taking the bus

Recently we moved to a new apartment, anticipating the extra room needed with our little one arriving in December. Our first move. My regular routine of walking to & from work from our former newlywed apartment needed to be reworked since it's too far to walk now.

And so I am now a patroness of the public transportation system of our fair city, and I'm liking it! Today's even my day off & I've taken advantage of my bus pass for the purpose of running my errands to the bank, the library, the natural foods store, all conveniently located from the hub of the bus station. This small town girl feels a little more urban, let me tell you.
It's my hope that this new experience for me (some of you are probably old hands at this sort of thing) will not just offer me more time for getting some reading done as I ride to my next stop. I hope that I will be a blessing and that I'll be brave enough to take opportunities to be courteous and thankful, to be encouraging & that the Spirit of God who lives in me & delights to use even little Rachel will leak out leaving some stardust behind.

after it was over

After John & Kristin's wedding ceremony, we helped clean up a little, and as we were on our way out we said goodbye to Jim, Kristin's dad. (He & his wife Cindy heroically hosted us & lots of other people at their house over the weekend, and it was lovely.)
Jim sat down at the piano and started playing something (I want to say it was a hymn) & AJ & I paused walking down the center aisle out of the church as AJ sang along. Had to bust out the camera & remember it. It was a very "Father of the Bride" and the party's over moment.

Pike's Place Public Market

Day before our friends John & Kristin tied the knot, they & we their friends traversed to Pike's Place Public Market in Seattle to get fresh flowers for the wedding. It was my first time at Pike's and I loved it! Only forty minutes or so spent there, but it was enough to whet my appetite for a longer visit. John bought a fresh sourdough baguette and the pictures below show us consuming it. SO GOOD! I also ate a Russian pastry that had dough that was a gorgeous yellow color (was there saffron in the dough?) with cinnamon and cardamom! Eating it warm on a chilly overcast Northwest morning in the crowds of Pike's Place...ah...it was a moment for me. A foodie moment. :)

Camping

This Friday we went camping with others from our church & had a blast! I'm sorry to say it was our first camping trip being married and we're approaching two years of marriage! Being the daughter of my parents who met as counselors at a camp in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I am appaled at myself that this didn't happen sooner. However, it was lots of fun, we slept in a tent (I love tents!), our campsite was near a river, and we were well fed. (Thank you Raineys & Thomases & Sticklers & Townsends & Werners & Fultzes!) The pictures above are us with bikes that our friends Tim & Amy let us ride on. It was so fun! Another thing I haven't done in...ahem...years... And notice my belly. Twenty five weeks along & little Ransom is moving a lot!