Taking Time to See

It's becoming ever apparent how life in the city means forgetting life all together. People wake up early to catch the train or to sit in traffic. They work all day long, most of them riding an elevator up to their umpteenth floor. They work late to avoid traffic, even though they'll still pass by over a million people on their way home. They grab their already called-in to-go order at their favorite restaurant and eat it quickly before heading to bed, only to start over again until Saturday. Last night, I drove to the Blockbuster to return a movie, and I caught myself distracted by the trees looming over the road. This is my favorite drive because the trees canopy over, and right now with the blossoms, it's so wonderful. I looked around and no one else was looking. They were either on their phone, looking at their GPS, or just staring blankly at the bumper ahead of them. Life isn't about the outcome, it's about what you learn and see to get there...

Tuesday Truth

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”- 1 John 3:16

What Do You See?

I was delinquent in photographing our Easter weekend at the Storms' home this weekend. To salvage the day with a post, I decided to share images of what Jesse and I experience on a daily basis...I apologize these aren't my own photos this time...perhaps a nice new camera would spark my desire to take more! :)
The day begins here at this nice apartment building.

Oh to drive on small town roads once again...

Spring has sprung here in Virginia!!!


The day wouldn't be complete without being cut off by one of these guys.

We wondered at first where all the people came from, until we saw that everyone lives in this type of housing...

At the end of the day, despite the traffic and the fast-paced lifestyle, we think it's absolutely beautiful here!

Basking in the Sun

We have a new morning routine in our home...sun bathing. Each morning, the sun rises and shines brightly into our apartment (it helps being so high in the sky). Bentley and Kolby begin chirping and get very excited, and then...they stop and sit still while they catch the rays. I suppose they miss the Florida sun. Haha!

Thank you, Japan

Last night, Jesse had the wonderful idea of driving into DC to see the cherry blossoms. Yesterday was the peak blooming day. It wasn't long before we realized everyone else had the same idea...This is what we were stuck in the whole time...


We were tempted to be disappointed about how busy DC was, afraid we weren't going to see much of anything but chaotic masses of bystanders...

Then we saw this...

No amount of traffic could keep our spirits down...goodness, just look outside the window!!!



This is Jesse being sick of driving in traffic, but me loving the scenery outside the car.


This is the best I could do with my drive-by photography. The Jefferson has some construction going on around it, but it's still beautiful!
This little adventure was lots of fun, and well worth the battle with traffic!!!

Blossoms!

The blossoms are everywhere right now. Streets are adorned with pink and white, and when we drive under them, I feel like a Disney Princess! It's magical! I'll take more photos soon, but I had to share a little sneak peak at what I get to see each day. These trees line the parking lot at work.

Where I work

Here's just a snapshot of where I sit each day for 8 hours. It's amazing when I think of how much time I spend here!

Weekend Away

Our weekend in Pennsylvania was wonderful. The Walker family provided a complete tour of the Milton Hershey School and the surrounding area, as well as a glimpse at Chocolate World. Who knew chocolate could be everywhere? We enjoyed a chocolate shake--like drinking a chocolate bar! After our tour of the town not called Hershey but everyone calls it Hershey (Hahaha), they drove us out to Lancaster. I've wanted to see the Amish farms for such a long time, so this was a real treat! I wish I could've captured more on photos.

The clotheslines were at least twenty feet in the air on a pully system. It was beautiful seeing all the laundry hanging out to dry in the cool breeze.

Of course I loved the cows!!! Jesse didn't play his "Hey Cow" game this time...didn't want to startle any bystanders!

This trip was peaceful and just what we needed. Thank you, Walker family!

Chocolate Bound

We are headed to Pennsylvania this weekend to visit some very dear friends, the Walker family. They played an integral role in our lives during our first year of marriage. We're looking forward to spending some time with them and exploring their new home...Hershey, PA. Yay for a roadtrip!!!

To Dad

I learned this morning that my dad checks this blog quite often. Up until now, I didn't know if anyone actually looked at our page, so I was quite surprised.

Dad,
You are so incredibly wonderful. Thank you for the joy you spread in our lives, and for always being just a phone call away when we need advice. The memories I have of our drive up to Virginia in the moving truck will always be special--and who knows--we may frequent that luxurious motel once again! Hahaha!

We love you very much!

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!