Long Overdue Update

So, I knew it had been a little while since I have written a blog, but I just checked- almost one month has gone by. Yikes! I feel like that is how the last few months have gone – on one hand so much has happened that time feels like its ticking slowly along, but then on the other hand, it feels like it was just February. So, in attempt to update you few faithful blog readers that have been disappointed in my blogging, I am going to give you bulleted highlights:

Housing: I moved into my house about one week after I got here. It has been an amazing blessing! I live with three other girls – Becca (nurse), Aimee (preschool teacher), and Megan (grad student). I didn’t know any of them before I moved in, but Jake knew of Becca from college. It has turned out wonderfully! I have my own, very large room in the basement and share a bathroom with Megan. Its only 1.5 miles from my work and is in a very nice neighborhood. I couldn’t have asked for it to be any better. I am still working on getting all my bedroom accessories together so as soon as I do, I will post some pics. Only downfall of the room, is its REALLY cold. I slept in my sleeping bag under my covers until I recently got a down comforter. Also, there’s these little roundish bugs that just show up dead on my carpet – I have yet to see a live one, but the World Race and the country have prepared me well!

Work: Work is going well. I currently have 12 families that I am working with. By the end of the summer, I will have 15 families. 8 of my 12 families have a head of household that is a veteran. It’s interesting because the issues are different from the clients I worked with families in Michigan, but its good and its challenging. I like learning how to handle new situations. I almost have my office arranged how I like it too. I will post new pics of that soon as well. The only downfall at work is that I work by myself so when I have a lull in my work, I don’t have anyone to talk to. So, I think I am going to feel bad for those who hang out with me after work, when I haven’t talked with people (except for my clients) all day. I do have some extrovert in me. ;)

Church: I am attending Quest Church. I have only been able to go twice so far as I have been gone the other weekend, but am very excited to be a part of this church. You can check it out at http://www.seattlequest.org/

Jake: Things continue to go well in that area. We have been able to spend a lot of time together, which has been nice. Living a few miles away vs. states away helps with that. We have been able to do lots of fun stuff and have lots more planned!

Friends: I’m working on it. It takes awhile to create some good friendships. I plan to be more intentional at the beginning of June when I am around more. We’ll see how that goes.

Miscellaneous:
- I am doing well at re-adjusting to doing my own laundry, cooking, buying groceries,

cleaning, etc. My food lasts a lot longer when I am the one that pays for it. I made these

Chicken Crescent Pouches one night for dinner. I got the recipe off of Sara Luke's blog

www.lukecommasara.blogspot.com They were SO easy and delicious!

- I went to Cannon Beach in Oregon last weekend for my friend Candice’s bachelorette

party. It was absolutely gorgeous and very fun! Here's a picture of the sunset and us!

- I must be addicted to road trips. 33 hour trip from MI to Seattle, 4 hour trip one way to

Cannon Beach. 10.5 hour trip one way to Idaho this weekend. Jake is in a wedding

there. It should be a good time! And after doing 33 hours, 10.5 hours is nothing! FYI,

my car is named Vinny.

- I’ve made my schedule at work so that I get done at noon every Friday. Two Fridays ago, Jake

and I went hiking at Mount Si. It was a four mile hike to the top. It was really cold when

we got up there, there was even snow still left. And the clouds came in so we couldn’t

even see the good view, but it was fun and good exercise! The pic is of us at the top of

the hike. As you can tell, we couldn't see anything, because we were on the edge of a

rock.

- I got my Washington State Driver’s License on Friday. I just received it in the mail today. It’s

kind of weird not having a MI license, but don’t worryI still know where I’m from!

- I haven’t shed a tear since before leaving MI. I think it’s a good thing though, just that I am

content with how things are going.

I feel like so much more has gone on and more things have happened, but can’t remember right now. I guess I should blog more, huh? Anyways, I am enjoying Seattle and the change in my life! It was very much needed and has worked out wonderfully so far! Hopefully, I can write a blog sometime with some heart felt emotion vs. just an information update. Thanks for the many notes, cards, money, encouragement that many of you have sent me. I feel very blessed!

Random First Thoughts About Seattle

Here's a short list of my random first thoughts about Seattle...

- Dogs. Everyone, I mean, practically EVERYONE has a dog. And the owners all have to carry around to a bag to pick up its...well, you know. I don't think I could do it. I think its the temperature that would get to me. AND they even take them to the mall. I was at the mall the other day, having coffee with a friend when I saw a lady pushing a cart with a weiner dog where a child would sit. It's actually pretty ridiculous, but entertaining at the same time.

- I know I live in a city now, but holy houses, cars, and people!!! I went running the other day and the neighborhoods just went forever and ever. It was crazy! I guess its much different from running the country roads of Parma. A good different though. Here I can run 20 blocks and see the water! And everything is in bloom here so I can smell the trees and flowers when I run.
A-mazing! (The hills suck though.)

- Parallel and back-in diaganol parking. Both things I haven't had to do much of before in my life. I'm learning and improving!

- Diversity. I love it! Parma/Spring Arbor obviously aren't the most diverse communities so just seeing and interacting with people different than me is refreshing. I could choose almost any type of food and find a restaurant in a somewhat close distance.

- Weather. It has been rather beautiful here thus far. I am thankful for that! I think it helps with the transition.

- Staying up late. Wow, I think I have stayed up until at least midnight every night since I've been here (well, not the night before my first day of work, i think i was in bed at 11:30 then). At home, I went to bed around 10:30. Definitely a lifestyle change, but am enjoying it! I'm still young, right?

- I get excited about Michigan. We went to a concert the other night and one of the acts said they were from Michigan. I got excited! Then, we saw a guy wearing a Detroit Tigers hat at Trader Joe's and I was excited. Kind of weird, but guess its just a little taste of home.

- I've realized that in Parma/Jackson I think I forget about God's creation and his ability to create all that is around us, but here each day when I see the mountains or the water, I am reminded of God's creativity and how big He is truly is. I am very thankful for that reminder. I wish I could remember that at home too. I hope that I don't ever get used to the mountains and ocean and forget about who created them.

All in all, my observations and thoughts have been positive. I am so thankful and feel blessed that living here is part of my journey and part of this season of life. God is truly faithful!

No Longer A Vacation

Hey everyone! I made it through my first day at work. It was great! Nothing too exciting happened. It was great to learn more about the agency and what my role will be. If you want to check out thier website, its http://www.lihi.org/ I am excited about the possibilities in this position and feel that I will have more than enough work. My office used to be a utility closet so it is itty-bitty. The door can't even open the whole way because it hits my desk. Oh well, what can you expect from a nonprofit. I like it and glad it is mine. Although I will miss being able to chat with my fellow cubicle workers. Here are some quick pics I snapped:

(view from my door, i do have a gigantic comfy chair though:)

(view from inside my office, I can't wait to make it all cozy:)

(the common area where I can meet with clients)

(the kitchen area, bathroom, and on the left are two computers for families to use)

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the outside. Well, I did have a chance, but didn't take it. It will come soon though!

70 degree and sunshine welcome

After getting the car packed...

And driving 33 hours...

We made it to Seattle!!!

It was sunny and 70 degrees in Seattle today. I think it wanted to give me a warm welcome :) The car ride was fun and was pretty flawless except for a little traffic near Chicago. The time went by fast as we had plenty to do with chatting, music, and all the gifts and snacks from our parents and friends. I can't wait to get some exercise after eating and sitting for 33 hours.

And with some family and friends slipping us some generous amounts of money before we left, we were able to make it out here without any cost to us. We even were able to treat ourselves to a celebratory breakfast. Thank you so much!

I start work on Wednesday and move into my housing on Sunday! I'll keep you posted! Thank you to all who prayed for our safe travel!

Seasons of Change

"Seasons don't begin with a beginning, they begin with an ending."

I saw this quote on a blog of one of my co-World Racers, Jimmy McCarty. He talked about grieving the different seasons of our lives. This statement could not ring more true in my ears! This new beginning is exciting, but these endings are hard. I have been ending with my clients, ending with my co-workers, ending with my "Little Sister," ending with my friends, ending with the people that I regularly see at the dry-cleaners, the coffee shop, the bank, etc. It has been a lot of endings and i'm pretty sure I've had enough of them to last me awhile. Jimmy ended his blog with this statement...

"Fear of the result is always worse than the result that actually occurs. Don't miss out on a great beginning because an ending

is too hard to let go of."

And that's what it comes down to, I think. Endings are hard, but holding on to those things could cause us to miss out on other great opportunities. So despite the changes, goodbyes, and let downs, I am excited and looking forward to this next step in my life!

**Sidenote: my car is already packed, with room to spare even! I'm going to post pictures tomorrow :)

Update

So, each day my feelings range from "I am so excited! I can't even wait" to "holy crap! what in the world am I doing???" My last day of work was Friday and since then I have spent my time in true Janson fashion...staying busy.

(with my co-workers at Applebee's)

They gave me this basket o' goodies for the car ride...

(Yes, those are a pack of Newport Cigarettes. They come from an inside joke, but no worries, i didn't smoke them. I took a picture with them then gave them back to Ella.)

I have been so blessed to be a part of some great work atmospheres. These women are amazing at what they do, have a huge heart for people, and are making a difference. I will miss them!

This weekend was all about family. The four of us went out to dinner at Southern Exposure on Friday for my mom's birthday because its her favorite restaurant. Abe and I had never been there. It is a very nice place where you have to dress up, have valet parking, dinner etiquette, etc. The food was absolutely amazing and it was a great time just being with the four of us!

(the four of us at dinner)

The next day we took a large family picture with my dad's family then a family pic of the four of us. My grandparents took us out to dinner at In Good Company. It was good and fun to be around family.

(all the grandkids at the restaurant)

We finished out the weekend celebrating Easter on both sides. The rest of the week has been spent meeting friends for lunch, coffee, and dinner; running; running errands; purging clothes; and trying to pack (keyword: trying). Trying to move across the country in a Honda Civic is proving to be somewhat difficult. ;/

Let the Goodbyes Begin

I've said goodbyes before and I don't think they're ever fun. This week has been the start of them and actually has been very emotionally exhausting. I mean I know I am my mother's daughter but it kind of caught me by surprise, especially my reactions to leaving my clients.

For the past 11 months I have been a Case Manager for a transitional housing program at Community Action Agency in Jackson. I have met with families AT LEAST every other week in thier homes for the last 11 months. These past two weeks I have had to let my clients know that I was leaving and they would be getting a new Case Manager. It was hard because they had no idea this was coming and I just had to throw it on them. As much as I know I'm not letting them down, its hard to not feel that way. I feel like I'm saying, "okay, i've been in your life for the past 11 months and i've gotten you to trust me and allow me to be a part of your life and have become a form of social support for you but now i'm just going to up and leave and there have been so many people in your life that have done before and i'm just perpetuating this cycle of distrust and guarded hearts, awesome." Most of my clients were surprised and sad. Most were sad that I was leaving so soon. All were excited for me though. I always talk with my clients that life is about choices. We always talk about what's going to get you where you want to be and for me, this move to Seattle, is that. That concept relates with them, they understand that, and support me in that. And a few clients that I thought just "tolerated" me were the most sad. One even said she was proud of me because she had never met anyone my age doing something with thier life. To know that I connected with those that I thought it was impossible to connect with is encouraging, especially as I head on to my new position.

I expected some of my clients to be sad, but I didn't expect myself to be sad. There are some families that I just know are going to be succesful and its sad on my end, that I get to be a part of thier lives for this time, but I don't get to see the ending. I feel like this is so true in most of life though. We have friends, acquaintances, co-workers, etc that come and go throughout our lives. It's natural. I can look back from all the experiences I have been blessed with and am thankful for the roles that people have played in my life, even for a short time. As for my clients, I am so thankful that I got to be a part of their lives for this short time. I feel that I not only learned abou them, but continued to learn about myself and how God created me. This is another step along their and my journeys.