Married

Well here we are at week 3 of being married now. Life is really good! :)

We should be spending our evenings packing our apartment so we can move next week. However, we've been doing more fun things instead. Monday night we got groceries and cooked a really yummy dinner that took a while. Last night we went to see Super 8, which was really really good. I had popcorn, hot tamales and a Coke for dinner. Delicious and ridiculous.

Tonight, I hope we can ride our bikes. I have so much fun on our new bikes, but these stinking Oregon hills are going to kill me.

We're living out of suitcases and boxes right now so that's always interesting. We thought we were moving sooner so a lot of our clothes are already packed away. I wonder if people at my work are noticing I'm wearing the same outfits over and over?

Our plan as of right now is to move to Roseburg to these apartments and start looking into buying a house. Sadly these apartments don't allow pets so we have to figure out what to do with them for a little while. Hopefully some families from church will adopt them short-term. I'll definitely miss playing with them though, so we'll have to visit them often. The great thing about these apartments is that they do month-by-month rent so we don't have to sign a lease.

I would like to think we'll clean the apt and pack tonight, but realistically I know we'll play on the iPad. We're obsessed with crossword puzzles lately. Yes, we are 80 years old.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Change is a great word to describe my life right now. Marriage itself brings a lot of big changes: living together, sharing money, different last name, etc. However, we have quite a few more changes happening in the next couple weeks.

Kory just accepted a new job with a different church. The great part is that the job is in Roseburg, Oregon...which is the city I already work in! That is wonderful news because I can keep my current job AND I don't have to commute anymore. It wasn't terrible-about 25 minutes-but I will be very happy to be able to run home for lunch or to live in a town with a movie theater and Sonic! We are moving to the big city, y'all. From a town of 3,000 to one with 22,000. That is a big deal, mainly because it puts us half an hour closer to Chili's :)

Kory will be the high school youth minister at Redeemer's Fellowship and we are both SO excited about it! I will have to post about the incredible way God brought this opportunity into our lives soon. It is awesome to see how He's been working. The plan is to start that job after the wedding and honeymoon.

So we got Kory's stuff all moved into my apartment yesterday and he is staying with a friend for the month of May to save a month of paying rent. This means we get to move again right when we get back from the honeymoon. We have got a lot of my apt packed up now also so we need to start looking at housing options in Roseburg pretty soon.

Redeemer's is a church of 1,000 people and we currently worship in a church of 130 people...so that will be an adjustment. All of these changes are positive, though, and we're very excited about all of it! It's just sometimes a lot to take all at once.

However, I'm so thankful I don't have to quit my job and look for another one. That makes a huge difference in lowering my stress level. In fact, I really don't feel too stressed out by all of this...I just feel excited and ready for it to all start happening!

The next few weeks are pretty crazy for us. Last Monday night (May 2), we met with the youth ministry volunteers and let them know about this new job and made plans for Kory's transition. Then, Kory was preaching Sunday morning (May 8) and announced it to the church body, so it's officially "out" and we can tell everyone we're moving now. This Wednesday (May 11), we'll talk to the youth group kids about it, so I'm sure that will be kind of hard. We have two more Sundays to attend church at Tri City and then we'll be gone for the wedding. When we return from the honeymoon (June 5), Kory will have one week off and then start his job at Redeemer's and we'll make the move to Roseburg.

We got Kory completely moved out of his apartment because I wanted to come home from the honeymoon to a clean apartment where we were all moved in and settled...silly me. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy! However, God is dumping blessing after blessing on us, so we will not complain. We will just be excited about the changes that are coming our way! :)

Cats and Home

Mr. Sir has been extra playful lately. It's so much fun to come home and have him waiting right in front of the door for me! Kory was at my apt the other day when I got off work and he said that when I got out of my car and locked the doors, (when I use the clicker, it honks the horn as the doors lock) Mr. Sir heard the horn and jumped up and went to the front door to sit. Precious! :)

Sir has also apparently decided he is a dog now. He wants to play fetch ALL the time, he loves having his belly scratched and will roll over so you can scratch it and just the other day I promise he was wagging his tail as he waited for me to throw his fetch toy.

He and Kabie still wrestle and fight all the time, but thankfully it's playful now and isn't mean/aggressive like it used to be. There used to be hissing and clawing, but now it just looks like a brother and sister wrestling/pouncing and having a good time. Unfortunately, this means a LOT of cat hair left on my carpet. It does force me to vacuum more often though, so I guess that's a positive thing.

We're in the process of moving Kory's stuff into my apt right now...and have been for the past couple months. It's been great that we've been able to do it a little at a time, since he's only a few apt's away from me. The problem is that we each filled up our 2 bedroom apartments, and now we're trying to combine into just one. We've each been getting rid of a TON of stuff...but it's not enough yet. Of course, it doesn't help that every day we're getting more wedding presents, which is GREAT, but that is just more stuff to try to fit in our limited space. Kory's apartment is our storage shed right now. His living room is full of all the stuff we're getting rid of and most of it will be donated to our youth group rummage sale next month.

I think we should be able to raise a good amount of money for the youth group because we had two of almost everything and now we've got a nicer, newer version of most things so we are getting rid of 2 dining room tables, 2 coffee tables, 1 entertainment center, 1 desk, 3 side-tables, 4 dining room chairs, 1 microwave, 2 toasters and a billion clothes and other small items. We've considered having our own garage sale, but ultimately we decided the money isn't worth the work. Plus, if the youth group doesn't have money for events, we'd end up donating anyhow, so it all works out the same.

The plan is to be completely moved into my apt (and out of Kory's) by the time we leave for the wedding, so we'll come back home to one, clean apartment. Oh, I can't wait to only pay rent for one place! That will be so great!!

Thoughts about Oregon

It is crazy to me that Canada is the closest foreign country and not Mexico. Also, it seems like everyone has been to Alaska. I want to go now!

Everyone says soda or pop here but I am sticking with calling it all coke for now.

There is this awesome bridge you drive across to go into Myrtle Creek and everytime I cross it, I am reminded how much I love living here and I thank God for bringing me to a beautiful place!

Apparently, we live in the most republican county in all of Oregon.

A lot of people told me people in the NW weren't as friendly as in NM/TX and it would be a big adjustment for us. Maybe it's because a lot of the people we are around are Christians or because we're in a small town, but I have definitely not found this to be true. Everyone is so nice and friendly here!

Today was definitely fall weather! I loved it! I went to Starbucks after work and got a Caramel Apple Spice and was just SO happy with life. I really love Fall weather and the changing of the leaves and wearing scarves.

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 :)

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!

Get Oregon-ized!

Well it is now 100% official! Kory and I are moving to Oregon!!! YAY!! I am beyond thrilled about the future! When Kory called to tell me it was a done deal, I was in Hastings and I was literally cheering and dancing around. I am sure I got a couple strange looks but I didn't even notice because I was too busy celebrating!

Kory will be the youth minister at Tri-City Church of Christ. There are three little towns all together in the SW corner of the state where we will live. Before you ask, let me answer a few questions that I know you are wondering. 1)No, we are not married or engaged. 2)No, I do not have a job there, nor do I have any leads so far. 3)No, we do not have a place for either one of us to live. 4)Yes, it is very far away from Texas. AND 5)Yes, I am VERY excited about this move!

We will be moving on June 14 or so, depending on how soon we can get everything together and ready. It will be a 3-day drive, but I am sure we can make this a fun road trip! I will continue to update as I find out more details and make the move out West. I am confident God will be with me every step of the way and I can't wait to start this next adventure in my life!

I have never been to Oregon, but have heard from EVERYONE that it is absolutely gorgeous! Here are a few pictures of the beautiful state for you to feast your eyes upon :)

Perfect Ending

Last night was the season finale for Scrubs and possibly the series finale. There are rumors that Scrubs will continue without Zach Braff and writer Bill Lawrence. Fans are dreaming up a thousand different scenarios about what will happen next. Personally, I hope Scrubs is over. It had a great 8 season run and this is the perfect time to end it.

My finale, last night's hour-long episode, was awesome! I loved it. I think it was the perfect way to end JD's time at Sacred Heart, as well as end the entire show. One of my very favorite parts was when he was looking into the future and Sam and Izzy got engaged! hahaha JD's reaction was so stinking hilarious. I love that guy! 

Yes, I definitely cried watching it last night, but I think a lot of it had to do with me realizing I am about to be saying some goodbyes of my own. If you don't know, I will be moving to Oregon in about six weeks. Kory accepted a youth ministry position there and we will both be moving to a tiny town in Southern Oregon called Myrtle Creek. 

I can see so many ways that my European adventures were God's way of preparing me for this next phase of life. For example, I am no longer scared to move to a new place far from home with no job or place to live. I feel confident searching for any job available and I trust God will provide. I don't worry too much about being away from all of my family and friends. And above all, I am REALLY excited for the adventures that lay ahead! 

Homeless

Well, I am back in Artesia. Normally I would say I am home, but this doesn't feel like home anymore. Nowhere really feels like home right now. I am in a weird place in my life. I felt like I was home in Cork and in London, but I also knew it was temporary. I spent this past weekend in Lubbock, where I lived for 4 years, yet it didn't feel like home. I grew up in Artesia and lived here most of my life, yet my parents' house doesn't feel like my home.

I think I am experiencing reverse culture shock for the first time. After returning from trips abroad, I have usually experienced it in small ways, but obviously this time I have many more adjustments. I think this feeling of "not belonging" is a big part of that. Most of my friends fit into two categories--college students or newly married/working. I do not fit into either of those. Don't get me wrong; I love my life and the category of BUM is pretty great for the time-being. :)

Being in Lubbock was a weird experience for me, especially when Kory and I had to drop something off in the SUB (student union building) on LCU's campus. It was like deja vu for an extended period of time. I was in a place I had spent so much time and yet it was like I knew I didn't belong there and I felt like I was in a dream or something. Coming to Artesia has been much the same--a familiar place, yet I feel like I am not really here. I have to keep reminding myself that this is reality and I am eating dinner with my parents and taking a walk with Mom and this is my life, here and now. This might not make any sense to you but explaining it in words helps me make sense of it all.

If you know me very well, you know I am a very social person and love talking and hanging out and being around people. Well, since coming back to America, I have felt insanely anti-social, which is a pretty weird feeling for me. If I haven't replied to your text messages or called you back or didn't see you in Lubbock, this is why. I feel guilty and I am sorry but I really didn't have much desire to be with people in general--it has nothing to do with you personally. Luckily, I didn't feel this way about Kory. I wanted to be with him all the time and it was so great hanging out with him.

I am sure this will all get better as I settle into life in America and make the necessary adjustments. One thing I am learning is that when most people ask how my time in Europe was, all they really want to hear is "awesome". So, I give them that response and we both go on our merry way. The pace of life is one of the biggest adjustments. Life definitely moves a lot slower here. That adds to the weirdness when I feel like this fuzzy, dream-like state of life is also moving in slow motion.