Thanksgiving Holiday

This has been a lovely Thanksgiving holiday weekend. On Thanksgiving we went over to Bryan & Lisa's for a yummy meal and a nice time hanging out. We ate turkey and stuffing and broccoli cheese and green beans and lots of other yummy stuff!

The beautiful Thanksgiving table setting!

Our intrepid hosts, Bryan & Lisa.

My hair is growing out...it's actually longer but my head was down a bit. (This photo is for you, mom.)

Friday I did absolutely nothing while TJ was at work...unless reading and watching the Avatar and Hallmark movies count as something!

Saturday we drove down south of Albany to visit my friend Birdie. She lives in Mexico but is currently in the states with her family getting some feeding therapy for their daughter (see one of my earlier posts). They are staying at her mom's out in the country...it was lovely.
Their friend from Chile was visiting also and made us all a very yummy lunch! We visited all afternoon and played a new game called Go For It. It was a hoot!

Birdie & Son...her kids are absolutely adorable!

Our New Truck

Since we were married 2 years ago we have been a one car family. The first year and a half it was quite easy because we lived right by the commuter train. TJ drove to work and I took the train, because both my jobs I had during that time were right at train stations.

When we moved here last April we learned we were in the public transportation "no service" zone. It's this very rare circle in the metro area that has no transportation service...I think the closest bus is about 7 miles away? It was ok though because TJ's job was right on the way to my work. I adjusted my hours a bit and would drop him off my way to work and pick him up on my way home. It was nice to carpool and have a chance to spend some time together winding down from work.

TJ has a new job now (a wonderfully excellent job I may add) and it is completely impossible to carpool. I am a schemer and can come up with all sorts of fascinating ways to make something work out that otherwise wouldn't, but this is out of my realm! Ben & Katie let us use their truck the first week so TJ could get to work, and today we purchased a truck!!

Our new truck is a 1994 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 from Wilsonville Chevrolet. It's very blue, has an extended cab and a cab cover. I told TJ that now we can go camping and not need a tent! He was certainly not as excited about that idea as I was, but I believe knows he is doomed to go camping next summer! :) Tee hee!

In a nutshell the truck buying experience was one of the best we've had. They didn't try to rip us off, they found a good loan after our original loan fell through (who knew they didn't like older trucks!) and overall we were quite impressed.

It's going to be strange being a two car family now. It will sure be nice though not to have to borrow a truck when we need one, and to be able to help people move now...because once you have a truck you will help people move! Since it's an extended cab we'll also be able to transport at least six people, possibly 8 if they squeeze!

Here are a few photos of the new truck...

TJ and Anthony, the car salesman who is also a mechanic.

We praise God for his graciousness to us and for working out the details on this purchase. To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Blessings Overflow...

Just when we thought there couldn't possibly be more blessings coming our way, more came!

1. TJ took his tools into work today to get his area ready for his first day tomorrow, and found out he's starting at $1/hr more than he thought, with an even better chance of a $2 raise on Friday!

2. He also found out that his job will let him take a half hour for lunch and leave a half hour early- so now he can finish school this quarter! He'll leave work at 4:30. School starts at 5:00, so he'll probably still be late, but not horribly late.

3. We will be able to purchase the truck we saw this weekend! Our first bank we thought our loan was approved at denied us because of the age/mileage of the truck, but the dealership found another credit union who approved us with our original terms. We'll pick up the truck on Friday after we get off work!

The only hard thing that we've dealt with lately is my headache. You know the "song that never ends...it just goes on and on my friend." Well, I have the headache that never ends. I think it's been about 6 days now, sometimes better and sometimes much worse, but always there. I've been taking lots of ibuprofen and aspirin, but I think tomorrow I will go drug free and hope that helps? It's not a migraine either, which is odd because my headaches usually are. Ah well, if that's the only negative in our lives I'll take it! :D

Blessings Abound!

Friday we learned TJ got the job of his dreams! But the blessings didn't end there.

Saturday morning we took our car and Ben's truck up to Vancouver. Our friend Donna previously worked with a lady named Deb. Deb is getting married in a few weeks and is working on combining her household with her soon-to-be husband's household. We drove up to bring home a lawn mower & table. We did not end up getting the table, but amazingly, here is what we came home with:

• a self-propelled mower
• two benches for our current table that match it almost perfectly
• two lamps
• plastic shelving we'll use in our basement
• a beautiful rug
• a dirt devil vacuum broom
  
• an antique stool (just like the one I grew up with!)
• wicker drawers
• a indoor/outdoor propane heater (with 4 cans of propane)
• a bag of charcoal for our grill
• three folding chairs
  
• and probably the hugest blessing of all...2 GARBAGE BAGS OF FOOD!!

Now, you may be saying to yourself at this point, "that is a random collection of things!" But almost all of these things were on our list of things to eventually purchase. We like to have people over and never have quite enough seating, so because we have the benches and folding chairs we've expanded our actual chairs by 7! We'll certainly use the heater since this is a rather chilly house, and had been pondering getting a rug in the future. We had been planning to save up for shelving for the basement, and the other items will fit well too.

I have to say though that the food was one of the largest blessings especially coming off these months of layoff. We have been in survival mode and only buying just enough groceries to get us by. I've been using up our "stocked up" supplies and well. Here are the before & after pictures:

BEFORE...


AFTER!

We will eat everything too, it's all so yummy!!!

In the afternoon we found a store that will later help us grow garden starters inside and can help us with some of our outdoor gardening too!

We left the garden place and went down to Wilsonville Chevrolet to browse around their lot and think we may have found a truck. It is a 1994 Chevy 1500 extended cab with a cab cover (I forget the real name) that can also be removed. It was previously owned by only two people and though it has 158,000 miles on it is in good condition. We had been pre-approved a few months ago for the amount through our bank, and are just waiting for the business week to begin to work out the details. They are holding it for us.

We are feeling overwhelmingly blessed at this point. I think the feeling is so hard to describe- it's been a challenging few months as TJ searched for work and we tried to make wise financial decisions. It's sort of like holding our breath for two months and now completely exhaling! I'm sure in time we will balance out. :)

Though this verse is taken a bit out of context, I think it does fit here:
9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11)

Thank-you all for your prayers and words of encouragement! I hope your faith is increased by walking with us through our journey!

And the answer is...

YES!

Here is a recap of our day Friday:

• 7:30 AM: TJ drops me off at work.

• 8:00 AM: TJ calls Stark Street to ask what the verdict is. Manager says TJ is in the top two but the manager has not decided which person to hire yet and asks TJ to call back at 1:00 PM.

• 9:30 AM: I text TJ from work asking if he's heard anything yet. He calls and tells me the latest.

• 1:00 PM: TJ calls the manager back. The manager tells him he's been chosen for the spot...but it isn't final yet. Manager needs to speak with GM & owners to make certain he can still hire someone for this spot and asks TJ to call back at 4:00 PM. TJ calls and updates me.

• 2:30 PM: TJ calls me at work and says he has just heard back from the manager, and in a sad voice tells me he'll still be taking me to work on Monday, then pauses for dramatic effect, and follows with "becuase I don't start till Tuesday!" This is followed by much rejoicing that I imagine half the upper floor at the museum heard along with lots of sighs of relief and prayers of thanks!!

TJ picked me up from work at 3:30 and we went to Ben & Katie's to pick up their truck to use Saturday morning. They are also letting TJ use their truck until we can secure a second vehicle (thank-you Ben & Katie!!) because it will not be possible for us to carpool to the new job.

We feel so blessed to serve such an amazing God who would open this door for us and listen to our prayers. Thank-you to everyone who prayed with us through this journey. Praise God and rejoice with us!!

Here is the link to the location TJ will be working at: http://www.starkstreet.com/pages/maphours/viewlocation/842/stark-street-lawn-garden-sherwood.aspx

Waiting

It is Thursday evening and the theme at our home is "waiting." I know that soon we'll hear whether or not TJ gets the job, but I think this time of waiting is the hardest. There is a verse on waiting I was thinking about and when I went searching for it found lots of "waiting" verses. It reminds me there is a larger picture than whether TJ gets this job or a different one. Here are some verses related to waiting...though you'll have to go to the passage for the full context.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Ps 5:3

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Ps 27:14

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. Ps 33:20

I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God. Ps 38:15

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. Ps 130:5

Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. Pr 8:34

Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Is 26:8

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7

Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 1:21

Interview...and waiting...

TJ had his interview today at 1:00. It went well and they said he is at the top of the list and should know by the end of this week or beginning of next if he gets it. Just based on the personal reference he got from the father of one of our bible study folks the manager wants to hire him, but he has to sell him now to the GM and two owners. He'd like to hire him based on his experience and knowledge base of course, but character counts for a lot too. TJ was sent out of the interview today with a skills and knowledge test that he'll take back tomorrow, then once they get that the manager will present him as a candidate.

He was so exceptionally nervous going into the interview today, and I was ok, but now I'm completely nervous...he's so close, and yet it could still go either way! I don't think I could want this job for him any more than I do, and I don't think he could want it anymore than he does. Everything he has learned researching the company online, has heard through personal references and heard at his interview just confirm that this is really exactly the kind of job he would love doing and could be happy at long term. The pay is great and they would even pay for him to do further training which would certainly satisfy his desire to keep learning. And the manager sounds like he's looking for people of integrity, which would be great. TJ's had to work with some real bums before (co-workers & bosses) which is hard when he would much rather work with honest hard workers like he is!

Please pray with us that he will get this job, and that the Lord is glorified whether he gets the job or not!

Cheryl's Soup

I believe those who are able to make soup are geniuses- because making soup scares me. But I can make one soup and it is my favorite! Here's my recipe (which may have originally come from one of Adele's magazines?):

1 head bok choy
1 pkg firm tofu
handful mushrooms
fresh ground pepper
2 pkgs ramen noodles (yup, the cheap ones)

Chop up the bok choy and put it in a saucepan with a little water. Add cubed tofu, mushrooms and pepper and bring to a boil. Boil until everything is semi-smushy. Add the ramen noodles (but not the seasoning packet). Once the ramen noodles are cooked (2 minutes?) the soup is ready!

TJ likes this soup too but picks out the tofu and adds the seasoning packet. It is pretty bland but is super easy to digest, and quick to fix when not feeling well. And I think it's tasty!

All I Want for Christmas...

A few days ago we were discussing the upcoming holiday season and I asked TJ what he wanted for Christmas. His reply, "a job!"

Long story short, TJ will have an opportunity to interview with Stark Street Lawn & Garden in Sherwood this coming Tuesday at 1:00 pm! This is truly his dream job and one (barring layoffs) he would stay at practically forever. He would be a mechanic working on small engines. If he could pick one job of the many jobs he has applied for this last month and a half it would be this one, hands down! As an added bonus, this business is a certified John Deere dealership too. :) Please pray with us that the seemingly impossible will happen: he will be hired for this job! As God has provided us with this beautiful home, we pray he will provide TJ this amazing job.

November is Here!

I'm learning the truth that life does begin moving faster the more years we are on the earth. I feel like summer was just here and there was so much to do, and now we're quickly coming to Thanksgiving!

This week Donna & Lisa came over Wednesday. We had spaghetti & garlic bread then Lisa & Donna fixed rice krispie treats while I tried my hand at blueberry muffins. It was fun, though TJ was not thrilled at the disastrous mess in the kitchen he cleaned up Thursday!

I was supposed to go out Thursday night to hang out with the ladies in our Bible study but instead left work early to come home and spend the evening on the couch due to a flair up of my "perfectly healthy" body's digestive troubles. Fortunately the rough day was just that this time - a day - and I made it through the whole day of work Friday, which was good because Friday night we had friends over!

Kris & Andrea & little Rubye and Ben & Katie came over. We had a little potluck and a nice relaxing evening together. Rubye wore a ladybug costume that was quite adorable! We all thanked baby K for waiting to be born another day so we could all hang out! Our Halloween tradition is to watch The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (the gory one with Johnny Depp). Ben & Katie stayed to watch it with us but said at the end that once was enough for them! :D

Today is Satuday and TJ & I are taking a day off...resting, relaxing and enjoying the view from our front window of a wheat field sprouting green. TJ is watching the Gaither's on RVD TV and I'm poking around online. No leads as of today on his job search, and that certainly not from any lack of trying on his part. The Lord knows all we need and just when we need it and we continue to lean upon this truth!

Good News/Bad News

Today was a day with mixed news.

On the down side we found out for sure that TJ won't get his school loans this semester and of course it's too late to drop the class. No idea how we'll pay for it, but one way or another the Lord will provide. Next semester he'll be able to get the loans- assuming with whatever new job he gets he can finish this semester.

On the up side we had a lovely evening at Dinners for 6 at 6! We had dinner with Chris, Myra and Duane. Chris's house was decorated with lot's of "old stuff" as we like to say and when we left she gave us two space heaters (she is moving). This may seem small, but we've been praying for two space heaters! What is giving away something unneeded to one person is God's way of providing for another.

You Know You're From Oregon When...

It's been over 5 years since I moved to Oregon, and over 10 since TJ did. The following list contains cultural markers that show solidarity with "Oregonians." I got this list from a Facebook page and took out the ones that don't seem familiar. Not sure where the list came from originally but it's a hoot! My comments are in italics.

In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark—while only working eight-hour days. This is so true!!

You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers." All winter. When I worked front desk I never checked the weather but always said people should take an umbrella because it "would rain a bit today but there will be some sunshine too."

You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover. Also quite true.

You comment, "the mountain is out," when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it. It's so beautiful when the mountain comes out!

You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or people from California. Someone told me that when I moved here b/c it was a "light mist" and I had an umbrella.

You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day. Did it today!

You blame everything that's not right on ex-Californians. Californians, of course, are the reason everything is wrong in Oregon (because they moved here and drove up home prices). Us Ohio folks don't matter b/c we were not rich when we got here. :D

You go to a coffee bar and see two guys get into a fight over who makes the best India Pale Ale. Lot's of breweries and coffee places!

You know what is in between the East Side and the West Side, and how to pronounce it. It's a river...the Willamette, pronounced Will-am-it, not Willa-met. I was teased greatly for getting that one wrong.

A tree or mudslide has ever damaged your house or car. A few weeks ago a house slid down a hill into a street. And this was surprising but not utterly shocking.

You live equidistant to a symphony hall, a winery, and a volcano. Pretty much anywhere around here that would be true.

You complain about Californians as you sell your house to one for twice as much as you originally paid. The flip side no one talks about!

You consider something a "hill" (not a mountain) if it doesn't have snow on it or has not recently erupted, regardless of its altitude. We have a view of the hills from our windows...which in Ohio would be huge mountains! All perspective I guess.

You know a bride & groom that registered at REI. Craig & Donna!!

Every day is casual Friday. Pretty much, though it depends where you work.

Know at least eight people who work for Intel or Nike, or used to work for Tektronix. Yup, just within our circle of friends!

You think downtown is "scary" because you were panhandled there....once... TJ would agree with this!

You know that Burgerville has the best hamburgers...ever. My favorite is the Tillamook Cheeseburger...mmmmm!

You have only used 5 main freeways/highways: I-5, 217, 205, 26, and 84. Yup!

You know that Kindergarten Cop and The Goonies were filmed in Astoria and Cannon Beach, respectively. The big rock in the Goonies is from Cannon Beach...it's huge!!

You think that the Beach is the best place to go for vacation, or just for a day off. But definitely not to swim or lay out. Brrrr!

You take pride in Lewis and Clark and know who Sacagawea is. Certainly can't live here long without hearing about them.

You never go to the Tigard theater anymore since they built Bridgeport. Yeaaa Bridgeport!

You went to Washington Square....just to eat lunch at Panda Express...or Scoozi. We used to meet a group for lunch at the food court every Sunday after church.

You love the smell of rain. We do...but did before we moved here. Lot's more chances to smell it here though.

You are the only person in the line at the grocery store who asks for paper, not plastic (because while paper "kills trees" it is recyclable, and plastic bags will sit in our landfills for the next millennia). Very cultural!!

You dress in layers (tank top, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, etc). I am learning to do this.

You know the exact day you had school off because it snowed like....one inch. No joke there...even half an inch will shut the city down. If you hear rumors of snow you watch closely, and if you see snow you get home as quick as possible and stay there till it has melted off the roads- and no, no salt is used on the roads.

You have been to camp 18...or just driven by it. They have cool old stuff there, and a really neat wood cabin (huge) building and a very cute gift shop. It used to be an old logging camp.

You are sad during christmas because it never snows in the valley. It doesn't!

You know where the valley is. We live in the valley.

You go out of state and wait in your car for someone to pump your gas. I did that on a trip into Washington and was very frustrated by their poor service! Oops!

Your state and local legislatures are republican but your state executives and national representatives are democrat. Pretty much.

You are more concerned about packing a sweatshirt or a jacket when going to the beach than packing a bathing suit. Never pack a bathing suit unless your hotel has one. Definitely have a sweatshirt though!!

The red nose on the 'made in oregon sign' starts your holiday season. Actually right on...it's in the papers and on the news too.

You drive on 'the banfield'. I don't anymore, but I did!

You know The Shane Companies radio commercial word for word -- "...Across the freeway from the washington square mall...open monday through friday til 8, saturday and sunday til 5...also available on shaneco.com." Every radio station. Every day.

You've witnessed 300 nude bicyclists just cruising around downtown like its no big deal. Never seen it (thank goodness!) but wouldn't be all that surprised if we did.

Praise God!

Today I came home from work and checked our bank account, and unbeknownst to us the unemployment department had deposited $500 in our account!! They didn't tell us we'd been approved, and though we had filled out a direct deposit form we certainly were not expecting anything. We are thrilled to say the least, and are just assuming this means the weekly check will continue to come! What more can we say than, "Praise God!!"

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Ps 91:2

Nibbles

There are nibbles in the wall,
Gnawing, biting, chewing nibbles.
The cat stands guard.

Discouragement & Hope

Well, it's been about 2 weeks now since TJ got laid off and I must say we did not expect things to be going so poorly. He's been applying to jobs left and right, but so far no nibbles. We're having troubles securing his student loans, and if we don't get them will have to start making payments so he can continue. We're also not having any luck getting the unemployment checks. They say they may not give them to TJ b/c he's in school and "not available for all shifts." A decision will come on that soon. One option is for him to quit school- but again, he would still have to pay for it. Depending where his new job is, we may also need to purchase a new car, which of course is not in the budget. :( Worst case scenario is that we will find ourselves at the end of the month in a position where TJ has to quit school (which he can't start again for 2 years b/c of the schedule), get a night job, a new car, and start paying for the school he has to quit. And with the rumors of the economy slowing, well, it just doesn't seem to be a pretty picture!

On the other hand, the loans and unemployment may come through and he may get an awesome day job located where we can still commute together!

My point here is that the picture can be painted either way, and we don't know the outcome. Looking at the glass half full scenario it would seem we are doomed! Looking at the bright side we may have no troubles on the horizon at all!

We know 100% that whatever the outcome of these next weeks God has a plan for our lives to bring glory to Him. And whether we do that from the poorhouse or the castle, Christ remains our Rock, our Provider, and our Saviour. We trust our Father above with our finances, our marriage, our jobs, our health and all else we tend to want to grab hold of. And in Him we find our rest and our hope for the future...because really in the end, these light and momentary troubles are far outweighed by the glory of an eternal heaven soon to be revealed. Praise God!!

Adventures in Albany

Albany...the mystical land south of Salem. Every year they have the Mennonite Relief Sale there. We've been planning for a year to go so I could show TJ a bit of my heritage. Since the kids had the day off school Friday TJ came to work with me and helped me for the morning, then around noon we headed down the road.

First thing we visited in Albany was the Albany Regional Museum. TJ enjoyed the logging display and I liked the then and now photos. Nothing really gets better with time when it comes to architecture! Then we walked around downtown. We found an antique store where TJ found a pocketknife he's been looking for and I discovered a huge 1888 Parallel Bible. That Bible is so cool though it must weigh 10 lbs!


After the antique store we rather apathetically wandered over to the Dentzel American Carousel Museum thinking we would just stop in to look since it was right there. Wow! It was so neat! The museum part itself is interesting b/c of its age, but what was super fascinating was the Albany Carousel Studio where volunteers are carving an entire carousel. The carousel will not just be made of horses but other animals as well. Here is their website: http://albanybrassring.com.

Saturday morning we got up early and went to the Mennonite Relief Sale. TJ loved it! I did too. They had a craft area, a garden area, Ten Thousand Villages, home baked goods, food booths, a quilt show, and an auction. All the proceeds went to MCC to help build housing in Bengal.

We went back downtown after the show to the Albany Learn Something New day! At the quilt shop I learned to make a cute pumpkin coaster. We went to the stained glass shop and each made little stained class window catchers. We went to a candle shop seminar on what the colors of each candles mean. That was certainly...interesting. We learned how the color of candles will help balance our spirituality, bring healing, love and answers to life. It was sad because the others there were really believing what was said. One girl even took notes! We prayed for their minds to be opened to see the lies being presented.





After a search around town for some grape soda(not to be found!) we headed out into the countryside. We drove through Lebanon then Sweet Home, turning around at the Foster Lake Dam viewpoint. From there we went up to Scio and had a nice supper at a cute little restaurant owned by some members of the Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church.


With leftovers in tow we headed home and slept oh so well once we got there!!

A Mouse in the House!

Tonight I was sitting at the computer paying bills, and suddenly heard an odd squeaking noise. The cat came in from the kitchen and I thought maybe she was choking. No, not choking. Just showing off her catch! A little mouse squeaking in her mouth- tail sticking out and everything! She dropped it right next to me, then the cat and I looked at the mouse and the mouse looked at us - and ran under the couch.

So now I'm sitting indian style in my chair hoping it doesn't come out again. I talked to TJ who reassures me that the mouse will not climb in bed with me, so I guess I'll go to bed soon and hope for the best.

But I do wonder where the cat has gotten to...and the mouse...

Alpacas!

A year after I (Cheryl) moved to Portland I ended up at a strawberry festival where various vendors attended. One of these vendors was an alpaca farmer. I petted the alpaca and immediately added the alpaca to my dream farm. Two years later I got married and TJ joined my dream farm...and with it inherited my alpacas!

Alpacas are from the South American camelid family (llama)and is a cousin to camels. It is bred for its exceptional fiber. "Alpacas have a very strong herd instinct and can be described as protective and stoic, yet they are also intensely curious. They gracefully spar, play, run and jump to amuse themselves as well as their owners. The intrinsic qualities of Alpaca fiber make it stronger, warmer, smoother and more supple than sheep's wool and it is considered to be similar to cashmere. Over the past few years, the U.S. Alpaca fiber market has matured from mostly a cottage industry to mostly a commercial industry which is growing with great success." These quotes are from a pamphlet from the ALPACA's of Tualatin Valley farm which we visited today.

We may not be able to have alpacas now but I believe they will be in our future! If you want more history and info on alpaca's just google "alpaca history" and you'll get a lot of sites!

Pray for a New Job for TJ

This last Friday (the 26th) TJ got laid off of work. Business had been slowing for a while and he was not the only one who has now been laid off. You can pray for a good new job for TJ- one he will thrive at, that will pay well and that will not lay him off! TJ really believes that God has something good out there for him and is really looking forward to finding out what that is.

Pray for My Cousins

My cousin (through marriage) lost her father Sunday in an auto accident. They are all very close knit, and my home community is very closely knit, so it is a sad time for everyone. Pray for comfort and peace for Melissa & Joel, their children and all Melissa's family.