Decision 2006...

Well, it is official. Merrick accepted the job and we are staying in Oregon! He is going to be working as an Electric Design Engineer at Mindspeed Technologies in Hillsboro.

As I expected we are both slightly disappointed that we aren't going overseas, but at the same time I am thrilled to be moving closer to most of our friends. We both came to the same conclusion about the Northwest being the right place for us right now, and are at peace with our decisions - and that's a great feeling! There are still a few big things in our immediate future, such as Merrick's defense on November 10, and we would appreciate your continued prayers.

Next step... find me a job. =)

Thinking of a number between 7 and 9...

Eight years ago we went on a date. There was a large group of Merrick's friends going to a Portland Winter Hawk's game, including our good friends Joel and Sarri. At the last minute, Merrick called and invited me to go. The four of us loaded up into Sarri's Ford Falcon and headed to Portland. (This picture was taken that night at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland.)



After the game we went back to Newberg to watch a movie at Sarri's apartment (don't write me up, but yep, we were breaking "floor hours"). It was some time that night, during "When a Man Loves a Woman" that Merrick kissed me for the first time! We later found out that Joel and Sarri's first kiss also happened that night (and now they are married with three kids)!

"The decision to kiss for the first time is the most crucial in any love story. It changes the relationship of two people much more strongly than even the final surrender; because this kiss already has within it that surrender." ~Emil Ludwig

Apples to apples...

We spent this last weekend in Eugene with Merrick's parents and the Diefenbaughs. We hadn't been to Eugene since July, so it was time to get down for a visit. There is a great u-pick apple orchard and pumpkin patch just outside of Eugene, and for the past few years we have made the trek to Deterings a family tradition. So, on Saturday after lunch we headed out to the orchard for an afternoon adventure...

First I have to say that the weather was incredible (as it usually is when we go). There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and in the sun it was quite warm. The first thing I noticed when we pulled into the farm was a sign that said "Labrador Puppies For Sale!" I know it doesn't make a lot of sense to get a puppy, especially right before moving back up to my parent's house, but I still begged and fussed about it... and that was before seeing the two puppies in the big wooden box. Oh my, they were cute.

The second thing I noticed was the table where they were serving the free homemade apple cobbler! Every weekend in the fall the family cooks up delicious apple cobbler to serve to the guests. I wasn't all that hungry, but couldn't say no to that treat!

After my quick snack, we grabbed buckets and headed out to the apple trees. There are rows and rows of fantastic apples. I always get a few of each variety, and "sample" a few while I pick. (Don't worry, they encourage the sampling.) The kids had fun finding apples they can reach and I think Ella ate more than she actually put in her bucket. Scott spent a lot of time making sure Brennan didn't just sample the yucky apples that had fallen off and were rotting at the base of the tree. Once our apple supply was sufficient we visited the pumpkin patch. Most of the pumpkins had been picked and were waiting up by the house, but we had fun wandering around and hiding in the corn stalks.
Back at the farm we visited the puppies, paid for our apples, and Megan and Scott took the boys on a horse-drawn wagon ride.

When we got home Margaret cooked a great dinner and of course baked an apple pie!

We're moving...

Yep, you read right, we are moving... again. I just gave our 30 day notice to our apartment manager, so we will be moving out of this apartment the weekend before Thanksgiving. Other than that, nothing in our immediate future is known or confirmed (housing, jobs, etc...). I am sure more will become clear in the next few weeks, and I will keep this blog up-to-date with our plans. For now, we are packing up and heading north to stay with friends and family.

Today I told my friends at Santiam that I am moving. I cried when talking to them. I knew I would be sad on my last day, but I didn't know the entire last month would be sad. The hardest part of moving away from Corvallis will be leaving that little school that has blessed me so immensely.

In the next few days/weeks have a few big decisions to make, and we would really appreciate your prayers during this transitional time. As always, you can keep checking here for updates and new news!

Sydney steals the show…

Saturday was filled with friends, football and lots of food… but Sydney Reese Coleman was the star! Kristen, Shannon and I threw a shower to celebrate with the Colemans and to introduce Sydney to the world… well, our world anyway.

We had so much fun spending the day with people that we have not seen in ages. It was the perfect, relaxed environment – guys gathered around the T.V. watching the games, and the girls gathered in the kitchen (around the cupcakes).

Drew and Marisa got more goodies for Sydney – including an adorable pumpkin hat that Shannon knitted. Even though the gifts were for her, Syd was quite content sitting with Merrick and watching the games with the guys in the other room.

The other excitment was seeing the sonogram pictures of Hannah and Shannon's babies who are due one week apart.

I often forget that I am rejuvenated when I am around other people. Even though this was a busy week, and I am now exhausted, in a different way I feel refreshed. I have amazing friends, and it was great to spend the weekend with so many of them.

And thanks to Shannon for sharing some great pictures from the shower!

Limo lunch...

Today I had the best sub job ever. I chaperoned a group of students that had won a trip to Izzy’s Pizza in a limo. I met them at the school, rode in the limo with them to Corvallis, ate a delicious buffet lunch at Izzy’s, and then rode back to the school. I love doing things like this because it is always fun to interact with the students outside of the classroom and get to know them in a different way. Have I said recently that I love my job?

A step in the wrong direction…

I need to back pedal a bit and catch up on the happenings of last week..

Wednesday was our third anniversary! We didn’t do a lot because Merrick hurt his back playing racket ball and was in a lot of pain. We did manage to enjoy a sushi dinner and a movie at home. It was simple, but nice.

Thursday we headed up to visit Merrick’s sister, Macy, and her family in Sultan, Washington. We had to stop at the chiropractor on the way up for a quick back adjustment, but the rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. Neither of us had been up to Sultan, and we didn’t know quite what to expect. Our first impression of the tiny town was a middle-aged man, wearing very tight jeans, roller skating down main street. It was classic. When we got to the house, Mariah and Maleah gave us the grand tour, and then we all loaded back into the car and headed to Monroe to eat dinner at Red Robin.

Friday morning Macy made fabulous pancakes for breakfast. When we were done eating decided to go to the Reptile Zoo. It was the craziest place I have ever seen. There were King Cobras, Anacondas, lizards, an albino alligator, boas, pythons, tortoises, frogs, a black mamba, and more! It was amazing. I forgot to take my camera with me, so I don’t have any pictures to share, but if you are ever headed out toward Sultan, I highly recommend checking it out. And no worries, it is open 365 days a week!

We left the “zoo” and headed toward the mountains for a hike in the woods. It was so beautiful. Everything was shining from the rain, and the leaves were changing colors and dropping slowly into the river. It was great to get some fresh air and spend time outside.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the house just hanging out and resting. We all ate dinner together, and had an amazing dessert, and then snuggled up to watch “Pete’s Dragon.” It was a great day!

Saturday we left the Haverly house shortly after breakfast and headed south to Covington to visit Forrest and Amy. We hadn’t seen them for almost a year, and it was SO good to hang out with them again. We really miss having them closer – especially since we used to see them every day! Amy’s parents were also in town, so we spent the day with them watching football and playing my new Napoleon Dynamite pictionary game. =)

Sunday we headed south to Portland. Merrick’s parents were up from Eugene for the weekend, so we headed out to Newberg to spend time with them and the Diefenbaughs. We again played Napoleon Dynamite, this time with Kyler, who was the game MVP.

It was a busy weekend with lots of driving, but we had so much fun seeing family and friends.

Couch day...

Yesterday afternoon I met Kristen and Shannon for happy hour at Stanford's. We were there to finish planning the Coleman's baby shower that is this Saturday... somehow, we ended up at Costco where Kristen bought new furniture! It was a strange series of events, that was very funny to the three of us. I don't think any of our husbands found it nearly as hilarious as we did - especially Jeff.

Needless to say, we didn't get much planning done.

Oh, and this post is especially for Shannon... she thinks it is funny that nothing happens in my life, so I write about silly things like drinking lattes and buying couches. =)

Three years and counting...

Today is our third anniversary! Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that we have been married that long... which means we have been together for 8 years!
I thank God for the amazing husband and wonderful second family He has blessed me with. I can't imagine my life without any of them. We are also so thankful for the amazing friends we have and how they all played such an important part of our special day. Thanks. We love you all.

A major blowout...

Nope, not a diaper or a tire... it was a football game.

This weekend my friend, Angela, came down to visit. Her dad had given her two tickets to OSU/Cal game and she invited me to go along. We should have known we were destined for disappointment. She came down on Friday night, and we went to the last part of the Santiam Christian football game. It was a big game. Santiam was ranked #1 in state, and Regis #3. When we arrived, the Eagles were winning, but with less than a minute left, Regis scored to take the lead. The SC guys never recovered.

On Saturday we had a pretty lazy morning - a nice change from usual. We have these incredibly noisy upstairs neighbors who wake up at 4:30 a.m. every day. We all heard them banging around, but luckily were able to fall back asleep. We sat in our pajamas and watched college football and ate a late breakfast. It was fabulous and very relaxing. When it was time, Merrick took us to campus and dropped us off at the stadium. We walked around outside for a while, then got bored and headed for hot dogs and our seats! Like I said, the game didn't turn out so well for the Beaver fans, but we still had a lot of fun. The world's biggest know-it-all jerk was sitting behind us and had something profane and negative to say after every single play. He even mocked the national champion baseball team when they were on the field during half-time. Thank goodness he fell asleep during the third quarter, and stopped talking for a few minutes.

After the game Merrick picked us up and we headed home for a while. He was in a great mood because the Ducks annihilated ASU this weekend! We ended up watching more football at home before heading to Tarn Tip for some great Thai food! The time went fast, but it was so fun to have a friend visit. We had a lot of time to just hang out and chat - something that doesn't happen very often anymore.

Sunday was pretty typical too - church and a lot of football. Our "Corvallis" church went back to two services again today, but they are still meeting outside. I didn't know we would be outside, but ended up putting on a sweater anyway. Merrick left half way through the service to get a sweatshirt from the car - it was really cold out there at 8:30 this morning. Funny how last month we were there thinking it was way too hot and wished we were inside with the AC on. I guess you can never please an oregonian.

We are looking forward to a fun week. Our third anniversary is on Wednesday, and on Thursday we are heading to the Seattle area to hang out with family and friends we haven't seen in a long time. I'll be sure to post more on our adventures when we are home!