The Goings On at the Field Residence

Our car has been in the shop quite a bit this past month for service updates as well as getting the bumper replaced. Because of this, we've been frequent customers at the Enterprise car rental shop here in town. It didn't take long for us to become elite members (LOL), so now when we walk in, they immediately hook us up with a nice car. This last time, they let us have a bright red Dodge Charger. Jesse was super excited, so we took it for a spin (a FAST spin) to DC.

Jesse was having a Secret Agent moment here...

Having too much fun!

Spring is here...meaning the trees are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the sun is making our apartment 80 degrees. Seasons are something we will never again take for granted. Living in Florida taught us to be thankful. On my drive home from work today, I couldn't help but slow down while driving under a canopy of these trees with white and greed buds...totally gorgeous. God has such a wonderful imagination and creative spirit. And the cool thing is he made all these wonderful things for us to enjoy. This world could be drab, but nope...He made seasons!!!

Driving, Smoking, and Cell Phones Don't Mix

It didn't take long to realize the likelihood of us getting into a car accident here was more than double our chance in Florida. People are on a mission, and if you get in their way, look out! They have the Lindsay Lohan mentality that life is all about them and their needs.
Last night, we were rear-ended by a woman who was clearly not content with just driving. She also was talking on the phone and holding a cigarette in the other hand. Now, I'm not going to say I never talk on the phone while driving--I do, but hands-free and only in areas where there aren't a ton of stoplights and traffic changes. Oprah may have a point with her new mission to get cell phones out of cars....okay, I won't go that far, but there is a problem for sure!

Auto body shop and chiropractor here we come...

WELCOME TO VIRGINIA!

New Job

God's way of answering prayer is always amazing. Jesse and I had decided that if I didn't have any job interviews lined up before the end of February, I would have to look into working retail or something like it until I found a full-time position. Well, guess what...God lined up an interview the last week of February.
I have been hired on as an Executive Assistant at a networking company who contracts out to the Dept. of Defense. The office is located just four miles from our home, and it's conveniently located near the metro Jesse takes each morning. God orchestrated it perfectly, as He always does. I'm currently hired as Temp to Perm, so in three months, if they still like me, I'll be hired on permanently. This job is a blessing, not only because it helps pay the bills, but also because it will allow us to pay off much of our school debt. Halelujah!

God is GOOD

Blizzard of 2010...and Round Two

Media likes to have fun with the extraordinary weather, but these past couple of weeks have been a bit ridiculous. From the reports on the news, you'd think Jesse and I would've moved to an igloo by now. Okay, we did get around three feet of snow...all of which seemed to accumulate on our very own two lane street...but hey, what's a little snow? :) Jesse got a week off from work (the metro closed down and stranded everyone away from work. oh bummer!). I got to take a break from applying to jobs (yippeeeeee!), and we had some fun times in the white winterland we call home. Virginians may be grumbling about the mountains of dirty snow and the ice crusted roads, but I'm still an Oregonian who lived in Florida....I LOVE THE SNOW!

Snow Day

Northern Virginia was hit with a day of snow, and Jesse and I managed to get outside and enjoy it. It's very fun living in an area that experiences seasons...well at least I think so. Jesse is always saying, "It's too cold!"

New Medication, New Hope

Due to our concern for Jesse's health and condition, we've decided to try a new medication in hopes it will help him regain strength and fix his illness. Humira is similar to Remicaide, but he administers injections rather than going to a clinic for infusions. It became clear the Remicaide wasn't working after Jesse had to come off steroids. He had considerable weight loss and continued to weaken and feel worse as each day passed. God has led us to a wonderful doctor here. They are experienced and their communication with us has been impressive. Last night was Jesse's first induction to the new medication. His four shots in a row weren't fun, but he amazes me with his perseverence. Perhaps the cherry pie I bought him as a consolation treat helped a bit. :)
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We really are hopeful this drug works so we don't have to consider surgery. Jesse and I both know God has reasons for everything, and we hope we learn from this experience what He would have us learn.

Catching Up

It's a cloudy day outside and our new little home says, "stay home and rest!" So, here I am, "resting." As a recap of all the time I was away from the computer...allow some photos to take you through our little adventures...I say little almost sarcastically. Ha!

The adventure began with me driving home from Virginia after Christmas. I drove our thousands of presents up to Jay and Brenda's house to spend Christmas with Jesse at their home. With little time to do much, Jesse and I spent most of the time sleeping in, resting, and playing games with the Storms. This is me on the drive home...
When I arrived home, I had a couple days to get everything packed up and ready to go. This was my living room half way through the packing phase.

Some great friends came and helped me move everything into the moving truck. Our friend, Lynn Walter, was a huge help, and I really couldn't have done the moving without his advice and coordination skills. Let's just say by the time moving phase one came, my mind was mush. Dad flew in on Dec 30th to help me drive up north. We celebrated the next day, his birthday, by going to the pier in Daytona Beach and watching the fisherman and surfers. We had a wonderful time spending the day together.

The next day we began our trek north. With Bentley and Kolby (our two parakeets) in the front seat with us, we quickly realized we had to hold their cage down to keep them from rocking back and forth the whole time. It was quite humorous--every time we stopped for food or gas, the birds immediately fell asleep, relieved to finally rest! When we arrived in Virginia, we had another adventure...I lost my father in the greater parts of DC!!! Needless to say, we finally reunited; now I have a greater appreciation for cell phones (my dad doesn't own one). The Storms family helped us move in, and again, we couldn't have done that without them either. If it weren't for them, it would've taken us two days to get everything unpacked.

The next "little" adventure came when Mom (who flew in on the 4th...happy birthday, Holly!) and I made a trip to the grocery store. While we were gone, Dad was awoken from his nap to a loud beeping noise. It came about that the apartment above ours had a water main break. Water, water, water is all I can say. We moved to a new apartment four days later after they realized our apartment was in need of major fixing.

Here's our carpet in the old apartment being dried...
They cut a hole in the kitchen ceiling to attempt to dry it out. By the time we returned from our first hotel night stay, the ceiling had sagged in considerably...

Once we had everything moved into the second apartment, we began to make it a home. Dad, Mom, and I painted. They did most of the work, and did a great job.

We picked out some great fabrics from none other than WalMart and got to work on some pillows and a cover for a bench. Yes, the photos show Mom doing all the work, but Dad and I helped too!!! One night, all three of us sat in front of the TV and hand sewed all the pillows shut. It was a silly sight.

After moving two times, painting, sewing, and unpacking, we were all in need of a break. Dad had a craving for Dunkin Donuts. This craving didn't disappear for the rest of the time they were here...

Jay, Brenda, Josh, Erin, and Nathan went with the three of us to DC for a day. We went to the Archives building, the American History Museum, and the Post Office.

Jesse graduated on January 14th. His parents flew in the day before so all of us went out to the ceremony and celebrated his completion. He looked very professional and extremely happy to be done! I threw him a small graduation party...

We took Jesse's folks out to Sushi so they could try it for the first time. Their Tuna and Avocado roll was a hit!

We went to Avatar with my parents...a great movie if you have plenty of eye drops and Advil available!

Once Jesse was home, we did a lot of lounging around and resting. Mom and I played our share of Boggle. And something miraculous occurred. I beat her...twice! She's only lost to the game once many many years ago...and somehow I beat her! I guess I have to wear her out more often!

This is a hallway in the National Art Museum...very cool light show.

And here is me on the step of the museum....wondering how in the world did we ever move to DC????

Settling In

I don't have any pictures to show yet...haven't made time to download them onto the computer yet. They're coming soon though!
We are settled into our new apartment, and Jesse is home! He graduated from the academy and will return to work next week. He gets one week off to spend with me and our families. Our parents are here to celebrate his graduation, so it's been fun spending time with them.

Due to some unexpected events, we've switched to a new apartment. Here is our new address.

6100 Lincolnia Rd
Apt 409
Alexandria, VA 22312

Will post more soon.

Saying Good Bye

These past several days have been full of good-byes and see-you-laters. We've moved away from family and friends just once before as a couple, but I think moving away from Daytona presents a totally different circumstance. We've made wonderful friends here, and many of them have become our family. It's a beautiful thing until the good bye comes.
Thank you to everyone who welcomed us into their lives here in good ol' Daytona. Jesse and I are ever so thankful for the times we had here--we leave full of amazing memories. Hopefully this is a see you later more than a good bye.

Spreading Christmas Cheer

Here's a quick photo of Jesse and me at our parents' 30th anniversary party! It was a fun time!!

After a scrumptious dinner, a few of my friends and I decided it was time to spice up Lynn's house and get him in the Christmas mood. Soon later, we were skipping through the Christmas trees at none other than Walmart (the only place open at 9:30pm).

Lynn just happened to already own a tree base, so setting it up was quick and easy...I'm laughing because everyone is telling me which way to turn the tree to make it straight...all different directions.

Had to enjoy a little break and eat DONUTS!!! This is Jo, Emily, Lynn, me, and Ben.

Emily and I were tasked to put on the Christmas lights. Lynn quickly hung his stocking in a precarious place, hoping Santa will come soon! Hopefully Santa likes darts.


I'm thankful for friends--especially during this time living apart from Jesse.

God's Country

Virginia is absolutely beautiful. We have some dear friends (our adopted family, the Walkers) who call Virginia God’s country…now I see why. Rolling hills, creeks and rivers, and miles and miles of country. Perhaps someday I’ll get that ranch I’ve always dreamed about! The most beautiful thing about Virginia—Jesse. We finally got to spend some quality time together. We went for walks, spent time with Jay and Brenda (my cousins), made a quick drive into DC to get a glimpse at what it is, and just enjoyed being together.
Here’s a pic from my drive home…sorry I don’t have pictures from actually being there…guess we were too enthralled with each other to take pictures. Hahaha.

Bonfire Buddies

When the weather gets chilly around here, they call it a cold front. I like to call it excellence! Some friends of ours had a bonfire to celebrate the chilly (finally fall) weather. We all bundled up, and surprisingly, were cold! It's amazing how the high 40s feels like the low 30s when you've been living in the 90s for so long! Whew, it was absolutely wonderful! Lots of laughter, yummy food, and best of all, time with friends.

Sitting around the fire

Saying good bye to Emily in case Jesse didn't see her again before moving.
Making cinnamon-sugar rolls to roast over the fire...didn't work out because the guys were too ambitious in their baking and burned every one of them! Haha. I ended up baking two other batches in the oven. It worked out in the end.

Brief Update

God is teaching us patience and faith. Patience with him and patience with each other. Faith in Him and faith in each other.
Jesse has been offered a job in D.C., and while we’re excited about the prospect of a new career and even a new place to live, we’re hesitant to go gangbusters. The organization he’d be working with has been slow to send information and sometimes seems obstinate in providing us direction. Because of this, we don’t know if Jesse begins work this coming Monday or in a couple weeks or in a couple months.
We’ll keep you posted on more as we begin to know more, but for now, I just ask for prayer. We need guidance, and I especially need to learn patience. Thank you!

Weddings and Water

Two weekends ago, Jesse flew home to Silverton to celebrate JJ and Jamie’s wedding. He thoroughly loved spending time with family and friends and catching up with everyone. The wedding day was beautiful and everyone was all smiles. He also seems to be feeling stronger--at least everyone comes up to him and says, "Wow, Jess, you're looking great! You've put on some weight!" Perhaps he's the only one you can say this to and it be a good thing. Ha!
Though I definitely missed Jesse while he was gone for the week, and was VERY ready for him to return, I also enjoyed my independence. I cleaned (which you all know I love to do), went out with friends to some great sushi, finally went clothes shopping with my birthday money, and then had a fun kayaking trip with Emily and Kyra.

We had to take a picture of us driving the big truck...we looked pretty ghetto driving down a ritsy part of Ormond Beach with our red truck (lots of rust and dents) with two kayaks sticking WAAAAY out of the back...I'm sure it was violating all road rules. Haha.

Jesse and I are doing our best at taking advantage of the beautiful Florida weather while we can. :)