Christmas

Christmas this year was super busy, since we had only been in Idaho for a few days, but like always it was a good day spent together. We spent the morning together doing our own Christmas, before heading to my mom's for Christmas and turkey lunch. Around dinner time, we headed to my dad's and had a delicious nacho bar before playing a few hours of Rock Band. No presents at dad's house until the next night at 5pm, when Cindy's girls got home. It was a bit rushed to eat dinner and do gifts that night since I had taken a shift at Banana Republic starting at 9pm, but we still had a great time. Marcel took pictures of that Christmas on Cindy's camera so I'll have to get those from her, but these are the pictures we have!

With the move so close to Christmas, we didn't decorate our Oregon house and thought it was silly to decorate this house so we (mainly Marcel) got super creative and hung lights over our lamp! I was so excited to decorate since it was our first married Christmas together and we got Christmas decorations/ornaments last year for Christmas and had Christmas lights like crazy from our wedding. Now we'll just have to wait for next year!

Not many pictures of just me on the blog, because I rarely like any of them, but this one I deemed decent enough for publishing. It was my reaction to our Christmas tree

in the kitchen Christmas morning, "making" breakfast

notice our delicious breakfast...nothing like Peanut Butter Captain Crunch! I love cereal every morning and Christmas is no exception :)

Marcel's QUEEN

Marcel got all clothes from me which I hated, but with our extremely small budget for the whole year and especially Christmas, I got him needed items: dress clothes for teaching. I liked this excited face the most!

Us and the tree!

Marcel wanted to head to my mom's in his pajamas but I made him dress up, just so we could take this picture. My mom and Don just moved into their new house and still managed to have such a pretty tree!

missing Hannah :(

they refused all weekend to take a decent picture together, but I guess finally Marcel won out....Emily & Matt, who are soon headed to Vegas & Arizona to watch BSU in the Fiesta Bowl

Marcel and I were spoiled like always, but some of our favorite gifts include: cartridges for my Cricut cutter (hopefully I'll get motivated to get creative), musical art for our hobby room, 5 sets of the china we registered for to finish out our collection at 8, Reba seasons 3 & 4, a Wii, and a TomTom...of course a few articles of clothing and socks were included in our stockings along with some movie tickets, Moxie Java gift certificates and tokens for a car wash!

Now In Idaho

There are a few new posts below this one!

We've been very busy since getting here Saturday night. We are almost entirely settled and out of boxes. The main room we have left is what was called "The Office" in Oregon. Now that our house has a built in computer desk area, now known as the "Study Nook", our office is now "The Hobby Room", as it holds Marcel's drums and guitars and all my scrapbooking stuff. I told Marcel he needed to take pictures of me doing something because I was taking pictures of him unloading the U-Haul and setting up our surround sound systems, but there was no pictures to show that I did anything. This is the picture that I have now!


We thought the closet was big until we started to fill it!


Monday, December 21st, Marcel had his interview for George Fox University to get his Master's of Arts in Teaching. It turned out to be a group assessment, not an interview, but nonetheless, Marcel was accepted. He had to stay in Boise after the assessment for the mandatory orientation session that night. He starts classes January 7th! We are very blessed by this opportunity and love that he'll be able to work too, as classes are only Thursday nights and a Saturday a month until November when he starts student teaching. I was scared about signing up for internet without knowing just exactly how much either of us would be working, but with school, Marcel will need the internet, so we stepped out in faith knowing that we would always have enough to cover our needs.


Marcel dressed up for the assessment!

Some of the things we are still trying to get used to about being in Idaho:

• TV--prime-time starts at 7pm, not 8pm, like in Oregon
• Sales Tax--although we are both originally from states that do have sales tax we have spent 4-5 years in a place that didn't. And when we went grocery shopping, I learned that Washington (where Marcel is from) doesn't tax food.
• Altitude--we have been living nearly at sea level, so being at a higher altitude means thinner oxygen. I liked the oxygen in Oregon!
• Recycling--after being in Oregon for 5 years I have become an avid recycler. We were able to recycle just about everything, even putting everything in the same bin. I know that we'll have to sort our recycling, which is something we've already started, but now I just don't know where to take it. We ARE going to find a place to recycle everything that we did in Oregon, just might take awhile, but we will be Idahoans who recycle!

I'll take more pictures of our house once we are finally out of boxes, have pictures up, and decorations placed!

Oregon to Idaho

We have been in Idaho for 5 days now and have set-up internet already which will be explained later. Here is the recap of our big move:



December 18th, Friday
Marcel and I picked up the U-Haul at 7:15am. When we got home we loaded our washer and dryer, before our moving help arrived. We had help from some awesome people from church: Dave, the worship pastor; Jon, the administrator; and Brandi, the wife from our pre-marital counseling group. Jon and Dave helped Marcel load and perfectly fit everything into the truck, while Brandi and I cleaned. Poor Brandi picked to clean the shower and oven--I got pretty lucky there! As we were breaking for lunch after the U-Haul was loaded, Dave & Jon informed us that church was paying for us to stay in the local hotel that night because we had plans of crashing the floor of our apartment since our bed was packed. They decided we needed great sleep before making a 7+ hour drive the next day.



The U-Haul half loaded (Jon working his organizational magic)



Brandi & I giving the kitchen much love



Before heading to the hotel for the night



December 19th, Saturday
We got up at 5:30am to get ready for the big day, including an amazing continental breakfast at the hotel. We met our landlord at 7am for our walk-through and to hand over our keys. Our apartment was deemed to be in the same condition as when we moved in so we'll get our entire $700 deposit back! We headed to the gas station and were on the freeway by 7:45am! We stopped in Pendelton for lunch about noon and made it to Caldwell around 4:30pm, about 8 hours later. The weather was great. Some rain, but only snow on the side of the road, and pretty dry roads. We had planned to unload the U-Haul Sunday, but once getting here we felt very motivated, and so in just a blink of an eye the unloading began. My dad, Cindy, Stacey & Lisa (Dad's friends--Stacey used to work with my dad and a long time ago he called us his adopted children) came to help us unload. After we were done, Marcel and I treated ourselves to a dinner out at a sit-down restaurant: Applebee's. We had been talking about having to pay sales tax but it wasn't until we got the bill for dinner did we realize the time had come.

Marcel's self portrait while driving



Landscape we encountered



At our new house!


Marcel unloading

Pizazz

The first weekend of December (the first weekend of my girl's night out) Marcel had his last symphonic band concert. He had a percussion piece selected just for him.

It seems like forever ago so I'm short on words, but there are pictures to tell the story!


in his piece...Pizazz

proud wife

Marcel & Dr. B-P, his advisor

I tried to upload the video of his percussion piece, but after at least an hour of waiting for it to upload there was an error...maybe I'll try again later, but not for a few days.

MAT @ GFU?!?!

A long time ago, Marcel and I decided we were being called to Idaho because I was going to go to nursing school and he'd be getting his MAT. Then I realized I was far from ready for more schooling and just a few months later Marcel decided he wouldn't be able to start in January as originally planned because of some confusion from the Admission's Office, but after a lot of prayer we realized it was still the right thing for us to go to Idaho.

Fast forward to last week and things are changing: Marcel received a letter from George Fox University's Boise campus informing him that he still had time to apply for their program to start January 7th. It seemed impossible because before school can start he has to: apply to school, write an admissions essay, get 3 letters of recommendation, create a teaching experience resume, update his FAFSA, take the PRAXIS test, participate in a group assessment/interview, and attend the mandatory orientation session on December 21st, just 2 days after we're leaving Oregon! But with help with the wonderful people in the Career Center, a final schedule to die for and a wonderful wife, he has been able to get everything done! Plus, by using the Career Center he is eligible for their Grad School Application Fund--each student who uses them can receive $150 in funds for the application and testing fees. It has left us with just $20 to cover out-of-pocket. What a blessing!

The admissions counselor @ GFU told him there is still plenty of financial aid available and it is still the FAFSA using 2008 tax information, so we should be getting plenty of aid. And she also told him that pending no red flags being seen during the interview and the letters of recommendation he'd be an admitted student as of Monday, just in time for the orientation and he'll be on his way to getting his Master's of Arts in Teaching!

The program is part-time for the first 2 semesters, January through September, with class just Thursday nights and a class or 2 online, so he'll still be able to work nearly full-time! That's the reason he first thought this program was where he needed to be. So if he makes it through the rest of the process without any red flags, he'll be a licensed teacher in May 2011 and we'll be preparing for another big move to wherever he can find a job teaching music!

It feels good to be rewarded for our faithfulness and continually trusting in His plan, instead of following the path we set out for ourselves. It may be very uncomfortable at times, but it is ALWAYS turns out best when we allow Him to lead our lives!

Oh How I'll Miss Thee

The time has just about come...the boxes have been packed, the apartment has been cleaned, the jobs have ended, the education has been achieved, now all that's ahead of us is the move.

In memory of my over 5 years, and Marcel's 4, in Forest Grove here is everything I am going to miss...

• MAKA--I never called us that before but as I was making a list of everything that had to get done before I could leave this place, a party with MaryBeth, Amy, Kelly and Allison was on the top of the list. My handwriting is large, but my planner isn't, so it became the MAKA party...I could go on and on about why I'll miss these girls. People say that high school is the best years of your life and I believed them...until I went to college, where I made the friends I'll have forever. They were there for me through everything. When school, home, Marcel, or just life in general was getting the best of me, they helped me see the bigger picture.

• Pacific University--I'll start by saying this was not the school's logo the entire time I was a student, but now it's undergone a much needed facelift. Pacific was my home away from home for a year, and then finally became my home when I started spending my summer breaks here too. I can still remember the first time I called this place my home to my mom! It gave me more opportunities than I ever thought I could get out of college. I met some of the greatest people ever here, had the coolest bosses ever (even the President!), and had more fun than I could ever try to recall.
• Sonrise Church--It reminds me of my first semester at Pacific, trying so hard to find a church that wasn't just a college group; we all wanted a family church, one that had kids, young adults, adults and even an elderly crowd. With the help of Whitney's pastor at home, Sonrise became just that for us. I started attending there January 2005, and teaching in the Preschool Sunday School Class (the same class I taught up until moving) in October 2006. It gives me hope to know that if I was lucky enough to find a church that would help me grow spiritually once, I will be able to do it again, as Marcel and I search for a new church home together.
  I don't believe luck actually had anything to do with it! It was more like a God thing :)
  

• Meadowlark--Our first place! How could I not miss the place we spent our first 6 months of marriage? While we were stressed about having a place to live, this place practically found us. It provided us a safe place to live close to school and close enough to work. I may or may not miss the actual apartment, but the time spent in #34 will be cherished forever, and I know that we will always look back on the days spent here.


• Bailey Avenue--I drove by this road every day I drove to the gym from Forest Grove and have no recollection of it until my first day back to work after my honeymoon—when I was finally a Bailey. For reference, I had been working at the gym for nearly 7 months at that point! In a book we got from Marcel’s mom, I read about the importance of prayer cues, having something to remind you to pray specific prayers. This street served as my prayer cue to pray about my marriage, my husband, my life as a wife, whatever was on my mind and heart about our marriage. While I hated the 30 minute drive through the city, this sign slowly earned a place in my heart and started me praying about the most important thing in my life. Now that I have dedicated time to continually pray those things early in our marriage, I can continue to follow the same pattern even without my prayer cue.

• 24 Hour Fitness & Banana Republic--I started working at both these places, hoping they’d be very temporary until I could find something more practical for my using my education. I soon felt very discouraged when job searching was going nowhere so I was happy to take a month or two off from looking. Then the economy happened and I was simply grateful to be working at all, when at 1 point, 14% of people in Oregon weren’t. I spent probably way too much time complaining about these places, but looking back now they were awesome. At both places, I met great people and learned great things about myself. Plus, as I recently told my mom, the gym has taught me more about parenting than I ever thought I’d learn before actually becoming a parent.
  
• No Sales Tax--When I went to the dollar store the other day to buy Christmas wrapping paper, I took in a single $1 bill. After the move that is something I'll no longer be able to do. It seems so little, but still something I'll miss!

Girl's Night Out

A few weekends ago (really I have no idea how long ago it was--time is running together with everything we have to get done!), we had a reunion. Amy, Kelly, and Allison were all at my house for a girl's night. We kicked Marcel out of our apartment--he had a party of his own--and had one of the best girl's night ever. We stayed up entirely way too late, which we expected, and then headed to Woodburn for shopping at the Outlet Mall...

We didn't take many pictures, but this is my favorite:

Allison, Kelly, MaryBeth, Amy

Oh, and if you click on the photo to view it larger, you'll notice a big scratch right between my eyebrows. I did it to myself during a nap. I guess that is what I get for sleeping when I should have been packing or cleaning, or really anything else productive. Because of it Marcel has added a new nickname for me to his collection: Harry, because it resembles Harry Potter's scar!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was once again very busy for us. We didn't head to Washington until late Wednesday night because Marcel was at worship practice for the weekend services which he led (the services turned out great--he was beyond amazing, I was so proud!). We spent Wednesday night at his dad's and then had breakfast there Thanksgiving morning, before heading up to his mom's house for the traditional Thanksgiving meal. The food was delicious, although I ate too much breakfast (it's my absolute favorite meal of all!) so I didn't eat much that day. Coco sent us home with plenty of leftovers, so I've now had my share! On our way back to Oregon, we stopped at Jill's house, Marcel's good friend and best woman in our wedding, for a short visit turned long, which was wonderful. Home before midnight so I could be up at 4am to work Black Friday @ Banana...

Like always when I get out my camera, Snoh thinks it is the most fascinating thing in the world so he served as our photographer. Most of them are blurry, but I think these ones turned out well...

The 3 of us... and once Marcel got to push the button Snoh had to...see next picture Marcel had to stabilize the camera, but it was Snoh to take the picture

Snoh was directing us... "Brother you have silly face and MaryBeth you have happy face." This was the result.

Hope everyone had a great holiday! Christmas is right around the corner and I'm starting to get into the spirit and really want to decorate our place and a tree, but to be moving in less than 3 weeks makes it a bit impractical, and we won't be in Idaho until 5 days before Christmas, so I'm not sure how much decorating will happen for our first Christmas as husband & wife...

26

I noticed on Facebook a few days ago that people were posting something they were thankful for for each day of November, until Thanksgiving. I'm a bit late but figured I could still come up with at least 26, so here is my list:

1. God--He has done more for me that I can ever begin to recall, but recently, he allowed me to meet my husband, he has provided for Marcel and I when things seem to be stacked against us, and of course, he loves us with His perfect love.
2. Marcel--Today, we are 4 days shy of our 6 month mark of being husband and wife. While we have not had as much time together as either of us would like, at the end of the day we both know that we are there for each other 100%. Marcel has shown me more love these last 6 months than I could ever deserve. Getting up at 3:30am with me to have the car warm when I leave for a 4am shift, and making breakfast for me on days when I work at 5am, having the whole house cleaned when I get home because work has made me too tired to clean it myself, I could go on and on, but I am thankful to have him by my side
3. Mom & Dad--People say you learn to respect your parents more once you become a parent, but I think just being married has given me a deeper respect for everything they do. Now that I am responsible for working, cooking, cleaning, paying bills and all the other grown up stuff, I see everything they did for me when I was young. Thank you!
4. Emily & Hannah--I could not ask for better sisters. We may not talk often enough, but when we finally get a hold of each other (we are all living in different time zones!) we talk like no time has passed and can tell each other just about anything we feel. I hope that my kids will one day have that same relationship with their siblings.
5. Marcel's family--So much of his family I feel I don't know well, or at all, and I may not be the closest to those I do know, but they made him who he is today and that alone makes me thankful!
6. I Love You--These simple 3 words speak volumes. It doesn't matter if I was mad, sad, disappointed, frustrated, happy, overwhelmed or any other emotion, hearing I Love You will always bring a smile to my face and make my day a little brighter
7. Our house--Every month, at the end of the month, when we are about to pay rent, I get worried wondering about where the $695 is going to come from (but see #1, because it always happens), and complain having such a big rent check to pay, but I am now trying to tell myself that we do have a place to live and for that I am thankful.
8. Our car--There are times when our one car is far from enough to get me and Marcel everywhere we need to be at the time we need to be there, but with Marcel's flexibility we are able to make it work. Our Vibe gets me back and forth between 2 jobs with 2 very crazy schedules.
9. Food--Marcel jokes that I have to eat every 2 hours and I get mad at him every time he says anything about it, but I have to admit that I can't go long between meals and we have always had something in the cupboard to fill that need.
10. Employment--I don't know if there has been a day where I have not complained to Marcel about one thing or the other about one of my jobs or the other, but I am thankful for having a job when so many people around me don't.
11. Education--I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to go to college and get a degree. If I am using it now or not, it is still something that can't be taken from me and is something that I will use, however God best sees fit.
12. Future--With how greats things have been, I am thankful for the future God has in store for me. I pray now that I will try to be grateful for what I am given and when I am given it because I know things work out better when we trust in Him.
13. Church--I was just saying today that I may not have been the most involved in my church, outside of Sunday School, but I still believe without the church experience no one would feel God move in their life the way He wants. I love Sonrise's mission statement/motto: A Safe Place to Hear a Life Changing Message. Everything you do hear at church is life changing, if you let it be.
14. Friends--Although I am soon moving away from those friends of mine that I've grown closest to over the last 5+ years, I am thankful for that friendship and now that it will never end. I am excited for the opportunity to develop new friendships as our life leads onto a new chapter in our life.
15. Health--I consider myself to be in good health, while I could be in better shape, overall I think I'm healthy and for that I'm thankful!
16. Seasons--I love living in a place that has such great seasons. I love all of them and can't imagine living in a place that did not allow me to experience the whole spectrum of God's creation.
17. Entertainment--Whether that be a good movie or a good TV show, I am thankful for the actors who are able to provide me that outlet. Maybe I watch a bit too much of it, but it is enjoyable nonetheless!
18. Sleeping in--It doesn't happen nearly as much as I would like for how late I stay up almost every night, but the days where I am finally am to sleep in are heavenly to me, almost as heavenly as...
19. No alarm clock--I think I would trade sleeping in if I could just simply wake up everyday when I wanted to. I feel so much at peace with my day when I chose when to wake up, instead of being told when to get up.
20. Rainbows--They are beautiful just to look at, but knowing why there is a rainbow in the sky is so much more important. Every time I see a rainbow, I am thankful that God will take care of us each and everyday.
21. Dave Ramsey--silly for some of you, but this man is guiding Marcel and I down the path to becoming debt-free. It will be the two of us doing all the hard work on the path, but he is showing us what path to take and I can't wait for the day when I owe no one money and Marcel and I can finally visit Australia! We have told ourselves when our student loans are entirely paid off we are going on a long vacation there
22. Technology--nearly every day I am checking my email, on facebook, blog stalking, or searching for jobs, and I would not be able to do any of that without the internet and a computer. While sometimes it does make your life harder, most of the time it does nothing but make it easier.
23. America--Things may not be going the best for our country right now, but overall this is a great place to live. I'm glad to be an American.
24. Dishwashers--As I was talking to my mom this week, she reminded me that our house in Idaho is without a dishwasher and it made me so glad that I have had one the last 6 months. It helped with our hectic schedules to have clean dishes waiting for us!
25. Photography--I thought I used to take a lot of pictures, but Marcel has taught me what it means to take pictures. He takes pictures of things I'd never think to and those are usually the ones that best capture the memories we're making. I enjoy scrapbooking and hope that soon I'll have time to get caught up enough on mine that I can start our wedding book, and to think that none of it would be possible without the picture.
26. Life, in general--Everyday I feel frustrated by money, work, messes, just to name a few, but this Thanksgiving I am trying especially hard to find the good in everything, everyday. I am blessed!

The Stone

Tonight, I was once again home alone and since our borrowed internet has decided to work again I was going through some of my old posts-it's a lot of fun to see everything I was really excited about in the last few months.

I found my post about Marcel's Senior Project (he wrote a piece of music, taught it to students, and then conducted them in concert) and it reminded me that I just found an old email in my inbox with a link to a youtube video of Pacific's Senior Project Day that is set to the piece he wrote. I figured that if I put it into my blog, I can find it whenever I want to feel overly proud of my amazing husband.
This video is not just about his presentation; his music just plays throughout it and he is credited at the end, still enough to be proud of

He named his piece The Stone because it was his capstone project, just in case any of you were curious!

Mysterious Message

Yesterday morning I was on my way back from Banana, anxious for my nap, and listening to K-LOVE, my new found love in radio. I heard that Steven Curtis Chapman was going to be on but I didn’t hear when. I was hoping that I’d hear it because he is my all-time favorite Christian music artist. On my way to the gym, my radio turned on to K-LOVE and it was Steven Curtis Chapman! His new song, Heaven is the Face, is about his little girl dying. His whole interview was about her dying and how they are coping still after 18 months. All he could say over and over is that there are still hard days and very hard days but each day they are reminded that they will be reunited and that is enough to get them through the difficult times.

He also spoke of his tattoo of her drawing—a six petal flower, with only 1 petal colored in, with the word SEE. He explained it as the sign from God that everything would be okay, that his family would get through the tragedy. He has 6 children, 1 of which has gone to Heaven, that’s the petal that’s colored. We can never reach completion in this life and it isn’t until we return to our Father. SEE was a word she had just learned to write but it spoke volumes of saying see I’m in a better place.

I spent my 30 minute drive crying along to the radio, and the DJs who were also crying. Lately I’ve felt that life has been rough for me—my jobs keep me way too busy for way too little money, my house never looks how I want it to, I don’t see my husband enough, etc… but this whole conversation spoke to me. There are people who have it way harder than I do, and they may even be in my apartment complex. I have 2 jobs at a time when many people have none. I have a place to live when many people don’t. I have food in my cupboards and fridge when many people can’t afford groceries. I have a loving, supportive husband and family when many people are losing their loved ones.

This was a message I needed to hear. It is something I’ve been praying about and having Marcel pray for me about. God works in mysterious ways and allowed me to hear the message I have needed to hear to come from someone I admire. I feel relieved to realize again that I am blessed beyond measure by a God who will never forsake me.

This Place...

In my last post I said that I could not have possibly caught up on the 2 years I hadn't written in my journal, but I did write about what I was feeling at that time. Again, I said last time that it is already packed up but what I wrote about is still tugging on my heart, so I'm writing about it again...

I had spent the day packing up and while I am excited beyond belief to be moving I was getting very emotional for the following reasons:

• This place has been my home for over 5 years
• This place is where all my closest friends are
• This place is what brought Marcel and I together (I didn't reread this far back in my journal, but I know that as a senior in high school, I was scared about picking a college because I had hoped and dreamed that would be the place God would show me my husband, and at 18 that thought was scary!)
• This place is where Marcel and I have spent our entire relationship: dating, engaged, and now married
• This place allows me to visit our wedding site whenever I want...nothing is as good as going back to campus and walking through the place we exchanged our wedding vows and remembering the excitement of that day!
• This place has changed me into the person I am today

Even with all of that and some things I will miss about Forest Grove (I have a draft of a post I'll publish when it gets closer to moving day) I am super excited to be returning to Idaho, closer to my family after these last 5 years of being gone. I am forever grateful for everything Forest Grove and Pacific University has done for me and could see us ending back in this area God-willing, but for now my time here is complete and I need to head somewhere else to keep growing in my relationships with my husband, my parents, my sisters, and of course God.

Reflections

2 days ago (who really knows though because my days have been all screwed up lately!) Marcel told me that he had run across my journal while looking for a notebook to take to his conference. He didn't want to tell me because he thought I might be mad at him for reading part of it and at first I was a little hurt, but I have no secrets so then I was just intrigued by what he found. He told me that he was reading from the end of my sophomore year, which is when our relationship started. He was getting very emotional (but that is just between you and me!) telling me about it, and even said that it made him fall more in love with me. All he really told me was he could tell how excited I was for our relationship, my first ever!

Today I was trying to be very productive, which I think I accomplished, except instead of looking a place of employment in Idaho, I started packing. Knowing we haven't touched our bookshelf since we moved in, that's where I started, so I too ran across my journal. I was surprised to find I hadn't written in it since July 2007! I went digging for the entry that first talked about Marcel--sometime in May 2006. I read through the rest of the journal and was also very fascinated with what Marcel had just read.

Some things that really stuck out to me:

• I had some doubts at the beginning, mainly during our first 3 months together since we were starting a relationship long distance, but once we were both back at school, things turned out great!
• I had very great friends who were there for me 100% when I need someone to talk through my feelings with
• I have been able to talk completely openly and honestly with Marcel from the beginning
• I had been very anxiously waiting him to say "I Love You" for a few weeks before it finally came on November 2, 2006...Kelly had told me not to say it before 6 months of dating to make sure I truly meant it, and Marcel respected that so he waited as long as he could before he finally said it, just 20 days early, but I know for sure that we both meant it ;)
• I had started to think about us getting married earlier in our relationship than I would have thought
• I was super excited to get good reviews from my family the first time Marcel made the trip to Idaho with me, which sealed the deal for me in a way
• I was grateful to be able to spend so much time by his side in the hospital during the liver tumor fiasco of 2007...we spent so much time joking that he'd have plenty of time to repay me as he stood by my side as I was delivering our children
• I was expecting a proposal on our first anniversary, just 16 months earlier than when it finally came

It also made me realize that we've nearly been together 3.5 years and what a ride it has been! Those were my reflections on the past and this is my glimpse into the future, trying to remember that we are not in control of any of it and we'll continue to gladly take what ever God chooses to hand us.

• Moving to Idaho, because all we've ever known together is the wonderful college town of Forest Grove
• Following Dave Ramsey's plan for our Total Money Makeover, and choosing to live like no one else so one day we can live like no one else
• One day becoming Mom and Dad, in addition to being Husband and Wife, something my mom is anxiously awaiting!
• Growing closer together each day of what I've made Marcel promise to be at least 60+ years!

And in case you were wondering, I didn't think I could possibly catch up my journal from the last 2 years, so I just started up again like no time had passed, and then packed it up promising myself that when we are in Idaho and I'm unpacking I'll be able to write about our first Christmas as a married couple, hopefully enjoying a beautiful white Christmas in Idaho!

I Miss My Husband!

This week I feel like I have done nothing but work. I usually feel this way, but this week was even more so. I had Monday off from Banana but was at the gym that night, but then spent the next 4 days at both jobs. Again, this is nothing new except the days were so much longer. In my 4 days at Banana I worked 33 hours, starting at 6am most days. I would love to start my day early so I could be off early, but in my current job situation it is not ideal. Not getting home from the gym until nearly 9pm makes it very hard to get rested enough to be up at 4:45am!

This week's craziness has also been hard because it has kept time with Marcel to a minimum. Tuesday and Wednesday he is in class until at least 9:30pm and I was trying to be in bed around then. And now that I have tonight and tomorrow off and am actually home, Marcel is attending a conference in Portland and won't be home until around midnight. Oh, what it would be like to have dinner together again!

We still have no idea what either one of us will be doing for employment once we move to Idaho, but I'm hoping that our jobs will allow us to spend time together like we did while we were dating and engaged.

Happy Halloween

Our lives have been so busy that we nearly forgot about Halloween this year. I believe it was Monday night when we looked at our weekly calendar and realized we had made it to the week of Halloween and so we tried to find time to carve a pumpkin, deciding on Friday night, only to realize a few hours later that my crazy work schedule wouldn't allow it: I worked 4-7pm and then 8pm-2am. Plus Friday we went to Safeway for pumpkins and they had none. Between work last night I went to Fred Meyer and they had just a handful of very destroyed pumpkins. This led us to the decision of not having any this year. I'm very sad about today being Halloween and I'm not going to be carving a pumpkin this year. We have decided that our life will be a bit different and maybe the jobs we'll have in Idaho will allow a decent amount of time to spend together so we don't forget about holidays!

Speaking of Idaho, we're planning on being there in 7 weeks from today, which means I only have 6 more weeks of work! And the way they have both been going I am so excited to be so close to being on to bigger and better things, even if I'm not quite sure what they entails.

Video

Ever since I heard this song on the radio Sunday I have had it stuck in my head. Instead of waiting another month before I hear it on the radio again, I googled it and found it on youtube, as a live performance. And now that it is on my blog, I can always know where to find it when I want to listen again!

Enjoy!

I'm Letting Go

On September 15th, I wrote a post entitled "A Life Changing Conversation" and the day when we had that conversation (I believe the post came a few days later) we got in the car after church and heard a song that cemented everything I had been feeling. I LOVE the feeling when music says so perfectly everything you are trying to say. If only I had one ounce of musical talent I'd like to think I would be a song writer, but that would probably also require having talent with words :)

I have been trying to remember anything about the song, since all I could remember was that it related to us giving our life over to God 100%. I have been boycotting country music to only listen to Christian music with the hopes of hearing it. Well, that day finally came and tonight heading home from my Holiday Quarterly Class at Banana, I heard just the opening music and knew it was the song I had so patiently been waiting for (ironically enough, that was the lesson I taught to my preschoolers at Sunday School this morning!)

I hope that one day I'll be able to look back at my blog and find good memories in each post. Maybe I'll even make it into a book or something, so I want to have the lyrics for the theme song from the early months of my marriage. I even hope that this song will continue to keep our relationship centered on what is truly important to us: God, each other, and those closest to us. I would love for this to be something we can look back on long after the song is off the radio and remember how excited we were to do just what Francesca Battistelli is singing about in this song.

I'm Letting Go

My heart beats, standing on the edge
But my feet have finally left the ledge

Like an acrobat
There’s no turning back

Chorus
I’m letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreams
Losing control
Of my destiny
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
So I’m letting go

This is a giant leap of faith
Trusting and trying to embrace

The fear of the unknown
Beyond my comfort zone

Chorus
I’m letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreamsLosing control
Of my destiny
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
So I’m letting go

Giving in to your gravity
Knowing You are holding me
I’m not afraid

Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
Feels like I’m falling and this is the life for me

Baby Step 1

Yesterday, Marcel called me and told me that he got a revised financial aid letter from school. His financial aid had already paid for the entire semester, but they "found" (I don't know the right word, but found works for me!) more grant money and he was awarded an additional $1,338! Because his account is already paid in full, the school will issue it to us as a check, usable however we see fit.


At first we were not quite agreeing on how to use the huge surprise. I wanted to pay off one of my smaller school loans; Marcel wanted to use it to buy the computer he has had his eye on: a Mac. It is something he will need but since school is no longer in the immediate future, I thought it was a want and not practical since our bonus wouldn't have even bought the whole thing. Where were we going to get that extra money?? I got to work at the gym and had an epiphany: if we are moving to Idaho to get ahead of our finances and are currently reading Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover as our guide then we needed to follow the steps he sets out for us, so I realized we needed to start with Baby Step 1: Save $1,000 FAST!!


Marcel was able to pick me up from work after being at worship practice and said, "So...that money needs to be our emergency fund. We can't spend it!" Remember that I am super emotional, but I almost cried. I asked how he came to that realization. At worship practice they have a prayer time and his request was once again for finances. He explained that we are moving to Idaho for financial reasons and that set off a light bulb for him! So our plan is to tithe our 10% like we are called to do and then put away the money and forget about it until we encounter an emergency.


Just the other day I was telling Marcel how I was in the stage of knowing we have to tithe because we have seen the blessings but still always worrying how it was coming to be when I had to sit down and pay bills. I think this newest surprise was just what I needed. Previously we've seen it in a few extra dollars here and there but to receive such a huge amount at one time reassured me that everything goes according plan, not our plan, but His. We are loved by a very awesome God!


Now on to Baby Step 2: Debt Snowball!

October...so far

The first weekend of this month, Marcel had a concert, actually 2! Both his symphonic and jazz bands played and his mom was able to come down. Marcel had promised Snoh that after the concert he could go on stage. He found plenty of percussion instruments to try his hand at before having to stage for some pictures. This was my favorite! It was a decent weekend except I worked (made sure to have the night off for the concert) and Snoh was sick all day Saturday.

Friday, Marcel had no school so I made a big sacrifice and took the day off from both jobs :) He did end up having to spend some hours in the theater for one of his classes, but our night plans were not affected. We went to: on Sauvie Island. We planned on going there since Marcel had never been to a corn maze, but he and his friends voted for the haunted version, which I told him does not count as being to a corn maze, since they pretty much force you through the maze--not many opportunities to get lost. Maybe next year, while we are living in Idaho, he can FINALLY experience a real maze.

A real bonus to the maze: We ran into my old friend Megan! When we were trapped in the room at the beginning learning all the rules, I leaned to Marcel and said, "It's Megan" to which he said, "No it's not", but in fact it was and we were able to go through the maze together and had a few minutes to catch up afterwards. What a great surprise!

We got to the maze before his friends did so we were able to spend some time in the market and
take some pictures on our own. This is what we ended up with:


(I would like to point out that the picture of Marcel isn't as good but it wasn't my fault--he changed the flash setting for me!)

Fall is finally upon us and while I had plenty of jackets, that did not keep my nose from being cold. Marcel was just very grateful I remembered some gloves, because I am not a very happy cold person. While we were dying in our apartment in the 90+ degree summer weather I thought I was ready for the cold, but I have since decided the only good thing about this season is the crunchy leaves I get to step on (oh, and how pretty the trees are) but the weather is stinky!

We are having a great month so far and are very excited for what fun could still be had in this month! We are getting ready for our big move in December and can't wait for what that will bring us!

Birthday #24 & #1

Saturday I had a birthday and it was special for 2 reasons: 1) it is always special to have a birthday, 2) it was my first birthday as Mrs. Bailey (I've yet to have anyone call me that out loud, but it would probably freak me out just a little!)

Since Marcel and I have been together we've always planned the other person's birthday. I think that is the only way to do it so that you have plenty of surprises on an already special day!

My day looked like this:

At 9:30am I was no longer able to force myself back to sleep. I told Marcel I wanted to sleep in and at one point in my life that would have meant sleeping until 1pm, 9:30am is great compared to my normal mornings. Plus, our house smelled so good I couldn't stay in bed any longer. I then discovered Marcel had done the cleaning on our list (we keep an ongoing list of what needs cleaned and whoever has time works to get somethings marked off) and made me a birthday cake! I then got served my favorite breakfast of all time: a bowl of cereal--I'm sure it seems so simple to most of you, but I live for cereal in the morning so to be served it, shows me how much I am loved! After lunch, we headed out to see Fame. It was a really great movie that we had both been wanting to see! Then our day led us apart, Marcel had to be at church for worship practice at 3:15pm so I spent a few hours sitting & borrowing internet at Panera Bread before joining him for service at 6pm. After church we headed out to Olive Garden, chosen because it is too far away to go to that often, but a birthday is a perfect excuse and because they have been showing Olive Garden commercials here 24/7 and we got sucked in! Marcel told our waiter it was my birthday, which I knew was going to happen and he managed to gather up a few singers, which was also expected, but Marcel recorded the thing and I was not impressed as you'd be able to tell if I actually uploaded it! Besides that you don't even get a free dessert, not that I really needed it since I had cake waiting for me at home, but I was just a little disappointed.

dinner at Olive Garden

"MB" using 24 candles

This video is only being uploaded because I am not the one singing; be forewarned that in 7 months when we are celebrating Marcel's 23rd birthday there will not be this video on our blog! And I really wish he wouldn't have shown me in the video, but it is better this one than the one from Olive Garden :)

Sunday: birthday festivities continue!

Marcel on worship team = be at church at 8am but Marcel is a perfectionist so we get there about 7:40am, leaving me plenty of time to nap before going to service at 9am (I went a second time because the message didn't sink in through my distracted brain the night before). After teaching Sunday School, I told Marcel that I had vetoed his next birthday plans: ice skating because I wanted a day at home with absolutely nothing to do, so we rented New in Town & Lakeview Terrace, both selected by me since it was still my birthday! Marcel made me a delicious dinner: steak, homemade french fries, and I added white rice.

We are still eating our way through the cake and hope to have it gone soon so I can get back to believing we eat fairly healthy :) All in all a great birthday weekend, even if Marcel thought it was pretty lame, but only in comparision to last year where we spent the weekend at the beach and then got engaged 3 days later. I told him it was still a fantastic weekend and that I'm glad he was saving up his birthday planning skills because next year I'm 25 and I know he's looking forward to throwing some crazy party since I will officially be closer to 30 than 20!

Zing Zang Zoom

Last week Marcel asked me if I had any plans Saturday which I did. I intended on spending the whole afternoon to myself since he was driving a school club to Portland as a way to earn us a little extra money. Well, he changed those plans by buying us tickets to the Ringling Brothers circus stop in Portland. Turns out he was driving them to a place one bus stop away from the circus and I'd be off work in plenty of time to take the MAX into Portland. I had been hinting about wanting to go ever since the gym had flyers for discounted tickets (good thing I work with those little kiddos) but didn't think any of the times would work out.

I have no idea the last time I was at the circus and neither did my mom--I called to ask her! We had a great time even if we spent the first 30 minutes at the top of the section waiting for the ushers to figure out why our seats had been sold twice. Turns out we had to move (as did the whole row in front of us). Marcel didn't necessarily like our new seats but I have to say I think they were a bit better (not as close to the floor but more at center ring)

Marcel mainly recorded videos but I don't want to upload them now, maybe another day, so here's his fantastic photography skills, yet again!

Pre-circus everyone had a chance to meet some clowns

my "clown"
Marcel said she wasn't a real clown, hence the picture below

my clown for real this time

the elephants were my favorite


Marcel made sure I knew this was no photo trick
the guy is really standing untder the elephant's trunk


Enjoying a great day together

Afterwards, I surprised Marcel by suggesting we ride the new MAX line--the Green line to Clackamas. I have no idea what his desire to do it was all about but he had been begging us to do it so what better time than when we already had MAX tickets. We rode it to the end which was the the Clackamas Mall, we walked around the mall, ate at the food court and then headed back to Forest Grove. He's strange, but I love him anyway!

Oregon Coast Aquarium

For Labor Day weekend, my mom and stepdad always head to the Oregon Coast (last year it was a month late and came just a few days after our proposal so they were here to celebrate with us!) and luckily enough we were able to meet up with them.

We met them in Newport, a beach I had never been to since it is about 3 hours from Forest Grove, and went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It was really cool and the main exhibit was "ODDWATER" so they had plenty of very strange animals there. We then went shopping at the Outlet Mall but only had time to make it through Old Navy before closing time, but I got the outlet discount plus my 25% employee discount, so it was nice saving 65%! Next we met up with my aunt and uncle in Pacific City (where we spent the weekend for my birthday last year) for dinner. Overall it was a great way to spend yet another one of my full days off. Seems since I posted that I never get them I've been getting more and more ;)



with the coolest bird we saw



in a tunnel that allowed fish to swim all around us


my vote for the oddest animal we saw
it was so human-like it was scary


He waited very patiently to play like the other kids


And if there is a silly picture of Marcel I guess it is only fair there is one of me too!

A Life Changing Conversation

I always desire that this blog can serve as a place to write about my feelings and emotions, not just the fun stuff I experience, and that is what this post is all about.

Every week our church has the elders and the members of the worship team gather at the front of the sanctuary to be available for prayer. As we were leaving our seats Marcel tugged me to go receive prayer with him. Without knowing what he wanted prayer for, I was tugging him back--it's well out of my comfort zone to tell complete strangers my life story. Marcel just told the guy (a member of the worship team, and a fellow drummer) that we were asking for guidance in where our life was going next, with plans for a big move and that we desire to see God's hand in our decisions so that we are constantly on His path, not our own. This prayer led to tears for me, so we walked around the outside of church until we found a quiet place to sit, talk, and reflect.

Some big decisions were made that day, ones the assure me that we are indeed following God's will for our lives, together and individually, because they are big changes in what we had set out as our next steps. For instance, Marcel will not be continuing on with his education to obtain a Master's in Teaching. While he knows that is something he desires and is gifted to do, he feels that it is not the right time for it (how I can I say anything to that? I too wanted to take time off before I embarked on anymore school?) He will be looking for a job in the Boise area, as we both feel it is in our best interest to head out of the only area we've ever known together. It will give us a chance to experience something new together; even if I do know Idaho, I still feel that this time in Idaho will be far different than any other time I've been there. I think that Marcel has always known I am ready for a change in my employment it wasn't until that conversation where I could tell he understood why. I no longer want to stress all day Thursday waiting for an email with my work schedule praying that I will have enough hours to pay the bills. I no longer want to feel guilty about taking a weekend off because it may mean a paycheck that is way too small. I no longer want to leave the house at 8am and not return until 9pm for only 8 hours of work. While I realize I have a lot to be grateful for in that I do not only have 1 job in the economic situation our country is in, I have 2, I am excited to think about what opportunities are ahead of me. Through our nearly 4 months of marriage, I have seen more financial blessings than I ever thought someone could have over a much longer time period. Marcel has made me realize the importance of tithing. I have been in church my whole life and while I have sat through countless sermons on that very principle, I could never quite wrap my head around the fact that money would just appear out of nowhere if I gave the fair share to God first. It has been an eye-opening experience to always be blessed at just the right time in reward for our faithfulness. If I could only take away 1 thing from the short time we've been married, that would be it. I never felt that a short 30 minute conversation could hold so much meaning in the words we shared that day.

We pray every night that we'd hear and see from God daily and that He'd show us the path he has set out for us. After that time with my husband I know without a doubt that we in fact keeping God first in our relationship and that we are faithful to obey Him and the desires He has for us.

The Seasons Are Changing

Yet another quick post...I'm not borrowing internet from the laundromat, but instead from Pacific University, so it is fast enough not to drive me crazy!

My favorite season is fall. I love the weather, even with the Oregon rain I've come to love, and I love the colors of the trees, but by far my favorite thing about fall is: stepping on leaves and hearing the crackle under my shoes. Marcel laughs about this, because I'll go out of my way to step on a leaf and am quite disappointed if the crackle doesn't satisfy me. Today on my way to check our mail (which is something else that brings me great joy every day!) I found one leaf on the ground and I did in fact walk a bit crooked in hopes it would have that awesome sound to it. To my great surprise it crackled! It let me know that fall is quickly approaching, which I can't wait for after the long and miserably hot summer we've had.

I was looking for a new blog background because I do like to mix it up every once in awhile and this one was entitled "Crackling Leaves" and although it isn't my favorite background in the world, it seemed just right after the morning I had.

Hagg Lake

August 1st, we spent the day at the beach, because by some crazy miracle I wasn't scheduled at either job and we wondered when we'd have another chance to spend a whole day together. Just 17 days later I had another day off, not by a miracle, rather because I switched some shifts around to have a full day off. In just 24 more days, I don't have one day off, I have 2 whole days off! I did request them off but we have no plans but to be together and celebrate my 24th birthday :)

With our approaching move in December, we have decided to squeeze in as much Forest Grove as we can handle in the next 4 months. This started with a day at the local lake: Hagg Lake. I had been there once a year every year I was in college because Orientation had that as an activity, but until this visit I had never been in the water. It is very muddy at the beginning of wading in and was gross enough to make me not want to continue, but with Marcel's help we made it out to beautiful water and enjoyed about an hour just floating on his inflatable shark and catching up (we went a few days after he had spent a few days with his mom and brother). It was a great date and the start of great Forest Grove experiences!!

We only took pictures once we drove around the entire lake and found an awesome pier I'd never seen before...Marcel's handiwork, of course!

the pier

in love at the lake

Marcel's best artsy photo of the trip