signs of spring...

no one can deny that this past weekend was incredible! the sunshine, relaxing after a VERY challenging week at work; it was all just what i needed. here are some highlights and some ways that i know that sunnier days are just around the corner: *long bike rides (we rode 55+ miles on saturday out to corbett in the gorge with a hard core group from imago. i impressed them by keeping up and with my buckets full)

*laundry on the line

*chacos on my feet (thanks car for this amazing pair from a thrift store!)

*terere with my amor

*hanging out with the chickens (henrietta, ruth, and amelia bedelia)

*planting things in our garden

*bbq lunch with the eads. we are soaking up as much time with them as we can before they move to paraguay in one month. (check out their blog for more details on their trip: beggingforchange.blogspot.com)

we ended the weekend with a trip down to salem for a wedding of a missionary we met while in peru. it was a beautiful celebration and great to reconnect with her again. topped off by some reading at the salem waterfront park. hard to beat weekend. hoping yours was just as relaxing!

can it be? we've been home one year!

as i look back into my journal from one year ago, this is what i find...


as the bright red sun dips down beneath the horizon, so does our time in south america fade away into a memory. now, after nearly 7 months, all the people we have met, the places we have been, the stories heard, smells, sights, sounds now have to be tucked away neatly somewhere in our minds and memories. when will we come back? that is everyone's big question. Lord, i don't know when we'll go back or if we will or the next time we'll be in latin america. that is all in your hands. you know our hearts and desires! hopefully, it won't be before too long though.






what a whirlwind of thoughts crowd my head, as i try to even begin to process what transitioning home will be like. all the people to reconnect with. all the questions of how was the trip. not being just me and luke. not being able to be lazy, and wake up late or take siestas.
i feel so much more tranquila than when we left months ago, and can only hope that i carry some of that with me into the next phase of life. how will i let my perspective be changed? i do not want this trip to be in vain- to leave us unchanged in the way we interact with each other and with those around us. MAY WE BE CHANGED AND MOVED. i do not regret the trip one bit and am excited for the foundation it has helped us to form for our marriage and our life together. even though the honeymoon (i can say now) is officially over, may the adventures continue.


ellen and eric, who make living with another couple FUN!

the adventures have indeed continued since our return from south america. we find ourselves immensely blessed with meaningful jobs, wonderful roommates and a great home, families nearby, a solid church community, and everything else we could need. hard to believe that one year has gone by since we have been back in portland. as much as we sure enjoyed wandering, it sure does feel good as our roots start to grow!