Pam’s Blog

I woke up thoughtful this morning.

I think it stems from a conversation Jason and I had last night. See a year ago this week (tomorrow if I am remembering my dates correctly – I would have to dig out my calendar but I’m pretty sure it was the 31st) we loaded up the moving truck that would bring our stuff out here.

I remember watching the truck being loaded thinking “Everything I own is on that truck – but my entire life is here in Maryland.”

It was frightening and exhilarating.

What really amazes me is that thinking back on the day I still feel a mixture of emotions. No longer fear, or exhilaration. Now I feel content and impressed.

I am content because I love the home God has brought us too. I have no idea what the future holds but I know West Seattle is home and I am content with that. I am also content because as afraid as I was that I would loose everyone I loved in Maryland that didn’t happen.

I still have my friends. I still talk to my family. On top of that I have gained many new friends out here on the West Coast. I am so thankful to God for bringing me to Seattle in the time of computers, airplanes and phones. It has allowed me to stay close to those I love in Maryland while still building a full life here in Seattle.

Impressed because – well lets face it – God’s just really impressive.

Our house sold after less then a week on the market – allow me to say that again. Our house sold after LESS then a WEEK on the market. I mean – Whoa – Yeah God.

We got out here at the perfect time. Had we been a week earlier or a week later Xavier might not have gotten into Alki – which really is the ideal school for him.

God gave us incredible friends who helped us in incredible ways – when I think of all the people who showed up to help the day we moved- ok, I’m tearing up now. God gave us a place to stay – Thanks Ken and Connie. And God gave us Mary – Mary I could not have gotten through all of it – everything without you. Thank you. You were with us every step of the process. Getting the house ready – watching Nyktos while it was on the market – letting me borrow your Dyson – selling the Jeep. No words can express the gratitude I have for you. There are so many other I could name: Betty and Dallas who showed up so many times to help us get the house ready, Chrystopher thank you for letting us use your truck to haul stuff to the dump, Deb who helped us load the truck and came to visit us out here – a huge blessing, Michelle and John thanks for the helping us load the truck, clean the house, taking us to the airport , Carol and Chuck we appreciate the space you lent us in your house, Rachel, Jason mom, may parents and sister, Bruce, Mandy, Sean and Christopher, our former youth who showed up to help I missed people – I know I did and I’m sorry. Thank you all for being Christ to us during the time of our move out here.

On our last Sunday when Bruce brought us up he told us to get a box, and keep in it things that reminded us of the blessings God has given us in the church planting process. We did get a box and it has lots of great stuff in it.

– A piece of molding from the repairs we did in our house to get it ready to sell, to remind us how quickly God brought us a buyer in a time the market was slowing down.

– the picture Xavier drew at the enrollment center when we took him to enroll him in school and he got into Alki

– The photo album Mary made me, with cards from our friends – ok – getting teary again.

To name a few.

Thank you Bruce. That box is a great reminder and a great monument.

There are days I miss you all so much, but God reminds me you are just a phone call, or e-mail away.

Thank you God

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Last night we had one of those conversations you never really expect to have.

So last night, at right around 10pm, hours after bed time Willoweve gets up asking me to fill her cup. I agree but tell her while I am filling it she has to go potty.

Willoweve : “Why.”

Mommy: “Well, because if your cup is empty you drank it all, and if you drank all that water your going to need to pee.”

Willoweve: “Yup, that’s just the way God made me.”

Mommy: (giggling hysterically) “Yes, that is the way God made you.”

Willoweve: “I wonder how He does that anyway, makes people.”

Mommy: “Go ask Daddy – after you pee.”

Needless to say we did not explain in detail how exactly God made her at ten pm. It was a good effort though. Instead we just told her that God grows babies in their mommy’s tummy’s. Then sent her back to bed, cup full bladder empty.

I swear the child is too cute for her own good sometimes. Her grasp of concepts is amazing. Such a sweetheart.

I love you Willoweve. Thanks for making mommy smile.

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So on Friday I had a super cool experience. Jason called me because he saw something in the sound.

Now, ever since we got here I have been looking for stuff in the sound. Orca’s or seals, sea lions, I don’t care, I just want to see something natural in it’s natural habitat.

So far I had no luck. I haven’t seen anything more then sea gulls and some other lovely long necks sea birds, and a few not so lovely sea birds.

So on Friday when Jason called me I had the kids out of the house in about two minutes flat. We drove down and met Jason by the water and walked around watching.

Then there it/they were. Seals or maybe sea lions – not sure and really not sure I could tell the difference – but for the purpose of writing this I’m gonna go with seals. think we saw at least two- briefly together then they went in separate directions and we were mostly watching one. A big dark colored seal that I swear was playing tag with the sea gulls.

Now, I might be wrong – I am no expert – but I don’t think seals eat sea gulls so I honestly think they were just playing. The sea would dive and swim under the water, then the bird would take off and the seal would pop up right where it had been. When the bird settled back on the water they did the whole thing all over again.

Looked like playing to me!!

I was SOOO thrilled. People kept walking past us and I am sure they thought I was WAY more excited then a seal deserved. Maybe this is old hat to them but to me it was a fantastic dream come true.

I live in a place I can watch wile sea animals play with wild sea birds. How cool is that?

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Some days are hard, but when they are I have to remind myself of a few things. Sometimes I miss my friends back in Maryland. When I do I try to remember the good things. I try to remember why this is home now. The lovely place called West Seattle.The truth is I am totally besotted by my neighborhood.

Yeah ok, it’s gray and gloomy during the winter, but…

…I can eat fresh strawberry’s dipped in Chocolate from the Market.

… I can see snowcapped mountains out my living room window.

…I can set off every smoke detector in my house without burning food… uhm I mean

…I can get organic chicken at my grocery store

…I can walk to the Library (dangerous especially in the summer)

…I can find any vegetable I want – and a few I’d never heard of before.

… I can drive to a volcano, and it is Magnificent.

…I can live healthier.

…I can go to the beach EVERY DAY!

…I can look for sea lions, but I haven’t seen one yet.

…I can walk to the grocery store.

… I can plant flowers in my garden.

…I can walk to the park and a wading pool (in the summer)

And besides all that…

…I have a job I love.

…I rent a house I like.

…I have great next door neighbors, the best since John and Ginger.

…I love my bank… an odd feeling let me assure you.

…I love the people in West Seattle who are kind, patient and friendly.

…I love my son’s school and I am thrilled Willoweve will be going there next year

…I love my home and after living here a year that is exactly what it has become.

I could go on and on and on. Lets just suffice it to say West Seattle is home, and I love it.

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So yesterday I went to the dentist. It was my 6 month cleaning and check up – but I had an ulterior motive.

I was SURE – absolutely certain – I had a broken tooth. The darn thing hurt all the time, and had been since October. I have had to eat with care not to chew on that tooth. I haven’t been able to floss around that tooth and some days it hurt so bad I could barley bring my self to brush that section of my mouth.

It hurt!!

The last time I had this much pain the tooth was cracked. It happened during my pregnancy with Willoweve and I had to have a root canal and Crown in between Willoweve and Quinn.

So I mention this to the hygienist as she prepared to clean my teeth. She took a look -it seemed ok, but it was one of the teeth that had been filled back in late September. So she said the tooth itself might be ok and the filling might just be cracked – or it could need an adjustment.

I was not hopeful. It hurt.

The cleaning went well the dentist came in – GOOD NEWS – NO NEW CAVITIES!!!!

Thank you GOD!!! I really really appreciate that.

Then she looks at the hurting tooth. She saw no crack – but it was
BADLY in need of adjustment. HUH? She had to rub the tooth with cotton to dry it to check , wow, that hurt! Yeah see the filling was too high, she she filed? drilled? I have no idea how but she made it lower. Yeah that hurt a little too. Then checked again. Still high. So we did it again. And again.

OH, wow!!! UHM, what just happened?

It worked. OK don’t misunderstand, the tooth was still a little sensitive but I felt the difference right away, no more shooting pain. IT WASN”T BROKEN!!!

Today – Nothing – I just ate dinner without thinking about how I was chewing my food. It does still hurt a tiny bit to touch the tooth itself (like when I brush) but the dentist said to give it at least a week for the sensitivity to clear up completely.

THANK YOU GOD!!! THANK YOU DENTIST!!!

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Happy Birthday to you my dearest little one. I love you and cherish you. Three years ago today I had the honor of helping you come into the world and join our family and I am so happy God gave you to us. Without you our family would be incomplete.

So happy birthday sweet little Quinn. I wish you many many many more.

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Like you just keep going and going and going and your not really sure where you’re going or if you’re even going to get there…ever.

Someday’s I feel like that. Today I feel like that.

I feel like I try and try and work and work and I’m just falling further behind. This happens to me in a lot of areas.

Dieting, no matter how much I exercise, or how little I eat the scale does not seem to be moving down – at all.

House cleaning, I get the house clean- with lots of help from Jason – and within an hour it’s a mess again.

Money, no matter how hard I try to save we eat into our savings account a little every month.

Laundry – don’t even get me started on Laundry!!! IT NEVER ENDS! I just want to get every piece of clothing in our house clean, once – one time, yet it never happens.

So I just keep going and going and going, and I never get anywhere, just back to the same place I started a lot more tired.So here I go, getting started on another day. Maybe today I will move forward, maybe, just a tiny little bit.

I hope this is a forward momentum day for everyone out there in Blog World.

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We got the letter yesterday!!!

Willoweve got into Alki. She will be attending full day kindergarten there in the fall. We pretty much knew she was getting in but it’s nice to have it officially on paper.

WOO HOO!!!

I am very pleased that Willoweve will be going to Alki with Xavier. Not only is it more convenient to have both kids at the same school but the fact is I really like Alki. I like the teachers and the other parents and I like the kids Xavier and Willoweve have become friends with this year.

I remember when we moved here (a year ago next month) and went to the enrollment center for the first time. I was so nervous, the whole school choice thing was new and different. I had done a lot of homework and picked Alki and I spent hours praying, and asking others to pray, that Xavier would get in there.

We kept the picture Xavier drew while we sat waiting in the enrollment center. We put it in the box were we have mementoes of the wonderful things God has done in our lives. I consider God allowing us to have our kids at Alki to be a huge blessing and I am very thankful.

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I know that for most people this will mean nothing but for me it is a small victory.

I went to the Gym today.

Yeah yeah I know so what. But see I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to and I could have made at least two “legitimate” excuses not to. Instead I went. I got up, got the kids ready for school, got dressed and went to the gym. I worked out for an hour – no excuses.

So I’m proud of myself. I’m going to go again tomorrow, and the next day and the next. I am going to run the Iron Girl triathlon in Columbia this year.

I can do this. I will do this. I proved it to myself today.

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Today I stumbled on something that touched me deeply. By the time I finished I was fighting tears.

I want to share with you the final blog entry of Andrew Olmsted a soldier who died in Iraq on January 3, 2008.

There is an article on his death in the New York Times.

I sometimes forget how many people don’t come home from war as I have been blessed that everyone I know who has gone has come home. Tonight I am thanking God for keeping so many of the people I love safe and for bringing them home.

Please join me in praying for Andrews wife Amanda and all of his family and friends who are grieving his death and celebrating his life.

Thank you Andrew for touching me today.

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