weekend fun: pumpkin patches and surprises

This weekend we have been having lots of fun. We surprised Donovan and had a 25th birthday party for him yesterday. We barbecued and had nice pies. Happy early birthday, love! I'm so glad you were born!

We also went to a nice pumpkin patch that is owned by a family in West Linn. It was a small little property and they said all the proceeds go to their children's college education fund.

The three Scotts at Donovan's birthday party

Melissa and Scott posing with the pumpkins

Hershey dressed up as a spider for Halloween

GuluWalk

I walked to raise awareness about what is happening in Northern Uganda with others this weekend in Portland. It was a tiny gathering, but it was still really fun to do something to remember Ugandans.
While I was walking I got a nice reminder of some special places in downtown Portland, and even saw a historic home from the late 1800s being moved across downtown.

slow motion

Hee Jung came to visit. She was on her way to Korea for a month. We went to Buffalo Exchange and Starbucks. I also got to show her downtown and the Hawthorne area, which she really liked. Just before she left we took a stroll in Laurelhurst Park and she really loved it, she said it reminded her of Central Park. Well, I've never been to Central Park before but if it is like a big Laurelhurst Park I think I would like it.

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to have a dear friend in town. It seemed like life was happening in slow motion.

apartment shopping

The first two days we were in town we did some serious apartment shopping. We spent about 9 hours both days, I was so tired! We looked near Powelhurst, Mt. Scott, Clinton, Hawthorne, Laurelhurst, Lake Oswego, and the Pearl District, all favorite areas of ours. We finally committed to a place in Lake Oswego. We will sign the final papers for it Monday.
Here are some pictures I took after a day of apartment shopping. I went on a stroll in Laurelhurst Park, one of my favorite places in Portland, while Donovan was asleep in the car having a narco-nap.

Hahaha, I had to take a picture!

The church we got married at. So pretty in October!

The weather has been AMAZING here lately. Today the high was 68 and it hasn't rained once since we've been here. I love it!

the road from Pasadena to Portland

Moving is tough! Thankfully we had a lot of help from friends and family in both Pasadena and Portland. We had some GREAT coffees right before we left made by Jamie. Thanks Jamie! They were so good.







Kyle and Kelly let us stay at their house and it was so fun. We learned a lot about life in Davis, CA and shared stories and good food together. After many many miles we started to see some beautiful trees. We forgot what fall looks like!...

Ashland was my favorite. I want to go back there and spend some time there next fall. It's really beautiful. Our homecoming was really fun too because Hershey greeted us with licks and jumps for joy even though it was really late. I think he knew something was about to happen but when we showed up in our huge truck and hopped out he was really surprised. For the last week I have been spoiling him like a good auntie :)

going away party

Ruby and Lewis were really nice and had a big party for Donovan and I before we left Pasadena. There were friends from my MFT program, Beth Re'im and Fuller. It was so fun. We had fresh baked cookies and snacks and really great bratwurst. Thanks Kikers! And thanks to everyone who was able to be there. It was a really amazing evening spending with all of our good friends. We will miss you!

marriage

What is everyone voting on Prop 8? I'm really torn about the issue of gay marriages/gay marriage bans. I realize that all need to be treated equally, yet I realize there is a sanctity that comes with the term marriage according to our faith history. This is the one issue that really baffles me when I try to think about what Jesus would do in my current context. A part of me feels like marriage is just a word and the church should work to distinguish themselves through their marital relationships as Christ like and loving (not only because they're heterosexual but because they are loving, sacrificial, giving, loyal, etc), yet another part of me feels like maybe calling homosexual committed relationships "marriage" is sinful too. Oh, dear. I want to be compassionate AND faithful. Can anyone give me some insight into what they are voting and why?

foriegn countries + dancing + garlic = Emily!

Ruby tagged me a long time ago and now I'm finally getting to posting about myself.

A few facts about me:

1. I was the token youngest child, always performing dances for my parents, often ones I had made up myself and very frequently to a nice early nineties hit. Sometimes the performances included singing or dressing up, but always included dancing. I performed dance with studios and competitively starting at 3 and until I was 21.

2. I've done homestays in Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Uganda. I refer to my homestay parents in Africa as mom and dad. I love them.

3. I recently discovered garlic and now I eat it upon every chance that I get. It's kind of gross, because it really makes your breath stink, but I'm pretty sure it's worth it.

4. As I child I may have had some learning problem that went undiagnosed, or just some serious attention problems, but my siblings often told me I was the worst listener ever. It's kind of funny to think about now because now I'm in a totally listening-focused profession.

5. I memorize music almost instantly. This little trick of mine makes Donovan crazy!

6. I never really grew up knowing my grandparents. Three of my grandparents died within a year of each other, all between my 1st and 2nd grade year, and I was never close to my only living grandparent after that time. So it was a really fun experience getting married and inheriting 5 really amazing grandparents.

7. I love being in nature and hearing nothing at all except the birds and the air and the crunch of my feet on the ground. It is the most serene and beautiful thing I can think of.

Now I have to tag 7 other friends. Okay... Janelle, Nate, Kendra, Linda Beth, Michelle, Janneke and Mav, you're it!

yea!

Donovan is finally done with his 2.5 weeks served on the jury! Yea!

Public service is hard work. Way to go, honey!

goodtimes last weekend, part 2

Experimenting up until the bitter end...
Donovan and I tried a new coffee shop: The Coffee Tree on Colorado east of El Molino
Atmosphere: 5/5
Coffee: 3/5

Nice photography, honey! I'm kinda proud of our camera on our phone.

My (not so) new haircut, so those of you in Oregon aren't shocked when you see how much shorter it is than a month ago.

more coffee shop pictures on our "date". We had a picnic in our yard this weekend too. We're just really romantic like that.

Baby Zeke! I will miss you!! I'm sure you're going to grow up to be real nice, just like your mom and dad.

it's official

My degree posted. I've really achieved my Master's degree. Really!

Here is a picture of my good friend Hee Jung as we celebrated our graduation. I felt like such a proud mom taking this picture and making her pose for me. I love looking at this picture, she looks so happy. It was a long road together, but we finally made it! Congrats!!

weather

Pasadena has been having some weird weather lately. All weekend it was chilly and breezy, a real change from the heat and sun. It crated a rare atmosphere where we just wanted to be cuddled up with a good movie and a cup of tea all weekend. Of course, there were long bouts of apartment searching and moving planning, but all in all we needed some down time together. Over the next month we will be in a rush of transition including packing, cleaning, goodbyes, hellos, apartment searching, storing, unstoring, removing, settling, and being separate for three weeks while Donovan finishes work in Pasadena. I like to think of Alina's term "stolen time" when I think about this weekend... time unforeseen to sit and be together, time to do nothing although the world around us is moving so fast just like the whipping wind. Cold air here creates a bit of excitement, there were more people wondering the streets of Colorado and many happy women with scarves that have been long tucked away in their closets now adorning their necks. It always makes me smile to see someone wearing a tee shirt, a skirt, and a scarf in California. I will never get used to that.
As for now, the weather has warmed back up a bit and we even have our first serious fire of the fall. It's funny how before I used to be so worried about air quality and traffic and the long list of problems that occur when almost 10 million people live in a small area. But now I feel indifferent, unattached, estranged... Yet when it comes to the parts of Pasadena that I love, I feel sad to leave them. I think my mind is playing games on me, because if I were to live here longer I'm sure I would say to myself over and over how strange it is to be in a land different from Portland and be constantly comparing it to my home city, criticizing it in the ways in which it doesn't live up.
For now I will embrace today: a clear, bright, fairly warm day with friends and food and some daily monotony as well as choas. And take one day at a time.

holy moly!

I made a goal to raise $250 for the Acholi children in northern Uganda and in one day met that goal! Thanks to all of my supporters!!!

Of course, if more people want to join in on the fun, they are welcome to. But for now I am so excited and so proud. So much can happen in such a small time!

I woke up and God surprised me

I met a really nice African woman on campus today and helped show her to the right building for her meeting. It reminded me of all of the people who helped me when I was a foreigner in an unknown land and how grateful I was to them. She had the cutest little son and they had been walking around for almost an hour getting bad directions from a handful of people. When we finally made it to the correct room one of the two women shook my hand and grabbed her arm with her other hand (to show great thanks or respect) and it made me tear up. That one act transformed my day and reminded me of how grateful I am for God's love and how rarely I remember his graciousness to me at the beginning of each day.
It inspired me to do something about what is happening in Uganda right now. So I signed up for GuluWalk. You can read more about it at my personal page
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=1994092
I also contacted some old friends I met in Uganda whom I hope to stay in dialogue with about how we can be faithful to God regarding what is going on right now with our fellow brothers and sisters in Uganda. What a surprise this was for my day! I thought I was just heading to the gym!

selling stuff

This week I have been selling our furniture on Craigslist. I feel bad for Donovan because every day he comes home and there is one less thing in our living room. It's looking awfully bare these days. It is nice though to have a physical reminder that life is winding down here. I think this helps make it real.

So far we have sold our coffee table, rug, one chair, and one lamp. I have met some REALLY interesting people. I think that's the most unexpected and unique part about selling things on Craigslist. My least favorite part is when people don't show up.

We still have a bench, kitchen utility table, black futon, lamp, and white stool. Let me know if you're interested in any of them.

We're moving in 16 days!

reality

American military deaths since the beginning of the war: 4,176
American military deaths since "Mission Accomplished": 4,037

Documented Iraq civilians deaths from violence since 2003: 87,995 - 96,0008
latest incident, yesterday, 7 killed

It's hard to quantify human life.