April Showers

Just a brief update on today:  I had my first nanny interview and it went well.  I have another interview with a different family tomorrow- pray that the right job will come through, even if that means it is something else!

Just got back from the Mars Hill State of the Union- enjoyed a good potluck though unfortunately Josh and I got tricked into eating a small portion of a Jack in the Box burger-ehh.  We got to hear stories from the start of Mars Hill Rainier Valley and how they continue to grow and change. 

Thankful for: Josh having work off today so he was able to ride with me to the interview- it was my first time driving on the crazy interstate here in WA.

Please pray for the meal ministry I am taking on with youth group.  There is a lot more to it than I was expecting of important details to figure out and nail down!

Well time to pass off the laptop to Mr. Shelton- sleep well J

truth

Happy Sunday fellow readers!  Church was pretty great today.  The worship team likes to take well-known songs and add their own hip-hop twist.  For example, this morning we sang “How Great Thou Art” (with a cool funky beat) and in the middle of the song the pastor got up and rapped some words of truth.  We were discussing this with the couple from our community group last week how rap is pretty amazing.   It can fit so much biblical truth in such a short amount of time that it makes it very powerful! 

Pastor Mark spoke on the Letter to Ephesus and how they lacked in loving.  This hit home for me because the Ephesians were faithful servants- they read their bible, tithed, served…did all the things a “good” Christian should do, but still lacked love.  It is so easy to get caught up in everything that you miss the basics.  My prayer and hope is that I am reformed into a greater person of love out here.  I need to be humbled and reminded that I am not better or favored more than anyone else because God does NOT show favoritism…truth!   

I had the great time chatting with my dear friend Brittany this afternoon.  I miss hanging out, making a meal and sitting on the couch discussing our lives over a good cup of tea.  Our conversations always challenge me to think deeper and to be REAL about living a life of faith.  I am grateful for she is friend who sharpens me. 

Thankful for: good friends (even in they’re miles away) and technology to connect me to them!

This week brings 2 nanny interviews and well who knows what else!  I hope you all are well, have a good start to your week and rest easy! J

the parks

Well I must say it was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that it was Saturday.  Josh had the day off yesterday but worked today so it just kept messing with my mind, especially when I would look out my window and see so many people out during the day. 

I did have a typical lazy Saturday around the apartment.  I was able to do some more fun watercolor- surprisingly I am liking the bookmark size paper- gives me a good challenge on figuring out how to crop my subject of choice.

Once Josh got home we ate dinner and headed out to the Olympic Sculpture Park.  The last time we were there was on our honeymoon.  It is called Olympic because it looks out at the Olympic Mountain Range- sorry Olympic fans it has nothing to do with the games!  We also headed back out to Kerry Park, which has the great view of downtown.  Though we realized how “deceiving” that particular view could be for those who have never visited Seattle.  From the view at Kerry Park- the Space Needle is the tallest “building” of the downtown skyline, when it actually is significantly shorter than the rest of the buildings- just a little tid-bit for yeah!

Thankful for: getting out of the apartment for a while J

Tomorrow brings church and another youth group meeting.  I am going to be taking charge of the meal aspect of youth group on Tuesday nights- I am excited to be helping out by doing something I love- cooking! 

Speaking of cooking I need to figure out a good side dish to bring to the church “State of the Union Address” on Monday evening.  They are having a church wide potluck and I still need to figure out my dish.  Any suggestions for something easy, cheap and doesn’t have to stay warm?!?!?

Well enjoy some pics from our adventure of the evening- I’m off to bed, g’night!

Needle, Calder, Train

one of the coolest pictures my rockin' husband has ever taken- mad skillz

the beginning of Josh's series of photos...we brought the tri-pod and each took a series of photos moving around to different spots...will have to figure out how to best display them!

the end of my series of photos

near Kerry Park- its located in a REALLY nice neighborhood

  

Your Challenge...

I felt like a normal human being today.  Staying in your apartment for long periods of time with no one to talk to can start to mess with your mind!  Josh insisted today that I make the Target run by myself and after much resistance I finally agreed.  Its not that Target is in a rough area or difficult to find I just have been more hesitant to do things on my own being in a new area.  But I have to say I am thankful he had me do that because like I said I felt like a normal human being. 

After lunch Josh and I both headed out to a nearby area called “Columbia City”.  It has a cute main street that has a similar feel to Grand Ave back home.  It has lots of cute shops, and places to eat while keeping that historic feel.  Our top priority in going there was to check out the potential hair salon.  Well let me tell you folks this salon is located in the back of a children’s toyshop!  Now I am not talking about a Toys-R-us here, but a classy fun shop with toys you wouldn’t find in any big name store.  Its called “Columbia City Cuts” and from what we could tell seems pretty legit.  I still am going to have to think about it for a little bit before I make any commitments! J    

This area is definitely a place we would bring people who come to visit.  We also stopped in one of the restaurants hoping to grab a menu.  We chatted with the host letting him know we were new to the area and just checking things out.  He was kind enough to give us a coupon to come back and get a free pizza- sweet free date night!

We also had the chance to hang out with our ladies on Skype- Amy and Tara.  We miss hanging out with them, but it was good to chat “in person” and catch up!

Oh I almost forgot!  I have a challenge for all my readers…

For art supplies I mainly brought my watercolors because they are easiest to transport and least messy of what I have.  I have a stack of “bookmark” sized watercolor paper my sister graciously cut up for me before we left.  I am the type of artist who needs something to look at- and what I like to gather images from best are magazines.  But I do not have access to a lot of magazines that I can cut into/ones that actually have interesting images.

 

So the CHALLENGE:  find me some interesting images in a magazine, cut it out, send it my way and I (most likely) will do a watercolor of it on a ”bookmark” and send it back to you.

Now I am not a fan of landscapes…I am thinking more images with 1 or 2 objects/animals/thing. 

This is a challenge for me as well because:

1. It will force me to try subject choices I didn’t pick

2. The bookmarks are small, I usually prefer to do art on large surfaces…this will help me fine tune my skills

3. I am not great at giving my art away- I usually keep what I make.

So no promises on when you will get something back- I hope to have a full time job sooner than later, but I do want to make time for ART!

Thankful for:  Josh not working today and getting to spend more time with him and the delicious burgers he grilled for dinner…yum

Well friends enjoy your weekend and stay warm- I hear there is a chance of snow, oh no!   Happy dreaming :P

Document9

So what is it about having some sort of a commitment in the middle of the day that paralyzes your morning?  Like when you start work at 1pm or meeting a friend for coffee at 2pm that makes you feel like you can’t do anything until you go to that particular thing.   That kind of describes my morning.  I was waiting for a call to chat with a family about a nanny position and while I did actually get things done this morning- I think I just get so focused on not wanting to miss the call I forget I can function enough to do other things.  

The call went well and I am happy to be feeling confident about the nanny pursuit.  It is crazy how many nanny jobs there are out there- but finding the right one is the key J

I was able to watercolor a little bit again today- but I am not finished with it yet!

Josh and I were able to enjoy Idol and Grey’s in the media room on the super comfortable red leather couch.  Don’t worry, I already have the room reserved for the Grey’s finale on May 17^th! 

Tomorrow Josh has the day off- YEAH YEAH YEAH! So we are going to run some errands, which will be good to get out of this apartment for a while.  We are possibly going to check out a place for me to get my hair cut- seriously this is a BIG DEAL.  Reason being- I have never had my hair cut by anyone else except my mom!   I was asking a gal in our community group where she gets her hair cut and she told me of a place that does a nice job for a reasonable $40.  AHHHHHHh reasonable?!?!?!?  I told her I am used to paying my stylist with a hug!  Part of me just wants to wait until June when my mom and dad come out- but I know I would go bonkers with that long of hair- ugh. 

Thankful: a good youth novel, currently reading the second book in “The Mysterious Benedict Society” series…it’s a good one

Alright folks I believe that is all for now so enjoy your last day of the work week! Night J

Balance.

To start my blog today I would like to ask for prayer for Josh.  He has always gotten really bad canker sores- ones that last forever and have a powerful punch.  Lately, he has been getting them consistently and they are very painful.  Please pray for healing and that they wouldn’t come back!

The latest update on my job search is that I am now actively pursuing nanny positions.  People have suggested it along the way and it is starting to make more sense on that it is something I should pursue.  I love kids, I love art, I love crafts, I love to cook, I enjoy being domestic- ahh duh….be a nanny!  There are a few possibilities so we shall see J

The weather did a good long down pour of rain today- even with a few flashes of lightening and a couple claps of thunder!  I was telling my dad how interesting it is to watch the clouds roll in from the distance.  One moment you see the rain from a far and the next its coming straight down.  It’s kind of funny because before in our apartment in the AV when I was at the kitchen sink I would look at a picture of Seattle we got on our honeymoon.  Now when I stand at the kitchen sink I look AT Seattle.  The colors are awesome, the trees are unique, but the clouds top them all.  They ebb and flow so much you would think there is always something brewing- but they usually drift off and form something new.

We ended the evening with our new favorite- Idol.  We have been going down to the Hart on Wednesday evenings in hopes that the TV will be on Idol.  So far it has been successful and the same few residents are always there J Seriously, everyone left on the show are just so good- it makes it much more exciting/nerve racking. 

Today for “Jesus Calling” it had another good insight:

“Make me your focal point as you move through this day.  Just as a spinning ballerina (or tap dancer!) must keep returning her eyes to a given point to maintain her balance, so you must keep returning your focus to Me”

I am not sure when it started but Josh has always talked about having a sense of balance with everything in life.  So when I read this today I automatically thought of him and how true to is to have good balance.  I love the imagery the author paired with it- though from my dancing experience I disliked “spotting” I still seemed to get dizzy J

It just makes you think- what are you focusing on that is making you dizzy? 

Thankful for: quality time with the Lord, seeing some of the TODAY show, and chatting with my parents

Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite! Chomp chomp J

Orca, orca!

Today was my lovely mothers birthday and I was sad not to be able to share the day with her.  My mom has always been great at making birthdays special for my family.  For me, she would always wake me up on my birthday.  In the Clark household, we learned to get up with an alarm at a young age, so I always appreciated the sweetness of my mom coming in to sing me awake on my birthday! 

my mom's cool orca pin!

Josh and I picked out an awesome handmade pin at Pikes Market to send.  It is a carving of an orca whale- WA state mammal.  I was happy to hear it safely arrived at the birthday girl’s home on time! Happy Birthday Mom- you’re the best! 

Tonight was the first night of youth group for Mars Hill Rainier Valley.  I helped man the food table which I enjoy doing.  I like to serve others food and tonight with the meal being pizza I focused on pouring the drinks.  It was great I was telling Josh; because when I was serving the teens tonight I got to see a side you might not always see and that is gratitude.  They may look like “punk teens” but it doesn’t mean they don’t have any manners on saying please and thank you.  It was just a small thing that showed me that when you step out and serve someone you might see a side of him or her you wouldn’t normally see!

Josh and I constantly have our minds going and thinking about what we will actually end up doing.  While it is obviously not pinned down by any means, we feel it will be a lot different than what we originally thought.  BUT we are only a month in and that means what we are thinking now could be changed once again- so we would love pray for discernment and wisdom.  Like we have said many times, we are learning a lot and therefore ours thoughts should be changing and morphing because it means we are growing in the understanding of what is ACTUALLY needed in the urban community. 

Thankful for: my illustration project- it gives me something fun to do everyday!

Well like the good city of Seattle it is raining.  So stay dry and warm Seattle- g’night.  

loud noises

So when we were living in Valley Pond apartments in Apple Valley I experienced many fire alarms.  They were always during the day (for some reason) and seeing that I was a sub, I was the one to experience them while Josh was at LTF.  The tradition lived on today with the fire alarm going off here at The Station.  I must say it scared the daylights out of me because inside each apartment there is a box by the door that goes off with the other alarms to assure you hear it.  Well there is no doubt in my mind that we will EVER sleep through a fire alarm!  Once outside, we all stood there for 5-10 minutes with the alarm still sounding as I could hear fire engine sirens approaching.  Of all the fire alarms I have been through this one tops them all because the fire truck ACTUALLY came!  In full gear a few fighters when into the building, but we all knew it wasn’t super serious because some of the staff were going in with them.  It was interesting to see them walk back and forth on the bridges- I only wish I would have gotten a picture the time the fire fighter walked across with the axe over his shoulder.

Thirty to forty minutes later we were finally allowed back into the building and I still don’t know what happened- oh well.  Fire alarms are interesting because it is the one time when everyone in a building is all gathered in one area.  No one really talked to each other; we all just kept to ourselves chomping at the bit to get back into our own cubes.  I believe the fire alarm was a God thing for me because just before it went off I was having a very selfish moment of wanting to be back home, teaching art and in an area I knew blah blah blah.  But when we were all outside I looked around at all the interesting people and God reminded me that He loves them just as much as me and that ITS NOT ABOUT ME!  Mars Hill has a sort of slogan you could call it and it is “Its all about Jesus” and well I am realizing that more and more!

We had life group again tonight and had some more new faces.  It was a good night to listen to the stories of what some of these people have been through and are going through.  You know it is a good group when you stop in the middle of discussion to lay hands and pray for a struggle that was shared.  We are a smattering of people at all different stages of life along with many different ethnic backgrounds present in the room but we all have everything in common because we all know the Lord. 

Thankful for: a successful day of working on my illustration project

Tomorrow is the first night of Mars Hill Youth- I am helping set up and serve the food!

Love ya MN and sweet dreams WA J

my crazy orange- one side was normal the other was not

Mt. Rainier from the roof

Alki Beach view

orange top

      

California Dreamin'

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

We had every intent on checking out Rainier Ave Church today, which we did, but not as we had hoped.  We arrived just before the first service and were greeted with many “hellos” and “we are doing church a little different this morning”.  The church was using their Sunday morning to go out and worship in the community.  They were splitting up to groups and either attacking the trash or the weeds in the areas around the church.  Before they left the building the children’s/youth pastor got up and spoke about getting outside of our “Christian bubble” and loving the community around you.  It was actually quite cool to hear how they had gone out into the community on specific occasions in the past and how the youth were very much involved.  They had even given the youth a budget and a challenge to create something to identify and unify their city.  This church is located in the Hillman City, which is right next door to the Rainier Valley.  The youth had designed their own logo for Hillman city, which was printed on posters and shirts.  During the time of service they would be handing/posting them in the community.  The pastor greatly emphasized that their serving was an act of worship for the morning- very encouraging to see yet another church getting involved with their neighbors.  So seeing that we were not expecting this and were dressed in our Sunday best we headed back to our apartment until the second service of Mars Hill started. 

During our in between time, Josh and I took a short walk around the neighborhood to familiarize ourselves more with our community.  98118, the zip code we currently live in, is said to be the most diverse zip code in America.  The city has been trying to improve the area with nicer housing, the light rail system and renovating some of the parks, but like I mentioned yesterday it still has so far to go.  Now don’t misunderstand me here in what I am trying to say because in reality EVERY community in the world still has so far to go because we are not in heaven.  But the darkness is thicker

Now Pastor Mark (lead pastor of Mars Hill) brought the Word today.  75% of the time it is a video of Pastor Mark but it doesn’t make the message has any less of an impact.  We are currently doing a series called “The Seven” that goes through the letters John wrote to the seven churches in Revelations.  The first 2 weeks of this series has been focused on John the author.  Pastor Mark has brought to our attention the incredible credibility of John and his amazing devotion to Jesus.  This morning we went through Revelations 1:9-20 and he had 4 main points: *Do persevere in Jesus, *Do worship Jesus, *Do serve Jesus’ church and *Fear Not, Jesus is with you and us.  I would encourage you to listen to it online because there is so much and he speaks for at least an hour but here are some main things that stood out to me. 

**John started worshiping Jesus before He showed up- John began worshiping in faith.

**Pray for your church, and the church because Jesus loves the church.  Be aware of how the church is doing . The whole first part of Revelations is about churches and being aware of what is going well and what is not.

**Fearing ANYTHING but the Lord is a sin and it should be repented of.  Fear, according to Pastor Mark, does 4 things: its vision without God, its an attempt at sovereignty, it preaches a false gospel and it makes you a false prophet - WOAH 

and with that…

**Numerous times in the bible God tells us to “fear not” and it is a loving invitation because of what is said after the “fear not”, reminding us of who God is and that He is with us.   

I know that God is going to reveal some amazing things to me here- not just because of Mars Hill church but being in a position where I desperately need to understand what the gospel really is.  For so long I have heard that word “gospel” but I know it is so much more than what my mind has known it to be. 

It was such a BEAUTIFUL day out we decided to head to Alki Beach.  Josh had read about it and that it has great views of the city and lots of little shops and restaurants.  It was a pretty sweet spot but it was packed!  It took a long time to find a parking spot moving in very slow traffic.  Once we got a spot we sat near the water, ate our lunch while gazing out at our new city.  Yesterday (Saturday) the Space Needle celebrated 60 years.  When it first opened it had “galaxy gold” paint all over it- but it really just looks like the color orange.  In honor of its opening the top of the dome is the originally galaxy gold.  (We also missed out on the going up in the needle for a $1- the price it was 60 years ago, bummer).  We decided that it felt more like we were in California than Seattle.  The road to the beach was like a typical Cali boardwalk with tons of ridiculous cars with way too loud of music.  The street was lined with apartments and houses facing the “boardwalk” with people hanging out on their front porch drinking and eating.  And all the shops and restaurants were brightly colored and packed with people in their summer ware- yeah its basically Cali.         

I made some delicious Chicken Corn Chowder for dinner thanks to RCV Meals Ministry!  It was my first time making it and has a great Mexican flavor, which is an automatic WIN in my book! 

Thankful for:  the conviction of the Word and good food today (I also had made french toast with caramelized apples and potato cakes for breakfast…AND we found this delicious peanut butter at Target- White Chocolate Wonderful- yeah it is pretty wonderful)

So as I end this SUPER long blog- congrats if you are still reading this far down- I challenge you to really see how your church is doing and pray for them diligently because no church is going to be perfect and Jesus LOVES the church!

good night :) 

fish, burgers and raspberry bars

Happy Saturday!  I had a lot of time with myself today.  Josh had a men’s breakfast he attended this morning before heading to work at noon.  So I was able to get up and work out while watching a little ABC Family J

It was a beautiful day here in Seattle- the clouds burned off from the morning leaving a clear blue sky and a perfect view of the mountain.  Josh and I were able to steal 2 pockets of time on the sky deck taking in the view and sun. 

While I did spend some time job hunting I also enjoyed my Saturday by baking Raspberry Oatmeal Bars- delicious if you haven’t had them you are missing out, trust me.  Plus I took some time to watercolor a fish.  I am not exactly sure on the type of fish, it was whatever was in one of the many Seattle magazines we have picked up along the way.  The more I do it, the more I realize how much I love watercolor.  I am glad I made the decision to bring them along.  I enjoy seeing the lines created where the watercolor stops and puddles up ever so slightly and the pencil lines the peak out from underneath the color- beautiful. 

Tonight we had the pleasure of sharing the evening with a family at Mars Hill Church.  Dave and Joy are the hosts of our community group and invited us over from some grilled hamburgers and veggies- yum.  They have two adorable daughters with tons of cute things to say.  It was a delightful evening of getting to know one another and hearing God’s grace strung throughout it all.  Dave and Joy were also able to share what the area used to look like 5 years ago and it has come a long way- but still has so far to go.  Pray for your community because it is not sinless and is not healed yet!  It was nice to connect with some Midwesterners- they are originally from WI- I know a lot of great people who have come from the land of cheese J I hope that when Josh and I have a home of our own we can use it to constantly be welcoming people in to love on them.  There is just something about being is someone’s loving home when you are far away from your own.

Thankful for: watercolors and good new friends.

I would love continued prayer for my job hunt and for my art.  My hope is to develop myself more as an artist and figure out where to go with it and what to do! 

Tomorrow we are double dipping with 2 churches.  We will be checking out Rainier Valley Church for first service and Mars Hill for the second- woah I know, a FULL morning!  But we are excited to make a final decision on where to settle down with a church home. 

Sweetest dreams and have a lovely Sunday!  

cookies

Today I was delighted to Skype with my family- which included Mom, Dad and Amy AND my Grandma, Aunt Laura and cousin Angie.  It was fun to see them all and to see my Grandma’s amazement of Skype!  She just couldn’t believe that she was actually seeing me in real time talking back.   Seeing all them in my Grandmas place made me wish I was there- I miss the trips to Iowa. 

My Grandma excited to show me her new project

my silly dad :)

Grandma and Amy!

Josh had a successful second day at Starbucks while I continued my hunt from home.  So side note- another reason why this apartment building rocks are the cookies!  Yes down by the front main entrance, next to the offices is the welcoming desk with the plate for cookies.  The past week they have had some BOMB chocolate chip, M&M cookies that are SO good.  So of course I go down just at the right time to “check the mail” in real hopes that I can grab a cookie- and today was a success J

For dinner Josh and I grilled for the first time on the Sky deck.  We had some delicious hamburgers and also grilled chicken for a future meal- a new recipe I am super excited to try- thanks to the RVC meals ministry!

Thankful for: time with the fam!

Well I hope you all have a pleasant Saturday J  nighty night! 

Sitting by the fire on the Sky deck waiting for the meat to cook

the grill master

  

rainy day

I have to say there is not much to report from today.  I did have a conversation with someone at the Union Gospel Mission that was more general, but was still good. 

Josh made it through his first official day at Starbucks and all went well.  He looks very handsome in his all black outfit and bright green apron…I will post a picture as soon as he lets me!

I spent the day at the apartments, job hunting, emailing and starting the process of illustrating a book for a friend.  I am excited about this project.  It will be a good challenge and something for me to work on.  I need a project out here- there was hardly any room for my crafty things in our tiny car, so a lot of it stayed home. 

We did get to Skype with Nicole and hear about her time in NYC- oh so fun.  I am really surprised at myself because before the trip I wasn’t too thrilled about going, but now I would definitely go back (to certain areas!)

Thankfully the TV was working in the media room tonight so Josh and I got to watch Greys by ourselves.  We also got to watch Idol- yes ever since our time with the DeVitos we have become Idol fans (at least for the rest of this season).  We are rooting for Phil Phillips- woo!

Thankful for: the rain.  It was very fitting for a day spent at home to have a consistent rain.

I am grateful for those of you who take the time to read my blog.  Instead of this being a one way conversation I encourage you to let me know what you are up to and what prayer requests you might have- because even though we are over 1,000 miles away I still care about the lives and happenings of my MN friends and family.  Josh and I keep saying yes we are making great connections here but we don’t want to loose the ones we have in MN.

Another day of searching and working tomorrow….sweet dreams.

another day...

Did you know that it is 100 days until the opening ceremony of the Olympics?!?!  (well actually now its 99 if you are reading this).  I went and workout this morning in the fitness room and the Today show was doing all Olympic coverage.  Seriously, the opening ceremonies are one of my favorite things to watch.  It always feels like the world is a peace for a few weeks and it is kind of like a picture of heaven- all nationalities in one place celebrating for one reason- amazing.

Josh was hard at work today on his ministry assignments while I “putzed” around the apartment.  We did go grocery shopping today at Fred Meyer.  It is great to have stocked cupboards but always so difficult trying to grocery shop in a new place.   You all know what I am talking about- you form a rhythm and just know where everything is and what will be there.  It was funny though because the woman ahead of us in line was talking with the employee and said she was going to be moving to MN! Ha- small world. 

I did however get to skype with my lovely ladies back home.  It was nice to see their faces and have a conversation- I just can’t wait until friends and family can come out- giving everyone a better frame of reference of where we are at!

By Josh’s request we did end the evening watching “TRON”.  Not my favorite- too sci-fi for me…honestly kind of freaks me out a little bit.  Love technology but there is just a point with it I hope we never get to (i.e. robots roaming around- scary!) 

Thankful for: full cupboards and friends!

Well it is late and we are tired.  Josh has a full shift at Starbucks tomorrow meaning I have my list ready of things to do!  Please pray for the work transition for Josh and myself.  I fear loneliness will increase until I have job myself to go to. 

Alright all- sleep good!  Tomorrow marks our one month of being in Seattle- woah G’night

ZOO

Out of the many things I miss about home one of the biggest is the zoo.  I have had a membership for the past year and seriously BEST INVESTMENT EVER!  Last summer was fantastic to go to the zoo whenever I could and you get your moneys worth after two times- so all your readers out there summer is approaching- need something to do that is cheap and lasts you all summer- get a pass, have some fun.  Anyways I say all this because Josh and I made the trip out to Woodland Park Zoo.  Every zoo in the country basically is connected so because of MN membership we got a sweet discount to get into this one.   I was so excited.  I love to approach an exhibit, search for the animal and observe its movements.  Some of our favorites from today were the toucans- they were flying/hoping around fighting with each other, the kangaroos- we have never seen them before so cute, and the bunnies- seriously I want one.

A few down sides: there are A LOT of snakes (Josh does NOT like snakes), the trails are super confusing and the maps aren’t always helpful, NO bird show/shows in general (I heart the bird show) and no aquarium (they redid the one in MN and I’m so totally missing it-so go see it for me).

So while it was a lovely day at the Woodland Park Zoo- the Minnesota Zoo is still number 1 in my heart J

On the way back we made a quick stop at the market- way less busy on a weekday and headed back home to chill out.  I applied to a few more jobs and made some calls today to the ones I have applied to- so far not super fruitful or encouraging.  I have mostly left messages- BOO.  So please pray my messages and name/number does not get forgotten/lost and that I would continue to be diligent with calling.

 This evening we attended a youth meeting with Mars Hill.  They are just starting up the youth program and had the first informational meeting about it tonight.  We are still mulling it over in our minds to see if Mars Hill becomes our home church how we will possibly be involved. 

Thankful for:  getting to go to the zoo and see animals we don’t see on a regular basis! Oh and leftovers from the Mongolian grill- yum

Today in “Jesus Calling” I would like to type out the first chunk because it was something I have not thought about….

I am training you in steadiness.  Too many tings interrupt your awareness of Me.  I know that you live in a world of sight and sound, but you must not be a slave to those stimuli.  Awareness of Me can continue in all circumstances no matter what happens.  This is the steadiness I desire for you. 

I have never thought to relate steadiness to awareness of God.  There are a lot of things about how the world functions today that I believe battles with our faith.  Living in a time of great technology and instantaneous fast pace results and information (I think) weaken the power of the mind/brain.  It all in essence distracts us and our ability to memorize/recall (or at least me).  I hope I can develop a sense of steadiness that is not subject to technology and what it has taught me- but in how God has designed me.    

Big day tomorrow- grocery shopping! Woo!  Actually I am excited because I want to cook more- it does something good for me- like fulfilling part of my womanhood or something- I just love being domestic J

Oh couple more things:

1.     Received our first letter today from Amy’s going away gift, a letter from Jasmine!  Yeah so fun- if you are in possession of an envelope and need our address- ASK!

2.     At community group last night, when one of the guys learned we were from MN this is what he said:

Guy:             “MN it gets pretty cold there doesn’t it?”

US:                         “yeah it does”

Guy:            “I mean I have heard people drive on the lakes and stuff.”

US:                        “yeah they even put houses on the ice and could drive a semi-truck.”

Guy:            “what that’s for real?!?!  I thought people were joking when I heard that!”

Haha, things you don’t think twice about when you live in MN!

Alright all- don’t let the bed bugs bite and sleep tight!

shell found my shell!

Egyptian turtle- so cute about the size of my hand!

Josh said he looks like he's about to tell a joke!

crazy wood

eagles top and bottom with giant nest

city from a different angel- driving back from zoo

right?

COMMUNITY

Josh is an official Starbucks partner today.  He went in and filled out the necessary paperwork and will be back to start “barista-ing” on Thursday.  I know, I know we are Caribou loving Midwesterners- but I am excited to join the Northwest and become a Starbucks drinker!

We had lunch with Chris this afternoon at a tasty Mongolian grill.  We enjoyed good food and conversation of life and ministry.  We then headed back to the Renzelman’s for more discussion on Josh’s ministry “assignments” of getting to know more about Rainier Valley and the churches that are here.  It will be great tools and experiences to bring back to MN and really learn about the area. Chris also brought us next door to “the cabin”- a house literally FULL of ministry resources…seriously its crazy, but good to have on hand!

On our way back to The Station we made an IKEA stop for a few small kitchen needs and found a coffee table in the “As Is” section for cheap.  I would say we are officially furnished and it doesn’t look like a college house- bonus/answered prayer!  Oh and Chris loaned us a larger computer monitor so we can watch movies on a decent screen- sweet.

Tonight Josh and I ventured out to a young adults community group (aka small group) through Mars Hill.  To our surprise it was the first official night of this group that literally was thought of last week- fast turn around on getting it going!  Everyone was surprised to hear that our first time at the church was yesterday and we were already jumping into a group.  There were 12 total and the couples house we met at are originally from Wisconsin.  Another girl in attendance recently moved from Iowa and another lady has a 9-year-old son named Dante- crazy.  It was so good to be in community with people our own age with a lot of them not native to Seattle- making us feel not so much like complete new comers.  It was good to get into the word with other believers and to feel like there is actual potential for relationships to be formed.

The biggest theme that keeps arising is community.  While it may seem obvious but I feel that our focus is greatly shifting from building a center to helping build a community (not to say a center is out, but more our attitudes, thoughts etc toward it all).  We studied Acts 2:42-47 which is a prime model of Christians living in utter community- why wouldn’t you want to live in a community like that?  Why wouldn’t you want to encourage the communities around you?  Why wouldn’t you get to know your neighbor?  It is all so obvious, yet Christ is necessary for it all. 

Thankful for:  being sought after in Church and being told about the community group- hence being part of the process of building community.   

Love your neighbors, love your church, love your community.

Good night J