Sunsets

When change happens in someone’s life, a common question for family and friends to ask is “how are things?”  This is most definitely true of my move to WA.  And since part of my change involves a different climate, the second question that follows is almost always about the weather or rain or cold, and how terrible it must be to live in the gloom ever day.  To which I respond, “it’s really not that bad”.  Honestly, it’s not.  I’ll let those of you who aren’t familiar with the Pacific Northwest in on a little secret… it really doesn’t rain here as much as you’d think.  It’s more of a light mist.  What I call “California rain” (aka actual rain drops) doesn’t happen all that frequently.  However, the lack of real rain doesn’t mean there is a lack of cloud cover.  It’s cloudy a lot. Something I hadn’t taken into consideration is how constant grayness during the day also equates to lack of color during sunset.  As a result, I have a new found appreciation for the magical way a setting sun makes everything glow.  It’s genuinely exciting.  A couple weeks ago we had several days of sunshine and yes, amazingly vibrant sunsets.  This is one of them overlooking Greenlake…

North By Northwest

(Pretend this was posted on Sept. 13th. Despite being written, lack of internet access made publishing on time difficult)

Duke's Restaurant for Shelly's Birthday, Matt's treat :)

Its been just under two weeks since making my way up north by way of the northwestern coast. The goal of getting into town to celebrate Shelly's birthday was a success and such a fun way to spend my first hours in WA! After being spoiled with a few days of hanging out, playing catch at the park during sunset, enjoying local Steilacoom cuisine, and picking berries to my hearts content with Shelly and Matt, having to move into a new place was exhausting. There is still work to be done, but my roommates are great and the townhome is coming together. I'm looking forward to feeling more settled in time. For now that is all being put on hold as I spend a few weeks on the east coast for training with LivingSocial.

Hindsight into Going Green

Since rolling into the state of WA I have been mesmerized by the greenness of everything.  If my car had an autopilot button I would happily use it so I could stare out the window (instead of at the traffic which I though I’d escaped leaving CA) to watch the passing by of lush forest like, lake filled scenery decorating the side of the freeway. It’s fitting then that people refer to Seattle as the “Emerald City”.  Also fitting is that the specific area I live in is called Green Lake.  So in keeping with the theme of all things green, the title of this blog was born.  My goal is to capture postcard-esque snapshots of adventures, observations, nuances, interesting people, favorite spots and new experiences so you can enjoy the emerald colored journey with me.

In hindsight, the road that brought me to Seattle has had what I’m going to call divine bumpers.  Similar to what a rookie bowler might experience by using bumpers to keep their bowling ball in the lane, over the past year there have been divinely appointed “bumpers” keeping me on the lane to WA.  Looking back now I can totally see why some doors closed along the way leaving me feeling frustrated, stuck, and discouraged.  Now I understand the need and purpose in the waiting period I was so anxious to escape.  Now I’m thankful for time that allowed for the growth and cultivations of treasured friendships.  Now I’m realizing that letting go of what I had despite the uncertainty of what might come next was worth the risk.  And now I’m enjoying the confident excitement of knowing the Lord lead me to Seattle with a plan greater than my own.