Sunday, December 14, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I'm a travelin' girl....
We found a place to settle for the next couple of years. PTL! We will be moving into our new digs this weekend. Eric keeps saying that our new house is Eliott and my birthday present but I think that packing and moving on ones' birthday isn't a present! 
Our place overlooks the Columbia River and is on a 'sort-of' cul-de-sac. There is a huge field of blackberry bushes in our backyard and I can't wait till spring to munch away at them! God has graciously provided some brand new friends to help us move! Eric's supervisor and a couple we just met at church this past Sunday. Now we are just praying that it doesn't rain during our moving time.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
How it all Began...
This past May, Eric was approached by another business in Palm Springs to work for them. We prayfully considered the opportunity but after considering all the pros and cons of it Eric decided that staying at the French Valley business where he was at was the best thing. The way that the guys in Palm Springs heard about Eric was through a client at the airport he currently worked at.
Within a couple of weeks, we had another offer, again not something that we solicited, but rather word-of-mouth, this time from a prior boss who had moved to the Oregon area. This offer was from a business in Sandy, Oregon. Neither of us knew too much about Oregon but as we clicked onto the web to investigate it we loved the look of the area. We looked, again, at the pros and cons of a job change, considering more throughly with this new job offer our situation and needs. We set up a flight to Portland (nearest major hub) to have Eric visit the area and the business. The cost of air travel was so high that the lowest fare we could get was for July 3 for almost $400! So we weren't able to act on it immediately but we continued to fine tune what we felt like we needed to make the move worth it. By the time June 30th rolled around Eric called the business with a proposal of what he wanted. The owner stated that unfortunately the job he was hiring him for didn't require an IA license and didn't really warrant the salary Eric asked for.
I believe that oftentimes God uses multiple events to 'line us up' for what He wants us to do. To get our attention; turn our thoughts and focus onto another path. Within hours after that conversation Eric was looking at yet another email from yet another business who was interested in hiring him. This place was only 20 minutes from Sandy, Oregon, so we were familiar with the area already. By now, Eric knew exactly what we needed to make the move worth it for us. We hadn't even had time to cancel the airplane ticket! So, he called the business on July 1st and told them that he had a flight already lined up for the 3rd and would that work to come check out the business? They enthusiastically agreed, and stated they'd pay for the flight, car rental and hotel stay!
The man who owns the business is a Christian and the lead personnel in the business are also. As he sat over lunch with them the day he flew in the conversation flowed from business to churches to sharing one another's stories of faith. As Eric visited the town and surrounding area he noticed the friendliness of the people and the gorgeous countryside. In talking with the financial dept. it became clear that the business valued and rewarded hardworking individuals. It also offered Eric an opportunity to expand his experience in Turbine engines while bringing to the business the wealth of his experience with pistons. They were interested in hiring people who wanted to advance and that's exactly what Eric has been wanting to do for the last several years. It appeared we had found a perfect fit!
Eric flew back into town, and again, after prayer and thoughtful consideration we made the decision that this is the direction God was leading us in. The hardest part of that decision was saying goodbye to ALL the friends and family we love so dearly in San Diego.
In the following months over the summer, we began to have a sense of God's desire for us spiritually in Oregon - the Land of Weird People. (They have a bumper sticker up here that says, "Keep Portland Weird!") Seriously, though, I think the weirdo's aren't as prevalent as just ordinary, nice people. At least that's what we've experienced so far. If you think of us, please pray for us as we seek a church of people to fellowship with and serve the Lord together.
We miss you all and would love to hear from you too!
Within a couple of weeks, we had another offer, again not something that we solicited, but rather word-of-mouth, this time from a prior boss who had moved to the Oregon area. This offer was from a business in Sandy, Oregon. Neither of us knew too much about Oregon but as we clicked onto the web to investigate it we loved the look of the area. We looked, again, at the pros and cons of a job change, considering more throughly with this new job offer our situation and needs. We set up a flight to Portland (nearest major hub) to have Eric visit the area and the business. The cost of air travel was so high that the lowest fare we could get was for July 3 for almost $400! So we weren't able to act on it immediately but we continued to fine tune what we felt like we needed to make the move worth it. By the time June 30th rolled around Eric called the business with a proposal of what he wanted. The owner stated that unfortunately the job he was hiring him for didn't require an IA license and didn't really warrant the salary Eric asked for.
I believe that oftentimes God uses multiple events to 'line us up' for what He wants us to do. To get our attention; turn our thoughts and focus onto another path. Within hours after that conversation Eric was looking at yet another email from yet another business who was interested in hiring him. This place was only 20 minutes from Sandy, Oregon, so we were familiar with the area already. By now, Eric knew exactly what we needed to make the move worth it for us. We hadn't even had time to cancel the airplane ticket! So, he called the business on July 1st and told them that he had a flight already lined up for the 3rd and would that work to come check out the business? They enthusiastically agreed, and stated they'd pay for the flight, car rental and hotel stay!
The man who owns the business is a Christian and the lead personnel in the business are also. As he sat over lunch with them the day he flew in the conversation flowed from business to churches to sharing one another's stories of faith. As Eric visited the town and surrounding area he noticed the friendliness of the people and the gorgeous countryside. In talking with the financial dept. it became clear that the business valued and rewarded hardworking individuals. It also offered Eric an opportunity to expand his experience in Turbine engines while bringing to the business the wealth of his experience with pistons. They were interested in hiring people who wanted to advance and that's exactly what Eric has been wanting to do for the last several years. It appeared we had found a perfect fit!
Eric flew back into town, and again, after prayer and thoughtful consideration we made the decision that this is the direction God was leading us in. The hardest part of that decision was saying goodbye to ALL the friends and family we love so dearly in San Diego.
In the following months over the summer, we began to have a sense of God's desire for us spiritually in Oregon - the Land of Weird People. (They have a bumper sticker up here that says, "Keep Portland Weird!") Seriously, though, I think the weirdo's aren't as prevalent as just ordinary, nice people. At least that's what we've experienced so far. If you think of us, please pray for us as we seek a church of people to fellowship with and serve the Lord together.
We miss you all and would love to hear from you too!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Daily Life
Having postponed school until we reached Oregon and settled in, we finally began school last week. Lily has officially started kindergarten, and I'm excited! This is my last one! Whoo-hoo! Maybe I'm getting excited too soon... I do have the teen years to travel thru, and it IS 13 years down the road before she's off to college, but having had three girls go from this stage to almost all of those same girls graduated from college, I do know how quickly it goes.
It looks like we've found some renters for our house in San Diego. PTL! We continue to search for just the right spot for us to settle up here. And also searching for just the right church that God would have us join. We decided to put the kids into a local AWANA program so they could start building friendships and they would have a constant in their lives as we try out new churches each week.
Our neighbor came over to invite us to go shopping with them at the local Columbia River Outlet store which his wife works at (she can get us bigger discounts) so we have warmer gear for the colder weather when it hits. Now that's friendly!
The weather so far has been lovely. We have had little visitors in our backyard; squirrels and a very friendly raccoon who came and scratched on the glass door. He was adorable, but we resisted the idiotic urge to trust that docile appearance and watched him from behind the glass (just like at the zoo!)
Eric has been coming home and telling me how the guys at work, who are locals, keep having to turn on the heater and are already complaining about it being cold?! Must be the thin-skinned tribe of Oregonians.
Oct. 11 - We headed out to Sandy River and a park that's close by (within 2 miles of our home.) Here's some pics for you to enjoy.
Can't wait to have you all come up and visit us in this gorgeous part of the country!
We also drove out to Corbett (5 min. drive) and saw this great view of Mt. Hood. I wish I had Abigail's great camera.... mine just doesn't do this view justice but hopefully you get the idea.
It looks like we've found some renters for our house in San Diego. PTL! We continue to search for just the right spot for us to settle up here. And also searching for just the right church that God would have us join. We decided to put the kids into a local AWANA program so they could start building friendships and they would have a constant in their lives as we try out new churches each week.
Our neighbor came over to invite us to go shopping with them at the local Columbia River Outlet store which his wife works at (she can get us bigger discounts) so we have warmer gear for the colder weather when it hits. Now that's friendly!
The weather so far has been lovely. We have had little visitors in our backyard; squirrels and a very friendly raccoon who came and scratched on the glass door. He was adorable, but we resisted the idiotic urge to trust that docile appearance and watched him from behind the glass (just like at the zoo!)
Eric has been coming home and telling me how the guys at work, who are locals, keep having to turn on the heater and are already complaining about it being cold?! Must be the thin-skinned tribe of Oregonians.
Oct. 11 - We headed out to Sandy River and a park that's close by (within 2 miles of our home.) Here's some pics for you to enjoy.
Can't wait to have you all come up and visit us in this gorgeous part of the country!
We also drove out to Corbett (5 min. drive) and saw this great view of Mt. Hood. I wish I had Abigail's great camera.... mine just doesn't do this view justice but hopefully you get the idea.
skiing anyone? :-D
Monday, September 29, 2008
This is amazing!
Hiking isn't my most favorite thing to do. I like walking, but hiking, seems a bit more like a chore to me at times, but hiking the gorge is a whole other story. I t i s s o b e a u t i f u l!
There is no 'chore' about it; the waterfalls, the green, lush undergrowth, the giant trees that make you get a crick in your neck just to lean back and try to view the tops. I give you some pictures from our hike yesterday afternoon. Enjoy!
The Latourell Falls
Upper Latourell Falls
Eliot enjoying the base of the Latourell Falls.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Road Trip Mis-Adventures!
Bright and early Sunday morning we pull our two vehicles away from our familiar neighborhood toward our long journey to Oregon. We made plans to stop at my brother's house, Jene, in Healdsburg (just North of San Fran) for the night. Everything was going along smoothly until Lily tried to open the door of the U-haul truck while on the freeway. Of course, it's just enough to be ajar where she can't shut it. We pull off to get that taken care of; Eric pulls over to the curb in a neighborhood area, shuts the door, jumps back in, and drives around a corner... into a dead end! Forty-five minutes later, after disconnecting the pop-up tent trailer, turning it around manually, and reconnecting it, we're on the road again.
We're zipping along, traffic is good and Jene has told us the best way to go is over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge which is best for such a long vehicle (U-haul with trailer behind.) We pull up to the toll booth (Jene forgot to ask us if we had money for the toll!) and the combined amount for both vehicles is $10.00! Well, that would have been okay but for the fact that we didn't have that much by 7 pm that night. I'd gotten plenty of money for the trip and then remembered that I needed to leave cash for the housekeepers who were coming to the house the next day - so I left most of my cash that I'd carefully planned to have for the trip at home for them. Eric almost got a ticket for failure to pay the toll but one of the other toll booth attendants noticed his dilemma and piped in that someone had just left $4.00 extra for anyone who might need it and he could use it. Moral of this story: Carry enough cash for surprises, or, don't use the San Rafael bridge!
We arrive safely on our first night of travel in Healdsburg at Jene and Anne's. Our next leg is to Grant's Pass, Oregon. We are traveling with our cat, who fortunately, seems to have acclimated really well to travel and by now is crawling around the whole car investigating. Her favorite place became my lap or Lily's. We stop at Confusion Hill to investigate on the way and also, one of the only Redwood trees around that you can still drive thru.
The rest of the trip is uneventful (Thank you!) and we arrive in Troutdale around 4 pm on Tuesday. One of Eric's co-workers at his new job comes by after work and helps unload the heavy stuff into the house. What a blessing!
We're zipping along, traffic is good and Jene has told us the best way to go is over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge which is best for such a long vehicle (U-haul with trailer behind.) We pull up to the toll booth (Jene forgot to ask us if we had money for the toll!) and the combined amount for both vehicles is $10.00! Well, that would have been okay but for the fact that we didn't have that much by 7 pm that night. I'd gotten plenty of money for the trip and then remembered that I needed to leave cash for the housekeepers who were coming to the house the next day - so I left most of my cash that I'd carefully planned to have for the trip at home for them. Eric almost got a ticket for failure to pay the toll but one of the other toll booth attendants noticed his dilemma and piped in that someone had just left $4.00 extra for anyone who might need it and he could use it. Moral of this story: Carry enough cash for surprises, or, don't use the San Rafael bridge!
We arrive safely on our first night of travel in Healdsburg at Jene and Anne's. Our next leg is to Grant's Pass, Oregon. We are traveling with our cat, who fortunately, seems to have acclimated really well to travel and by now is crawling around the whole car investigating. Her favorite place became my lap or Lily's. We stop at Confusion Hill to investigate on the way and also, one of the only Redwood trees around that you can still drive thru.
The rest of the trip is uneventful (Thank you!) and we arrive in Troutdale around 4 pm on Tuesday. One of Eric's co-workers at his new job comes by after work and helps unload the heavy stuff into the house. What a blessing!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
"How Nice": Reflections on Oregon
Well, we've arrived and just this Sunday I finally saw it rain! That's almost a week without rain. So, for those unfamiliar with Oregon I post these random impressions of things that are "Oh, how nice!" moments that we're having.
How nice... when the gas station attendant rushed around to my window, took my card, and pumped my gas for me.
How nice... when he told me it was only $3.23 per gallon!
How nice... when he thanked me for being patient with him since he was new (and he said ma'am too!)
How nice... to have random people we've met who've found out we've moved from California say, "Welcome to Oregon!"
How nice... to drive a mere ten minutes down the road and be able to stand under the mist of a gorgeous waterfall after a short walk among lush, green undergrowth and towering pine trees.
How nice... to have Eric be able to come home for lunch each day since his works so close to home.
How nice... to have found a good Mexican restaurant so far from the border!
How nice... to be able to still connect with friends and family so far away now via the internet and cell phones.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Hitting the Trail
The journey begins... after saying goodbye to so many friends and family in San Diego, Eric rose early Saturday morning and made his way up the Oregon trail. He made a stop for the night at BIL Jene's where he was suppose to "feed the bunny" while Jene and Anne were away. Unfortunately, he couldn't find hide nor hare (Arr-arr-arr) of the bunny, at which point he called me to tell me he thought he had lost Jene's bunny out the front door. :::::Sigh::::: And Jene loved that bunny so much!
He hit the trail again the next day, and within twenty minutes of being within the Oregon border, it rained. (guess they weren't kidding!) But Eric, along with Abigail who was helping him to drive, continued doggedly up the trail. Enjoying lush green scenic views! They finally pulled their wagon (okay, it's really a truck... I plead poetic license here!) into Troutdale early Sunday evening.
Weather report for Sunday: Rain with a little thunder throughout the day
Monday he headed out for his first day of work. Meanwhile, I called Jene to check on the missing bunny. Fortunately, Jene informed me that he and Anne had taken their bunny with them. There was a collective sigh of relief from the Svelmoe household (both in Oregon and California) that his bunny hadn't become part of the food chain.
Weather report for Monday: Light sprinkles in the afternoon
Tuesday Eric shipped Abigail back to San Diego and had his first real "alone time." Realized he forgot some of his shoes.... only has sandals (ha ha ha!) and work shoes. Ah well.
Weather report for Tuesday: Heavy rain in the morning for about an hour, then clouds started to break up a bit.
Wednesday we continue to pack up boxes, and boxes, and boxes of stuff!! How does a house not burst at the joints with all this stuff? I am truly amazed at the amount that can be in a house once you start packing it. I'm starting to wonder if little gremlins are running around behind me and refilling closets, shelves, and tables that I'm sure I've already got everything out of it?! Our semi-solid leaving date is the weekend of Sept. 6th and 7th. Looks like we're aiming for Friday and Saturday for packing up the U-haul and leaving wonderful San Diego on Sunday morn early.
Meanwhile, Eric is busy searching for a place for us to stay once we all arrive up there.
Weather report for Wednesday: It rained hard all day!
Thursday - apparently when your husband leaves town, that's the time when everything goes haywire?! So the list starts like this... there's this new garage door that I've been trying to get installed. First, they didn't call back to let me know when it had come in and to schedule a time to install it. So, of course, I called them after waiting the week's estimated time. They told me they'd already installed it. I told them I was pretty sure the ugly door I was looking at wasn't the one they would have installed. After checking their records they called back and informed me that they messed up and they would comp. me an extra door opener and give me a keyless entry. Well, that was cool! So, then they reschedule for Tuesday of this week to deliver it. Then they call me on Tuesday to say the people who cut the doors for them cut it too small... and they'll have to reschedule for Thursday... and they comp. me an upgrade on the keyless entry. THEN, (yes, there's more!) the guy comes to install it on Thursday and informs me that they need the inside of the garage cleared 10 feet from the door to install it and they need the driveway cleared also. "Didn't he tell you that?" I informed him that I think I would have remembered that part since my garage was filled with boxes to the very edge of the door, and the popup tent trailer was in the driveway when he came to do the estimate. Of course, being a gracious person, I told him the guy was probably dazzled by my big brown eyes and forgot to mention it. Sooooo, I move boxes, tables, 'what is this stuff anyway', around in the garage for the next two hours... oh, did I forget to mention the kittens that Jeff Hosford found under something in the side of the yard while grabbing junk to take to the dump? Right, so I had to drop those little flea infested fuzzballs off at the humane society by 6 pm. Never, and I mean, never a dull moment around here! Hey, and this is just the saga of the garage door. Let me tell you about.... ah, I'll save that one for another time.
Weather report for Thursday: Rain all morning with slight clearing in the afternoon.
Friday, so finally Tafu the garage man comes to install my garage with yet another comp. of some sort being added.
Weather report for Friday: Sunny, temperatures up in the 80's.
Saturday is the big demo spa day! It all started out so well, and then all the men took their turns handling the jack hammer. Well, Kevin sprung a leak in his body, Dan's hearing went out on him, Sean Suho. decided he liked painting better, Cameron ended up having to work parallel to the floor or not at all, Sean Anderson thought he broke his toe but ended up just having a contusion (it still hurt!), John got a bloody nose, and David Sardanja (sp.) headed back up the hill to L.A. out of harm's way. I'm so grateful for all their hard work... and they're probably just grateful they're still walking (or limping!) Needless to say, all breathed a sigh of contentment when they laid their head's upon their pillows tonight from a long, hard day of work.
Weather report for Saturday: Sunny, temperature around 85.
Sunday Eric has been busy trying to find us a place to live. We've set the date for our leaving for Sept. 14th with massive packing into a U-haul on Friday and Saturday the 12th and 13th. If you happen to be available on those dates to help, do please come, we would so appreciate it. Eric will be flying back into town on that Thursday night so if you didn't get a chance to say goodbye you could kill two birds with one stone (visit and help pack!) I hit the beach this afternoon with the kids with our home group to enjoy fellowship, fun, food, and much needed relaxation! Sean lined up an unsuspecting victim to help with the spa demo Monday. Let's hope he survives. Seriously, "Thank you Sean!!" And thanks to Jeff Hosford for loaning us his jack hammer!
Weather report for Sunday: Sunny in the morning with clouds moving in toward the afternoon.
Monday Jose came over and worked on that spa, with no injuries! I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Whoo-hoo! Eric says his job is working out well and he's enjoying it.... and there's plenty of work! The weather report for Escondido was interesting; rain for about a half hour with thunder. Ruth left for Moody Bible Institute in Chicago on Saturday. Abigail moved out to her friend's house today. Eric's still working on find us an apartment. A fair amount of apartments lease for 6/12 months so it's a little challenging since we don't want to be locked into an extended lease.
So, the reason I keep posting the weather report is two fold: there appears to be a belief that it's never not raining in Oregon, and, someone near and dear to us told us that you can tell it's been raining for 9 days straight by the way someone talks on the phone. Eventually I figure it will hit the 9 day marker and I'm just as curious as the next guy. What will happen?!
Weather report for Monday: A light drizzle for a short time in the morning, clearing up afterward.
Tuesday, same old, same old; work on spa, pack boxes, feed kids, bed time!
He hit the trail again the next day, and within twenty minutes of being within the Oregon border, it rained. (guess they weren't kidding!) But Eric, along with Abigail who was helping him to drive, continued doggedly up the trail. Enjoying lush green scenic views! They finally pulled their wagon (okay, it's really a truck... I plead poetic license here!) into Troutdale early Sunday evening.
Weather report for Sunday: Rain with a little thunder throughout the day
Monday he headed out for his first day of work. Meanwhile, I called Jene to check on the missing bunny. Fortunately, Jene informed me that he and Anne had taken their bunny with them. There was a collective sigh of relief from the Svelmoe household (both in Oregon and California) that his bunny hadn't become part of the food chain.
Weather report for Monday: Light sprinkles in the afternoon
Tuesday Eric shipped Abigail back to San Diego and had his first real "alone time." Realized he forgot some of his shoes.... only has sandals (ha ha ha!) and work shoes. Ah well.
Weather report for Tuesday: Heavy rain in the morning for about an hour, then clouds started to break up a bit.
Wednesday we continue to pack up boxes, and boxes, and boxes of stuff!! How does a house not burst at the joints with all this stuff? I am truly amazed at the amount that can be in a house once you start packing it. I'm starting to wonder if little gremlins are running around behind me and refilling closets, shelves, and tables that I'm sure I've already got everything out of it?! Our semi-solid leaving date is the weekend of Sept. 6th and 7th. Looks like we're aiming for Friday and Saturday for packing up the U-haul and leaving wonderful San Diego on Sunday morn early.
Meanwhile, Eric is busy searching for a place for us to stay once we all arrive up there.
Weather report for Wednesday: It rained hard all day!
Thursday - apparently when your husband leaves town, that's the time when everything goes haywire?! So the list starts like this... there's this new garage door that I've been trying to get installed. First, they didn't call back to let me know when it had come in and to schedule a time to install it. So, of course, I called them after waiting the week's estimated time. They told me they'd already installed it. I told them I was pretty sure the ugly door I was looking at wasn't the one they would have installed. After checking their records they called back and informed me that they messed up and they would comp. me an extra door opener and give me a keyless entry. Well, that was cool! So, then they reschedule for Tuesday of this week to deliver it. Then they call me on Tuesday to say the people who cut the doors for them cut it too small... and they'll have to reschedule for Thursday... and they comp. me an upgrade on the keyless entry. THEN, (yes, there's more!) the guy comes to install it on Thursday and informs me that they need the inside of the garage cleared 10 feet from the door to install it and they need the driveway cleared also. "Didn't he tell you that?" I informed him that I think I would have remembered that part since my garage was filled with boxes to the very edge of the door, and the popup tent trailer was in the driveway when he came to do the estimate. Of course, being a gracious person, I told him the guy was probably dazzled by my big brown eyes and forgot to mention it. Sooooo, I move boxes, tables, 'what is this stuff anyway', around in the garage for the next two hours... oh, did I forget to mention the kittens that Jeff Hosford found under something in the side of the yard while grabbing junk to take to the dump? Right, so I had to drop those little flea infested fuzzballs off at the humane society by 6 pm. Never, and I mean, never a dull moment around here! Hey, and this is just the saga of the garage door. Let me tell you about.... ah, I'll save that one for another time.
Weather report for Thursday: Rain all morning with slight clearing in the afternoon.
Friday, so finally Tafu the garage man comes to install my garage with yet another comp. of some sort being added.
Weather report for Friday: Sunny, temperatures up in the 80's.
Saturday is the big demo spa day! It all started out so well, and then all the men took their turns handling the jack hammer. Well, Kevin sprung a leak in his body, Dan's hearing went out on him, Sean Suho. decided he liked painting better, Cameron ended up having to work parallel to the floor or not at all, Sean Anderson thought he broke his toe but ended up just having a contusion (it still hurt!), John got a bloody nose, and David Sardanja (sp.) headed back up the hill to L.A. out of harm's way. I'm so grateful for all their hard work... and they're probably just grateful they're still walking (or limping!) Needless to say, all breathed a sigh of contentment when they laid their head's upon their pillows tonight from a long, hard day of work.
Weather report for Saturday: Sunny, temperature around 85.
Sunday Eric has been busy trying to find us a place to live. We've set the date for our leaving for Sept. 14th with massive packing into a U-haul on Friday and Saturday the 12th and 13th. If you happen to be available on those dates to help, do please come, we would so appreciate it. Eric will be flying back into town on that Thursday night so if you didn't get a chance to say goodbye you could kill two birds with one stone (visit and help pack!) I hit the beach this afternoon with the kids with our home group to enjoy fellowship, fun, food, and much needed relaxation! Sean lined up an unsuspecting victim to help with the spa demo Monday. Let's hope he survives. Seriously, "Thank you Sean!!" And thanks to Jeff Hosford for loaning us his jack hammer!
Weather report for Sunday: Sunny in the morning with clouds moving in toward the afternoon.
Monday Jose came over and worked on that spa, with no injuries! I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Whoo-hoo! Eric says his job is working out well and he's enjoying it.... and there's plenty of work! The weather report for Escondido was interesting; rain for about a half hour with thunder. Ruth left for Moody Bible Institute in Chicago on Saturday. Abigail moved out to her friend's house today. Eric's still working on find us an apartment. A fair amount of apartments lease for 6/12 months so it's a little challenging since we don't want to be locked into an extended lease.
So, the reason I keep posting the weather report is two fold: there appears to be a belief that it's never not raining in Oregon, and, someone near and dear to us told us that you can tell it's been raining for 9 days straight by the way someone talks on the phone. Eventually I figure it will hit the 9 day marker and I'm just as curious as the next guy. What will happen?!
Weather report for Monday: A light drizzle for a short time in the morning, clearing up afterward.
Tuesday, same old, same old; work on spa, pack boxes, feed kids, bed time!
Weather report for Tuesday: Sunny with temps in the 70's
Wednesday Jose finished jack hammering the spa! Yeah! Now we just need to fill it with gravel, sand, and do the finishing pavers. God's provision of helpers for our move has been amazing! Tom Nauman, a Christian friend up the street, came down to ask if I needed any help with anything yesterday while Abigail was here. He showed up today to work on finishing some painting on the exterior of the house that needed doing.
Weather report for Wednesday: Cloudy with light sprinkles for an hour in the morning.
Okay, I'm skipping some days here... Thursday must have been a blur because I don't remember it.
Friday I'm getting ready to go camping for an annual camping trip to the Laguna's with a bunch of home school families along with continuing to pack, work on the spa, yada yada. Packing for a trip with no other adults is HARD! I finally got the car all packed by 6 pm, backed up the car to hook up the popup tent trailer, Eliot's helping to direct me and just when it gets close to him he looks down and yells, "Stop!" "Hey, Mom," he says, "you don't have the trailer hitch on the car." I think, 'Right, the trailer hitch that's in the car where the jack's kept, UNDER all my packing!' Now, I'm not only frustrated, but feeling pretty stupid. Tom Nauman, who's painting the house at the time, mentions something about 'not being perfect'; I think he's trying to encourage me, so I don't bean him. (Just kiddin' Tom) So, car unloaded, trailer hitch put on, and car repacked, I proceed to finish the job I started; hooking up the trailer. Then, I hook up the trailer lights. Well, that takes three adults and two youngsters and another 1/2 hour to do! So, after a lovely drive in the dark, we finally arrive at the campsite at 9:30 pm. I immediately spy some fine strong strapping young men doing nothing and enlist them in helping me to set up my trailer. And, lickety split, up it goes!
Saturday through Monday I enjoy a relaxing time in the mountains, listening to the breezes blow through the trees, sitting around the campfire singing songs you would never sing any other time, making s'mores, laughing with old friends and new, sharing coffee in the mornings and dinner in the evenings with friends of a well established ritual of comradery. Some of my favorite memories of this trip will be laughing so hard with (and at) Jake, Micah, and Danny cutting up the whole time. Spending time with Caryl and family, and again, laughing so hard with someone who totally gets my sense of humor and is just as funny. Watching the same Jake, Micah, and Danny play with, tease and hug (not Eliot on this last one) Eliot and Lily. And Eliot accidentally falling out the side of the popup tent in his underwear!
Meanwhile, Eric tells us that he hiked the Columbia River gorge and sends some pics via his cell phone. They aren't great but it gives you an idea of the beauty.
Tuesday I'm back to the grind. I really appreciate the friends and family who've been able to come over and help me pack. I'm past the point of being self motivated and it helps me to keep plodding along.
Wednesday through Friday I keep busy with trying to facilitate the spa-into-a-patio project, dealing with a sick Lily, having potential renters traipse through the house, and .... packing! Eric found a 3-bedroom house for us this week. Yippee, yippee!
Wednesday through Friday I keep busy with trying to facilitate the spa-into-a-patio project, dealing with a sick Lily, having potential renters traipse through the house, and .... packing! Eric found a 3-bedroom house for us this week. Yippee, yippee!
~Another amazing pic from Oregon~
Saturday through Thursday I'm overwhelmed with packing! Thursday night Eric flys back into San Diego. We will be disconnected from the puter until probably next week around Wednesday. At which time, we will all be in Oregon!
Pray for our home here in San Diego to rent.
Saturday Sept. 20 - We made it! And what's a road trip without a few stories. I'll be updating everyone soon on the many mishaps and adventures on the road. Until then, know that we're here safe and sound in our new home. I have yet to see it rain and I've been in Oregon five days!
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