Seattle - Week 1

We made the move to Seattle a week ago today and it has been quite interesting thus far. I drove the 16' Penske truck (because I have a serious distaste/distrust of Uhaul) with all of our goodies in it into town towards our apartment. Unfortunately, Seattle has a serious signage problem and about the time that I needed to make a couple of turns, the signs were nowhere to be found. I was eventually rescued by the maintenance guy who came looking for me. Fortunately, big yellow moving trucks are easy to spot. We were greeted by several friends and family who carried most of our stuff into our new apartment which is on the third floor. On top of that, our friends Chris and Jessica, brought food! We had anticipated getting food for everyone as a thank you, but were deeply served by these friends who brought pizza, root beer and salad, all of which was heavenly. It wasn't exactly bread and wine, but rarely has pizza and root beer been a vessel of so much grace.

We spent a couple of days sleeping and chilling in Gig Harbor, and did some shopping to help maximize the use of our space (and apparently our bank account). I spent some time freaking out about whether or not my school loan stuff was squared away correctly (it was, and now I just need to get on top of registering) as well as wandering through our new neighborhood with my lovely wife. Queen Anne is great, no question about it. There is upper Queen Anne, which is a couple of blocks up the hill from us, and lower Queen Anne, which is a couple of blocks down the hill from us. We are near the Seattle Center (which we walked to in order to visit the "Bite of Seattle") , the Space Needle (which was somehow mocking me as I was lost driving to the apartment the first night) and downtown in general (which we went into for my birthday fun today). We both are finding that our hill-climbing skills are seriously lacking, but have no fear - the potential of 3 years here will certainly take care of that.

Today is my birthday! We went and saw "Wall-E", which really is a must see. It is very funny, it is sweet and innocent, it is also beautifully rendered. It works as comedy, sci-fi, and romance. Don't miss it. But I digress... after the movie, we went to dinner with my father-in-law and his wife at the Cheesecake Factory. They not only took us to dinner and gave me a present (yay present), but also gave us Mariner tickets as a house warming present (as in 'get out of the house'). I am often surprised and astonished at the way my wife's family (both sets of parents and siblings) have really included me. I am deeply blessed by their generosity and affection towards me and left feeling humbled and grateful for my "in-laws".

In the midst of this move, I have seen the lovingkindness and faithfulness of God in my friends and family in rich and moving ways. From the string of going away parties in Portland, to the moving help (special thanks to Sully and his bro, Nate, who masterfully loaded the majority of the big stuff in the truck), to those who helped move our stuff into the new apartments, to Kristin's family who have made a special point about my birthday. I am honored far above what I deserve and blessed with more than I grasp at times. May you and I continue to see all of the gifts that Jesus has so graciously put in lives and revel in His unearned goodness towards us.

Living the High Life?

It is late, there is laundry drying, and the house looks roughly like the Muppets had an all night beer bash here, which I assure is not the case... at least not this time. I am tired. It has been a hard month. My wife's grandmother (maternal) stepped into eternity on March 5th. We made it to Lubbock, Texas, for the funeral and family time, despite American Airlines' best efforts to thwart us. But at least getting back was at least as laborious as getting there. We got back and sort of stepped into an overwhelming tide of normality that particularly caught my wife off guard. Then two and half weeks later, my wife had surgery. Not a life-threatening, call in the priest sort of surgery. But a necessary one with some recovery time.

I have been doing my best to care for my wife; cooking, cleaning, making calls, and many other forms of being there. I have to say that I love my wife, and I love being there for her. I also have to say that despite however many years I have choicefully belonged to Jesus, it has been a hard month for me. I am not naturally someone who serves with such constancy, compassion and energy. I find that my own personal limitations have become very... accentuated by the current events in our life together. I am not a multitasker, so if there is laundry to be done, something cooking on the stove, and my wife needs a little TLC--two of those things are just going to have to wait as I seem incapable of satisfactorily diverging my attention to all of the tasks at hand. Generally, this means that the food gets burned and socks get turned inside out for another use.

As I reflect on the upcoming transition, this time has both confirmed my desire to pursue a post-graduate degree in counseling and, at times, called it into question. I look forward to the possibility of being in a profession where it is just me with one other person and their story, with no distractions or picking up that needs to done. I also recognize that in my desire to love and serve my wife, I find that my will and energy are not what I hope or think it should be. And if that is something that becomes a struggle in the most significant part of my life, what will happen when I have 20 people in a week wanting/needing that kind of undivided focus?

Not that I am thinking of not going back to school or not pursuing a Masters in Counseling Psychology, but I am a man with definite limitations. I am coming not only to accept my limitations, but to praise God for them. In the spirit of John the Baptist, "He must become greater; I must become less." In my marriage, my upcoming schooling, and my future professional career, may it be so.