Muddy Waters

Katie and I are currently at the Muddy Waters Coffee House at 29th and Belmont. Generally Katie is at work but she got off early today. Yeah! Not much else to say. Until we meet again....

Tuesday

Sometimes when I am thinking, my thoughts actually come out as sentences as they would on the blog. I don't believe that this is new. New as in, "I have a blog now therefore I think about writing on it." What I mean is, I think that this is why I always wanted to be a writer because I enjoy putting these sentences together though I don't have the patience to come up with a plot. I enjoy writing, but whenever a person would ask me exactly what I wanted to write I wouldn't know what to call it. This blog is what I enjoy writing. It fills this desire. For example, tonight Wes and I are at Palios (where else would we be?) we step inside and there are no seats. Never have we had this problem. We have witnessed this happen to other people but not to us. For a second we leave the cafe thinking we will (I dare say) try another place. Then I get the idea that we could just sit at the bar-stools and wait for seats to open up with outlets near by.

 [sidenote: I just want to put it out there that we aren't such HUGE addicts of Palios, it's just that with online classes and no-internet connection at home we gotta go somewhere...though Palios is amazing. no doubt.] 

So this is what we end up doing. And here is where my "blog-thoughts" come in. I order a chocolate-milk and sit down at a bar-stool. As I am sipping from my milk I think about coming on here and writing these very words:

"Once again we are at Palios but for the first time I am soaking it in from the perspective of a bar-stool. As my legs dangle and I sip in the innocence of my chocolate milk I feel as though I am once again 5. Unaware of due dates and timelines. And for this split second, unaware of the fact that my job will be coming to an end in two weeks." 

Gasp! one: Yes, I actually thought this in my head.

Gasp! two: Yes, I did find out today that my job will be coming to an end in a few weeks.

I know this sounds entirely overwhelming considering that Wes and I just moved into our new apartment and then Wes lost his job and now I am losing mine. But I want it to be clear that there has been talk for a while now of my job coming to a close end of January and unfortunately it really is happening. Though I and my nanny-family were hopeful, sometimes good things must come to a close. :) I am thankful for this huge learning experience. Truthfully that is what it has been. This was my first nanny job with a child under the age of 8. I think that I have learned a little bit more about patience. But more than that I have enjoyed learning about the needs of a three year old. I have loved pushing Charlotte on the swings, holding her hand as she asks me the biggest question of life: "why?" and dancing with her to The Wiggles until we are both so tired we fall to the rug and pretend to sleep. I am thankful for this experience and look forward to the future relationships I will make here in Portland. :) 

So! With that said, I will keep you all posted as to how mine and Wes' job searches are going. I am obviously hoping that there will be someone out there in need of a nanny but with today's economy we can't be too choosy can we? 

Love to you all-

Katie 

PS: If you haven't yet go to harrypotter.com and watch the trailer for the upcoming movie. It will by far be the best of all the Harry Potter movies so far. We can hardly wait. 

Our Kitchen...

Hi Family and Friends,

I feel the need to clarify now that Wes has been blogging with all of his spare time that this is Katie. :) I woke up this morning with a terrible sore throat and throbbing body. Yes, I am sick again. I hope I don't get much worse because no matter how bad I feel I will have to catch up on some math homework this weekend. Nooooo! Say it isn't so!

On a brighter note, we have completed one room of our new place: the Kitchen! The bathroom will be following shortly after, and then hopefully the living room and our bedroom. Hope you enjoy these pictures. I know they are in a crazy order but I uploaded them funky and don't feel like fixing them. Our kitchen is quite the upgrade from our last apartment (the whole apartment is an upgrade really). We now have space for our kitchen table which we have enjoyed several meals at so far (including an amazing cauliflower gratin [low fat], and veggie quiche with hash brown crust). Our landlords have put so much care into every detail of this place. From the ice-box-shelves to the cute countertops and hinges on the cabinets, we love our kitchen. 

More coffee, More Clouds, No Job (yet)...

Wesley Ray Here,

Well here I am again at another Cafe. The greatest cafe in Portland and Katie's and my favorite, Palio! The clouds are coming back and the sun is dying out which means a rainy, wet weekend.

Currently, Katie is at work and I am not (obviously). Though, I have some leads which may pan out into something. I have an assessment type test on Monday. If passed, I could land myself a job with the Oregon Census Bureau taking population number counts throughout Portland. I am also waiting to hear back from an outdoor store which happens to be a retailer of Filson. Since I have "expert" product knowledge of the particular brand I think it gives me a good chance.

As for the books I hoped to set up... Dah da da dah! I finished and will hopefully have pictures up soon. Speaking of our apartment/mini house we will hopefully have pictures up within a couple days. The place is taking form and boxes are being folded up for recycling almost as we speak.

At the Corner of SE Belmont and 37th Ave,

Wesley Raymond Scoville Here,

Currently I am at Stumptown, drinking good coffee and job searching.... Filling out applications, updating my resume and filling my calender book with dates and times to personally turn in more resumes and applications (Well, honestly I don't have a calender book but but you get the idea). After that I hope to tackle the enormous job of shelving my book collection - the fun stuff.

Propaganda Poll

Please participate in the poll directly to your left. Thanks,

Mr. Scoville

Hope... Progress...

Wesley Raymond Scoville Here,

In light of all this current political drama I thought I would give you all something to dwell upon:

To tide you Over...

... Here are a couple of pictures of the outside of our place. We cannot wait to show you pictures of the inside but feel it would probably be best to show you once everything is completely put together. We are ecstatic about this move and love every inch of the place. Thanks for celebrating this time with us. More to come as soon as possible,

Katie and Wes.

Good news...

Hi To Everyone! 

Wes and I found out yesterday that we got the apartment we were hoping for. It is a super cute one bedroom located right down the street from our current place. We are very excited about this and will be posting pictures as soon as we can! 

We cannot thank you all enough for your constant prayers and support during this hard time. Please continue to pray that Wes finds a good job quickly. Talk to you again soon,

Katie

Pictures From Our Christmas Break

Here are some of the highlights:

Santa came:


I Got a Chocolate Frog in my Stocking:




I finally got to taste Greg's amazing Creamed-Eggs on Toast:



I got to see my adorable nephews, here is me with Baby Preston:



And I got to spend Christmas morning with my family, my husband and my awkward cute puppy dog Annie:

Scott and Bekah Visit

So, Unfortunately I only have a few pictures to share. I think it would be fair to say we were too busy eating while they were here to remember taking pictures. Yes we enjoyed ourselves this past week. When Bekah and Scott arrived we drove them to there hostel to check in, then parked the car at our place and walked to lunch at The Press club. After sharing crepes and brie sandwiches we parked the car by the hostel and walked to a miniature sized Powell's located on Hawthorne and enjoyed showing them the area. Eventually we ended up at a Stumptown Coffee Roasters = Coffee at it's finest. After coffee we walked down Belmont and through the neighborhood some more and ended up at the backstage Theater for dinner. After dinner and good conversation we decided to splurge and run over to Voodoo donuts for a dessert.



The funniest part about it was as we go to Order Wes says, "I'd like an Old Dirty Bastard." (peanut butter, chocolate and oreos dughdnut) Bekah Says, "I'd like the butterfinger one." I say, "I'd like yellow cake with Chocolate frosting." And Scott steps up and says, "I'd like a plain, plain." The woman looks at him from behind the counter in disbelief and says "Plain, glazed?" "no no, I would like a plain, plain." Then Bekah throws in, obviously joking, "aww, just give him one with lots of chocolate." The woman turns around with a chocolate donut with cocoa pebbles all over it.

We erupted with laughter. Eventually Scott got his way and we were all happy. Voodoo Doughnuts is always an experience. This ended our first night together. The rest of the week consisted of lots of coffee shop time due to the fact that Wes and I had to stay on top of our online classes, apartment searching, and Wes' job search. A few games of Upwords and Speed Scrabble at Palios (pronounced Paul-ios we have now discovered) walks through nob hill, hawthorne, and belmont. Dinner at Vincente's, The Kennedy School, a Lebonese restaurant with Caleb, and The White Eagle. The time spent together was so great. We are so thankful to Scott and Bekah for hanging in there with us during this hard time and for enduring our apartment searching and everything. We know that at times our situation was stressful and frusterating. Thank you for the visit and praying with us curb-side as we awaited apartment viewings. We will keep you all posted through out this week as to any progress made. Love to you all,

Katie

Hello, hello!

Lets all just take a minute to breath. ahhhhhh doesn't that feel good? Wes and I have been plunged into such a whirlwind I often forget just to breath. Because time has been moving so quickly this update probably won't be in chronological order but I do want to fill you in. Since my last post we found out:

1. That we didn't get the apartment I wrote about in my last blog.

2. Wes lost his job. The Filson Company is down 30% and therefore had to let go of all part-time employees. Wes was one of them. Serious blow to our already hard situation.

3. Scott and Bekah have been visiting since Wednesday which has been really great. They have definitely helped to lighten the mood a bit. Plus, showing them all of our favorite spots means that we have managed to stay out of our place for pretty much every waking hour which equals a good thing. This is a blog in of itself so I shall give details with pictures later! 

4. We have now found a new apartment right down the street that we have a pretty good lead on. Prayers for this one would be much appreciated. If all goes well we could be moving in next week! 

So, it has been a busy couple of days as you can see. We have been so encouraged by all of the emails, text messages, and phone calls. Seriously nothing makes me feel more confident and encouraged by Christ than knowing how many people are praying for us across Portland and California. Right now we are enjoying mexican hot chocolate and coffee at a new place by Bekah and Scott's hotel called Muddy's Coffeehouse. Nothing like a little internet time with scrambled eggs and toast. I hope to have the next blog up about Scott and Bekahs' trip here soon. Though, I wouldn't mind being busy with moving. Keep your fingers crossed. :)

Infinite x's and o's,

Katie 

Katie's mood: Nervous!

Oh what a week it has been. It is hard to believe that just a week and 3 days ago we were in California completely unaware of the stressful week that was approaching.  Since my last post I have reached a place of optimism and peace. I am no longer struggling with moving away from our neighborhood. Though it is still hard I have become excited to see more of Portland. So, I know that many of our readers have been up to date on how the apartment search has been going, but for those of you who don't know here's a little update: 

On friday Wes saw an ad on Craigslist for an amazing place. It is basically 100%-Katie-Wes-perfect. It is everything we need/love + more. We inquired about the ad and waited with butterflies in our tummies through the weekend. Finally yesterday afternoon we got word that we could stop by the open house to see the place. Because Wes was at work I went alone. All I can say is it's as perfect as the pictures lead on but the competition is high. All we can do is hope and pray. Most importantly though, my prayer is that Wes and I would find rest and peace in whatever God's plan may be. Whether we get this place or not I pray that we remember and trust that God knows our needs better than we do. If this place isn't meant to be, it just isn't meant to be. Though we hope it really is meant to be.  Meanwhile- the knot in my stomach has grown bigger than ever and I am listening to The Weepies to try and calm my frantic nerves. Every time my phone rings I pray that it brings good news. Nothing so far but as always, we will keep you posted. 

Hoping that my next post brings good things-

Katie

Say It Isn't So!

For those of you who haven't heard, Wes and I brought in the new year with some bad news. After my last post we walked home from Palio's and noticed some interesting water patterns forming on our living room ceiling. The same patterns that were occurring when our ceiling fell in. Now, don't worry our ceiling did not fall in again but at this moment Wes and I began to wonder if this meant moving was in our future. After a trip to the grocery store, several hours of reading Harry Potter and cleaning our bedroom I step out into the kitchen and to my surprise there is a trail of water that leads from my feet to the stairs that lead to our living room. I holler for Wes and we search the ceiling for leaks. No leaks found. Then we think that the trail of water might be leading to the fridge. We search the fridge. No, it's not the fridge. We notice more and more water in our search: under the counter, and what?? In our bedroom?? Wes goes to our back stairwell that leads to the backyard from our bedroom. He flings open the door and we realize that water is seeping in from the walls of our apartment and that a quarter of our bedroom carpet is absorbed with water. The rest of the night consisted of moving furniture and facing the fact that we would have to move. Wes met with the Landlord yesterday and things have been worked out. We are now searching for a new place.

As anxious as we are to get out of this uncomfortable living situation, I am having a hard time coping with the idea of leaving our neighbors, our walks, and our coffee shops. Wes and I really landed a sweet spot on 26th avenue. It catered to our desires of walking verses driving. We are within walking distance to the grocery stores, coffee shops and around the corner from our wednesday night home group. While the places we are finding are appealing we really are leaving the first home we made together. I am trying to stay focused on the benefits: finding a place that is aesthetically more pleasing, a place with more space, and a place with a washer and dryer. :) We will keep you all posted as our search continues!

With love,

Katie

Happy New Year!

Nothing better than spending New Years day at Palio's Coffee shop. The time is now 4pm... we got here at 11am. Wish you could all be here eating bagels and coffee with us! Happy celebrating! We look forward to living life with you in 2009,

Katie and Wes