December Blues

December has been a challenging month for me. This was the first time that I really missed friends and familiar faces. As I have moved into my new place, the realization that the friends I had in Santa Barbara or close by to help me pick out furniture and make decisions weren't so close in distance this time. Andrea and Jen V. were a huge part of that season when I first moved into my own place back in Santa Barbara. Andrea helped me test sofas by jumping on them, stayed at the house until the cable guy came and furniture movers came, and screwed my dining room table and chairs together (that took effort uh Andrea!) Jen V inspired the papason that I now can not live without and they both agreed or disagreed with the things I wanted to buy to make sure my place looked good. Without Andrea and Jen V, I felt kinda lost, lonely, and so very indecisive about what to buy. I wanted to set up cable but I work full time and therefore had to wait 2 weeks for the installation to happen. I know it was only 2 weeks, but 2 weeks without facebook and the internet felt like much longer! I have also been missing the Lomelino family a bunch! I missed the ability to pop over to their house, see the wonderful kids, and have Holly convict me on how unhealthy I am eating and what I can do to change it. I have been wanting to just go to their house with a bag full of groceries and see what we can blend in her magical blender...
Although I have been a little down, God continues to encourage me and remind me that I am suppose to be here in Seattle. I got a card from Lily Reeves (one of my old pastors kids) and a video from Jason and Samuel (their 4 yr. old child) telling me how much they love me. Thank you Jesus for using these wonderful kids to lift my spirits! When I finally found the furniture that I wanted to get, instead of mobbing around I would just bite the bullet and run. I didn't want to pay $100 for delivery since its only 2 miles away from my apt. so I rented a uhaul. I decided that I would just pick up the furniture and believe in faith that when I got to my apartment some guys would be walking down the street would be willing to help me move my stuff in. I know it sounds kinda crazy, but I don't really know anyone yet or anyone with a truck for that matter. It completely worked out! When I picked up the dining room table at goodwill, one of the guys helped me unscrew the legs so that I would be able to get it through my door. After I picked up the sofa and got to the apt. there were two guys at the stairs and asked if I needed help! They moved my table, 4 chairs, and a sofa into my place. Thank you Jesus! I was in disbelief, but God just reminded me how he is watching out for me and will provide. I even got 50% off of a brand new couch! Other things that have happened this month is that my old college roommate from the IV ministry days visited me and told me that she was moving up her in January. I was leaping for joy at this news! I have met some sweet girls at the church finally, spend xmas eve with the pastors and got to spend xmas day with a family who have 3 girls under the age of 4. Not that the Lomelinos could ever be replaced, but the girls are so cute! I could see one of them hooking up with Samuel in the future, haha. The kids have been a refreshment to my soul.
Well know that I have been thinking, praying, and missing you guys back to SB. MP I know you can do it, it will be challenging, but I know you can. Meal, I do miss you. I love you dearly. Porters, I can't wait to catch up with you guys some time soon. Aya, you gotta come visit and eat sushi on the roundy things, it is awesome! Fort, I'm always only a phone call away.

Home

Each morning I wake up and walk 10 minutes to the bus stop and the whole time I have the biggest smile on my face even if it is freezing cold. I can not believe that I am in Seattle, and I can not believe how faithful God has been to answer ever need that I have had. Things that normally would bug me I have been able to find joy in them now. After riding on a public bus system most of my life since my Dad didn't drive, I had grown to dislike the buses quite a bit. Now I have to take a bus most days to work (when I wake up on time) and enjoy the air, the scenery, the people that get on and off, and the free 80 minutes a day I have to just think, ponder, pray, and watch. I am becoming a city girl each day more and more...what can I say?

I can not believe I have been in Seattle for 2 months, it seems as though I left Santa Barbara longer than that. I saw a video of one of my most favorite kids in SB and she seems so much older than when I left her 60 days ago, so grown up! I do miss the people that live in SB, but Seattle is becoming home and fits me perfectly. With that being said, I have found a new place to live! Each step of this journey I have had dates/times that I felt like God would be providing from when I would be moving to Seattle, when I would be getting a job, and when I would be moving out of my sublease, and the time was December 1st. I have been looking into apts. for the the last month, but almost daily for the last 2 weeks. I felt like I am suppose to live by myself again, which I think is wonderful! On Sunday I went to a place that I had seen a month ago on an ad but didn't think I would like it. Well, it ends up being absolutely perfect for me. It is small, but warmly. It has a fireplace (super stoked) and an incredible view of the space needle and city, breathtaking really! There is even an open area in the front where I can have BBQs. It is cheaper than I expected and the landlord seems awesome - no offense Dave :)

I will post more pics soon!

Oh I am so excited to move in next week!! I wish Andrea was here though to help me shop for furniture...who is going to jump on the couches for me now...shoot

Seattle keeps getting better!

This past month has been learning to adjust to living in the real world of "work" again and remembering how I can not stay up until 3 A.M. and expect to function and be alert for work, haha. So working at Amazon has been fun so far. I have been learning a lot about their computer system and will be taking over their new hire orientation. I am basically doing anything that relates to temp employees to/through new hires. I do have to say that Amazon has been a great company to work for so far with the amazing cafeteria in the building, ability to wear flip flops, sweatshirts, bring your dog (maybe I should get one) and don't forget our weekly "snack time" that we have marked in our calendar . They do a lot of things to try to make it fun for employees which I think is fantastic.
What else....oh a church in town had this 14 day revival meeting and a bunch of amazing speakers came into town like Che Ahn, Stacey Campbell, Georgian Banov,Patricia King, and Bill Johnson. It was so much fun to get to see them. On one of the nights I got to pray for a woman who was having digestive problems, as we were praying, Che Ahn said that there was someone who was having digestive issues and God was healing them. After a couple of minutes, I asked the lady how she was feeling and she said that she no longer had the pain that was in her stomach and was feeling heat in her abdomen! She walked away healed that night!
Well, that's it for now but I would love to hear from you guys and what is going on in your lives!

Friendiversary

I had basically a week and a half of free time from the time that I got the call from Amazon.com telling me that I got the job and when my first day of work would be. I was talking with one of my best friends Kari who just moved to North Carolina for a job about how we had been friends for 10 years now and how we should celebrate some how. She asked me like what...I paused and got the random idea of booking a ticket and flying down to see her. I do not know when I became this spontanous person, but somehow I have. In less than 48 hours, I had booked a flight to North Carolina, got on a plane, and arrived in my best friend's town of Sanford. We decided to name our adventure/celebration as our Friendiversary weekend. Over the weekend I got to do a lot of firsts, we got to visit Fort Bragg (which was pretty neat to see,) I ate at the Waffle House (thought it was this fancy diner, no its a fast food chain!) drove to Charleston, SC and had fried pickles, drove to Savannah, GA to see a lighthouse, Atlantic Ocean, and tour of a graveyard. Oh and don't forget the visit to the South of the Border in NC and almost getting killed by a black baptist woman (I saw this huge red hat (the ones that ladies wear in church and have a fan in their hand) and put it on my head and said out loud Hallelujah, Praise the Lord... forgot I was in the south..oops.) All of these experiences were a first. Kari was amazing to all that driving in a 36 hour period, but we did have so much fun. Here are a few pictures.

This is what I picture when I think of the south.

Butt Stop, NC, Fried Pickles

Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, Lighthouse

Graveyard, Atlantic Ocean, Pedro town

Good news...NO GREAT NEWS!

I GOT A JOB!!!

I have had a couple interviews during the middle of October and was offered a job in the HR department with Amazon.com. Thank you everyone who has been praying, I am super excited for this opportunity!

Some fun things I did in October

Went to a book reading by Mitch Albom Fall in Seattle!

Sarah and I went to Snowqualmie Falls for the day. Absolutely beautiful!

Some girls I met from church went down to Portland, OR for the day. Went to a greek restaurant that served this enormous pita bread thing and the most amazing bookstore ever: Powells. That piece of paper that she is holding is a map of the facility, NUTS!

My roommate Natalie and I at Fremont farmers Market.

Some amazing chocolate in Seattle! Carmel
Passion fruit and Argentina dark chocolate truffle

Pruning

I can not believe that I have been in Seattle for 2 months now, 2 MONTHS! WOW! There has been days where I feel like I completely trust and have faith in God and know that He has called me to Seattle, and then there are days in which I have no faith, feel so discouraged, and alone. Each time I doubt, God is right by my side confirming that I am suppose to be here, to be patient, and trust Him. There are so many stories of God’s confirmation of God reminding me of His love and provision for me. I was talking with a friend one day about how I wanted to get a haircut but did not want to spend money on a haircut while I didn’t have a job. I went to a women bible study that week and they were handing out raffle prizes. One of the prizes was a free haircut to an expensive salon and I was thinking in my head “I would really like that God” and guess who won that prize…God is so faithful to provide even in the little things we desire. It was just another whisper "May, I have you in my hands, don't worry."
There is a friend that I had met on online when I first looked into moving to Seattle. She felt called to move up to Seattle around the same time I was moving. It has been neat to have here in Seattle as we both are going through the same journey. She has taught me a lot about myself, how selfish, self centered, impatient, and unable to really take the time to look around and see what God is doing….It has been a humbling, painful, repenting, and amazing time. I am truly thankful that God has given me the last couple of months to break me down more than I thought I needed and rebuild me again. There was one day that we decided to explore Seattle together and head down to Pikes Place (huge Farmers Market in the downtown area.) We walked the 2 miles down, which should have taken more than 30 minutes, but somehow took over 2 hours to get there. I have discovered that when I am focused on something, I just go for it and not really pay attention to the journey of it because I am so focused on the end result. This friend of mine on the other hand just took her time heading down…she would stop and talk to people who were selling newspapers, and homeless people. She was really taking in exploring Seattle, while in my head thought exploring would start when we got to the location. That same day, there was a homeless person who asked for money, and although my friend didn’t have any she walked the homeless person to find a hamburger and paid with her card….the closest thing we found was a gyro which we told her was like a Greek hamburger, haha. As we continued talking with the homeless person and asked how we could pray for her, she said that she has breast cancer and that she is homeless. If it wasn’t for my friend, the homeless person may not have had a meal, she may not have known that there people who care, and that she is not alone. This woman is battling breast cancer by herself with no health care! It absolutely broke my heart! I have learned so much more about the love of Jesus through this friend, and so grateful that the Lord has opened my eyes more. Each person on the street has a story to be told and if we can just take a little time to feed them and sit and listen, how much more God can shine through than just handing a dollar bill to them and walking away. I am being pruned and so grateful for it.

Free time

Since I have been unemployed, I have kinda picked up a new hobby of reading books. I haven't really been into reading for fun since I entered high school and english class kinda ruined any enjoyment of reading. Here is the list of books that I have read in the last month.

• The Beach Girls - It was a good chick book. Reminded me of the Sister Chick books that my best friends would always have me read with her.
• A Thousand Splendid Suns - Incredible book that I got for free new the trash dumpster in SB. The book was in great shape so I took it. I Cried my eyes out for sure in this novel. I had watched The Kiterunner so I was excited what the author had to write in this one.
• Blue Like Jazz - Everyone I know has read this book and I never took the time to read it. It had some interesting parts that made me think for sure about Christianity, church, and people.
• The Girl Who stopped swimming - It was a very easy book but I was super angry at how it ended.
• Redeeming Love - AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING! I could not put the book down. I started reading at at like 10pm and the next thing I knew it was 5am and I had finished the novel...oops.
• The Last Bridge
• One Foot Wrong AWEFUL! Don't read it, it is not worth your time.
• Tuesdays with morrie
• PS I love you
• The killing tree

Stay tuned to see what books I pick up next at the library.

Things I am learning about in Seattle

I know the list will grow larger.... but here is what I have so far
1) Did you know that if you do not recycle a certain % of your trash, the city will fine you. Apparently, they hire people to actually go through your trash on trash collection days and surveys what is in your trash..huh...really??? So they have a recycling bin, a yardwaste bin, and a regular trash bin.
2) Seattle residents do not use Umbrellas....apparently it is uncool
3) When crossing the street, you step off of the curb when the light is yellow (drivers light) going the opposite direction; you do not look at the cross light to tell you when to go.
4) Mapquest, Google, GPS and any other driving aide that is suppose to help you get to your destination does not work and/or apply to the Seattle area. The directions will tell you to keep going straight up 3rd ave, but there are several problems with that. Either it is a dead end, there is a highway blocking the continuation of 3rd ave, or there is 3rd ave N, W, S, E or just 3rd ave which mixes the aides up.
5) Parking in residential areas and even thoughout Seattle, you are able to park on either side of the curb in whatever direction that you would like. Weird!
6) Driving the freeways of Seattle is so confusing. They have an express lane that is only open certains hours in the day and will switch to the opposite direction on other certain times (haven't figured out what times they are.) They have carpool lanes, but some carpool lanes are for single person vehicles, others are for 2 or more, and others are 3 or more people in a vehicle. Also, the speed limit changes every two exits between 50, 60, 65, 55. Basically, the State of Washington would like to give you a ticket, so if you would like to get one, just come up here!

Home

On September 12th I walked away from church knowing that I was home. I had found a church that I can officially call home, and there are not even words to describe how relieved and excited that I am to be able to say that. It has been a long 3 years in jumping around different churches and not feeling like God was calling me to any specific church. I am still not sure exactly why the Lord led me through that path but perhaps it was for me to understand how important the church body is to support you and lift you up when needed, how much Jesus loves His Bride, and how important community is. Without this desert, I don't think I would have learned that lesson, understood His heart, and opened my eyes and heart to love the Church more than ever before.
The first week that I got to Seattle, I went to a church called The City Church located in downtown Seattle which Diana Mao had recommended. I went to the Saturday night service in which it is tailored for the young professionals of Seattle (ages 24-34.) What was interesting was that the Senior Pastor was speaking his last message that weekend and handing the position over to his son on Sunday evening....I just moved to Seattle and come across this church which is in transition and change also..ummm. Anyways, the worship was amazing, and the message was on how God called the pastor to start this church 17 years ago, in which he left and sold everything in order to buy the land because God called him to Seattle. I just sat there able to relate with everything that he was talking about. After the service, I knew that I wanted to come back and hear the new pastor before deciding. In 2 weeks, I visited 4 different churches in which one of them of the City Church again. Going into the service at the CC, I had been having some doubts about whether I was really suppose to be in Seattle or if I just jumped the gun too soon. When I felt like God told me to move, I didn't realize how quick everything would happen. The new pastor's name is Judah Smith and he is 30 years old. He talked about Ephesians 2:10 which has been my favorite verse since I accepted Christ. He talked about how we are called His "masterpiece" and that God knows beforehand what and where He wants us. Then, he seriously called out everything that I had been thinking and doubting.
He says, "Some of you God has brought you to Seattle and you don't even know why you are here. You are here for just a time as this. This was destiny. This wasn't just your decision. That was God. God was involved. You are sitting here without a job, but don't you know that God knows everything that you need, that he knows every hair that is on our head, don't you think He can take care of your little problems like a job. Your problem is that you are not trusting God." OUCH
I walked away that night convicted of my lack of trust in the One who has and will allows provide for me. I also walked away knowing that this was the church that the Lord wanted me to be in. So estatic as I drove home saying "I'm home, I'm suppose to be in Seattle, and I am really home." I never thought I would end up in a megachurch (apparently they are the fastest growing church in Seattle, and is the 89th largest church in the US) but this is where the Lord wants me and I am so thankful that He is making it so plan and clear! Here is the website http://thecity.org/ if you would like to check it out. Pastor Judah Smith really is off the hook!

Falling in love with Seattle

I can honestly say that I have fallen in love with Seattle. The busy streets, the crazy parking fees, people, coffee shops, and the skyscrapers make my heart happy...okay maybe not the insane fee of $26 to park downtown, but everything else YES. After Jen left I spent the day setting up my room and mourning the realization that I actually moved to Seattle. Basically at the end of the day, I had two choices: I could continue to stay in my room hoping that life comes to me, or I can go out and grab what life has to offer...of course you know what I chose. I went to the international district aka Chinatown on Saturday(but apparently you never say Chinatown because there are "other" restaurants besides Chinese and people there get mad.) Guess I am learning to be more "politically" correct. I walked around and just soaked it all in. The area is quite small but they have dim sum everyday! I wandered the streets wondering which restaurant to go to since there were so many, and I thought the one where everyone was standing outside waiting to get seated was a good place to go...guess that restaurant serves the best dim sum. Praise Jesus for easy access to amazing food! I ended up sitting with two different couples and we had a great time talking about the city. One of the couples even gave me their phone numbers, yeah for friends.

While I have been hunting for jobs, I have found something else that has been taking up my time....I found a library that is one block over and have read 2 books in less than 4 days. I can not tell you the last time that I actually pick up a book that wasn't dealing with school..besides The Shack thanks to the Lomelinos. I have also been doing some sightseeing with all my spare time. I spent one day walking from my house all the way down to Pike's Place which was only about 2.5 miles. On my walk, the Lord lead me to this park that isn't too far from my house. It gives an incredible view of Seattle and a place that I for sure can see myself spending a lot of time at. check out this view!

This past week I also have gotten together with the girl Launa that I was originally going to room with. I am so thankful that the Lord has put us together as we both moved in faith to Seattle and both don't have a job, it is comforting in a sense. We walked through several different districts and had some great food. In the Fremont District, they have this Troll sculpture underneath the bridge. Apparently, some artists were hired to create this troll that has an actual VW bug in one of its hands. It also at one time contained Elvis memorabilia. Kinda creepy but awesome at the same time.

Journey to Seattle

Packing on Sunday didn't go as well as I had planned. I had a bunch of beer that was left in my refrig. so I recruited some college boys who had just moved into the complex to help me load my stuff in the car in exchange for beer (best idea that I have ever had!) The problem was that I had to keep unloading and re-loading the car because everything wouldn't fit in my car. Guess I learned that it is just materials and that is it...I left around 5pm on Sunday and headed to see my old boss in Santa Ynez. She had been sick all week and was able to be there on my last day. It was sweet to see her and say goodbye. I do have some good memories with her, and will miss her a lot! Headed to Templeton to pick up Jen, and it was during that drive that I realized (thanks to the help of a cop who gave me a speeding ticket) that I was leaving Santa Barbara and the beautiful people. Crying was much needed for the crazy week I had a work, the friends I had to say goodbye to, and the unknown of what lies ahead. I am very thankful that I was able to unload everything before going on the roadtrip with Jen.I am so thankful that Jen was able to come up with me to Seattle. There is no way that I would have made the drive on my own! We have a lot of great memories of the trip!In 4 days, Jen and I visited Grants Pass (saw Ariel and her amazing husband Robbie,) Portland, OR (visited some great coffee shops and saw Kelsey,) rode bikes at Stanley Park in Vancouver, B.C. (thanks Aya for the great idea,) and a day sightseeing in Seattle (checked out some great coffee shops, Seattle Center, carriage ride around Seattle, and Pikes Place.) One of the memories I will treasure forever is the first time that we drove over the hill and saw Seattle for the first time at midnight. We both screamed at the same time, it was classic!Here are just a few pics of the trip.

Pikes Place

Jen drinking coffee at Barista in Portland

Carriage ride around Seattle with Jen and Kelsey (that was a neat experience)

Riding bikes around Stanley Park in Vancouver, B.C.

Space Needle

Moving to Seattle

People have been wondering how the heck I have ended up in Seattle, WA. In June 2009 I had a conversation with a dear friend on why she was moving out of Santa Barbara and it got me wondering if I could actually leave this city that I have called home for the past 8 years. It had been over a year and a half since I had asked God if I could leave and after talking with my friend, I asked the Lord if it could be possible to move. I first thought about Los Angeles, but it didn't feel right. The thought crossed my mind about Seattle...even though I had never visited the city and decided to just look into it. Next thing I knew, the ball was rolling. Within basically two weeks, I got several confirmations that I was to move and turned in my notices for work and my condo. The final thing that confirmed that I was to move was a conversation that I had with my mom. She called one day and told me that she wanted to come visit Santa Barbara that week (which she hadn't visited since 2005.) I told her I was thinking about moving to Seattle and she said, "okay. I just want you to be happy. So if this will make you happy, then move." This is not the typical response that I get from the mother. I double checked with my sister and Dad that they had not the told my Mom that I was thinking about moving and then called my Mom back. My mom said that she felt like she had to come to SB soon, didn't know why, but that she had to visit me. Now she knew why...because you are moving. WHAT?! Really?
Although I do still have a heart for Santa Barbara, I know that the Lord is leading me to Seattle. Everything has worked out so perfectly. All the things that I needed to sell got sold....and my bed was sold a week in advance but the person didn't pick it up until the night before I left (Jesus knew how much I hearted my bed.) It is time to move, and although there are people I will dearly miss, it is time for a new adventure and journey with God.