Our New Home

A few months ago we decided it was time to move. We started looking for jobs and interviewing and let the church in Artesia know that we would be leaving soon. We heard about a youth ministry job in Seattle and I immediately started dreaming... well, at the end of June we came up for an interview and at the end of July we we drove 4 days across the country and made it to our new home.




In the month and a half we've been here (I'm not counting the 11 day mission trip to Arizona that we left for 3 days after arriving in Seattle), we found a nice little townhome in an area that's close to downtown and also to the church building in Shoreline. The day after we moved in, I got a job working at the Boys and Girls Club Service Center, thanks to the HR director who is a friend from church. I ride the bus downtown every day and just love it.

We had to sell our sweet Sophia Lucia (our newest addition to the pet family) to some friends here because we just don't have the space here that we had in Artesia. She has a great home and Cortez is fine without her. :) I miss her, but we can see her anytime we want.



I think Cortez definitely prefers being an inside dog. He's been so good throughout everything and is so much better behaved than he used to be. He gets a lot more attention and gets walked a few times a day. :) The poor guy is sick today, though. Ross and I woke up late and discovered that he had gotten pretty sick during the night in the garage (which, by the way, is the coolest place in the house). He is weak and pitiful and can hardly stand because of something wrong with his back leg. I stayed home from church with him to clean up, make sure he's ok, and let him out when he needs out. He tried to follow me any time I leave the room but can't quite get up to do it so I'm trying to stay close to his side. I feel like a mom with a sick kid! We don't have a vet yet here, which is something we really need to do...




Ross and I are really wanting to start being healthier and exercising more often. It's good that we have to walk Cortez a few times a day - it gives us a little exercise too. And we have this beautiful park just a few blocks away, part grass and playground and picnic tables, and part thickly wooded with trails through the trees (and fresh blackberries to pick). There's also Greenlake, a gorgeous lake and park area a little farther away. We have really great areas nearby to enjoy being outside, but sadly the weather is already turning gray and drizzly and cold, so exercising outside will not be happening much longer. We're probably going to try P90X which we've heard so much good about. Our living room is really small so hopefully it doesn't require to much space!




Mom and Dad came to visit last weekend and we had a great time showing them around. Since we are still new here, we didn't quite know the best places to take them, but I think they enjoyed what they did get to see: a lot of downtown, where I work, our church, Pike Place market, a view of the Space Needle, a ferry to Kingston, the waterfront, and a few good restaurants. For Christmas, all of Dad's side of the family is going to Cabo San Lucas together. Grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I can't wait! It's going to be such a good time. All of the famliy rarely gets together because we're spread out all over the US, and what a great place to do it!




Until then... exploring and enjoying Seattle, and trying every day to bring glory to God.