A new look

I've decided that since Spring is not coming to Portland any time soon, I will pretend that it is Spring outside and make it look warm on our page:)
Brandon is officially done with classes and has taken his first deep breath in about 3 weeks. He amazingly was able to write papers, read books, and translate Hebrew all while standing on his head and carrying on a conversation with me. :) He continues to excell in his studies and is increasingly excited to start teaching classes instead of taking them.
I have been on "vacation" since last Wednesday as Mo's family has gone over the river and through the woods to vist grandma. It's been great to sleep in till 8:30, finish a book, and keep up on the dishes. I could get used to this...
As I finish typing this, the sun has started streaming down our street and I'm pleading with it to stay. How many more days till summer comes?

This Weekend

My dear friend Emily unexpectedly came down for a visit this weekend! I love her so much and soak up every minute I can with her. Every word that comes out of her mouth is dripping with the love of Jesus and she's a great friend.
We spent the day yesterday hanging out with Mo, eating at a new crepe bistro, getting pedicures, shopping in second-hand stores, and eating ice cream while watching movies. Sometimes I crave time with friends that are familiar and it was just that. This morning we got up and went to church and then spent precious time talking over chipotle burrito bowls. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at taking pictures but she'll be back soon and I'll make up for it then.
Now that she has left to make the trek back up to Seattle, I will spend the rest of the evening reading and getting ready for the week while Brandon wraps up everything for his last week of classes! He's super excited for the break in classes and a time to catch his breath.

Last Weekend

Last Sunday evening we went with Cory and Jen to "Cirque du Soleil: Corteo". It was incredible and unfortunately we couldn't take any pictures of the inside. I would highly recommend going to see it if it's coming to a city near you. The acrobatics and performers are AMAZING!!! Anyways, it was awesome and here are a few pictures of us before and after:)

Jumperoo

I haven't posted any pictures of Mo in a while so I thought should! This is just us playing on the floor and him enjoying his "jumperoo"...he LOVES it:)

yay!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I got a couple of job offers and accepted one of them! the new job won't start until the end of May so I'll stay where I'm at for another month or so, but this is GOOD!! No more waiting, applying, interviewing, and worrying (not that I'm a worrier...haha). Thank you for everyone's prayers. I'm convinced that the reason I got this job is because of Judi (lydia and natalie's mom). Thanks, Judi! I love y'all!
more details about the job coming soon.

it's official...

we got our first sunburns of the year!!! woohoo!!! the day was every bit as beautiful as the weather man promised. we went to the park and while Brandon read, i basked in the sun. i think the vitamin d i got yesterday should hold me over until summer officially arrives. thank you, Jesus, for the break in rain!

oh, and for those of you who love starbucks as much as I do, read the lastest entry of Hannah's blog! (Landon and Hannah--on the left--because I have no clue how to "link") SUPER COOL!

75 degrees and Sunny!

That's the forecast for today! Yesterday was beautiful as well. I think it got up to 65 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I could literally feel myself being refreshed as the day went on.My entire body was smiling as I soaked up the sun with my Oregon-white skin :). Mo and I spent the entire day outside at the Zoo and Jameson Square Park. The park just might be my favorite place downtown so far. It's right in the middle of the city and everyone was there! There's this great "fountain wall" (hard to see in the picture)in the middle that creates a shallow pool for kids to play in. Not to mention great grassy areas and plenty of benches to relax and people/dog watch. I'm trying to convince Brandon to do his homework there today so that we can take advantage of this sun while it lasts! (beautiful view of the park)

dinner

I'm making meatloaf tonight...1st time...hope it goes well...brandon will probably eat it anyway:)

our friends

We can actually say that we have friends here in Portland now:) wierd:) Brandon works with Jen in the enrollment office of Western and Brandon has been Cory's "assignment" for a project he has been doing for his counseling degree. We've actually been friends with Jen and Cory for a few months now, but now something both exciting and depressing is happening in July. They applied for resident director positions for Corban College down in Salem and got the jobs!! This is a dream come true for both of them and we couldn't be happier for them. Jen wants to ultimately teach so this is a great way to get her foot in the door. Plus, we might get to take over their current apartment...great deal for us! However, there is a down side. They will be moving (about 45 min. South of here) and we won't get to see them as much anymore. We will miss their friendship and their willingness to play games with us!

To follow Jesus in authentic community for the world...

That is our church's mission statement...and we love it. We spent the majority of our day today in the basement of our church in a "partnership" class. It's basically like "membership" except going a step further. Mosaic asks that instead of simply being served and becoming a member, that you go a step further in serving the church and being involved. They talked all about the "ins and outs" of what they believe, areas to serve, and f.a.q's. We also got to meet our lead pastor and chat over lunch. Hearing him talk about his story and answer questions about where the church stands on certain issues only made us love the church more. All of that to say that we are proud to now consider ourselves officially partners with Mosaic.
We also are "greeters" at the early service. We were inspired by a guy who greets at our old church: Rocky Mtn.Calvary Chapel in Colo Spgs. His name is Donnie and he makes everyone feel welcome. You really have to meet him to understand. He makes everyone feel like he's their best friend and is completely genuine about it. His love for God's people radiates from his big smile. People would line up at his door to get into church just because of how he made them feel. That is our goal. Not that others would recognize us, but that they would leave knowing that they are important and loved.
Another thing that we have been thinking a lot about lately is community. Specifically "authentic community": what is it, what does it look like, how do you cultivate it? I would say that finding that community has been one of the hardest things for us up here. I won't go into all the details, but if you have any insight on this subject we would love to hear.
That's about it for now. We are still in decision-making mode as far as my job goes. so if you think about it, we covet your prayers. hope to hear from ALL of you soon:) haha
oh, and I miss my Jo and warm weather...