I love this boring and normal life.

We are approaching 7 months in Seattle and there is finally a sense of familiarity. Our current lease is only 8 months, so we are moving, yet again, in a few weeks. We’ve decided to stay in Capitol Hill, just move about a mile north to the more ‘neighborhoody’ area. We have moved way too many times in the past few years, but we are really excited about our new place and hope to stay for a few years, Lord willing. It’s amazing how much expectations change when you’ve spent some time in a studio. Our new place isn’t nearly as nice but GASP! There are WALLS around the bedroom and there are THREE whole closets in the apartment! Wowzers! And it’s significantly cheaper (cheap for Seattle anyways).  After this move, I am going to adopt a great thought from a Humans of New York post I saw once. All the man said was this: “I’m taking a break from setting goals.”

THAT SOUNDS AWESOME. Every time Seth and I reach a milestone we’ve been working towards, it seems like minutes later we think, ‘ok, what next?’ Whether it was getting married, finishing undergrad, getting me into PA school, what apartment should we get, what car should we buy, where on the west coast should we move, etc., we’ve ALWAYS been working towards something. No more goals for a while. A quote from my favorite movie, About Time, explains it perfectly: “I just try to live every day as if I've deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.” Some people say, ‘your life is such an adventure!’ and it has been a wonderful adventure so far. Undergrad thousands of miles away from our families, marriage, PA school in a new state, exploring just about every major city on the east coast, a cross country move in a questionably reliable car in the middle of winter, moving to a city we’ve never been to with nowhere to live and no jobs, starting careers, and also sprinkle in there training for our first half marathons and a dog and cat, and you’ve got yourself quite a few years jam packed with adventures. But you know what, I’m a tad tired of adventures. I just want to enjoy every second of this very extraordinary, ordinary, stage of life. Working normal hours Tues-Friday finally doing what I love, living where we want to be, not necessarily where we have to be, spending evenings not doing much besides getting a run in and walking Cooper, reading fun books, and weekends backpacking or just lounging around. Our 5 year wedding anniversary is approaching and this seems like an appropriate time to do this. Granted we are in the process of planning a big international trip in the spring (YAY!), but this is fun adventure! Not ‘life milestones/goals’ adventures.

I know one day we’ll look back on this phase of life wishing we had just slept in more and traveled some, so here’s to soaking up every single second of this extraordinary, ordinary phase of life and finally having time (and money! Hooray careers, not just ‘jobs!’) to start doing our international traveling we’ve been dreaming about. Praise God for giving us the energy to persevere and finally reach this point. And Praise God for giving me Seth, who makes all experiences, whether it’s a wonderful-lazy Saturday morning lounging around or the 11^th hour in the car driving across flat-mundane-freshly fertilized Nebraska on day 5 of eating subway for dinner, the best moments of my life.

The Key to Happiness

I have been reluctant to post anything regardless I’ve had lots of things I think are worth writing about. I think it’s time I shared this thought though, because I think I finally have a grasp on it after hearing today’s sermon at church.

Since moving to Seattle, I have become very aware of one thing I’ve always known but I’m not sure I really had a grasp on. And that is this:

I have a good life. Like, a REALLY good one.

No everything is not perfect. And this realization that I have a good life hasn’t come about just in contrast to all brokenness I see every day (ie: mainly homelessness) and just how good my life is ‘because it could always be worse.’ One of our first weeks here, the church we were/are attending was finishing up a series through Philippians, and the pastor walked through one of the most well known verses in the Bible, Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

This DOES NOT mean things like if I just pray enough and believe hard enough that I will get that job I wanted. This does not mean if we pray and believe enough, the cancer will be cured. Or if we pray and believe enough, we’ll have enough money at the end of the month to pay all the bills. This isn’t a promise that every outcome is going to be how we want it or that we are immune to adversity. What this does mean is this: contentness. I will be content and able to handle it if I get that job or if I don’t. That I can trust that I am loved by the creator of the entire universe and there is hope that one day we will live in a world where cancer doesn’t exist, and I will be able to get through it whether the prognosis is good or bad. That I will be content with what I have and whether we have enough to pay the bills or not at the end of the month, we’ll figure it out one way or another.  

We live in this world of prosperity gospel, tacky and unauthentic Christianity where we just have painted smiles on our faces amongst adversity and brokenness, and it is preached that bad things happen because you just didn’t ‘believe or want it enough.’ Biblically, we Christians are not promised that if we just believe enough we will be ‘happy’ (whatever that means in this messed up world) or have lots of money or everything we ever wanted. Matter of fact there is no gain from varying levels of faith, just that you have any is enough to receive all the promises of God. And the God I believe in promises through out all his text to never abandon us, that he will take all things (disasters, burdens, trials, temptations, tragedies, you name it) and work them out so that they can be used for good, and that we someday Jesus is going to return and all the messiness of the world will be fixed and redeemed and it’s going to be AWE-SUM. This isn’t to say we can’t have healthy reactions to burdensome things. Nobody is saying you have to be pumped up and say ‘Gee-dang, cancer is a bummer!” with a big smile. But it is saying that amongst the grief, frustration, disappointment, etc., that there is hope and we can rest contently knowing that we don’t have to have it all figured out, have all the answers, or fix anything ourselves, because we can handle all things through Him who strengthens us.

I also realize that this is easy from the position I am writing from. I have the sweetest, kindness husband whose life goal is to essentially make sure I have the best life I can. I have a dog and a cat (animals = happiness to a Maryott girl). I started my dream job (which is going amazing by the way. Maybe a post about that in the future). We live somewhere we want to live, not somewhere we HAVE to live. The list goes on.

But just like anybody else, I have plenty I could grumble about. We are up to our eyeballs in student debt. We are half way through our twenties and haven’t been able to do a fraction the amount of traveling we’d like to do while we enjoy our youth because of school/jobs/money. My job is awesome, but it is a 45 minute commute and I HATE driving. We have a running list of ‘things’ we want that keeps getting longer, includes a car that was made in the 21^st century. We live in a 600 sq ft apartment, and our rent I am positive is double, maybe triple most our friends mortgages.  Etc. Etc.

But that’s ok! Because not only do I have lots of nice ‘things’ and wonderful relationships with my husband and family and friends… I have a faith-filled-trust-motivated joy that I can be content when times are good and bad, because I know that I am immeasurably loved and cared for by Jesus, and his resurrection guarantees that this life isn’t all that we have to look forward to. And what else could possibly make you overwhelming content and feel at ease then whole heartedly knowing that the creator of the universe is fighting for you and, in times to come, is going to restore all brokenness of this world? So Christians: whether life is great or terrible right now, I just hope that none of us will let our circumstances redefine who our God is.

I'm not criticizing you for seeing 50 Shades of Grey, but I am for something else.

I know, I know, I know. So here’s another 50 Shades of Grey commentary. Hang in there with me. I’m not here to scold you for reading/watching it. I'm not 'judging' (I hate that word so much) you. Matter of fact, I haven’t even read it or watched it, but from friends who have and seeing the trailors, I know what it’s about.

You’ve probably seen lots of articles going around how this 50 Shades franchise promotes sexual violence, rape culture, is anti-feminism, etc.

The best article* I’ve read about it is from the Director of Operations, Bridget Battistoni, of the Seattle based company REST (Real Escape from the Sex Trade).  It talks about how we can normalize anything in society to make it seem acceptable or normal. It explains how Hitler used propaganda to convince an entire nation to not blink an eye at millions of people being murdered, and that the same thing is happening in America with sexual violence. It explains that effective propaganda uses three steps to indoctrinate an idea: 1) Desensitization 2)Normalization 3)Marginalization.

I don’t think that anybody would argue that our society is totally desensitized to sex. It’s everywhere. I can’t walk through downtown Seattle without seeing a 15 ft. billboard of an underwear clad woman. The last Abercrombie and Fitch bag I saw years ago basically had a naked man (can you call him a man? He looked about 15) on it. Seth and I were watching Jimmy Fallon (one of our faves!) and the evening’s performer, Nick Jonas, had scantily clad women dancing behind him to extremely sexualized choreography. It is now totally normal to hook up with people you hardly know and not think twice about it. Normalization. I don’t think we’ve marginalized in society yet, because not everybody agrees on what ‘level’ of public displays of sex/sexuality are appropriate or who with and when it is appropriate to engage in sex.

Regardless, we are totally desensitized to degradation of women too. For example, the show ‘the Bachelor’ is hugely successful, but what is it about? A man lining up a bunch of women like cattle to decide which one he will bestow the honor of being in a relationship with after they’ve completed a series of tasks. Romantic…??

Anyways, I’m not here to tell you that you are a terrible person for participating in any of the following examples, whether it’s the 50 Shades franchise or the Bachelor. But I will say this:

We all have to draw our line somewhere of what we deem ‘appropriate’ to participate in or contribute to, what we allow ourselves to be indoctrinated to. We are a diverse society, and nobody's lines will be in the same place. Some people think it may be totally ok to contribute to the 50 Shades franchise, others not. Some people may be totally ok with not only the 50 Shades franchise, but also put their line even a step farther and say the actual pornography industry is fine, and not just fine, great! Some people will see casual sex as completely normal and acceptable, others not.

And you know what, that’s fine. It’s your prerogative. However, we need to move away from the thought process ‘I just like to watch the Bachelor in my pjs with my girlfriends and eat ice-cream. It doesn’t hurt or affect anybody else" or "I'm just a normal guy, like 'all guys,' who watches porn sometimes. It doesn't matter." Yes it does. Put your line down wherever you want, but quit acting like what you do, watch, and consume doesn’t mean anything or affect anybody. Because it does. It sends a message and is shaping what is perceived as the normal world around us. 

*Battistoni, Bridget. “50 Shades of Propaganda: How You Are Being Indoctrinated to Sexual Violence.” REST Blog. 12 Feb 15.  http://iwantrest.com/blog/post/50-shades-of-propaganda-how-you-are-being-indoctrinated-to-sexual-violence

More Moments in the Emerald City

We’ve finally settled into our new place. It’s been wonderful and exciting, but I am not sure if I will ever fully adjust to the city. I am thankful that we live right next to Seattle University, and within their few little acres are beautifully landscaped and wooded retreats from the traffic and noise. This city is exciting and busy and shiney and new! But loud with lots of people and concrete. Needless to say, Cooper gets walked through SU’s campus most days. We’ve been trying to explore lots of the parks, and we have been so lucky with warm spring weather in the midst of January. We spent an amazing afternoon at Discovery Park yesterday, Seattle’s largest park with beach access. Seth and I grew up on the Alaskan beach, and I spent many many weeks of my childhood camping and fishing on the Pacific, and being back on a west coast beach yesterday felt so very right. This isn’t home, but it is pretty dang close and for that I am grateful.

Other things we’ve done: I think we’ve found the church we’re going to being staying at. Churches aren’t exactly in plethora in Seattle, and this one is excellent. No church is perfect, but this one fits many of my personal preferences. An intellectual pastor who does a mix of expository and topical preaching, diverse array of people of all ages and stages of life, a good balance of high quality music, media, and design without it being the focus, and it’s within walking distance of our apartment. More importantly though, sound doctrine and everyone is just excited to be there. We went to a ‘newcomers dessert’ last night to meet everyone on staff and learn a little bit more. If you’re in the churchy world, chances are you know who Mars Hill Church is, who was based here in Seattle, and that big fall out. It never dawned on me that this church would have to do a lot of healing for people who were a part of Mars Hill. People had lots of questions about how Downtown Cornerstone Church was learning from that situation, and that was definitely addressed. Also, the church itself has a few goals just being part of this city and one of them I thought was really awesome is “for every Seattleite to know and respect 1 Christian.” Seemingly easy task for a Bible belt Roanoke or southern town, but not here. This is an entirely different demographic and way of life.

Lastly, Seth started his job today! Yay and sad! He got a temporary 4-month position as a data analyst. Good resume builder and some income while continuing to look for that long-term position. It is very bittersweet him going back to work though. We needed money like, yesterday, but not going to lie, haven’t hated naps together every day, non-chalantly going to work out, perhaps going to bed at 9pm or 2am, taking Cooper wherever to explore, whatever we want! But this is America, and much of life is spent getting money. But that’s ok. Because I need to restock my pantry to start really cooking again, and there’s only 10,000 restaurants to try so a paycheck will be exciting. I have had some great first and second round interviews  for various PA positions but am currently in the waiting process to hear back decisions. So things are in the works! Until then, just trying to appreciate this time off and I guess it’ll just be me, Coop, and Soph for the afternoon nap.   

Yellow morning light. You can sort of see our mountain view. It's typically pretty foggy in the mornings.

Rainy afternoon. Sophie is adjusting fairly well to being a 100% indoor cat now, although she does angrily meow at the front door when one of us takes Cooper out.

My little getaway spot on Seattle University's campus.

 Dr. Jose Rizal Dog Park

Discovery Park

Discovery Park

BARNACLES AT LOW TIDE! :D I missed those things!

Cool slug! Should have taken a picture with scale. Was probably about 10cm (~4 inches) long.

Seattle Waterfront Pier off Alaskan Way. This is what my happiness looks like. <3

First Moments in the Emerald City

We have arrived in the Emerald City! Hard to believe we woke up in our apartment IN SEATTLE!!! this morning. So crazy! But here’s lots of crazy stories:

1)   Where we are living. We have an AWESOME apartment in the Capitol Hill area of town. Capitol Hill is considered ‘the most hipster neighborhood in the country.’ Aka: lots of young people, food of every origin you can imagine, and stuff to-do galore from bike polo (witnessed it ourselves last night) to wine tasting to live music. More importantly, the apartment is pet friendly, literally about 200 yards from all the hospitals I’m applying for, less then a mile to downtown where Seth is applying for many of his jobs, and bonuses: has a washer & dryer and dishwasher. Super bonuses: has a rooftop deck, work out room, and a bike storage room.  Super duper bonuses: it is a brand new building, certified green/energy efficient, and our apartment has a view of the mountains. The story of how we got it: we found it by way of a family friend spotting it on craigslist for us. The couple moving out needed somebody to take over their lease by January 2^nd (the day we were arriving), so they were willing to hugely subsidize the rent to get somebody in there, AND they were leaving ALL of their furniture (everything from the couch to the toaster to a few rolls of toilet paper. EVERYTHING). Did I mention Seth and I didn’t own a single piece of furniture? We put our applications in ASAP frantically from my sister’s kitchen table in Boise, our family friend came and checked it out for us just to make sure it was legit, and we got it. We had to pull over in the middle of nowhere central Oregon en route here and create a hotspot to sign our lease online. Thank God, literally, for modern technology. Upon picking up our keys, the property manager informed us there was a long line of people behind us wanting it too.  So long story short, we have an awesome, convenient apartment that came full of furniture that we could have never originally afforded.

2)   Totally different way of life for us. I walk to the grocery store (found one only 0.6 miles away! Hurray!). Our apartment building is certified “LEED” energy efficient, and Seattle is super ‘green.’ EVERYBODY recycles, you won’t find a single plastic grocery bag in the city, you have to pay for paper bags (bring reusable ones), and starting this year, you get fined if you don’t compost (all food waste gets recycled).  Parking is a nightmare on purpose to get people to walk and bike more, and there are really safely sectioned off bike lanes. I like it. It feels good to take care of our planet. 

3)  Church. Went to a really good church this morning! It was such a strange sight seeing an entire auditorium of hipstery, young people all singing about Jesus this morning, but also really cool. In a shifting culture and one of the most liberal (if not THE most..Portland maybe is #1?) cities in America, young people still gather to worship and learn about Jesus. I liked that too. Lots.  

4)   Jobs. We don’t have them yet (emphasis on YET!). But other awesome thing that happened: My dream job that I was declined for in December actually called me literally as we were driving into the city to set up a meeting to talk about the position some more. Also, found out my cousin has an awesome connection at the company Seth is really interested in working at. So things are in the works!

Overall, we have been incredibly blessed, and God is taking care of us in huge ways and in the small details. In large ways: finding us this ridiculous perfect apartment and working it out so it was in our budget. In small ways: so many examples, but here’s one: Obviously since we don’t have jobs we are seriously pinching pennys anywhere we can to survive while jobs are worked out but today we had to get new phones because Seth’s totally died (perfect timing, right? Applying for jobs and have zero extra money). BUT! We were able to get some $$ credited to our account unexpectedly so our phone bill will actually be smaller next month!! So many things like that have happened, and to God be the glory. We left Roanoke in a huge leap of faith with a car full of stuff, our animals, and a small savings account for how expensive this place is, and over and over again God is providing for us on all fronts. Only by His perfect grace and planning are we able to make this giant transition as smoothly as it has gone, and we are so thankful for the people who have helped us in so many different ways during this transition. 

Hello again mountains, conifers, and Pacific Ocean. It feels good to see you again.