This is it.

Unfortunately I was not able to start composing this blog until after midnight meaning that it will show May 3rd instead of May 2nd- but really since I haven't gone to bed yet, its still the 2nd to me.

I have to admit I have had MJ on the mind all day today- simply because of the phrase "this is it."    The phrase was repeated many times in my head as we did a lot of "lasts".  It was our last official day in Seattle.  We took the light rail downtown and had to book it to make our ferry time.  Once the light rail dropped us off at Pioneer Square we literally had 10 minutes to get to the ferry terminal, buy our tickets and board.  As we were running the streets of Seattle we both quickly realized how much we have been slacking on our cardio.  

We made our 9:35am ferry and had amazing views of ALL the mountains: Cascades, Olympics, Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier.  A ferry ride is my favorite thing to do in Seattle.  There is nothing quite like boarding a huge boat filled with tons of nice seats and booth; looking out over the water at a beautiful skyline and scenery.  

Once back in Seattle we walked the market twice- making sure to stop at the first Starbucks to get coffee and a little bakery stand to get a treat.  The weather was perfect and the market was bustling.  

We had a lovely "last supper" with Renzelman's with great food and conversation.  After supper we got to watch our last live Grey's in Seattle before heading out yet again to see the city just one more time from Kerry Park.  

Its hard to believe that this is it.

I will no longer be the green girl in the emerald city.  Thank you for reading.

Good night Seattle.  

May Day or Mayhem?

It's May.  For real.  And then it will be June.  What?!

Today I was a mad planner.  I will once again be an instructor this summer at the Art House.  As I slowly began to plan, my excitement for teaching was stirred up.  I have greatly missed teaching this past year, but not the 5 am sub calls (or shall I say 3 am calls that sneaked through the system).  Don't get me wrong, I have loved being a nanny.  I feel like I have learned so much about children and all that goes into raising tiny humans.  But when I start thinking about color, line and all the possible outcomes a single project will bring- I am overwhelmingly reminded how sweet that is.  While I have never had my own classroom and really know all the in's and out's of teaching, I can certainly appreciate all the work teachers do.  This blog post is a great encouragement to teachers of all kinds:

Jen Hatmaker - Dear Teachers Everywhere...

On and very different note....when you think of May Day what comes to mind?  Flowers, and baskets or tear gas and flash grenades?  I know tough choice huh....hmmmm what DOES come to mind first?

TEAR GAS & FLASH GERNADES

Tomorrow will be our last time in downtown Seattle.  Hard to believe the time has already come.  I am excited to spend the day in the city we have so much grown to love with my best friend.

ch-ch-ch-changes.

Last night marked our last night in Seattle as residents.  We had a typical Seattle send off on the roof top deck of our apartments.  It was cloudy, cold, on the verge of rain but so much fun.  Josh and I brewed some coffee, others brought various grilling meats and all of us ended up around the hot tub dipping our feet into the heat.  It truly was a relaxing night enjoying the friends we will dearly miss.

Josh and I spent our last night in our apartment in Seattle the way it was always intended....watching Grey's and eating popcorn.

We woke up this morning in amazement that this is it.  Life is changing again.  We took some time this morning to enjoy a Seattle favorite- Top Pot Donuts.  It was a short but sweet time to reflect on all that has happened in the past year.  We then were able to move everything out of our apartment.  Chris and Josh headed for the Amtrak station with our boxes, while I headed to the Renzelman's with our tour "supplies".  

It has been a very full circle feeling this evening as we once again sit in the Renzelman's living room watching a music reality TV show (The Voice for all who are curious.)  Was it not just a year ago that we were watching American Idol our first evening here?

So here it goes, our last four days in Washington and then change.    

Lists

With any transition in life you begin to make lists.  One week today we head out for our tour.  We have been making many lists, checking many things off and progressing with it all well.  We sold our couch, have a friend picking up the bed tomorrow and will be bringing all our boxes to the Amtrak station Monday.  All our lists have been getting everything in line logistically.  I thought I would do my memory a favor and document all that Josh and I have been talking about with what we are leaving...trust me this list does not cover everything...

Things I will miss:

• Mars Hill- no one yells like Pastor Mark, and we have an amazing church family
• Top Pot Donuts- raspberry raised, chocolate sandcastle, you make morning great
• Starbucks on literally EVERY corner- caramel macchiato, sbux double shot
• Big, beautiful mountains
• My little friend who loves socks, carbs, and music, says “Ah-E” instead of “Uh-O”, and who screams whenever it’s nap time J
• Ferry rides across the Puget Sound
• Walking through Pike Place Market- who would have though I would miss the smell of fish
• The view out our large window, and our little apartment in general
• When the sun goes down in the summer time- it actually gets cold enough outside to put on a sweatshirt.
• Our favorite restaurant the Athenian- located inside the market and also seen on “Sleepless in Seattle”
• Seeing the Space Needle and the city skyline from all different views/angles- especially from Kerry Park
• THE RAIN- seriously, we love it.
• All the amazing people we have gotten to know and befriend.  We definitely have a great community in Seattle.

Things I will NOT miss:

• Cameras on stop lights- just another step closer to having robots on the streets
• The crazy, unorganized, pot-hole ridden, uneven, room enough for only one car at a time roads.
• Traffic at all times of the day and night- literally, fourth worst in the country
• The craziness of the valley- all that have lived here, you know what I mean…
• Thick, dense fog only seen in horror movies.
• Movies theaters with no cheap ticket prices.
• Spending near obscene amounts on postage for packages to MN
• Being far away from family and close friends in MN!

The grandfather clock and recipe for reflection

The very large, very loud, very dominating grandfather clock is ticking.  It is reminding me every hour that passes brings us closer to May 3^rd.  We so look forward to our “Valley to Valley” Tour and being in close proximity to family and dear friends.  But a part of me has forgotten what its like to live in the Midwest- and it’s a little scary.  (Especially when there is still snow!)  I know, I know a year is not that long to forget parts of the place I lived for 24 years of my life, but I know that when we get back we will be seeing it all with different eyes. 

As I write this, our apartment is completely dark except for three candles that are surprisingly still burning.  Josh has gone to bed for his early Starbucks rise and I am thoroughly enjoying the quiet stillness of our place.  Really it is all the necessary ingredients to make the ever delicious and somewhat indulgent recipe of reflection.  Josh and I have a lot of good memories in this apartment and also tough times of hurt and growth.  We have had MANY visitors stay here, most of them were experiencing Seattle for the first time.  We have seen various stages of the ever-changing sky from our large window.  We have watched the rain roll in, the Mountain stand tall, the clouds dominate the sky and the trees change colors, while the grass has always remained green.  We have heard numerous cop cars go flying down Othello, even up to 9 police at one time.  We have come to view our little 500 sq. ft. apartment as home, which consequently always makes it hard to leave. 

I know there are still a few left out there who read my silly little blog- I greatly appreciate you.  I mainly write these just for the fact that it gives me even more opportunities to go back and reflect.  I don’t want to forget the moments and details of our time in Seattle.  More importantly I don’t want to forget that Seattle didn’t change our lives, Jesus did. 

What joy, what joy for those who hope is in the name of the Lord

What peace, what peace for those who confidence is Him alone.    

Last Call

Josh and I have certainly been immensely encouraged by all the visitors we have had while out in Seattle.  It all started in May of 2012....

May- our friend Brittany

June- my parents

July- our friend Maggie

August- Josh's sister, Nicole

September-

October- Josh's mom and brother, Dante

November- our friend Scott

December- my mom

January-

February- our friends Bethany and Karen

March- my parents

April- my sister Amy and our friend Tara

It was a hard realization as Amy and Tara left, first because we had so much fun with them we didn't want it to end.  But it also was difficult to swallow that they would be our last and final visitors.  Reality is setting in as we have a stack of boxes in our apartment and we're planning out all the things we want to do in our final weeks.

But before I get too far into what is to come- here are some highlights from our time with some great gals :)  Unfortunately, the monsoon set in just as they arrived, but we still had an amazing time!

This is the view from Kerry Park- a little wet and foggy!

Mount Rainier

Ferry Ride

This picture is capturing "oh my gosh the sun is out- we can take our hoods off and fix our hair for a picture!"

us looking for the seal in the water I swear was there

Alki Beach

I said I wanted to take a picture of him and this is what he does.

Pre-needle launch

Snoqualmie Falls

Kerry Park (again!)

It's A Resurrection Party!

Well it is 10 pm here but I wanted to get a blog posted today.  One month from today Josh and I will be leaving Seattle.  We will begin our "Valley to Valley" spring tour, which will end in MN on May 15th.  We never thought it would be this hard to leave.  Our time here has been so much more than expected; we are truly grateful.

Our first few times at Mars Hill were for Good Friday and Easter- and while we are still at Mars Hill, this year was very different.  This year Easter was a celebration with our church family.  The service started out with our very own Pastor Willie Will rapping and letting us all know "it's a resurrection party!".  The sermon was a live simulcast- so even though we were still watching Mark on a screen, it was cool to think about how all the Mars Hill locations were connected at once.  And in case you were wondering Mark said "Jesus" 126 times in a 30 minute sermon.

  

My sister pointed out that while in Seattle we got to celebrate Easter twice.  That alone is a great reflection of our time out here because its all about Jesus.