Settling In

I have kind of disappeared for about a week or so because I don’t have internet at my home. Sometimes I can connect to a wireless network and steal from the neighbors, but it is very unreliable.

We found apartments last Monday and moved in Tuesday. It all worked out perfectly. God is so good! Kory and I have apartments in the same complex and he lives just a few doors down from me. (If I leave Kory’s apartment after dark to come home to mine, he can stand on his balcony/stairs and watch me to make sure I get in my apt safely. It’s not really a scary place to live, but I am on the end of the building and I have visions of someone running out of the forest to snatch me.) We have spent most of this past week moving in and unpacking all our stuff. We have been working on it in between lots of other activities, though, so it’s taken us a while. I am pretty much done as of toy. I still have a few things to put up on the walls, etc. but that is about all. I need to buy more decoration stuff, but that will have to wait until I actually have a job. Speaking of jobs, I have had two interviews here so far. Neither of them worked out, however, so I am still on the job search. I am just starting to really look hard this week now that I am all settled in and everything.

Kory and I have got a ton of hang out time lately and it has been so fun! He has a new TV and an awesome living room set-up. We’ve been playing a lot of Xbox lately and let me tell you, I need a LOT of practice. I am ok at FIFA (soccer) but I am terrible at Forza, which is this car racing game. It’s a racing simulator so one little turn of the wheel too far and you go out of control for like the next 30 seconds. I spend most of my time slamming into walls and going the wrong direction. However, the VERY BEST game we play is called: (get ready for it!) The NIV Game!! We both died laughing at the discovery of this game, but now we play it and love it! haha The best part is that the game includes an NIV Holy Bible that must be used for reference on many of the questions. It is basically a board game with Bible trivia questions. Some of the questions are even about the footnotes of the NIV Bible! It’s so funny!

The TCCC (Tri-City Church of Christ) youth group had a garage sale and car wash this past Saturday to raise money for summer camps. We spent a couple hours in the sun at the car wash and I got a sun burn! I never thought that would happen in Oregon. The past week and a half has been pretty warm and wonderful! I love it! Everyone here keeps apologizing for their incredibly hot weather (upper 80s) and I just smile. The two fundraisers raised a lot of money and were really successful! It was fun for us to hang out with a lot of the kids and get to know them better. We have some really great kids here and I am excited about hanging out with them more this summer!

We tried to go get new drivers licenses and license plates at the DMV the other day, but it’s quite a process to get it all changed. We have to wait for more paperwork in the mail and then we’ll fill out several forms and pay a couple hundred bucks and bring our cars in for VIN inspection and take a knowledge test and then hopefully, we can have Oregon plates. Hooray!

We each have two-bedroom apartments, so we have room for you all to come visit us! I mean, we don’t have beds in the guest rooms, but there is lots of floor space J haha I realize this is getting pretty long but I feel like I have so much to tell you all! Our apartments are totally different set-ups, but cost the same exact amount to rent each month. Kory’s is a two bedroom, one bath with a living room, kitchen and small dining room. It is all on one level, but you have to walk upstairs to get to his front door. My apartment has two floors. The top floor has my two guest bedrooms and a fairly large bathroom. Downstairs I have my living room, ½ bathroom, dining room and kitchen. If you want to see pictures of our homes, you can look in this Facebook album.

We have made several trips to Roseburg and one to Eugene this past week to buy stuff for our homes. Roseburg is only about 25 minutes away and Eugene is about an hour and a half. I am starting to get a feel for where things are located in the area. I love that the views are beautiful any direction you look! We learned about several really good swimming spots this week and I hope we can try them out soon!

First few days in Oregon

Two families in the church have graciously allowed us to stay with them for a while until we can find places of our own. There are several towns here that are all located fairly close together. From South to North, they are Canyonville, Riddle, Myrtle Creek, Tri-City and Roseburg. I think they trying to keep Kory and I as far away from each other as possible. haha Kory is in Canyonville and I am in Roseburg! We both have awesome families to live with, however, and we are really grateful for their hospitality!

Saturday morning I met Kory at one of the elder's houses so we could unload our U-haul trailer. Jake is letting us store all of our stuff in his garage while we find housing, so we're also really thankful for that. They are definitely taking care of us here! After unloading everything, we took the trailer back to the Uhaul place in Roseburg and met Ken (I am staying with him and his wife Sylvia) for lunch. While there, Allyn and Becky (the current youth minister and wife) came in and we got a chance to visit with them for a while also.

We drove around town Saturday afternoon looking for rental properties and apartments. We found a few places that we can look into next week. It was good to kind of get a feel of where everything is around here. I get car sick really easily and these mountains roads aren't good for me. I am ok as long as I am driving, but I have got sick every time I have been a passenger so far. I hope I will get over that eventually. We went to see the church building Saturday afternoon after looking for places to live. I have included some pictures of the building and areas surrounding it. The views are beautiful every direction you look around here!







Saturday evening we met the Augsburgers, which is the family Kory will stay with for a while. We had dinner with them and then hung out at their house that night. Sunday morning, we had 4 kids in the high school class and ended up going to McDonald's to hang out and get to know the kids. Allyn (the current YM) is still working until this next Sunday so Kory is just kind of hanging out for a bit longer.

Sunday morning service at church was really great. It was much more relaxed and informal than most church services I have attended. A lot of people in the congregation got up to talk about their fathers and honor them. It was really cool! Dan Jacoy is the preacher and the man is crazy passionate and excited about life! He is a lot of fun to be around and I'm excited to get to know him and his family more. We had a Father's Day picnic in the park Sunday afternoon. It was pretty chilly and rained off and on, but it was still really fun. We got to meet a ton of people on Sunday and are slowly starting to put faces and names together and learn who is related to who, etc.

I have been SO exhausted ever since we got here. I am sleepy ALL the time. Kory and I have both been going to bed pretty early every night also. I am in bed before my host parents almost every night. I have been going to bed about 10 or 10:30, and if you know me, that is REALLY early for me. Of course, I am also freezing here. It is taking me a while to get used to this cool weather. The sun was shining today, but I am still wearing jeans and long sleeves. I need to just put a huge coat in my car and plan to have it every day. I hope I get over both of these soon.

Kory took me on a date last night here in Roseburg and it was great. It's so wonderful getting to see him everyday and not just have a telephone relationship. We are going whitewater rafting with some people from church in a few weeks and I am pumped about that! I have never been but always thought it would be really fun. Kory and I are also going to head to the coast this week and spend some time at the ocean before we both have jobs and our days filled up with busyness.

Moved to the West Coast!

We made it!! Kory and I officially arrived in Oregon yesterday and are already falling in love with this gorgeous place! Here is the run-down of how the past week of moving went for us.

On Monday, Kory picked up and loaded the U-haul trailer and drove from his grandparents house in Panhandle, TX to Artesia, NM to my parents house. We easily fit all of our stuff in the trailer and didn't even have to put very much in either of our vehicles. I was very excited about that!

We left Artesia Tuesday morning. There was some construction in NM that was annoying, but that was about the only problem we encountered. The trailer slowed us down quite a bit, so our 9 hour drive turned into a 12 hour day! We were both pretty sleepy after lunch so we played road trip games with each other on the phone (I Spy, I'm Moving to Oregon and I'm taking..., Six Degrees of Separation, etc). It was successful and we both stayed awake--hooray!

We drove into Phoenix right at dusk and it was beautiful! There was a cool breeze blowing so it felt great outside and the city was SO pretty! I think I could live there if it could be sunset all day long :) I absolutely LOVE the restaurant Moe's, but it closed in Lubbock so I haven't had it in about a year. Kory and Ty allowed me to eat supper there Tuesday night and it was so delicious!

Wednesday we drove through Arizona and Southern California. I was super sore on this drive and by about lunch time I was really sick of being stuck in a car all day. The drive did get much prettier when we entered Cali, however. They have planted trees and bushes along the roadways to actually make the drive aesthetically pleasing--what a concept! Kory got to experience In-N-Out Burger for the first time on Wed night. It was so yummy! We spent the night in Fresno, CA.

Thursday was just a terrible day. We got a late start, got stopped on the highway for a really long time because of an accident, got lost in downtown San Francisco (my fault), then couldn't park the trailer anywhere and had to leave San Fran without doing any fun things...pretty much everything went wrong. Our fun day turned into the worst and most frustrating day ever! We did get to swim in the hotel pool that night though, so it made everything better for me. We spent Thursday night in Fairfield, CA.

Friday we drove through Northern CA and Oregon!! This day of driving went by fairly quickly as it was our shortest and also because we were excited knowing it was our last day to drive. We stopped for gas shortly after arriving in Oregon and I was thrilled to have my gas pumped for me. It is illegal to pump your own gas here, which is actually great because it makes you feel like someone really important! :) Plus, they washed my windshield and that definitely doesn't happen often. Oregon is, of course, absolutely gorgeous and I can't believe we really get to live here.

When we arrived, we met one of the elders, Jake, and hung out with him for a little bit. Kory had a meeting with the ministers and elders that evening so he went to his meeting and I drove to meet the family I will be staying with for a while. The Nichols' are wonderful people and I am excited to get to know them more!

Praise God for a safe trip! Thank you so much for the prayers offered on our behalf while we traveled. We are VERY excited about the adventures and new life ahead of us here!

Here are a few pictures of the trip. You can check out my Facebook album for more pictures if you would like.

Beginning the long roadtrip on Tuesday morning

I got pretty good at taking pictures while driving...while keeping safe, of course!

Westgate Shopping Center in Phoenix

Finally arrived in Oregon Friday evening! Yeah!!

Be Careful!!!

As I prepare to leave, I have noticed a TON of people telling me to be careful. Now I realize that most of these people are asking me to be a responsible driver and make it there safely. I understand and appreciate that. However, many people say "Be careful over there!" as if living in that state is much more dangerous than this one. It is in America people! I was in WAY more danger walking the streets of London alone.

Why are we so careful? What are we so scared of? A couple days ago I heard a man tell an elderly couple to be careful when they said goodbye to leave the restaurant. Be careful doing what? Walking across the street? Taking your dentures out at night? Why do we live our lives in fear? I am tired of being asked to live a safe life. Now this definitely doesn't mean I am going to be irresponsible or drive like a maniac and put lives at stake. I am making a change however.

I have decided that I am no longer going to ask people to live carefully. When I leave someone, I will tell them "Live adventurously! Be brave! Enjoy live! Carpe diem! Take big risks! Live your life!" Feel free to join me in bidding farewell to a boring, predictable, CAREFUL life! I promise it's more fun this way :)

Best Week Ever

I spent this past week in Lubbock at LCU's Encounter, which is a spiritual camp for high school students. It was an INCREDIBLE week!! The theme was Rise and the whole point was to encourage the teens to stand up for what is right, to BE the church and not just sit in church buildings being holy. I heard one of the most amazing lessons I have ever heard from Wes Horn on The Upside Down Revolution. It was an incredible week and I feel very inspired and passionate about the future. 

It was SO fun hanging out with lots of friends all week since I know I won't be seeing them for a while. Saturday Kory and I had lunch with several friends so we could enjoy some good ole Tex-Mex food one last time. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard to say goodbye to everyone as I thought it would be. It helps that I'll be back in Lubbock in just a couple months for Rynn's wedding, so I will see a lot of people then. I am also just so very excited about moving to Oregon that I am not spending much time being sad. 

Rosa's with awesome friends...oh how I will miss this!

Our last picture in Texas! Yes, we are really good at color coordination :)

Kory will come down to Artesia Monday and we'll get everything packed and loaded to drive away Tuesday morning. We'll drive to Phoenix and stay with my older brother, Ty, Tuesday night. Wednesday we'll drive to Northern CA and probably stay in Sacramento. Then, Thursday we'll finish the drive to Myrtle Creek, OR and that will become HOME. Oh goodness, I am ready to have a home and unpack my suitcases for a while. 

On a Lighter Note...

I figured we all needed a break from heavy posts, so here are a few fun facts I have learned this week!

1.) According to a study at a Washington Medical Center, duct tape removes warts better than freezing therapy. One theory on why the effectiveness is that the tape irritates the area, which stimulates the immune system. Here it the technique in case you're thinking of trying it: Clean wart, cover with duct tape. Remove after six days and soak wart in warm water. Use pumice or an emery board to rub away soft areas. Leave tape off overnight; reapply the next morning. Repeat until wart is gone--usually about two months.

2.) One more reason you shouldn't smoke: over the course of five years, smokers turn out to develop nearly double the memory decline of nonsmokers. Imagine what is happening to your brain cells if you smoke for 30 years??

3.) Spanish conquistadors discovered that avocado seeds yield a milky fluid that turns red when exposed to air. They used this indelible natural ink in documents that are preserved to this day. 

I am packing like a crazy woman today. I leave for Lubbock tomorrow and will be there for 10 days for Encounter. I love this week! It is always the highlight of my summer! After it is over, I will come home, load up and move to Oregon! Yikes! I am trying to have everything packed and ready when I leave tomorrow so I don't have to worry about anything when I get back to Artesia. 

It seems like I waited so long to find out what my next step was going to be and now it is all happening so fast! I can't wait to hang out with friends and family over the next week and a half. I'll certainly enjoy the time spent with them since it will be a while before I see everyone again. Hope you have a great weekend!

Reclamation

My point in all of this talk about patriotism really has nothing to do with America. I believe our loyalty and our allegiance belong to God alone. I simply use our dedication to America as an example of how willing we are to devote ourselves to earthly causes. 

I think it is high time that Christians begin to reclaim a few things in this world. Many symbols or ideas are from God and yet the very mention of them today draws your thoughts to a particular group or place. Here are just a few I can think of:

Rainbow--Homosexuals

Hope--Barack Obama 

Freedom--United States of America

Peace--Hippies

The rainbow is a symbol of God's promise to his people. I wish more churches had rainbows in their buildings along with crosses. People need to be reminded that our God loves us, protects us and has made promises to us he will forever keep. 

Our hope comes from God. He is the only one who holds our tomorrows and thus, the can give us hope for them. When we trust a person to give us hope, we are telling God that He isn't big enough to care for all of our needs. We are saying we need a person here on earth to really take care of things. 

Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." Now this is not talking about the freedom of speech or freedom from oppressive leaders. The freedom Paul writes about is freedom from the law. I missed the scripture where we were told the Christian life is one of freedom and independence. We are told there will be hardships and persecution and that we are to count them as blessings. Let's spend our time freeing others from the bondage of sin instead of reveling in the fact that we live in the land of the free.

I have a bracelet with a peace sign on it and TONS of people have called me a hippie or said something to that effect when they see me wearing it. Why aren't Christians the most vocal people fighting for peace in this world? Wouldn't it be great if those who followed Christ were known for promoting and working towards peace?

I wonder which of these statements would infuriate more people? 

1) Obama is the greatest leader America has ever seen.

2) Christianity isn't relevant in today's world.

3) George Bush was the worst President in American History.

Why are we SO quick to become passionate/angry/excited about politics and so slow to do the same when it comes to eternal matters?

And I'm proud to be an...

I have been thinking a lot about patriotism/American pride/freedom lately. I think part of this is because I have seen a lot of patriotic displays recently with Memorial Day last month and the Independence Day coming up next month. 

With that in mind, I would like to share my thoughts with you on the subject. Before I begin, however, I want to make a few disclaimers. I do not hate America. I am VERY grateful to have been given so many opportunities that I might not have been afforded in another country. If anything, my travels abroad have shown me many great things about the U.S. Nothing I say is intended to hurt or offend anyone. That is the beauty of my blog...I get to say what I want! :) haha  I do not believe that people with pride in America don't love Jesus. I believe the real question is loyalty. 

Now, I think I will probably do several posts about these subjects so that I don't end up with one incredibly long blog post that is too long for any person to read. I will begin with patriotism. Here are a few quotes on the subject that I really enjoy:

"Patriotism is the conviction that your country is better than everyone else's because you were born in it." -George Bernard Shaw

"The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair."  -H.L. Mencken

"During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism."  -Howard Thurman

"When a whole nation is roaring Patriotism as the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and the purity of its heart."  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border?" -Pablo Casals

Patriotism is such an interesting thing when you really think about it. Why does it make me a bad American citizen if I don't proclaim that it is the greatest country in the history of mankind? What is it about America that inherently makes it #1? Would these same Patriotic Americans be chanting: "Uruguay! All the way!" if they were born in a different country? When did Christian and Patriot become synonymous? I genuinely don't have answers to all of these questions. If I did, I'd be writing a New York Times best-selling book instead of a blog that 3 people read :) 

I leave you with a picture of a bumper sticker and t-shirt that I have seen several times. It is really quite appalling to me that someone would even make this design...and certainly that thousands of people would support it!