Experience Fall in Boise

Ok so this is me writing finally! See I don't even have to say my name after me because that's how long its been since I have written on our blog : ) Well, I was very productive this weekend, probably due to all the free coffee drinks Derek is bringing home for me to try, but anyway I was productive which is a wonderful, wonderful thing. So, today (monday), we decided that since I have little homework for once and before the leaves fall for winter, we would take a 'mini' color tour around Boise. We wanted to head up to McCall, but I think that will have to wait for Thanksgiving break. The rest of this post is going to be pictures of our 'mini' color tour. We do miss Michigan, but we discovered Boise is incredibly beautiful too.

                      This picture didn't turn out well, but I wanted you to see the yellow moss on the mountains.

   The night of this beautiful sunset, Payette decided she would act like a monkey and climb the screen... joy.

                                   This is the sunset from last evening out the front of our apartment.

                                               Paye checking out the leaves at our apartment.

                                                               Bogus Basin Road.

                                                               Meridian town square.

                                            Our 1/16th done pumpkin that Payette is hiding in.

The city from the mountains.

                                                         Harrison... my favorite road in Boise.

Hey, how about that, we still know how to blog

We are in our fourth week of our young married’s group at church and we are really excited about what is happening there. I have to admit that it was difficult to enter into the group with couples who have known each other for a long period of time, but we were immediately welcomed and have loved getting to know each couple more. We have been doing a study from Craig Groeschel’s book ‘Weird’ and are really taking to the book as well. If you ever need something to read, I think it is a pretty cool book. But, you don’t have to take my word for it! But-dum-bump! I certainly hope somebody caught the reading rainbow reference that just happened. Seriously though, the group is knock-out. I know I have said that in previous blogs, but as time has gone by it is really more of a comfort to have that group to lean on and share this stage with. As we have encountered new things after moving to Idaho, it has been crazy to go through certain situations and such a comfort to talk to people going through the same things (moving across country) and not feeling alone in that. Maybe that sounds hokey, but we are so blessed to have them.

We have been able to spend time with a couple who were married a month before us and moved to Idaho from Boston earlier this summer. They both went to college back east and moved to Idaho so she could pursue a job in youth ministry and he had to cut his education short to move too. They have been asking the same questions about purpose and the struggles for him to find work and settle in here after feeling like they would never leave Boston. It is tough to fill out so many job applications and to work so hard at a new school and we feel relief to know that there is an understanding of what it all means and how unique this stage is for them and us.

Not only has it been great to spend time with them, they were able to tell us about something that has been convicting them for a while now and how we (Chelsea) is an answer to their prayers. In southwest Idaho there is, naturally, a large population of mormons and a strong pull for non-believers to be approached and drawn to the mormon church. One interesting thing about that is that Bridgepoint Church (the church we go to) is the only Christian church in the treasure valley with a deaf ministry. So there is a very large group of people in the deaf community who have become mormons because the mormons market to the deaf community in a very intentional way. They accommodate the deaf and hard of hearing and even go to Bridgepoint parking lot and try to convert them. So there are so many deaf people here who don’t know the truth because there are few churches with programs, let alone interpreters. So our new friends (Alyssa and Randall) were very excited to learn that Chelsea signs. They also have had a shortage of men in the children’s ministry and there is a cool way for us to serve. I am still not convinced that they want to be our friends for our character and not simply to recruit us. Seriously, that’s a joke, they are awesome and are not using us. Haha

Our church has been really awesome too. We are so blessed to have found a place to attend every Sunday and to know people, and have them pursue us and love us. Even in the short time we have been here it is crazy to see how the church is growing. We were talking about it last night and realized how lucky we are. When we got here it was stressful to have to seek out a church and after a crazy experience it was so easy to know where God was leading us. Already we feel like we are part of their family. We know people from both campuses and we see them inside and outside of church and it is a strange thing to feel so connected to them after two months time. The worship team is so talented and they give the church such a lively pulse and really prepare our hearts for worship. We gather in an old school and there is a tiny door to get in and out and a small lobby with a few small rooms and people park in like four different lots and walk to church. But it’s sweet! Every Sunday there are more and more people coming. We just opened a video overflow room and the church has already purchased property to build a large church in the future. We are extremely excited about what is happening there and we are blessed to have been lead there. We wanted to attach a link to their webcast if anyone wants to check it out. We are going through a series called courageous and it is so convicting and has been a real game changer.

http://babchurch.org/media2.htm

We haven’t been doing a good job about being here in Idaho. It is like we put a countdown clock on when we will move back to Michigan and we haven’t been intentional about being here and trusting God to do something here and not let us grow complacent.

In our neighborhood we have this Little Ceasers with the best sign waiver in history. We have told people about this guy, but we decided people really need to know. This guy sells pizzas through dance. I think he also causes accidents on the road. It’s incredibly sad to see other businesses compete with this kid…there is zero chance of beating him. Just check him out.

I challenge you to beat that.

Chelsea is going through mid term meetings now…I cannot believe it is that time! She has had several tests recently and has done well. We are thankful for all of the prayers for her schooling and tests! She continues to work very hard and has received so many praises for her talents and compassion with her clients. Her supervisor is very impressed with Chelsea and her ability to work with both of her clients. Chelsea has such a gift and it is something that cannot be taught, it is just nice to hear non biased opinions that confirm her gift. Chelsea was also elected treasurer for her organization NISHLA (national Speech-Language Pathology Organization, so looks good on the resume)! Little miss popular, winning the vote! I am proud of her, and cannot believe her involvement. I don’t know how she does it. To me it is a big deal, even if nobody else thinks so. She is a remarkable woman and I could not be more lucky to have her as my wife.

I have officially started working at Starbucks and am happy to be getting more hours each week. It has been very interesting to learn the job and try to know everything quickly. I am hoping to keep working hard and waiting to see where the job will lead. Everyone is very friendly and Chelsea loves the free drinks, so it seems to work out well. I am thankful to have found something, but I keep putting my resume out in hopes of finding more work. It is more difficult to find work than we anticipated, but I think things are going better now and they will continue to improve.

The weather is cooling off finally and our leaves are changing. The mountains have also found a new color as the sun lowers its position and it’s hard to believe they are real. The backdrop looks artificial, like it was painted on a screen and sits there to hide whatever is behind. We hope to find time to take a drive soon. Apparently nobody here has heard of a ‘color tour’. We hide that lingo now. You can only take so much harassment for being an out of towner. It’s impressive to have someone say ‘you’re from the Midwest, aren’t you’ after saying four words to them. Is there something wrong with the way we talk? Anyway, the trees are more red and yellow-green with very little orange and brown. We will see if that changes, but people say it’s different. That probably sounds really stupid. Who cares about the colors of the trees? Well, we do. We like the fall, so trees we will tell you about. There is a road in central Oregon that is rated top ten fall drives in America, and it is very tempting to take that drive soon. It really is pretty here, very little rain and cooler weather and bonus, no AC and no heat. What’s up low utility bill!?

 We snapped these while driving

 And, our blog wouldn't be complete without an update on our crazy kitten.

She practices the affirming self hug...dork

She loves the bathroom. We caught her sleeping in the sink. We didn't fuss too much because, after all, it's better than the toilet.

I think this is her way of making sure we don't brush our teeth and sneak into bed without her.

I love Pure Michigan ads! I have always heard mixed feedback on those, but I really love them. Whenever they came on the radio I loved to imagine the location, or season or event that is being advertised, but I have never seen one on television…until now! We were watching a show this past week and there it was, a Pure Michigan ad. Awesome, right. Wait until we move away and start to miss Michigan. I am sure nobody else is as excited about that, but it fired me up. But as much as we are missing Michigan, Idaho is proving to be beautiful in its own way. We met a few people who had previously lived in the Midwest and we learned that the fall in Idaho brings a different kind of color, and is spectacular. We are excited to see it and will definitely put pictures up.

           

Chelsea and I started our Young Married’s group last week with six other couples. We are so excited about the group. It was like going on a blind date, couples style. We didn’t know what to expect because we didn’t know anybody in the small group. Everyone or every couple is unique and brings something really fantastic to the group. People with kids, newlyweds, transplants, locals, but everyone loves God and seem equally excited about the group. As hard as it has been to get used to being in a new place and navigating through new places and people; we are so blessed. Blessed to have this church that is so incredible with people who love to share that with us and who are enthusiastic to do so. I really feel like all of the sudden we are here for more than just school. I guess that was already a given. I do know how this experience has been & will be good for our marriage and a unique experience, but now it is revealing itself. Make sense? I don’t know if I could be with someone who is not exactly Chelsea right now, in this place. And despite not having any clue what we will get out of our time here in Idaho, that God is shaping us in such a cool way. It is just exciting for us and we appreciate everyone who prayed that we could finally see that.

          

Finally, I found a job that might last more than a week. After talking to a couple people from Boise I learned that there are a lot of jobs that aren’t what they seem and fall apart out of the blue. Thank you craigslist.org for giving us so many creepster jobs to work at for a week at a time. No seriously, people are starting these crazy jobs and then the company will disappear, shrink or cut hours within a week of hiring… that’s weird, right? Anyway. STARBUCKS! Alright, a real job for the time being, and one with insurance. I am thankful to have found the job and been hired. I don’t know what to expect, but hopefully I fit in well. Not architecture, but a step in the right direction.

           

Chelsea and I are still trying to figure out what the next move is for her surgery. The doctors told us the surgery is necessary, but not urgent, so we are hoping that this week we can figure out our insurance and the most cost efficient way to have it done. Please pray for her to feel well and for the cyst to not cause too much pain before we can handle the procedure. The good news is that the cyst isn’t causing a whole lot of pain now, but we have heard that it comes and goes.

(FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT LIKE CATS OR NOT INTERESTED IN OUR CAT…. YOU ARE ADVISED TO STOP READING)

Everything else is constantly changing, mainly our little feline. Everyone who has seen pictures of her admit she is cute. She is, really, in pictures that is, but when Payette is awake it is ten kinds of crazy. Every day she finds a new way to go wild. When Chelsea leaves in the morning she usually starts to wake up and while I am with her she literally runs up the walls and completes a marathons worth of laps around our apartment, all the while looking for trouble at every turn. She is growing like crazy and can now jump from the couch to the kitchen counter. Jump from the chair to the dining table. Jump onto the top of the book shelves. Jump up on the T.V cabinet and paw at the screen. Jump up the blinds, up our legs, into the dishwasher, refrigerator, and cabinets. She is as sneaky as they come. This weekend she did something very new and fun…she jumped into the toilet. Sooo uncool. I’m not sure if ‘little turd’ is the right or wrong nickname because she seems to have taken it too seriously. We have done a good job at shutting the lid, but Chelsea usually flushes the rogue comb hair down the toilet and mistakenly left it up. We did (thankfully) just clean it though! We did however figure out a way to keep her off of our counter. I moved the couch six inches further away to see if it would stop her. Fortunately I was watching her when she tried the next time and completely missed…any landing platform. Yes, air ball all the way into the wall. I love cat bloopers and love the live action more. The real trouble is getting her off of the dining table now. We moved the chairs to the wall and away from the table, didn’t work. And every time she gets on the table we yell at her to get down. Her response is to flip over and try to act cute, but getting down only happens by accident…falling off (you can watch in the video below).

But, there is a solution to keep her busy. She is nuts about plastic bags and chasing strings. Thus is born the floating bag courtesy of the ceiling fan. She goes bonkers.

           

Drying off post 'Jon Jump 2011'

Passed out

Thank you for all of your prayers. I cannot believe how blessed we are. Thank you for enduring my post again and especially our cat pictures, haha.