The Table and a little Evie

Hello! Thought I'd just squeak in a little Evie! This picture was taken at Sea World just before her first birthday. Sorry the format is weird, just thought I'd try something a little different this time. Also just wanted to provide a link to our new church that we are attending so you all can see what we are up to and where we have been worshipping. It is http://www.thetablepdx.com/. We are enjoying getting to know old friends again and getting acquainted with who we are living life outside of the bubble of full-time ministry. It has been an interesting journey, these last few months, a journey that is has had it's ups and downs but also completely eye opening and full of some pretty interesting revelations...more on that later. :) Aaron and I are doing Northwest Passage (I will post more on this later) and we are excited (scared sometimes!) about where God will take us through this year. Also, we are getting a home phone with unlimited long distance in the next few days! Let me know if you want the number and I will send it to you privately.

What was I thinking? :)

Okay, so I just finished my first week of full time work in over 4 and 1/2 years. I forgot what it was like to be on my feet for 8 hours straight (we can't sit down at work, except at lunch). I am enjoying learning a new craft and being a part of a team again. The ladies I work with are very nice and have been very helpful and patient with me as I learn the art of compounding. So far, I have learned how to make capsules, creams, gels, troches (which are dissolvable candy-like medications), and rapid dissolve tablets for humans and animals. These are medications that you cannot find in regular pharmacies because of their strengths or the forms they come in. It is very interesting work and I'm finding it to be easier and easier every day. I miss my kiddos and the flexible schedule we had while Aaron was in ministry. But I am grateful for the opportunity to work and help support my family. It is a blessing to have a job in today's economy.

Aaron has found work for the next few weeks! He will be working for a friend of ours doing some kind of demolition in Oregon City. He is currently helping his mom and dad demo their kitchen, so he's getting some good experience. :) He will be moving into the worship rotation at our church in the next few weeks and he is really excited about it. He has learned some new songs including "Everlasting God" (I cannot remember the name of the band who sings it) its really good.

Zoe's Back to School Night was Thursday. We met her teacher and saw her classroom and desk. Zoe is doing well, just a little talkative. Eve will start going to my mom's house all day now that Aaron has found work. Pray for my mom! Eve is very rambunctious and loud and I hope that my mom will be okay with that all day.

update...a good one :)

Hello! Sorry to my friends who prefer to hear news over the phone, but I just had to put this on the blog because it's such a huge answer to prayer. I start my job on Monday! I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for my pharmacy tech license to come in and it finally did yesterday! Thanks for all of your prayers over the last few months. Now it's Aaron's turn. He's signed up with a temp agency and submitted his resume to several businesses. We know that something great is coming just around the corner for him. :)

Some random pics for Tina!

Eve and Aaron on the "bumpy cars."
Thumbs up! Or something like that! :)
Zoe and Aaron on the Tilt-a-Whirl.
Family shot on the dock.
The wave got us!

First day of school! First day of school!

Today was Zoe's first day of first grade at Lincoln Street Elementary School in Hillsboro, OR. Her teacher is Ms. Martinez. She already has a new friend, a little girl named Emma. She was beaming when I picked her up this afternoon saying that she had a great time and loves her teacher. As parents, Aaron and I are very excited about this school year for Zoe. Lincoln Street is a Beacon School, which means they place a huge emphasis on reading. The following better illustrates what a Beacon School is.

"Oregon’s Beacon Schools were selected on the basis of the progress they have made in demonstrating high quality implementation of effective reading practices and strong student outcomes. The purpose of the Beacon Schools is to provide models of successful schoolwide beginning reading programs. These schools will serve as demonstration sites for schools throughout the state to visit. Visitors will have the opportunity to observe research-based reading lessons, learn about providing multi-tiers of reading support, and listen in on discussions on utilizing data to inform instruction."

Beach Trip

We rented a Surrey for one hour on our last day in Seaside. The girls had a blast and we got a workout. :)
Zoe was trying to bury her feet in the sand.
Eve decided to blaze her own trail back to the boardwalk through the sand dunes. The problem was, those soft little blades of grass are actually really sharp and she was barefoot.
Here is Aaron teaching the girls how to jump over a wave.