friends from OlyWa

We spent the day bumming around downtown and NW 23rd with our friend Vangie and some of her comrades from Olympia(does that name ever remind anyone else of the Rancid song of the same name). Good times. They drove the two hours with their only agenda being to visit Powell's Books, the largest independent book store in the country (it takes up a whole city block). While there, I totally forgot to pick up Don Miller's new book, Searching for God Knows What. My friend Jay says it's good, though, and he has great taste in books. He also gave me the link to the updated website with a new video that Miller put together combining three of my favorite things: the gospel, Shakespeare and the music of Derek Webb. Check it out if you have the chance.

Thanks to Bob from the evergreen community for this article. It could happen to you:



Christian Mom Thinks "Blog" is a Euphemism for Sex

One down, one to go

After a few interviews, I was offered a job this morning as an Admissions Advisor for an international university that specializes in distance education (American Intercontinental University - yes, they're accredited:). The editing job that I originally set my sights on fell through on Monday, but God came through on this one that I had off-handedly applied for without expecting much. The money isn't a fortune (though it's much more then we've ever made before), but the benefits are incredible and they have tuition reimbursement! If I can manage my time, I might just be able to get my masters on the company dime. On the drive home, I was simply amazed that we moved in on October 8 and I'll be officially starting a new job that will actually take care of us (after thirty days:) on November 8. Given the status of the job market, I'd say that's a miracle. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping us in their prayers. God gets all the credit. He provides.

Keep on praying for Katie. She's going to a non-profit job fair tomorrow and has been researching some organizations that specialize in child advocacy and the like. I think she'd be MEGA-talented in this area, so we're hoping she finds something that really resonates with her. We'll keep you posted.

Meet Lucy and Derek

Yesterday my darling husband and I were sitting wondering what to do. We aren't quite employed yet, so spending money would not necessarily be on the wise side. We haven't made new best friends yet, being that we have been here two weeks and two days. And we like to make our own fun. So, we traveled to the nearest Fred Mayer grocery store and bought some rolled cookie dough and two small pumpkins. We decided to make our own friends, so we spent the afternoon cutting, gutting, and slicing our new friends. So, here for your pleasure, are Lucy and Derek, who live on top of our kitchen table smiling all the time of their home and best friends and creators- us.

and also might i recommend chocolate chip and walnut cookie dough. and yes, Derek does look like Boomhauer and Lucy is wearing makeup.
kate

decisions, decisions

I've found that living in a hopping town requires a certain level of discernment. Case in point: last night's rock show options. I picked up the local venue magazine in the afternoon and saw that Hot Water Music was playing downtown. I was stoked to be sure, but life got much more complicated as I turned the page and saw that Explosions in the Sky was playing at the same time across the river! What once was sweet, suddenly became a conundrum. I was completely befuddled for a good two or three hours. Finally, I settled on Explosions in the Sky since I hadn't seen them before, the cover was two dollars cheaper and they're from Austin. Needless to say, I think we made the right decision.

A little related sidenote: mixed-film media and music are good bedfellows. Three of the four bands we saw last night were instrumental and two of those three used film during their performance. One band was simply a drummer and a violinist with about three different reel-to-reels playing old footage from the seventies all over the walls. Very cool. Another guy orchestrated a score live to a short film that was projected behind him on the wall. And of course, EITS were amazing. Good night.

I found what I want for Christmas.

I found what I want for Christmas.

grammar, pubs and the WB

It's been quite a weekend. Friday kicked off with a job interview for an editing job that I'm really hoping to bag. As a result of a good first interview, I've spent a good portion of the last couple of days brushing up on a lot of the finer points of grammar that I seemed to have forgotten (and a lot of computer skills I never had to begin with) due to the prospect of an editing test on the horizon. I think that was a run-on sentence.

With a brief respite from the rain, we ran downtown to the Saturday Market and browsed through some old antique shops and artisan booths. We saw some pretty cool stuff that we can't afford, but seeing all of the homeless teenagers displaced by the weekly market kinda squashed the consumeristic urge anyway.

Finally, we visited Evergreen Community Church this morning. We found it online and weren't really sure what to expect as far as size and demographic were concerned. We printed out directions and noticed that it was only a mile from our place and that it's currently meeting in the Lucky Labrador Pub, so we headed down the road to check it out. Within about five seconds of walking in the "sanctuary," we were greeted by three or four people wanting to know our life story. Needless to say, we felt welcome right away. I think the thing that I liked most was that it seemed more like a conversation that a sermon. There were several times throughout the service when the pastor would open things up for discussion and intermittent periods of worship. Being that there was only about 30-40 people, this seemed to work well. It definitely had the "emergent" vibe, but it didn't feel pretentious. I don't want to draw too many conclusions too soon, but it was definitely a positive experience. Our church-hunt may be over before it really started. Not a bad thing.

Now we're gonna spend our Sunday night with Rice-a-Roni and the WB (the only chance that comes in clear without cable).

livin' on a budget

Since we're unemployed and the job search is really just beginning, we've been pretty tight on unnecessary expenditures. We did, however, agree that spending the $12 to see "I Heart Huckabees" was definately a worthy expense. I stand by the decision. It's currently in the top 3 or so of the year and keep in mind that the year is winding down. It fits somewhere in there with "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Napoleon Dynamite."

keepin' busy

Well, we're as moved in as is possible in three days. Today was especially productive, being our first dry and "sunny" day so far (which you can see Katie spending on our balcony with a little paint). No complaints here. I think we were made for wetter and cooler climates. It's stayed between 35 and 65 degrees, even in the dead of a cloudless afternoon. Beautiful. Of course, ask me again in another month when it's icy and below freezing:)

We haven't had much time to explore yet, but we managed to make it downtown this morning (which took all of about four minutes) and played the gawking tourists. A few things I've gathered thus far about the area:

- People are exceptionally laid-back and friendly. Haven't had a bad interaction yet.
- Subarus are the car of choice and SUVs are looked down on for being environmentally unfriendly (how's that for a change from the flowerplex).
- It's very polarized politically. Not many fence-sitters either way.
- There's a serious shortage of chain restaurants and a surplus of independently-owned coffee shops, pubs and good 'ole family joints. Can't beat it.
- REI is a cult. We were hustled into becoming lifetime members this morning.
- No A/C in the apartment. No need.

There's more, but it's almost dinner time. Katie's making a Mexican feast and we're going to watch some fuzzy TV. We'll talk more soon. Ciao.

...running just as fast as we can...
The Lodge Inn, Somewhere in Wyoming:

It's day two of four on our ONE-WAY trip to Portland. The Penske truck is cruising right along at a whopping 12 mpg, even with the Corolla in tow. While crossing one midwestern state line after another, sometimes we look at each other and honestly ask why we're running head first into an exploding volcano. The answer: Adventure. That's what God promises and we're holding Him to His word, 'cause if He doesn't provide we're screwed! Oddly enough, I have more peace through this ambiguous transition that I've had in much more certain circumstances. I've given up trying to wrap my head around the whole idea of "peace that transcends understanding" and have just come to enjoy it. That is all for now. More in a few days. Katie says "hi."

out of the loop

As expected, it seems that everyone is weighing in on the debate and racking up the comments in turn. I wish I had something provoking or reactionary to say, but I spent last night protecting the church from the powers of evil and terror, or just anyone wanting to walk out with a computer. Yep, I missed the debate...and from what I've read so far, it doesn't sound like I missed much. I've spent the last few months trying to play catch up on all the political goings-on that we missed last year. Right about now I'm honestly wishing I had stayed overseas for another year, but I guess that would've been the easy way out. Besides, I'm having a hard enough time figuring out how to cast an absentee ballot, I can't imagine trying to do it from another country.

In other news, I'm stoked about the Cool Hand Luke and Ethan Durelle show tonight. There should be a good turnout of friends and I'm hoping that a couple of old college buddies will come out of the woodwork for this one. It'll be a good way to cap off our stint in D-town. Come Monday, we'll be on the run again, to the great upper-left coast.