new job

Andrew has started a new line of work since the end of September. Since he graduated from college this spring he's been learning new trades. First it was concrete, and now, he's learning the tile trade. This man was not made for an office job & of course, hoping to have a home of our own some day, I'm thrilled he's learning all of these skills that might be useful later on! Here are a few pictures of a shower he helped with, early in his new tiling career.



Here, he's explaining to Tia & me what his part of the job was.



I'm so proud of him. :)

glimpse of the new home & first chance to host

Going back several weeks to when we first moved into our new apartment (end of August), I thought I'd show you some pictures. Thanks, Lizzy, for suggesting this & for helping motivate me to do it!


The living room! The banners I made in honor of Jamie's surprise birthday party are still up. They're just too festive to take down, so I've left them up.


Our piano, which we got for FREE on craigslist! It feels like a luxury to have one in our home to play whenever we like! I'm thankful to be able to practice.


The birthday girl, Jamie, about to blow out the candles.


The birthday party-ers! Jenny, Rachel, Jamie, Kaylene, Kristin, Danielle, and on the bottom, me & Becki.

In the baby's room, AJ putting the crib together. He did such a great job!

So this is just a glimpse.

this morning

this morning

satisfying time spent with Andrew before work
he helped me find answers to my questions
didn't just write me off
another reason why I love him so!

in The Descent to Hell" Charles Williams's chapter
"The Doctrine of Substituted Love"
was very good
a hopeful light
in a so far ghostly book

encountered a lady on the bus
she gave me a new outfit for the baby
it says, "heaven sent"
she seemed heaven sent to me

walking from the bus stop to work
cloudy morning, which I love
passing the holly and the ivy...
remembering four part harmony singing
with my family

seeing a grey squirrel
makes me want to revisit
Beatrix Potter's "Squirrel Nutkin"
and other friends of hers

looking forward to this weekend
a retreat with my Andrew
and plans to pick apples and admire pumpkins with friends

I pass another walker and we smile
a mona lisa smile remains on my face
after we pass

crisp, autumn air
but it makes my face warm when I get inside
the chilly air was a relief
to my warm baby incubating body!


Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 (the Message)

Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart. (juice/tea/soymilk in my pregnant case!)
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don't skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!

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!