From "go" this evening Lisa spent 2 hours and 45 minutes on the phone with Frontier Airlines attempting to get our little tour over Seattle and back to Denver, re-scheduled for later. Well, she finally got it. Looks like we'll be going to Seattle on the 9th of January and leaving on the 18th. I would have lost it tonight if I had been the one on the phone... I am very thankful Lisa did it.

Barring another great white-out in the Great Pacific NW, we should be up there soon to see you all! (And to celebrate my 27th Birthday!) Details, I am sure, will be fourth-coming.

~B.

Labels: praise, travel

Friday night Lisa and I went to the OC Christmas party. We had a good time and Lisa got to meet some more of the people I work with. The theme of the eatery was German food. This is probably the first time I have had German food. I had the kind of "sample" plate which included all sorts of stuff. It was all interesting and better than I probably would have pegged it on being, but not sure I would want to find myself eating that every night.

Saturday Lisa and I went out in the morning with our Realtor and looked at some houses. We found one that has potential as a "top 5" contender. When Lisa gets a job we'll have to see what we can afford and go down our list again and decide about making an offer on one of these places. We look forward to having a place we can host things in again.

Speaking of hosting last night we made up a Thanksgiving dinner and had my fellow IT worker (Larry) and his wife over for dinner. (I guess technically he is my "employee", but that seems strange to say as he is my father's age.) Lisa and I had a good time making the food and we feel like we could tackle a full scale meal like that in the future if we had to cook for a group of holiday if we had to. (We made 5 dishes total) But aside from the food we had a good time connecting with other people and sharing some fellowship over a good meal.

This morning Lisa and I went back to Pulpit Rock Church (PRC), I think we are going to give it a try on a "long term" basis. (A couple months at least) We talked to one of the pastors about classes to join and what-not and kind of made mention that it didn't seem like there was too much available for people at our point in life (married, no kids) at the church and he highlighted some ideas he had for getting something like that started, and seemed to me like he was wanting to get us involved in helping him start that kind of thing. Ummm, alright. Whatever it takes to find some friends and get involved at church I guess! If people who have been going there for years won't do it then we might as well step up and do it. We'll be talking more about that with him in 2009. But interesting though, and potentially fairly neat that we can get plugged in so quickly.

After church today we decided to go to the local Zoo. It's not as big, or as impressive as the Seattle Zoo (we'll have to check out Denver's Zoo) but they let you a lot closer to some of the animals than they do at the Seattle Zoo. (I'm getting some pictures up on Facebook) From the entry way to the "top" of the zoo it climbs the elevation of a 10 story building. It was quite the workout and also an amazing view from almost anywhere in the zoo.

Following the Zoo we went and hung out in the Broadmoore area of Colorado Springs for a bit. We saw some HUGE houses and some over the top Christmas lights. We came home the long way and now we're taking a break for a bit now at home. It's been a wonderfully full weekend.

Lisa has started to get a few responses back from sending out her resume. (3 "sorry, not interested"s) If you could keep her in our prayers for finding a job. I know God has something for her out there, I'm just not sure what it is, and we need to wait on God's timing for that!

Also, the past few days cancer has really been on my mind. It's been weighing on me more heavily than I think it probably should. I could really use some prayer to help lift that and remember to seek God.

Reminder: 2 weeks from today Lisa and I will be back in Seattle. If you'd like to see us make your voices heard!

~B.

Labels: travel

I've had several Facebook questions about what we are doing in Santa Fe this weekend, and all I can figure out is that they probably don't read my blog. Anyway, thus far Santa Fe has been kind to us... the amount of jewlery stores here though is staggering. It seems like anyone with a hint of talent for working with silver will end up here at some point. I like silver, but I'm not a big fan of rocks attatched to it.

Last night Lisa and I had one of the finest dinners we have ever had together. We had Thanksgiving dinner at the Compound. Not a great name, but the dinner was fantastic. (And it knocked the melting pot out of 1st place for the most expensive dinner we've consumed. Worth it though...)

Lisa and I never got to celebrate our aniversary this year (hospital...) so we rolled anniversary and thanksgiving into one.

We're about to go see more of the town now. Please forgive spelling mistakes for now... this was ll written from my g1.

More later!

~B.

Labels: travel

Lisa and I are headed to Santa Fe for Thanksgiving. It will be the first time either of us haven't spent Thanksgiving with our families. It's part of the whole "moving away" experience.

Anyway, something you might not know about my beautiful wife is that when she gets excited she can get rather... ADD. Take tonight for example:

Ben is washing dishes.
Lisa: "I'm going to go pack now!"
Ben: "Sounds good."
45 seconds later
Lisa walks past pushing the vacuum cleaner and starts running it.
Ben: "What are you doing?"
Lisa: (Like it's the most natural thing in the world) "Vacuuming."
Ben: "What happened to packing?"
Lisa: "I felt like vacuuming."

We are both excited about our trip tomorrow and hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! (Remember to be thankful! (I'm thankful the bird is at the baby-sitter...))

~B.

Labels: lisa, travel

Let me start by saying: going on a mission trip as an adult completely wins over going on mission trips as a teen. Yes, at the time they were exciting learning experiences and the youth pastors planned so very well. But now, I have specialized skills to offer, I'm enjoy talking with people I don't know very well, and the "teen angst/insecurity/crush on one of the boys on the trip" quotient is gone. In other words, I greatly enjoyed getting to know my team and the ministry we worked with, and helping them to improve their facilities (and thus their work in God's Kingdom!)

So after about 30 hours of travel we arrived at the LDi camp. Because I'm going to reveal some specifics of our work, I'm still not going to name the country we were in. However, Ben has mentioned it in previous blog entries so you faithful readers are probably already aware of it. We spent nine days working with a break on Sunday, then two days sight-seeing in the large city nearby.

The campus we stayed at and worked on was a camp/conference center with high and low ropes courses. These are fairly rare in that country, but apparently the people naturally relate to symbolic meanings so the discussions involved in the course are meaningful and can lead to new spiritual understandings for them. The camp director used to lead ropes courses in Sweden and with his family is learning to relate to a new culture. This camp was only begun about three years ago. At present, the high ropes course is a garden, much more cultivated than the American-woods versions I've seen. However, the only functioning building on campus has some problems, as does the new building being constructed.

What did we do? The three civil engineers and graphic designer spent most of the time surveying the three complicated sites ("legal boundaries" were more or less defined by fruit trees and the site was on a huge slope) and testing local water supplies. I worked with one of the planners at first to map out the ropes course. Meanwhile, the structural engineer and electrical engineer were evaluating everything. A camp director from Washington, his father, and a man who is probably the superstar of Christian camp-planning in America were all there for part of the trip, mostly spending time with the camp director refining his vision and asking him a long list of questions. The electrical engineer's daughter photo-documented the site. During the second half of our time, the team leader (an architect) and I worked on a proposal for an ideal new lodge. On the last day I worked on the report, designed a storage shed and figured out how to improve the existing bathrooms.

Result? We'll give the ministry a report which evaluates their current conditions and our suggestions for both immediate improvements and long term development. Up to now they've been guessing on a lot of things. Now, they have an accurate map and a lot to think about :)

The camp planning did run into some difficulties. The property owner is not a part of LDi, and was not present for most of our trip, so some of the decisions to be made had to be postponed. The source of funds for future development is also in question. To top it off the government is aware of this camp, as small as it is, due to their evangelism in the local village. During out time there, the camp director was considering approaching the government to discuss LDi's work (in a Daniel 1 format: aka we want to eat veggies - let us give it a try and see if we're more healthy!)

At the end, our time in the large city nearby was a superb tourist experience and gave us a chance to hang out and debrief. Actually, the entire trip was a great chance to observe a different culture. I had difficulties with the language, but the camp facilitators all spoke English and by the end of the trip I had managed to master four phrases with a convincing accent :) Still, white people were somewhat a novelty and sometimes the locals wanted to take pictures with me.

The Christians we met were encouragingly bold, especially one woman who tried to witness to us in her native tongue. The staff at the camp had all made sacrifices to be there, and the director truly had a passion for spreading the gospel which I can only believe comes straight from God.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was when our team (from all over the US and even Canada) shared the "short versions" of our testimonies. Somehow I had begun to think that God had no big exciting plans to use me in the world, that this move to Colorado would separate me from the way I had been serving God - in the friendships, family, and high school group of my church. There were no prospects for anything new. But as I heard about the journeys which my team members were on I was reminded that our lives are a continuous story of God's faithfulness. Whatever their age or background, God was revealed himself and kingdom to the folks I worked with more and more. Wonderfully, a couple of the middle-aged men were on their first mission trip; another man had been on ten trips with EMI. Through the rest of the trip as I read the Bible, God reminded me "I make all things new!" and that he had "works prepared in advance for (me) to do."

Now, to respond to the prayer requests from my first letter:

• Being the lead architect was not overwhelming, since this trip was "architecture-lite"


• Having CAD on my laptop was very important! Again, praise God for providence of the software!


• The design for the new building was only at the "design development" stage, a point at which I was competent to handle the drawings with input from the structural engineer and team leader


• For the most part, Ben was content with his time home alone and even enjoyed the relaxation for awhile. We were able to keep in touch over email - that made a big difference!


• LDi didn't have a very specific vision for the camp, but now they should at least know where to start.


• There were almost no problems with our travel arrangements and health!


• The backgrounds and skills of our team adequately covered the needs of this project. Praise God!

I'm glad God provided the circumstances for me to go on this trip. Our goal is to finish our report and sketches by mid-December.

My pictures can be found on Facebook: (You shouldn't need an account to view them.)
album 1, album 2, and album 3.

-L

Labels: pictures, praise, travel

I need to get this written as I probably won't have internet access the rest of the day. We are staying on the outskirts f Colorado Springs. We got in yesterday afternoon and we just kind of played it mellow all evening. The friends we are staying with cooked us a great dinner and we talked with them most of the evening. (John and Sharon Linquist)

Later today we are bound for our new apartment where we will unload our meager possessions from the car and enjoy a "minimalist" apartment for a while.

Lisa and I are both pretty tired of all the driving and staying in different places all the time. We drove straight from Grand Junction to where we are right now. Which was about 4.5 hours of straight driving.

Lets see, I'll scoop into the mailbag and see what kind's of questions I can answer, being as I am writing "shot-gun paragraphs" up there that tells me I need some fodder.

Jenifer Morrell from Bellevue Washington writes, "How is Beak-O? [Niko]"

He seems to have weathered the road trip fairly well. He spent at least 80% of the time in his cage in the back seat of the fit. It's funny, but some days he would sit there quietly and not say a word, and other days he'd be noisy. One of the days, he just kept eating and eating and then asking for more. We fed him in the morning of that day and then he proceeded to beg almost everything we ate as well. When people say something like, "Oh, he eats like a bird." I'd be skeptical. Our bird is a pig with wings. (However, he doesn't fly.) He really enjoys waffles and the two places that had waffles at breakfast we gave him almost a quarter of it and he ate it all. Last night our host made a pear pie type thing with filo and Niko practically threw himself off my shoulder trying to get some. He ended up eating the whole back section of the pie. He doesn't seem to notice the altitude at all.

Please continue to pray or our health. Lisa has been feeling the brunt of this cold and I am at the tail end of it, but still it lingers. Thank you for your prayers of safe travel. We'll keep you all updated!

~B.

Labels: pets, travel

Today was a long day of driving... that could be because we were driving through a lot of mountains and the speed limit jumped from 35 to 75 as we went. Which of course meant more time in the car. (Unlike the past few days where we have been cruising along at 70-80mph and getting places relatively quickly.)

This morning we got up and experienced another "free" breakfast. I didn't bother to partake in the "free-ness" much beyond a banana and quarter of a muffin (consumed later, whilest driving) but Lisa made herself a waffle and covered it with butter and "Swiss-Miss" hot chocolate mix. Create? You bet. Tasty morning food? Perhaps not. (She can weigh in on that one herself...)

We went to Arches National Park this afternoon and spent a couple of hours driving around and marveling at very large sandstone rocks. We went on a few "mini-hikes" and quickly determined that altitude + sun = Ben and Lisa are wimps. We're dragging ourselves a long and it seemed like everyone else was running past us. We saw one of the places where the opening scene in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was filmed and we hung out under the "double arches" for a bit. (See pictures)

Nothing like a National Park for reminding you of how cool God's creation is.

We took the "back way" back to the freeway from "Arches" and it was a great drive alongside the Colorado river. Slow, and very winding, but it was also very scenic. We got into Grand Junction, CO about 6:30pm. We did some research on the internet and decided to walk across the street to a place called WW Pepper for dinner. It was however a 35-40 minute wait so we hopped in the car and headed west to try and find something. We ended up in downtown Grand Junction at a place called The Winery. (dare I say, "FIRST!") Good food and my thoughts can be found at that link.

Well, here we are now, in Colorado, our new home state. Tomorrow we make the drive from here to Colorado Springs and stay the night with the same generous folks who we staid with last time. (For 1 night) Then Monday we get into our apartment. It all seems to be happening so fast.

Thanks for the prayer support as we make this move! Tomorrow is our last day of traveling and I look forward to trying to settle in a bit and see what life here is going to be like.

*Picture comments: 1. Niko in Arches park, looking very contrasty to all the red. 2. A shot Lisa took looking up at one of the stone arches. 3. Me, standing in front of the "double arches". (No I'm not "trying" to look like a Blue Brother, it just kind of happened.) 4. Lisa reclining under the same arches as in my picture. (The same ones used in Indy)

~B.

Labels: food, pictures, travel

There is quite the range of hotels in the world. Many of them at the same price. For instance the place we staid at last night had 2 queen beds, a sitting room with a couch, a coffee table, a comfy chair, a desk, and a table with the TV on it, and a rather lavish bathroom to go with all that. Tonight we are in Midvale, UT. (South of Salt Lake City, UT) and we have 2 queen beds a small desk, and then everything looks and feels like it was probably left over from the 70's... including the old "we're trying to cover up the smell of cigarette smoke" odor. Roughly the same price.

We get a "free" breakfast here tomorrow, then we'll see how they really stack up. I can take cheap sleeping arrangements with the promise of free food if the food is actually worth it. (I'm already assuming it's not, but a guys got to have hopes and dreams)

Today as we drove south from Boise to Salt Lake City. We made one stop and that was at the Golden Spike in Promitory, UT. It was cool. I got to see the trains. I left happy. The pictures here included are of me in front of the "Golden Spike Monument" and Lisa in front of the 'ole 119. It was kind of fun seeing something historical that I have an interest in. (Trains) But generally that is the way of history.

Salt Lake City isn't somewhere I would care to live. I've had just about enough of it and I've only been here 6 hours now. Maybe it takes some "getting used to" but I don't know if I would give it that chance. Lisa and I went out to a pub type place for dinner and had an enjoyable evening. And I was right. No way to top the great meat we had last night in Idaho. Following our dinner we walked around the town a bit and ended up going into what seemed like the Salt Lake City version of the science center. (Only it was focused 100% on space) They called it a Planetarium, but I think perhaps that was a liberal use of the word. They had some very cool exhibits and a very interesting display of actual meteorites. They had a lot of video from space history as well. The only thing we skipped was the gift store. (They had a HUGE section of telescopes and it looked like a "used Telescope" lot.) Lisa and I took the time to get our pictures taken on our favorite celestial bodies. (Lisa, the moon and Ben, on Mars... You can make your own jokes here.)

Tomorrow we are going to attempt to hit some National Parks. Niko has been surviving just fine. He sleeps WELL at night because he is use to sleeping during the day and he's been staying up all day as we bounce and jolt our way across the country. Our health is improving as we climb in elevation here. I'm tired after a long day of driving, but we both want to see the places we are staying. (Because, honestly, the "hotel" ain't much.)

We appreciate the prayers as we continue our trek south and east! We'll try to get some pictures for tomorrow as well!

~B.

Labels: pictures, travel

The condo is about 90% empty now and Niko is pretty certain that he is staying there and we are abandoning him. The movers cleared out the condo in a little less than 2 hours. I am soooooo(ooooooooo)oooooo glad I didn't have to do that. Worth the cost. Right there.

We're out running some errands right now so we decided to stop by Tully's for some warmth and some internet. We'll pack up the car later today and then just clean up the condo and head out. After we're gone tomorrow the carpet cleaners come and the house stager as well.

We haven't seen the condo this empty since before we were married. (Brings back the memories. Lisa and I are now both "between jobs", however I am heading for a job and Lisa is "unemployed". I'd appreciate if you could pray for her as she goes jetting around the world the next month, and when she comes back that she would be able to find a really great job in Architecture!

Ok, we need to get going...

~B.

Labels: travel

In our zeal to pack things the past few weeks we have packed away something that "chirps" every 6 minutes. The pile of boxes is now a good 10 feet square and chest height so finding the offending "chirper" isn't going to happen. It's just funny as we sit here and every 6 minutes. Chirp. Funny stuff. We're hoping Niko doesn't pick it up.

In a week we will be in Colorado Springs! Kind of crazy to think about. We had our going away party this afternoon and lots of people came. I am pretty deep into my cold though so it was kind of a task to stay on my feet the whole time. But it was good to see some people.

Now I am tired and I am going to see if I can't get some rest so I can survive the rest of this week. (BTW: My dad got my job at TTC and I'll be training him for the next 2 days... assuming I am well enough.)

I'd appreciate the prayers and we head down, and leading up to going down.

Thanks!

~B.

Labels: travel

Road Trip Music.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's your turn to "shout out, sound off and maybe even show off" in a little segment we like to call: Ben and Lisa need your advice.

Two questions:
1. Road trip music: What do you like? What would suggest? We have 4 MP3 players between us. Books, Music, bands, artists, etc. We have a Rhapsody music account so we can load almost anything on to our MP3 player for nothing. (Subscription model) If you suggest it, and we can find it I'll throw it into the mix and see what happens. As with Audio books we have an Audible account as well so we could download a book or two. We're open to suggestions at this point.

2. Things to do on our trip: We're going to take 4 days to get down to Colorado Springs. The first day we'll be in Boise, ID. The second day we'll be in Salt Lake City, UT. The third day we'll be traveling to Grand Junction, CO. If there are any things of note we should go out of our way to see along the way.

Please feel free to fill the comments with your suggestions!

~B.

Labels: travel

(That title is for you Dan "Slider" McCurley)

The title comes from the time I was set to have a biopsy to find out what was going on inside me and the nurse was trying to get me to swallow a pill and she suggested I give it the "Old College Try". Dan and I have had a good laugh about that since then.

Anyway, we made it back safe from Colorado. Yep... Great trip. Weather was nice... What? Did you want to know something?! Oh, right... my potential job. How could I forget?

Since Lisa and I have talked to the people we felt needed to hear it first (no offense, but the blog isn't really the best place to deliver brand new information to people like your parents) I feel safe in writing here that Lisa and I are officially attempting to move to Colorado. I say "attempting" because I have to undergo a formal interview process where I fill out pages and pages of information, and then they get together a group of people to interview me. I am currently the only one in the "running" for this position (there was another guy, but he felt God calling him elsewhere) so it seems a pretty safe bet that we'll be moving to Colorado Springs. However, while Lisa and I are proceeding forward with this we are both still open to the option that it might not happen. Sometimes God calls us down a path and it doesn't work out for one reason or another. We're open to that as well.

Assuming I get this application done soon I am guessing that they will be "formally interviewing" me in about 2 weeks. So by October 1st we should know if we are going or not. We have hopes of leaving mid-October for Colorado at this point.

I have an appointment at this time for the 1st and the 2nd of October to have my Wisdom teeth removed. (1st is the pre-surgery appointment and the 2nd is the actual extraction) I'm not a big fan of surgery... but I am more confident about it since last November's "surgical escipades". Pray about that is appreciated.

Prayer is also appreciated for both OC and Lisa and myself as we try and figure this whole thing out. We'll keep you all posted as we progress! Time to start packing up the condo... again. (We tried it last time right before I got sick, April 2007.) Maybe the Lord will bless us with good health, and a clear path to Colorado this time! (Thank the Lord for the time I've been given!)

~B.

Labels: praise, prayer request, travel

Hey Everyone,
We arrived in Denver just fine and made the trip down co Colorado Springs without any trouble as well. In case you're wondering we spent 5 hours yesterday looking at houses to get a feel for the city itself and to get some idea of what different areas are like.

We still haven't made a choice as of yet, mainly because I haven't seen the job yet. We went to a church this morning, but it seemed to be made up mainly of people that were a bunch older than us. If we decide to move down here we'll keep looking. (Suggestions are appreciated)

Today is going to be pretty lazy, and then tomorrow I'll be spending the day with OC and Lisa will be looking into some rental places.

Thanks for your support! I'll continue to try and post pictures occationally.

~B.

Labels: prayer request, travel

Wednesday (Lisa's Birthday) we swung by Starbucks in the morning and the cashier person saw we were wearing our fedoras and was like, "Wow... those Hats rock!" (No we're not in a band... We just play one on the internet...)

In other news this week also said farewell to our Honda Civic and we said "Hello" to the newest addition to our technology family: The 2009 Honda Fit. Sucks less gas (if you even thought that was possible), has more space in it, takes up less space outside, and is less expensive to insure. Money saved. (And to answer your question, no we don't intend on buying a new car every year... in doing some research it just seemed that after a year of driving the civic that the Fit... well FIT the way we drove and things we did with the car more than the Civic. So the switch made sense. Lord willing we won't be switching/ changing cars again anytime soon. (Oh, yes... it IS orange...) So far it's a great little car and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a nice sporty little car that can haul over 60cubic feet of... stuff. (That also gets great gas millage)

Colorado this weekend. We'll have a decision about moving made on or around Tuesday of this next week. Then its either "back to 'normal' life" again OR "ready, set, PACK." It's strange to be on the cusp of something like this. Granted it is WORLDS better than waiting to find out if you are going to go back into the hospital the next week or not. Which of course makes me thank the Lord for everything He has done for us in the past year!

Thanks for all the prayer support! We look forward to telling you all what we feel like God is calling us to do!

~B.

Labels: prayer request, travel

Anyone that has read my blog or interacted with me much at all will know that it is almost physically impossible for me to pass up a pun. (Hey, if I don't say it, odds are good I was thinking it.) Thus today's title shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. Now please leave your sharp comments elsewhere, they will be moderated.

For Christmas, or my birthday, this year Lisa gave me 6 credits to a private cooking school in Seattle called, "Bon Vivant". I was a little leery of taking a class at a place I had never been before, so I invited Lisa to come to a class with me. We ended up going to a "Knife Skills" class. (As we seem to spent a lot of our time in the kitchen cutting things.) The class was from 10am to 2:30 on Saturday and we both really enjoyed it.

It was held in someone's house who had a very large and well designed kitchen for things like teaching a class. We listened to a knife lecture for a bit and then then had us get stuff out and actually try cutting things. The nice thing about this was there were only 8 people in the class and so the teacher could afford to come around and personally help everyone improve their knife skills. After we had cut up a bunch of stuff we paired off and started to cook with the stuff we had cut up. Lisa and I made a chicken recipe and I am not 100% certain of this, but I think we made the best dish. Granted we were following the recipe that were given, but I think perhaps us not being afraid to tackle the "meat" dish paid off.

The instructor and the aids, as well as the other students were all really nice people. If any of you, gentle readers, have any interest in learning to cook better I would suggest trying out Bon Vivant. They are great people and you get to eat afterwords. You learn something AND you get food. Didn't get THAT in college. (Unless you went to a cooking school)

This week is Lisa's Birthday (September 10th!) and we plan to party! Dinner out with the folks and the sibs who can make it. This week should be fairly calm otherwise. This weekend we are heading out to Colorado to take a look at Colorado Springs and see what we think of the city and of the job.

Thank you for your continued support in that area and we would appreciate your continued prayers as we see if that is what God wants us to be doing.

~B.

Labels: food, prayer request, travel

Yeah, Sorry about that. It was partially intentional and partially something that just kind of happened. I wanted that last post to stay "on top" for longer so that it wasn't missed by any of you "random" drop-ins.

No real further developments on the job front other than learning a bit about their medical insurance. Sounds just as good and/or better than I have now. (A good sign) Lisa and I have booked tickets to go to Colorado Springs on the 13th of September to check everything out. Other than that I would ask that you continue to pray for us as we make this choice and figure out if "The Spring" is where God wants us to spend a part of our lives. It's could all happen pretty quick if we decided to go that route, so while we can do some prep now, it'll really have to wait until we make the choice after the weekend in Colorado.

Thanks for your continued support. I'll let you know how everything is proceeding.

We spent a lovely weekend on Whidbey Island with some friends who were camping. It was kind of funny, the people without kids (us and another couple staying with us) were staying at Lisa's parent's place and all the people with kids were staying at a camp-ground. We cooked a whole meal over the fire (veggies, steak, chicken, dessert) and they called US adventurous! (We got to sleep on beds that night... without children waking us up every few hours. Not what I would consider adventurous.) However cooking over the fire was pretty interesting. I could see trying that again.

~B.

Labels: food, travel

We don't have a cat to take out of a bag, so our bird will have to do... and frankly he's not too hip on bags, so we'll simply take him out of his cage. (No that's not a picture of Niko, he'd never sit on something so froofy.) So what bird/bag cat/cage am I talking about?

For the past few weeks I have alluded to something at the tail end of a couple of my posts. Well, I finally feel like I can speak to that "thing" and give you all some details. I am in the process of working with a missions organization (OCi) to possibly fill their soon to be vacant "Director of Internet Services" position. Lisa and I are still praying and thinking it over, but the job would require a move. A move to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

As you have prayed for Lisa and I in the past we would ask that you pray with us now as we look to God to direct us as to whether we should go or not. For those of you wondering about my medical condition I feel like my oncologist had some really good advice that applies in this case, "Don't let your medical situation stop you from doing what you feel like you need to do." In my case it might be modified to "don't let your medical condition stop you from doing what God wants you to do."

As for time frame we'd probably be looking at sometime in October. They have said they'd like me October 1st, but I don't know if that is possible with everything that comes from moving to a new state.

Anyway, feel free to ask questions and such, we're open about talking about it. And please remember to pray for us.

~B.

Labels: prayer request, travel

I don't think I have been this lax at blogging since sometime last year. I'm sure a string of successive trips and busy evenings are to blame...

As I mentioned yesterday my family (Mom, Dad, Me, Lisa, Adam, Sheli, and Beth) went down to Seaside, Oregon to spend some quality time together. We had great food, both cooked "in-house" and "out" as well. (The kitchen at the place we staid was fantastic. It was close to my dream kitchen. About 20,000 dollars more and little reorganization and it would be there...) It was a great place to prep food and it was nice to be able to help mom cook and toss out ideas for other flavors and food options.

We also got an "old fashioned" photo taken of everyone. It was a lot of fun to get a "family" portrait done in such a way. (Probably can't post the picture here for copyright reasons) Adam and Dad were taking pictures almost constantly so as soon as Adam posts some pictures I'll provide a link. (They just got back from Europe and they are moving this week so I doubt I'll be seeing those pictures today.)

As you no doubt saw from the picture, Lisa and I also stopped into a hat store and picked up a new hat. (My "cabby hat" is heavy wool, and while it's nice for the winter it will COOK you in the summer.) I think I tried on just about every hat in the store to find the one I finally bought. Kind of like a mini-fedora. (Not as much brim) With my black pea coat on I kind of look like I should be solving crimes or something. (1930's style) Just call me Ben "Noir"orrell. heh... ok, maybe not.

Lots of walks were had on the vacation as well. It really made me wish that the area around where we live was a little more... interesting. The seaside is always changing and the wind makes the waves do various things and the animals (seagulls) are flying around, and there are people out on the Prom, walking, riding bikes, chasing dogs, etc. Here your options are 1. drive somewhere more scenic, or 2. walk among suburbia and enjoy the crash and the roar of the... automobile. Where ever Lisa and I happen to end up next (Lord willing) I think I will attempt to put more thought into where we are in relation to other things around us, and what those things happen to look like. (There are only so many laps we can do around the condo shared greenery before I get bored.) All that to say, wish I was walking more... wish I was motivated by my surroundings to walk more.

Saturday we spent the morning cleaning up the house and then we drove back home. I think if anything this trip has given me a thinking that running my own medium sized Bed and Breakfast might kind of be fun.

This week looks to be pretty "normal" (yay!) but the weekend will be wrapped up by a trip to "the island" to hang out with Lisa's family before her sister goes back to school for the year. (And I have no one to tease for another 4 to 6 months at least (it's just not the same on Facebook))

I'll continue to sort through my pictures and post a few as I find them. I'll entertain any questions you might have though... anyone in the audience?

~B.

Labels: family, travel

Since Thursday the internet we had been tapping into decided to go away and thus the family was left to fend for ourselves without the internet for the past 3 days or so. Today my health has been up and down and combined with post-vacation business I haven't had time to post.

I hope, dear readers, that this entry finds you well. Having taken almost a week off from writing here to spend a little more time with my family in Seaside, Oregon instead. (A big thanks to the Fergusons for letting us stay at their place.)

It was really a very nice vacation, my family didn't go on very many vacations together when I was growing up, I think mainly because my father was working so hard to provide for all of us. (Which I thank him for mightily and do not count "lack of family vacations" as a minus on his record at all.) Anyway, as the Morrell children have grown up (and 2/3rds of us married now) it is nice to get to spend some more solid together family time. Without the "He's looking out my window", "Ow _____ (insert brother's name) pinched me", or the "are we there-yet"s that come from travel with (and as) children. (Aside: All the Morrell Children came in separate vehicles so no one had to worry about "_______ (insert brothers name) won't let me drive!")

I'm sure as I settle in in the next few evenings I will detail more about not just this trip but the 2 previous ones I took as well.

Tomorrow starts what I hope will be a long an uninterrupted chain of a regular work schedule!

I thank you all for your continued prayers for my health, I have a doctor's appointment next Monday.

Thank you!

~B.

Labels: travel

I was "in the market" for a new hat (that switches up the one I currently have) and so Lisa and I decided to go hat shopping at a place here in Seaside called, "Mostly Hats". I was not surprised when we walked in and they had, well, mostly hats.

Lisa found one that she looked good in almost immediately, however I had to try on almost everything before we found something that worked. (Note: Hats with wide brims make my ears look big (much to my disappointment))

~B.

Labels: travel

Today Lisa and I were able to celebrate our 3rd Wedding Anniversary. We had plans to do it last weekend, but then we had to cancel them to go to California for Lisa's grandfather's memorial service, and then I ended up in the hospital for 4 days. So we really haven't had time to celebrate since the 16th.

The first thing we did this morning was to go to the Woodland Park Zoo. We had a good time walking around and seeing creatures that normally aren't seen in these parts. (We continue to marvel as well how much birds act like birds no matter if they are parrots, owls, or raptors)

Following the Zoo we went to the Bush School, where we say a presentation of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)". We ended up seeing that because I had heard it was funny, and because a co-worker of mine at TTC, has a husband who directed it. (And it was Free... which is great.) It was a fun performance, and we enjoyed ourselves.

For dinner tonight we went to "Cascadia" which is a fine eating establishment in Bell Town. (Which is a part of Downtown Seattle.) They are famous for their "mini burgers" which are 2oz burgers made of hanger steak. Add some garlic fries to that order and a "coconut-chocolate lava cake" and it completes a GREAT day together.

Since getting home we've been packing for Seaside. Cheryl (Lisa's sister) will be living at the condo during our away time to look after the bird. (And she can experience the cool-ness that is living in an 800sqft condo in Bellevue, on the edge of Redmond. Not many people get that experience... so you gotta take it while you got it.)

I would like to thank all of you for your continued prayers for my health. I am interested to see how things "settle-down" after August and what life will look like. I'm continuing to seek guidance on that and being open to what God has for me and what He wants me to be doing and how I am to be using the skills he has given me.

(Hopefully I can actually complete this vacation without coming home early for some sort of medical reason!)

~B.

Labels: anniversary, family, praise, prayer request, travel

I was browsing over the 200 pictures I took this past weekend and I thought I would post the one that I thought was the best. (It's currently formatted to fit my Mac's desktop)

This is sunset from the beach we were on on San Juan Island. Many thanks to my wonderful wife for the use of her camera and letting me go! (Click for full image)

~B.

Labels: pictures, travel

Well, I'm back... at least for today. I have pictures from my first trip, and I wrote up about 1800 words worth of notes for some blog entries, but I think I won't be able to get to that today. I'm heading out again tomorrow to go see the Olympic Peninsula for the next couple days and have to turn around and repack.

Suffice for now that the weather was great and I had a great time. Details will be forthcoming!

~B.

Labels: travel

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Last year I missed out on the family gathering on San Juan Island. This year however I did not. For those of you that don't know the bulk of my extended family lives in Southern California. Every year my Dad's side of the family takes the time to trek up here to Washington and hang out for a couple of weeks. At least a week being on one of the islands. (It used to be Orcas Island, but the spot we used to go to got too loud) These past few years it has been on San Juan Island. As you can see from the map San Juan Island is pretty far North. As in we looked south to see Victoria, BC... as in Canada.

San Juan is a great place to relax. There are some things to do, hikes to take, a few sites to see, etc, but honestly there isn't THAT much to do. It almost forces you to stop and then slow down and enjoy the environment around you. Case in point, sitting on the deck of the rental house waiting for the Orca Whales to swim by and watching the sun set. Following that lighting a fire in the firepit and sit around that just chatting and watching stuff burn. And repeat. Very nice, very slow. Nothing much really "needs" to get done. And even that stuff takes it time getting done.

I am going to boil down some of my experiences on the island in a next couple of entries. Please bear with me as I get them out!

~B.

Labels: travel

When you can buy WINDOWS. Yes, so we got a quote to replace the (aged/ing) windows in our condo and, low and behold, it is the same cost we had assigned to buying a second car. I am guessing that the windows will probably win out over the car being as we would use the windows on a daily basis and the car on a semi-weekly basis. Besides, odds are good the windows would start saving us money, where as the car would draw money on a fairly regular basis.

I have a bit of a confession to make. I'm Twitter-patted. (Bambi reference for you there) The "micro-blogging" site Twitter.com is kind of fun and I wish I knew more people on it. It's kind of like a Facebook status, combined with a group chat. I can post whatever I want to say in 140 characters or less, and my "followers" can see and reply to what I have written. It's fun, I've been having little "mini" conversations with people I haven't seen in person in a while. Plus it's kind of fun to see what people are posting if they happen to be by a computer and posting to twitter. (I use an Adobe Air version called Twhirl that sits on my desktop quietly whist I work.) It's also allowed me to have conversations with people who see my Facebook status and ask more about what I meant.

I been having a lot of dreams lately. Last night specifically I had a dream that I had to go into surgery again. It was strange because it happened in my dream just like it did in real life. In my dream I kind of "blacked out" at a certain point and only remember after I woke up. At this point in my life I am trying really hard not to think about what I went through last year. I don't think I would say that I am "out of the woods" by any stretch of the imagination, but it is kind of nice to have the time that God has given me to see people and do things to help people.

I don't know if this has anything to do with being shut in a hospital for so much of last summer, but I have also had quite the desire to travel these last few months. I want to go out and see the world. I'm sure that probably has something to do with being faced with the possibility that I might NOT get to travel when I am "older". It seems to me like traveling is a two sided coin. On one hand you get to experience new places and new people and expand you horizons, on the other hand it keeps you from close friends and family. The dichotomy of travel.

(Picture courtesy of writing this blog and being side-tracked by a small green bird with really bad posture!)

~B.

Labels: family, health, travel

I have compiled a video for your viewing pleasure. A video of "Road Trip" like proportions. I'm not uploading it to the video sites like YouTube or Google Video or Facebook because it is 15 minutes long AND I am not overly keen on people who don't hit up this site being able to view the video. (Also I am too lazy to embed it in a flash player on this site so YOU will have to go through the trouble of right clicking on the video link and saying "save as" and then watching the video.)

I had hopes that this would be longer and involve more pictures of me at the end, but alas, not all vacations are as they are planned.

Video can be seen by right clicking here and saving the video file to your hard drive. It's about 18 megs, and takes about 15 minutes to run through. Enjoy.

Thanks again for the continued support. The shingles are starting to dwindle down to nothing more than little scar looking things. Hopefully we can see what a little work can do this week.

~B.

Labels: travel