:00

Well, I just wanted to give everyone a quick update. I have job interview in about a week and a half with the housing authority in Portland. I hope it goes well, I have to face a 3 person panel and interviewing was never my strong point. The position itself is okay, I would be in the Rent Assistance Dept. and explain policies to incoming callers. It seems a lot like the receptionist position at VBCDC, but it is a start somewhere.

In other news, I am going to the movies with some folks tomorrow. We are going to watch Fireproof. Then on Saturday, I am going to an Evangelism Seminar somewhere near here (I can't remember the name of the town, I just know it is north of where I am). A couple in the church offered to give me a ride there.

Also a quick shout out to my mom and to Alex who are celebrating birthdays the next few days!!!

Updated pictures

2008-09-29T17:59:00.007-07:00

Well, my sofabed finally arrived! I had to have some help in assembling it and the directions left something to be desired for. Apparently, their English translator needs to go back to school. Here are some of the instructions:

Fix the 5 foots that you will find in the box of the sofabed to the holes in the down of the box part.

To get sofabed to the box position, lift the seat part upwards slowly. (If you make this faslty you may operate the mekanesm and then you may obtain the bed position.)

As you can see, grammar and spelling are not on the high priority list. Well, as promised, here are more photos of the apartment.

All About Vancouver

2008-09-22T10:31:00.003-07:00

Well, I thought it was time that we all had an educational update on Vancouver, WA.

Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a British sailor, and was first explored by non-Native Americans in 1792. It is located next to the Columbia River, which separates Oregon and Washington. There are quite a few historical facts (great for those who like Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy) that Vancouver holds for this area:

- The first sawmill in the Pacific Northwest
- The oldest living apple tree in the Pacific Northwest
- Ulysses S. Grant served at the Vancouver Barracks
- World’s largest spruce lumber mill for airplane construction during World War I

Simply facinating isn't it? :-) It is also the birthplace of my former landlord.

Now some of you may ask, which came first: Vancouver, WA or Vancouver, BC, Canada? I am happy to announce that Vancouver, WA became a city 30 years before the Canadian one! There are very interesting towns surrounding Vancouver, such as Minnehaha (a personal favorite). It is within two hours of Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Hood (in fact on a clear day, you can see Mt. St. Helens from my apartment, when I have another clear day I will take a picture).

Summer is from July - September, the rest of the year is grey and rainy. I am experiencing my third grey day, but it is kind of nice.

In the next week or so, I will be getting some furniture so that means...new photos of the apartment will be posted soon! I have actually hung pictures and such, which makes the place feel quite homey. My job is not going so well (just one week in), I will be giving notice this week and am actively pursuing another job for a property management company. I am unable to serve my current employer as much as is needed and it is unfair to both of us to continue working there.

I hope everyone is well and I miss everyone in Virginia and promise I will be home for a visit in early 2009!

I Got a Job!!!

2008-09-13T18:24:00.002-07:00

I am happy to say that I am now employed! It is only a temp. job, maybe 6 - 12 months, but I will be serving as a personal assistant for a person and will assist in drafting correspondence, handling bills and ensuring the person makes appointments.

I am excited to start doing something because sitting at home with the cat is getting really old! I finally got all my boxes and I am sad to say, but I lost nearly every picture frame I packed. Apparently, my packing job was quite poor. Hopefully, I will be getting my futon/sofa in the next couple of weeks and I will take new pictures of the apartment so you can see all the decorating stuff.

Tomorrow is church and that is exciting. We will be having a picnic afterward in Camas (and no, I have no idea where that is either). Well, I hope everyone is doing well back in Virginia. I will try to get some pictures of the city in the next few weeks.

~Christina

Nothing New

2008-09-10T19:25:00.002-07:00

Well, I figured a few people might still be checking in and I wanted to report you know there is nothing really new. Hopefully, I will have an interview tomorrow that will pan out.

Today, I did have lunch with one of the single gals here and drove around Vancouver a little to get my barrings. I am hoping to hit a yard sale or two this weekend and add a few things to my apartment.

I will still be updating this blog, but it will probably drop to once or twice a week unless something significant happens (i.e. I get a job). I sent my address out to a few people (I am having email troubles) so, Tanisha has my info for the VBCDC folks and if you didn't get it and want it, email me and I will send it to you.

~Christina

I'm Here!!!

2008-09-08T20:17:00.006-07:00

Well, I am actually in my apartment tonight! I arrived at 9 am this morning and signed my lease. The apartment is small (it is a studio after all), but there is plenty of closet space, it has new carpet and vinyl and a new refrigerator! Everything works great and I am off to see a temp staffing agency tomorrow. There may also be another position available I just learned about, but I will let you know how that goes.

The people here at COR are wonderful. A family met me this morning and helped me unload everything and then invited me over for a few hours. I then made a mandatory trip to Target (I needed a shower curtain) and relaxed a little with Jackson until dinner time. Then a bunch of COR members and I had dinner at a little pizza place literally around the block from my apartment. I am so excited to be here and I am confident that God will provide a job for me.

Now, I know everyone wants to see the apartment, so here are some photos, please excuse the mess!

Day 5 - Cascade Locks, OR

2008-09-07T18:38:00.015-07:00

Day 5

Yay! I am about 2 hours from my final destination! I had a good drive and have some gorgeous shots. The best are from right by my hotel room which overlooks the Columbia River. I nailed a really nice hotel for my last night. They use mini- Bath & Body Works soaps and shampoos. I am so excited to head out tomorrow and see my new place (hopefully it does not have bugs, I hate bugs) and meet up with some of the folks from COR (the church in Vancouver). Well, here are some pics of my day:

Now, I realize that I have only shown Jackson in her carrier and just to prove that she is doing well, here you go:

Day Four - Burley, ID

2008-09-06T17:17:00.015-07:00

Day Four

I am in Burley, Idaho. Don't worry if you never heard of it, I didn't either until I made my reservation. Today, was a pretty good travel day, except Jackson is about done with the whole "road trip" thing. She figured out that when I start taking bags out of the room, it means she will be going in the carrier and back into the car. So this morning, she hid under the dresser and wouldn't come out. Once we finally got in the car, she was very vocal for about three hours and at that point I covered her carrier with a towel and she finally went to sleep.

Now, if any of you get the chance, you should drive through Wyoming and Utah. It is simply stunning. I have a bunch of pictures below of some of the sights I saw. There is even some of those really cool windmill things that use the wind to generate electricity. I must also take a moment to mention a special little town: Little America, WY. The only things in this town are a hotel and a gas station. Normally, this would not be worth mentioning, but the advertising this town has gone to is quite amazing. It started 200 miles from Little America, there the first billboard was set up. Then about every 20 miles, there were more and then within 50 miles of the town, the increased exponentially. By then time you reach Little America you are really intrigued to find out if is worth all the hype. The best part is once you pass it, it starts to advertise for its other hotel, 200 miles away in Salt Lake City, UT.

Well, enough of that, here are the pictures. I am certain that there is nothing man could create that can compare to what God has created when he made the earth.

Day Three - Fort Collins, CO

2008-09-05T18:49:00.010-07:00

Today, on Day Three of my journey, I finally made it to Colorado. The day has been eventful. I started off on the wrong highway and had to back track which set me back about an hour. It did rain off and on for most of the day, but I managed to get some photos. Included are the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument (location: Nebraska), some corn fields, a cow and a semi full of hay. Basically all I saw today, was corn fields, cows and hay.

I took me about 11 hours to make my destination and I am glad to be out of the car! Of course, so is Jackson and she asked to include her comments so here they are:

Day Two - Independence, MO

2008-09-04T16:21:00.003-07:00

Well, Day Two has landed me in Independence, Missouri! And yes, for all you history buffs, Independence is the birthplace of our 33rd president: Harry S. Truman!!! Unfortunately, during my travels I did not get any pictures because it rained the entire day! Well, I do have one:

This is what I stared at for over an hour (and inching along at a snail's pace for five miles) as there was an accident on I-70.

Today, I got gas in Nashville, Illinois and drove past Mexico, Missouri. I saw the arch in St. Louis for about 30 seconds as I tried to navigate through multiple exits.

I am happy to say that Jackson was very good and slept most of the day. I also had a phone interview with Washington State University for a Program Coordinator position. Unfortunately, I think I gave some of the most lame answers a person can imagine. Yesterday, I went over different strengths and qualities I have to offer and then today, I could barely come up with one idea! I know God is sovereign and if this is the right job, then I will make the cut to the "in-person" interview. Still, I hate interviewing, I would rather be put to work for a day and let my actions be my proof that I would be an excellent choice.

Day One - Louisville, KY

2008-09-03T13:49:00.006-07:00

Day One

I got off to a great start this morning at 5 am! Final bags were loaded and I managed to get Jackson in her carrier after only 5 tries! I have a short video clip of her reaction to being in the car:

Thankfully, after about two hours she calmed down. We had a nice ride the rest of the time, though when we stopped for gas the first time, Jackson thought the ride was over and was very disappointed when we got back on the road.

Traffic was light the whole way and the weather was clear except for about 10 minutes of rain when I got to Louisville. Here are a few photos I took along the way:

As you can see there was plenty of blue sky and asphalt! I tried to sing along to some music, but apparently for Jackson, my singing is even more torture than the car ride. I have decided to listen to the "Dearest Place on Earth" series again while I make this trip, to help remind me of my purpose for this move.

Well, I hope this post was a bit entertaining and I promise to have more pictures tomorrow (confession time: I forgot to charge my camera and the battery died!!!).

~Christina

14 Hours and Counting...

2008-09-02T12:27:00.007-07:00

Well, I am down to the wire now! I mailed 16 boxes to my new address this morning and that was an adventure in and of itself. My room is cleaned out and my car is ready to go. Here are some pictures of the animals that I will be leaving:

I hope everyone enjoys the posts over the next few days as you all join me on my 2,998 mile road trip!

30 Hours and Counting...

2008-09-01T19:35:00.003-07:00

In less than two days, I will begin my journey across the United States. There is a sense of anticpation, but at the same time, it just does not feel real yet. I guess when Jackson and I hit the road for the first leg of our trip, it will sink in.

Today, I packed the car and finished boxing up what didn't fit (and there is a lot that will not fit in a little Kia!). I had dinner with my family and fed my favorite chicken (pics to be posted tomorrow). Yesterday at church, there was a guest preacher, Gene Emerson. He spoke about running the race for Christ. He stated it is easy to start, but it is hard to persevere. I started this race months ago, when I made the decision to leave. Now, I am rounding the curve so to speak and starting line is going to fade from my sight. I am so excited to start this journey and to step out in faith, but I must admit, it is a bit scary too.