Revolving Door

I had an awakening moment doing something so simple yesterday…

There is this sandwich place I like to go to in Bellevue that is located inside an office building.  To get inside the building, there is a revolving door and two side doors.  Each side door, though unlocked, has a “Please Use Revolving Door” sign on it.  I’ve never used the revolving door because it’s too slow and the side doors are so much quicker to get in and out of when I’m in my normal “hurried” mode.   

So yesterday, as usual, I used the side door to enter the building, grabbed my sandwich and upon walking towards the side doors to exit, I noticed there were people having conversations near them, thus blocking a straight path to my exit.  I was forced to use the revolving door.  As I entered, I vividly remember thinking, “Ugh, these doors are so annoying, why do they even make these?”  Just as that thought passed and as I was walking in the revolving door, it hit me.  For the 5 seconds I was inside the rotation, I could think perfectly clear; I had a God moment.  I realized how fast paced I am going in everyday life, and how necessary it was to slow down.  To walk through a revolving door, you can’t race, you have to take your time; step by step.  I felt a sense of calm, stillness, and could hear my thoughts. 

As soon as I exited the door, I almost wished to have that moment of stillness back.  It really opened my mind to how quickly life can go 100mph and how easy it is to just keep going, going, and going.  I am so thankful for that moment in the revolving door; having a God moment.  I will now take the revolving door when given the opportunity to.

Happy.

"Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect.  It means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections." ~Unknown

If I had read this quote a week ago, I would have found any excuse to try to dismiss the validity of it.  But today, as I read this, it makes perfect sense and I couldn't agree more; Life isn't perfect... my life isn't perfect... But I am happy.

Sometimes, when you face changes in life, it's easier to dwell on the past instead of the direction you are heading.  I have been struggling with change of direction ever since we moved to Washington.  I have wanted everything to be perfect in our life right away.  Trust me, there is nothing more jading than wanting perfection in life; it just doesn't happen.

This past week, I have realized that perfection isn't realistic.  We aren't going to have the perfect friends, the perfect church, the perfect weather, the perfect finances, or the perfect jobs within the first few months of moving here... but in due time, everything will fall into place.   Now, the key is finding happiness throughout all of the imperfections- or the changes.  It's time to grasp the changes and realize that they aren't going away... I have to evolve and adapt to these changes. I know that God doesn't give me more than I can handle, so why am I doubting Him?

With this new outlook, I am back; Kristen is back.  This past week I have felt so much more awake and grateful for everything in my life.  I am focusing on the positives rather than the negatives, and I am finding not only my marriage growing, but my friendships and relationships with others building too.  I am finding that we will be okay living life up here in Washington, even if it's not temporary.   God is opening my eyes to the beauty of where Trevor and I are at in our life.  We are alone, relying on one another, and building a new life for ourselves.  God is entrusting us to build a life together; to rely on each other and rely on God.  What a compliment!  

Choosing to be happy has become a no-brainer for me, and I pray that I can continue to be optimistic as the changes come rolling in throughout our life. I am so thankful for those who have stuck by me during the unhappy moments of the past few months, you are all blessings!

November

November... November is my absolute FAVORITE month of the year!  November is the month that kicks off the holiday season, brings back so many memories, and it REALLY feels like Autumn!

Life up in Washington over the past month has definitely been better and eye opening for me.  For starters, I have realized that I need to find a new job.  It's not that my current job is horrible, but I am unfulfilled.  I feel that I am not using the gifts of service and teaching that God has given me that I am stuck in the hospitality industry.  My ideal job would be to teach, however, timing isn't great to go through the 10 months of non-paid time to get my teaching credential.  After talking with several people about my passions, I have been encouraged to seek out non-profit organizations working with children. There are a few jobs I have found with non-profit organizations that I have applied to and I am finding that more and more opportunities are out there.  I am actually EXCITED to find something new that I can be passionate about going to everyday.

I have been really struggling with happiness since moving up here, and I am beginning to shift into the mindset of counting my blessings in Washington which has been making my days a little brighter. Trevor and I have been growing together as well.  He has been incredibly supportive of me and encourages me to do what makes me happy.  I am so thankful for a husband that makes me laugh!

I am prayerful that November will be one of the best months since moving up here!  We have so many exciting things coming up and I am excited to see what November brings with family, friends, and life!

Creating Traditions

Pumpkin Day 2011

Autumn is in the air and it's time for pumpkin carving and baking!  October 2011 marks the new family tradition of "Pumpkin Day!"

Pumpkin Day is a day where we do festive Autumn activities such as pumpkin carving, baked mac 'n cheese, pumpkin zucchini muffins, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

After searching for mine, I found it!

Trevor found his pumpkin right away!

Trevor being Trevor...

 Carving Time... 

 

Ewwww!

Yum!

 

Our Pumpkins!

September

I have officially realized how unrealistic and time consuming it is to take the time to blog when life is going 100 mph!  There has been lots of happenings in mine and Trevor's life over the past month that I have decided to bullet point some main events. For my own sanity, I will definitely be blogging more about life and adding some delicious new recipes!

September's Happenings...

• Late August, I started a new job with for a Destination Management Organization for a city up here. (Yea!)  As a convention sales manager, I am a resource for meeting and event planners to connect them with city hotels and venues.  I also research and recruit conventions to book in the city with 200+ hotel room nights on peak. Meaning, they have to at least have 200 hotel rooms on at least one night in order for them to book in the city as a convention. 

• The Perks: experience, I'm good at it, generous commission, new people to meet, and money!

• The Cons: hour commute each way, not passionate about it, cold calling, and sitting at a desk all day

• The first day of my commute I got rear ended. Thankfully, all I needed was a few trips to the chiropractor and my car needed a new back gate.  This is what happened:

 

• The first weekend of September was a bright and sunny one! Trevor and I went out to lunch at a random deli, where there was a local high school cheer team selling raffle tickets.  We bought six and put them into different gift baskets that they had on display.  Later that night, we got a phone call letting us know that we had won All Star Club Level Mariners tickets with VIP parking! Woohoo! We not only had a prime view of the game, but we also had a complete luxury buffet with stuffed quail and veal... Yes, at a baseball game!

•   My parents visited the second weekend of the month and it was so great having them at our new home! We did the touristy stuff like Pikes Place and the Space Needle.  It was also fun exploring new places with them like Gig Harbor and Wallace Falls.  Parents are the absolute best!

 

•  The same weekend my parents' visited, my 93 year old great grandma passed away.  She lived a very full and happy life.  I am so grateful to have really gotten close to her over the past 5 years and I am thankful that the Lord called her home to be with him and her husband.

      

• Trevor and I have been really enjoying spending time together.  With the sunshine still peaking through and all of the bike trails in our area, we decided to take up cycling! We also have explored places like the Gorge, an outdoor concert venue on a river, to see Zac Brown Band.  Between work and Brody, we are happy to spend the precious moments we have together and finding new ways to have fun together!

Road Trips!

Trevor, Brody, and I decided to take a long weekend and head down to my parents house in El Dorado Hills, CA last weekend.  Trevor's mom and brother also drove up from San Diego and met up with us at my parent's house! Although it was a 13+ hour drive, it was worth it!

It was a much needed weekend, kinda like a mini vacation.  It was great to just relax, drink beer, and enjoy good company!  We are looking forward to our next trip to El Dorado Hills for Thanksgiving!

Brody

As many of you now know... We did what typical married couples do; We bought a puppy! So, this wasn't necessarily planned, but while my mom visited a couple weeks ago, she and I went on a puppy search (with Trevor's permission, of course!).

After spending hours online looking at puppies in the area, we ran across a private breeder who had 2 maltese bichon mix left in a litter.  I was SOLD! My mom and I went and visited the home that the puppies were at and how in the world was I supposed to say no to this cute little face?!

Brody is such a fun addition to our little family! Trevor and I both have adjusted to being puppy owners and have developed much more patience over the past couple of weeks.  He is ALMOST potty trained and knows simple tricks such as SIT and DOWN.  Brody also has an innate passion for playing fetch too!  Here is a video of him after us only having him for 3 days!  He is so smart!

Having a puppy is definitely an eye opener for us wanting to wait just a little longer before having kiddos.  Trevor and I are finding that since Brody is so dependent right now, it distracts us a little from each other.  We are learning that life is all about balance and organized chaos... Here we go on this ride together!

Something Blue

I truly have the very best of friends that I could ask for.  As I was unpacking today, I found the gift that my best friends, Andrea, Nicole, and Jenna gave to me on my wedding day; a Tiffany & Co. bracelet.  It's the most thoughtful gift I have ever received, with so much significance and meaning.

There are three blue stones for that "something blue" for the wedding day, as well as resembling each one of my best friends: Nicole, Jenna, and Andrea.  I know that they put so much thought into this wedding gift and I appreciate it so much! Even though I have gotten married and moved to Washington, I know that they will always be gems in my life. I love you girls!

Twins

In college I joined a sorority and met Danielle.  Her and I became "twins" in our sorority, where we created our own "family" within our sorority called the Bella Family.  Creating a "family" in a sorority is basically finding your best friend within the sorority, and having that other person to depend on no matter what.

Danielle and I connected and always had a special bond, like sisters.  Over the last couple years of college, we stayed in touch despite our careers pulling us separate ways.  It's funny how we were "twins" in our sorority and how "twin-like" our last year has been for us...

Danielle and I were both engaged within a couple months of each other, both experienced unexpected life trials with cancer within a few months of our weddings, and both shared the same wedding date; June 11, 2011 (which was not planned!).

I believe we share a special bond, where, despite the distance and life pursuits, we will always understand, encourage, and support each other.  It's incredible to know that God placed an amazing woman in my life who I can relate with and I look forward to see what other "twin-like" experiences come our way!

"This"

The first time I visited Trevor in Washington, we bought the new Darius Rucker CD before driving up to Canada for the day.  The first song on the album that came on was called "This."  I vividly remember the moment we heard this song together in his truck. As we listened to the lyrics, I looked over at him with tears of joy rolling down my face, and he smiled back with the happiest smile I have ever seen!  It's crazy to think how a song can be so significant and fitting for the moment:

For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart
All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
Cause it led me here to
This

"This" is one of those songs that expresses how thankful Trevor and I are for our path's crossing a year ago, and is still one of those songs that bring us back to basics in our relationship.  It seems to come on whenever we are in the car together; and when it does, Trevor and I crank up the volume and sing!  We also joke about the song because of it's title... try describing to someone that you like "This" (Talk about confusing, right?).

Darius Rucker songs were played throughout our wedding, in fact, our first dance was to another one of his songs, "History in the Making."  Darius Rucker is a romantic song writer and his albums are based on love and how much fun it is to be in love with someone.  I am so thankful to be in love with someone who makes it fun to be in love, everyday.

For date night this week, Trevor and I are going to his concert, and it couldn't be a more fitting date for us!

God Moment

Normally, I wouldn't write about mine and Trevor's trip to the chiropractor yesterday, but this experience was definitely a "God Moment."

Since Trevor and I have been living in Washington, we have been meeting many new people and actively seeking out a church community to get involved with.  In addition to finding a church, we are also trying to find our new doctors, dermatologist, dentists, and chiropractors... which can be difficult to find a good match!

We went to Twin Lakes Chiropractic yesterday for a consultation and adjustment to get us realigned after moving a few weeks ago.  Our first impression upon walking in was the very friendly receptionist, full of laughing and jokes towards the "newlyweds."

We were then taken into the exam room where the assistant asked us, "Why did you guys move yourselves? That's what friends are for... you know, host a BBQ and have them help you move."

We replied, "Um, we don't have friends yet...We're new here..."

She quickly replied saying, "Well, you guys better join a church fast! You will meet all kinds of people!"

As it turns out, she doesn't even go to church, but the doctor and the entire office goes to the same church.  The doctor came in, full smiles and all.  He is incredibly friendly, loves to laugh, and really finds a way to connect to his patients. Meet Dr. Larry:

After an hour and a half consultation and adjustment, with humor and friendliness, Dr. Larry ended the appointment by very lovingly sharing with us the five main reasons for going to church:

1. To Worship
2. Fellowship
3. To Learn
4. To Rest
5. To be in the Holy Spirit (which he added that this means to serve others by the talents God has given you)

Now, I have been to MANY doctors in the past, but I have never been to a doctor so open and passionate about his love for Christ and his church community.  I have also never left a doctor appointment with an invitation to church!  How incredible is this?!

Trevor and I both felt that going to this appointment was a total God moment and that we were supposed to be connected with this chiropractic office.  We are so excited to attend a new church this weekend where we already know people! 

It feels so good to finally start connecting with other people and not feel alone in a new city.  God is so good and His timing is perfect!

xxoo