I moved to Washington. Oh, D.C.? No, Washington State. Oh, you're going to school?

I like Spokane!!

LIKES:

• Small Town vibe
• super easy access to Nature
  
• Arts on the Streets
  
• Cooler weather with less humidity
• Friendly people
• Mountain views
• Basalt rock
• Fir trees
• finch Arboretum 1 mile from the house
  

Last weekend my family went to Seattle to visit grandparents, and I chose to stay behind to get my bearings around the city. I've been here a little over a week so I didn't have all the time to explore, but I also was being a homebody, scared to go out, but more than that, not having much desire to. By grace, I was pulled into the realization that I needed to get out or I'd likely fall into a slump of self pity in the near future.

So I did loads of driving around town and discovered two things about traffic here. First, if you come to an intersection void of signs and traffic signals that means everyone yields. Apparently the DOT is saving money on not posting such indicative signs or even creating roundabouts. Second, there are no highways that weave in and around the city. Of course there is the interstate which runs East-West, but only through the South end. So imagine you want to travel North-South a mere 7 miles. Well that's a great passage covering a series of traffic lights for about 50 blocks. sheesh!

On a more exciting note, I've been so amazed at the fact that any person can move thousands of miles away and still find the body of Christ. Seriously, the body feels like home and helped welcome me in the culture here. Let me distinguish that I'm not relating this sense to individual people, a whole congregation, worship sets, or even pastors' messages. I experienced communion, in a spiritual sense, with others who are part of the same body that I left nearly 2500 miles back. Anyway, I don't even know that either of the two churches I visited will become my home church. Though I did like and relate to both of the churches, I am forcing myself to visit others to provide options and comparisons, since I am entirely new to the area. And I know this is good for me because I know myself to make hasty decisions out of impatience.



My family and I are a good fit. I really enjoy hanging out with 3 boys. It's necessary that I act silly with them, which is a good exercise in life for anyone. I learn from their knowledge on innocence that springs up in refreshing ways, constantly and unexpectedly. I like to be around people that think differently than me and while some people insist that path is traveling the globe, I've found that kids offer that when we let their imaginations turn gears. They do wear me out and I am tired before the end of most days. But this is a job, it takes physical and mental energy whereas I've found most jobs take one or the other, not both. And I enjoy taking care of people; I've learned that I like to serve, not out of habit or obligation but from my personality. And I enjoy the spiritual side of all that goes with servanthood, too.

SIGNS
that I am where I should be

[the reason I don't say coincidences is because it has a nonchalant connotation in my mind and these are undeniably, unquestionably, and collectively, one enormous gift discovered first week. and there are other things that have touched my heart and delighted me but they could be disputed, so here are the definitive.]

• top movie (benny & joon) that i watched and discussed a lot in the week prior to my move was filmed here
• tree of obsession for 7 years (redwood) is less than a mile from my house in a park
• healing ministry prayer room downtown. significance of this is that my previous job at a campus ministry was beginning to experience healing through god.
• friend back home randomly found a thrift shop t-shirt that said "spokane a great place"