Happy Birthday Pabu!

i completely forgot to add Pabu to the birthday list for the 24th of november! so i'll post it late and squeeze it in here. we got Pabu a little less than two years ago and we found out he was born on the same day as J's birthday. he's been a wonderful addition to our family and has brought a lot of happiness to many people. we could not have asked for a more loving dog than him. dogs lead life one day at a time and very little will truly bother them, as long as we give them love. as he sleeps beside me now as i type i am sure all he is thinking about is snuggling. he is not worrying about the next time i take him outside to do his business on the wet and cold grass, or when i'll dress him in absurd clothes or when i will not give him more treats than his belly should take! happy birthday Pabu!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

another year in the life of this man has passed, which i am grateful for as i have been able to share another year of living and learning with him.

J, i am so thankful for how we met in japan and developed a deep friendship. it was God's perfect timing as he drew our lives together in an unexpected way. we have shared the highs and lows of life and it keeps getting better. thank you for being my wonderful encourager, comforter and best friend. i cannot wait to see what God has in store for us for the coming year as we continue to share life together!

fog in the willamette valley

as i drove through the farming country of the Willamette Valley early this afternoon i was reminded of how beautiful Oregon is in the winter despite the rain and the cold. when the sun is just right and there is fog it can be a beautiful combination mixed with the green of the trees. i am truly blessed to have grown up in this area and each time i come home i appreciate it even more. pabu is thoroughly enjoying the cold weather, the wet leaves around him, wet grass, and the mud. a weekly bath may not be enough to keep him clean!

grocery shopping

although Newberg is not a very large town, at over 22,000 they do have quite a large selection of grocery stores. perhaps more than in Kingsland. i found it very overwhelming today as i went to Fred Meyer to grocery shop. i am used to going to small grocery stores and this one is huge! the health food section has grown and everything seemed to have been rearranged. it seemed as though i spent quite a while in the store as i searched for what i wanted. i left an hour later with my groceries and a free turkey as i had spent a certain amount of money to grant me this privilege! i'm already missing the small yet familiar commissary we went to in Kings Bay!

we're in oregon!

we woke up early this morning and left P's house at 4:30. pabu knew something was going on but didn't quite know what. the first part of the trip from jax to dallas was fine although they had the temperature in the airplane quite high, thus pabu was really hot and panting. we were able to leave the airport in dallas and it was really cold outside. pabu thoroughly enjoyed his time outside as mom made use of the USO in the airport. free food, internet, movies and more were provided. it's always nice to be greeted by mt. hood when coming back home! we're enjoying all the green around us!

last day at laurel island

what a long day it was as we cleaned the house for a good part of the day and then went out to eat an early dinner. P and P, our neighbors, have been such a wonderful help as they have both taken care of pabu over this past week. thankfully he loves spending time with both of them and they seem to enjoy his company also! i went for the last walk around the neighborhood with pabu this evening and it was freezing cold. i said good-bye to a few neighbor friends and said the last goodnight to our neighborhood which we have thoroughly enjoyed during our time in georgia.

moving out!

the movers came today to pick up our packed goods. the packers had been so incredibly slow yesterday that we thought they would never finish. they didn't and had to come early today to finish off. they were careful though and very polite. through this whole moving process one comes to note the vast amount of junk accumulated over the two years of living here. this makes me want to simplify my life even more. i'm sure J would be thrilled to hear this! i do think we keep things to a minimum though for the average couple in their thirties. it makes me feel better just to say this!

shooting star

on our walk this evening i saw three shooting stars! this must have been a good sign. one of the shooting stars was for J and will carry him on a good deployment for the next 4 months! it was a lovely evening.

an early birthday

we celebrated J's birthday today in early fashion with a mini cake and a few gifts. he'll be in the persian gulf on the 24th so we decided to celebrate early. we then watched a movie this evening and just had a relaxing evening together. happy early birthday J!

shuttle launch

J had the wonderful idea of going down to florida to see the shuttle launch on the 14th. what an amazing experience to see this. the whole sky lit up and it was quite magical and exciting. and to make it even better, there was a full moon this evening. long lines of traffic on and off of 95 guided us to the best location for viewing the launch. it was a family event as thousands of people around the area waited for the shuttle to launch. families brought picnics, blankets, lawn chairs, radios, books and more as they waited for the count down to start. what a great way to end a week of fun activities for J and i before he leaves.

lady & sons

our fun activity for the day was going to savannah to walk streets and enjoy some good southern food. we enjoyed a veterans day parade and i took a picture of J with some veterans riding in an old jeep for his dad since he restores jeeps. we then wandered around using our GPS which guided us to The Lady & Sons where we had some good southern cookin'. i just love a piece of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy with collard greens.

amelia island

we headed to the beach today and enjoyed the cooler weather. pabu thoroughly enjoyed the cool air as he ran around with J chasing after birds and getting all sandy. we're going to miss trips to Amelia Island! it seemed like not too long ago that we were here in our bathing suits and enjoying the warm breeze as we read.

Singapore Triathlon

my sis A competed in her first triathlon after not having competed for almost 10 years and she did amazing! i am so proud of her. she came in fourth place! it was the first time for her to swim in the ocean so it was a bit daunting for her but she recovered and passed several women in the running event. congratulations!!

born into brothels

http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/

recently we watched Born into Brothels, a more than touching film about a british-born photographer who immersed herself in the lives of children from the red light district of Sonagachi in Calcutta. moving to say the least, she equips the children with cameras as she teaches them the art of photography in the impoverished neighborhood they live in. what becomes remarkable is how with the camera in their hands, they gain a new vigor for life as they photograph their surroundings. what they photograph ultimately becomes the story of their life. as they gain hope through their art work they desire more and more to leave the brothels for a better life. what becomes immensely beautiful about the documentary is how their art work not only touches people all over the world but brings a type of beauty to the extreme poverty they live in where hope is hard to grasp.

a wonderful documentary and makes me want to return to india soon!

Hi from Newberg

Hi all, I'm here in newberg visiting fam...