The Morning Walk

There are a lot of words meaning thanks.
Some you can only whisper.
Others you can only sing.
The pewee whistles instead.
The snake turns in circles,
the beaver slaps his tail
on the surface of the pond.
The deer in the pinewoods stamps his hoof.
Goldfinches shine as they float through the air.
A person, sometimes, will hum a little Mahler.
Or put arms around old oak tree.
Or take out lovely pencil and notebook to find a few
touching, kissing words.

-Mary Oliver

Four Days to Go!!!

Yay, only four more days to go until I leave for Michigan! I can hardly believe that I will be there this weekend!
Fun things I have planned for my trip back (in somewhat chronological order):

* Meeting my mom's new bird, Vincent (he sounds like quite the character!)
* Taking my mom to Pottery Barn and using my incredible discount :)
* Extended family dinner Sunday night...mmm...steaks on the grill and broccoli rice
casserole...
* Church/hanging out/blueberry pancakes with my dear friend/second mom, Julie
* Walking the labyrinth at Pine Island Presbyterian
* Frederick Meijer Gardens with my parents
* Celebrating my dear friend Andrea's birthday - something I have never done with
her, since I live eight states away
* Hanging out and catching up with Kristen over a maple macchiato
* THREE GLORIOUS DAYS WITH MY BEST FRIEND, KIM!! horseback riding, Irish pub visits,
hitching up the team and driving wagons down autumnal country lanes, games of
Scrabble, pots of tea, barn kittens, catching up, and just being together...

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

God, please let this week go by quickly! (but not too quickly, because I have loads of stuff to do!)

Come Back to Me

Come back to me with all your heart, Don't let fear keep us apart
Trees do bend though straight and tall, So must we to others call

Long have I waited for your coming home to me
And living deeply our new life

The wilderness will lead you, To the place where I will speak
Integrity and justice, with tenderness, you shall know

You shall sleep secure with peace, faithfulness and joy
-Hosea (Come Back to Me), Gregory Norbert

The above song was one that we sang at church this past Sunday. It fits incredibly well with the sermon that Margie VanDuzer preached on Jeremiah 3. Check out this amazing sermon here.

I'm still processing through this sermon and how God has been speaking to me through it all week. Read the sermon and let me know what you think...

No longer a Michigander....

Yup, I recently realized that I am a Washingtonian. Not quite as catchy a name as Michigander, but I am an official resident of the beautiful, amazing, mountainous State of Washington! YAY!! Actually, I've been a Washington resident for nearly a year but didn't realize it, as I thought becoming a resident would be a huge process or something. In reality, all I had to do was register to vote here and get a WA driver's license, both of which I did last fall. The BEST part of being a Washingtonian - IN-STATE TUITION! U Dub, here I come!!

Lots has been going on throughout this past week. First, I am interviewing for a nanny position. I had the first phone interview this past Friday and I have an in-person interview this Wednesday. The nanny position is an after school gig, with two kids - Eva and Jack, first and second graders, respectivly. Their mom, Rebecca, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, so she needs some additional help with the kids for the next 6-8 months while she undergoes treatment. I haven't met Rebecca or the kids yet, or even talked to them for that matter. Rebecca's friends, Mary and Lisa, have really helping her out by bringing over prepared meals and taking charge of finding the nanny. They are the ones I will be interviewing with this Wednesday. I am really impressed with all they are doing to help their friend, so this sounds like a really neat (and sad at times) situation/position. I'm really hoping I get it. It's about 25hrs a week, and it pays well. I can also continue to work mornings at Pottery Barn Kids, so this added income would be amazing, too. My poor savings account hasn't seen much action since I graduated...

I am also looking into moving into one of the houses my church owns. I should know in about two weeks if it will pan out or not. This house would be incredible, though! And I'd get a significan rent cut, since the entire basement is used for staff offices, and the main floor of the house would be used as a meeting place for occasional groups. The second floor, though, would be mine, and my roommate's, as soon as I find one. One of the best perks of this house is the location: the top of Queen Anne Hill. Not only is Queen Anne great because of it's small town, Stars Hollow-ish feel, it is also the hub of all of my non-work related activities. Should I move to the house on Queen Anne, I could walk to the following:
1. church - 200 feet away! I'd also have keys to the church, which means that I could go there whenever I wanted to go pray, listen, and even play my flute!!
2. Safeway AND Trader Joe's!
3. Starbucks, but then again, you can pretty much walk to any Starbucks no matter where you are in Seattle...
4. The Tea Cup (only one Tea Cup in Seattle!)
5. Kerry Park
6. Bible study
7. Babysitting jobs
8. Tara's House
9. College Fellowship....actually, I wouldn't really walk, since it'd be in my house!
10. Hilltop Yarn and Needlepoint

Not to mention that I could just hop a bus to downtown, which I used to do every weekend when I first started going to SPU. I miss going to the market on Saturdays, which is seriously the easiest to do when you can just catch a bus. I should know in two weeks if/when I can move in....pray that this works out!!

Ok, off to bed. I'm pooped. Once my body realizes that it actually is possible for me to get more sleep, it wants more sleep all the time...