House Hunt

The house hunt is back on. We are looking to see if we can save some money by finding a house that would give us a lower monthly mortgage than our current rent.
Not to mention we had someone move in below us with 2 chihuahuas who like to yip and howl constantly (and I mean constantly - literally they don't take a break for more than 5 minutes at a time) anytime their owner leaves the house. And she is usually gone for about 9 hours a day. Yes, it's slowly driving the dogs and me crazy.
Then this past weekend we had people move in above us and I genuinely believe they practice bowling in their apartment. Or maybe like to rearrange their furniture multiple times a day.
I haven't lived in an apartment since college and now I remember why. They are very noisy.
So tomorrow I am going out with our Realtor, Mike Lowe, and house hunting. Wish me luck!

Having Plenty and in Need

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:12-13

In this season of my life (namely getting settled into living here in Portland) I feel as though God has blessed me with more than enough. I would definitely say it is a season of living in plenty in so many areas. We have met so many wonderful people and made so many new friends here (as well as even reconnected with old friends!) in the short span of a month and a half that we've been here. I really do not even have words to express how thankful I feel everyday being here. I feel as though the past four years of prayer, sweat, blood, and tears have all led us to rooting ourselves here in Portland. I have a peace about being here that only comes from God and it is just truly amazing and exhilarating. I thank God everyday for the little things and big things that he has been blessing us with daily.

It's even more amazing that this season of being in plenty also comes during a time of our biggest need as well. We are having to trust God with our finances more than ever before and in every area. We calculated out what Derek makes and it comes to well below minimum wage and will continue to be that way for the next 5 years. We also will have to begin paying his medical school loans back starting next month. But God is good and has given us a peace and has been providing daily for us. I feel very positive about it and know this is also a time that God is teaching me even more about relying on him and trusting in him. He will provide for us and I must trust and hope in him no matter what.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? -Matthew 6:25-27

It is crazy how some of the hardest times in life coincide with some of the most blessed times. I am learning daily how to lean even more on God for strength and I feel so blessed to be able to trust in a God who is good. I have been filled with so much joy lately, and that sure helps to take away most feelings of worry!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13

Our first month living in Portland

Sorry it has been so long since I've written. Things have been going so wonderfully since we arrived here that I have not had a second to sit down and write!
God has simply blown our minds with how much He has blessed us since arriving here. It seems that everything has fallen into place beautifully and we have loved absolutely every aspect of the city. For the first two weeks we decided to use graduation money Derek/we received to be tourists and really see the city. We realized this would be the only two straight weeks Derek would have off again for a very long time and we decided to take full advantage of it and really get to see the city. Here are a few things we did...

We had a lovely welcome dinner with Kristen, Terrance, and Jack at a yummy sushi restaurant!
We went to the Portland zoo, which was actually much more fun than I thought it would be. It was small but we had a great time hanging out! We even saw a baby elephant.
We had a wine tasting day in Willamette Valley. The wine country is breathtaking. We had amazing weather and the sights were like nothing I've ever seen before. We also met a super nice girl (who worked at the first winery) and invited her and her fiancee over for dinner a few nights later. They came over and we had a great time!
Took a lunch boat cruise on the Portland Spirit (thanks to help from Kristen!) which was way more fun than we expected. It was beautiful!
We visited Voodoo Donuts which is a must for newcomers and visitors. This place is nuts. People come here from all over the world, it's totally crazy. There was even a bride and groom there taking pictures which I later learned you can actually get married there! There was a huge line, but we waited, and then ate WAY too much sugar!!
Had a BBQ on our porch. It was very funny since this was Derek's first attempt at a charcoal grill. Much different than gas. We had some good laughs!
We got caught in the middle of a hail and thunder shower while on campus with no umbrellas and no jackets! It looked as though we had jumped into a pool with our clothes on by the time we ran all the way to our car! We laughed very hard!
After the first two weeks here Derek started orientation which has basically been 8-5 pretty much every day. On the evening of his first day there was a family BBQ for interns where we met lots of people who Derek will be working with. Including the other 3 neurology guys he will be working with for the next 4 years. Two of them are married and the third is getting married in September. We actually had the two couples over for dinner last weekend and had a great time. I've hung out a couple times with one of the wives and have really gotten along well with her.
Last night I went to a "girls night" through the OHSU Resident Family Network. It's basically a group for spouses of doctors to get together and have a support group / people to hang out with! The girls were so nice and I had an amazing time. I'm really very excited to be involved with this great group of girls! I can't wait to hang out with them again!
Tomorrow is Derek's last day of orientation and then he starts work for his first official day on Sunday. Then the real craziness will begin!
Overall we have really had an amazing time since moving here and God has blessed us with more than we could have ever asked for or even imagined. It has been amazing. We truly feel blessed and at home here. I am so thankful.
Since Derek's schedule will be so crazy this first year we will not be able to do much traveling away from Portland, but please know that everyone is always welcome to come visit us at anytime! We would love to see you and our door is always open!

Portland!

We have finally arrived in Portland, Oregon!

We drove from San Diego straight through to Portland. 17 hours in the car and 1100 miles. Our record for driving! The dogs got quite antsy but we made it here shortly before midnight May 30th (we left SD at 6:45am).

We absolutely love the apartment we are living in and the city is just amazing. Derek and I both feel so confirmed that this is the place we are supposed to be living and feel so blessed to be here. Since the moment we arrived in Portland we have loved every single thing about it. It's beautiful, the people are ridiculously friendly, it's clean, and God has made it abundantly clear this is where we are meant to be. We are so grateful for all the prayers and support of all our family and friends in helping us to get to this point. We finally have a home sweet home!

Good Wolf vs. Bad Wolf

(Picture taken from First People Website)

Mary (my mom's friend who functioned as my second mother when my mom was pregnant with my sister and too sick to feed me. I used to call her MarMa basically fusing her name with mom!) was over last night and told me a great story that she read on SuzeBlogz's blog that I had to share...

TWO WOLVES

One evening an old Apache told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.
One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is The Spirit - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,"Which wolf wins?"

The old Apache simply replied, "The one you feed.."

Which one will you feed today?

Popsicles in a shot glass

Derek is sick and we're pretty sure it's strep throat. Seeing as he's now a doctor, he self diagnosed and started himself on antibiotics, but is still in a lot of throat pain. Striving to be a good and creative wife, last night I made popsicles for him with what I had to work with. Shot glasses, juice, and mini popsicle sticks from my waxing kit. I mixed different kinds of juice, poured it into shot glasses, and after it started to harden a little - stuck the waxing sticks in the middle! He loved them and they really helped his throat!

New Design!

I played around all morning to find a new background I liked and I think I found it! I even learned how to make a banner as a picture with writing in the middle of it in place of a header and it was quite challenging for me. I know many people know how to do this in a split second but this was pretty monumental for me! Let me know what you think!