End of Week One.

Big apologies goes out to all of you Olympia Living followers, yes, all ten of you, for not posting sooner. This week has been crazy. I got here Saturday night and Sunday morning was totally overwhelming. It felt so strange to wake up here and realize “ok, this is it.” I took Bryan to the airport Monday morning and came home and tried to get settled in a little bit. After a few hours of unpacking and organizing I had nothing to do. Leona, a lady from the local church in Olympia who I’m living with, worked that day so I didn’t see anyone all day long. It was super difficult. After I had unpacked the last of my boxes it was kind of like “ok, now what?”

It has been a long first week to say the least. I’ve really been missing the comforts of home, mainly friends and family. Olympia is such a great place to live, I really love it, but it’s really hard to enjoy when you’re alone. I know, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” and it’s only the first week, but it’s been hard being without my pals especially when I know the majority of them would really love it out here (please visit).

But I must say there are definite upsides to living in Olympia such as eating local. I can only think of one time that I haven’t eaten local food all week, and that was my first day (at this point I didn’t know any better). The local farmers market is amazing and surprisingly enough, affordable. This week I stocked up on fruits, veggies and some homemade bread, and maybe next week I’ll really splurge and get some jam. I think if I consistently buy from specific venders then eventually they’ll know me, I can only hope.

I’ve really been trying to think of creative ways to make friends in the down town area, but I gotta tell you, it’s not easy. I had the opportunity to go to four coffee shops this past week: Traditions, Café Vita, Batdorf and Bronson and Sizizi’s, all of which were superb. I’ve been tipping the baristas and striking up conversation while they make my drink in hopes that they’ll remember me next time I walk in. I’ve actually had some good conversations with the people in Sizizi’s; they’ve been totally awesome.

Thursday I went to the Catalyst conference with the group involved with Surround the Sound. It was a great time of fellowship and learning. I was told that this would be the day I would meet Mark Driscoll, but sadly enough it fell through. Kyle had the names wrong, the lunch was actually with Andy Stanley and Craig Groechel. I didn’t really know those guys so I passed. It’s all good though, one day I will meet Mark Driscoll, if it’s the last thing I do (haha). Andy Stanley did say one thing though that was rather profound:

“God has equipped you with everything you need to do the ministry in which He has called you to”

Since I’ve been here so many lies have ran through my head, and this statement spoke volumes to me. I’m realizing more and more that I don’t need another person, friend, look, sound or style to connect with the people God wants me to connect with. He is going to use me in the exact state that I currently am, and that’s comforting to know.

After the conference I went down the The Loft on Cherry. I had seen a flyer earlier in the week that said “Vincent Moon film screening featuring music by Eleanor Murray,” I figured I couldn’t go wrong, and I was hoping to make some friends out of it too. Eleanor was amazing, she played some really beautiful songs and then of course Vincent Moon is a total bro and I couldn’t stop smiling because he’s amazingly talented. I talked to a few people here and there, but it wasn’t like I developed some long lasting friendships or anything. Once again, I must remember I just got here a week ago, haha.

Today Sound City Church, that’s right, we officially have a name, had its’ first outreach with the Capital Kids Connection. CKC is an organization in Tumwater that is providing back to school supplies for foster children in the area. We met some locals there and provided some much need assistance organizing and packing backpacks for the kids returning to school this fall. This Tuesday they’re going to be having a big picnic for all the foster kids and their families in the area, so we are excited for the opportunity to help and to do some more networking.

It’s hard to not feel as if I’m living outreach to outreach or church service to church service, it’s pretty lonely all the other times. So I guess you could say the week has progressed rather slowly as I’ve been trying to make friends, learn the area and find a job. But I have to praise God for how He has been providing for my life thus far

1) I have a place to live with a wonderful woman that I totally look up to, Leona Foley. She has been such a blessing to me in the fact that she’s checking in on me, asking me how I’m doing and you can tell she’s totally genuine and concerned. She’s helping me in more ways than just being an encouragement and financial saving. I really feel as if she is someone I can bear my soul to and be completely comfortable around. She already feels like family and it’s only week one.

2) I got a HUGE check in the mail from a supporter back home. I don’t want to name names or anything, but it was amazing. The money is going to help me out so much here in Olympia. When I was talking to him on the phone and he gave me a figure of how much he wanted to give toward the ministry in Olympia I was in shock. I can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am that God has provided this money through this person.

3) I recently have inherited a bike and a desk from some very generous people in the church. I haven’t gotten my hands on the bike yet, but the desk was dropped off this evening and is currently getting put to great use.

4) Zach Murray and Tyler Parnell live close by. It’s a huge comfort to know that when I am feeling totally homesick and I can’t bear it any longer I can hop in my car and drive to see these guys. Zach is currently living in Seattle so it makes it a little bit easier to go see him, but Tyler is only 3.5 hours away, so it’s not too bad. It’s a comfort just knowing that it’s an option.

The Lord is providing and things are panning out. Tyler told me this week, “The first week is over, and that’s great, because the first week is the worst. It can only get better from here,” so I’m anticipating that. I listened to a Driscoll sermon tonight on Luke 9:51-62 and in it he said,

“I would rather be broke, sick and sad with Jesus then rich, healthy and seemingly happy without Him.”

Leave it to Marky D. to bring my focus back onto what is really important and the reason behind why I am here in the first place.

Mark also mentioned putting Jesus before our past (Luke 9:61-62). He said, “Those who look back want to go back.” He mentions how Jesus was always looking forward all the way to the cross and how He plowed His row in a straight line right into Jerusalem where He was crucified. It’s only common since to say, “You can’t go straight and forward while looking back.” You don’t drive your car facing the back window you look out straight and forward in order to drive straight and forward. I have thought a lot about being back home in Morgantown this week and how nice it would be to just go back and sit in Andy and Aarons’ living room with all my friends cutting up and having a good time, but if I live for the past and always try to recreate college, I can’t affectively live for what’s forward in the future. So now, I need to focus on putting my hands to the plow and plowing a straight and narrow path forward. I can’t just keep trying to recapture my college days. If you want, you can go to this link and listen to it.

Now, it’s into week numero dos. I’ll keep you posted.

I have arrived pt. 1

What a week it has been folks, and after 3,305 miles I have finally arrived.

Sunday evening (the 15th) my brother Bryan and I left Parkersburg. I had quite an emotional goodbye with family and friends, but all those feelings somewhat faded after the first few days and reality began to set in. That evening we drove straight to the Badlands in South Dakota, 20 some hours. My brother wanted to see if he was able to drive the whole way on his own, so he never let me drive, but I was okay with that, and he really did make it. I was shocked. After a long day of hiking and milling around we headed back to camp and Bryan passed out while I proceeded to watch a quite beautiful sunset. It was a great day.
Tuesday we woke up around 6:30 and headed toward Wyoming to Yellowstone with a few stops in between at Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. We found a little diner in Keystone and had breakfast. I found a Minnetonka store so I bought some new moccasins and then we checked out the mountains, pretty cool.
Later that evening we arrived to Yellowstone upon which every campsite was full, so we drove up to Gardiner, Montana and found a room to stay in. The next morning we found an open spot in Norris to camp, and after we put up the tent and paid our fee to the biggest jerk park ranger ever, we drove the loop around Yellowstone. I believe this was the best day of the trip. Old Faithful and the Canyon were on the top of my list as some of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
Thursday morning we bounced out of Yellowstone and drove to the Grand Tetons. We decided that we would make it to Boise, Idaho by the end of the day so we just drove the scenic route around the park and jumped out to take snap some pictures here and there. Around the Grand Tetons and Boise we saw some pretty sweet towns: Cody and Jackson to name a few.
Boise, Idaho was awesome. There were lots of neat cafes, bookstores, shops, pubs and breweries, and we could hear music playing from the sidewalk as we walked by.
I woke up the next morning pretty excited to make the 4-hour drive into Kennewick, WA to spend time with my good friend from school, Tyler Parnell (I can’t even tell you how great it is to know that he is so close to Olympia). I also got to meet his new puppy, Truman. He is about the cutest little wiener dog you’d ever see. I’m glad Tyler got him to keep him company as he continues to get acclimated to Kennewick.
That night we went out to dinner and sat along the Columbia River and talked and talked and talked. We stayed out pretty late and woke up early the next morning to head to my new place in Olympia. After lunch in Kennewick I said my goodbyes to Tyler and we began our final stretch to Olympia. As if the trip wasn’t already amazing enough, Bryan and I talked basically the whole way there. I would definitely mark it down as one of the best talks we’ve ever had. I know he’s always going to be my brother, but now I definitely feel like he’s always going to be a great friend of mine too. (awwwww).

So that catches you up on my travels. I hope you enjoyed that because I’ve seriously told that story probably 20 times since Sunday, haha. I would have liked to post pictures along with this post, but I left my camera USB chord in Parkersburg, so I’m waiting for my Mom to mail it. We’ll just go ahead and say this is a two part series and the pictures will come soon after.

Zero days and 16 hours to go

1:37 AM.

Saturday night or Sunday morning, whichever you prefer.

Parkersburg, WV in my green painted bedroom

Currently listening to The Microphones- The Moon

Keeping the best company one could ask for, Mr. Aaron Dawson

Tomorrow is the big day. I’m moving nearly 3,000 miles from home, to a place I’ve visited once, and I’m okay with that. My car is packed, though I’m sure tomorrow afternoon I’ll have to do some rearranging, my poor Honda Fit has no idea what it’s gotten itself into. I’m feeling great outside of the fact that I know tomorrow is going to kill my parents. They’ve both already cried at least once, and in all 22 years of my life I’ve never seen my dad cry, it’s a bigger deal to them than I thought. Dad would prefer if I didn’t leave to begin with and it makes me sad to know that I’m the cause of his unhappiness, but I just can’t stay here any longer, it’s time for a change.

So we’re really down to the wire now, only 16 hours left till my brother and I hit the road. This isn’t going to be an easy transition, but I know it will be good for me in the end. I’m anticipating learning a lot about myself this year and totally ready to dive into new hobbies and learn new trades.

But seriously, let’s not stray from the focus of this gargantuan move that I’m about to make. All I’m sayin’ is that if I didn’t completely believe in the Gospel of Christ and all of the things that the Bible says I wouldn’t be doing this, I mean, I couldn’t do this. I’d probably just chill in Morgantown with my friends. But I do think that what Jesus said, what he preached and how he lived makes a ton of since. So, I hope that somewhere along the line someone I meet can make since of it too, and if they don’t, it’s still going to be a stellar time.

I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Oh, Haruki Murakami...

12 days to go.

Currently I’m in Borders in Parkersburg drinking some Seattle’s Best, and guess what, the barista gave me a large coffee on accident, instead of the medium that I ordered. Yay! I would say that this is the highlight of my day, but I would be lying to you because guess what else? Today I finished my first Haruki Murakami book, Sputnik Sweetheart.

Oh. My. Gosh. I love this man.

I owe Aaron Dawson a special thank you for turning me on to his writings and then also Andrew Slater for telling Aaron, and then whoever told Andrew, so on and so forth.

So I ended up coming to Borders this evening to snatch another one of his books, Kafka On The Shore, which is supposedly way better than Sputnik Sweetheart. I’m already through the first few chapters, so far so good.

…

It’s so unreal to me that I’ll be living in Washington in 12 days. Throughout the summer I’ve seen myself go through days where I think, “How can I move so far away from so many people that I love?” But then other days I’m ready for the adventure, and ready to meet more people that I can learn to love just as much, you know, without replacing, or forgetting, my current inner circle of friends. Over the past week though I haven’t thought much about being sad or saying goodbye. It’s strange. Nearly seven days of pure excitement and no uneasy feelings about the big move at all. I guess this means I’m ready!

Now, back to Kafka On The Shore…

My Highly Anticipated Coffee Shops in Washington Pt. 1

I’ve been home in Parkersburg all summer, which means that I’ve been coffee deprived for the past like 8 weeks. I’m working an 8-5 job Monday through Friday and that leaves no time for me to drive 25 minutes to the only coffee shop in town, Panera, to grab a cup of coffee and relax. It’s pretty miserable. Don’t get me wrong, I love to spend time with my family and I love that I grew up here, but I can’t help but get the feeling that it’s simply not where I belong anymore. I guess I could be wrong though, we’ll see.

Outside of making a pot of coffee in the morning and my few trips to Panera, I have been completely miserable in the coffee world back home. Luckily, my life will soon send me to coffee heaven where I can bask in all of the coffee goodness I can get my hands on.

So I’ve been doing my research for weeks now and wanted to share some of the places I’ll be trying out in Olympia throughout the next few months. (If you’re already in Washington then give me your feedback on these places and if there’s a great place I missed fill me in on that too.) I’m so excited to pack up my backpack with books, my journal and my computer, head down to these local shops and do nothing but read, write, blog, sip on some fine espresso and relax. I’m seriously dreaming about these days to come.

Cutters Point (http://www.cutterspoint.com/)

So this place seems pretty awesome. It’s actually franchised, but from what I’ve gathered it started in Gig Harbor, Washington. They have various shops throughout Washington, California and even in Georgia. They seem to be pretty serious when it comes to hand crafted coffee, but I’m going to have to go and find out for myself. I think I’m more into non-franchised local coffee shops, but could cutters point change my mind? We’ll see.

Olympia Coffee Roasting Company (http://olympiacoffeeroasting.com/)

After reading up about this place, it’s a must see. These people seem to be seriously dedicated to making the perfect cup of coffee, so much that they “obsess” over it, so they say. The owners of this local shop actually travel overseas and buy the coffee face to face with coffee farmers then they bring it back, roast it and when you buy a cup they say it’s never one week old out of the roaster. The website says that we’ll be shocked at how good the coffee tastes. This is going to put my current coffee lifestyle in Parkersburg to shame. I can’t wait.

Black Bear Diner (http://www.blackbeardiner.com/)

For the sake of the name, obviously, I have to see how it measures up to our infamous Black Bear Burritos in Morgantown. Seems to have a bit of a different feel to it than Black Bear back home, but we’ll see. It’s franchised throughout the west coast with emphasis on family and “old fashion” values. Doesn’t seem to be a place where I can catch a good cup of joe, but it would be cool if it had some sort of Morgantown atmosphere to it.

Sizizis (http://www.myspace.com/sizizis)

So, this will be awesome, and even though it isn’t listed first it will be the first place I go. There site says it’s a place where you can get a huge variety of specialty drinks, even though I’ll probably stick to an Americano or French Press. There seems to be some hype over their spiced mocha so I may have to check it out.

Regardless it seems to have an awesome atmosphere; the wood paneling gives off a somewhat vintage feel to the shop. Some upsides include free wifi, live shows and 24-hour service. If I could compare it to any shop back home I would say it defnitly has a Blue Moose feel to it, which is great, but I bet there coffee is a million times better, no offense Blue Moose goers. Definitely can’t wait to check it out and hopefully catch some fun local shows there too.

Dillanos Coffee Roasters (http://www.dillanos.com/?action=qualitystory4&subm=s_qstory&title=qualitystory)

There are a couple of locations in Olympia, and I’m anxious to see what they’re all about, it seems to me they take it pretty serious. Before serving their coffee they put it through extensive aroma, visual and taste testing. They seem to be a very passionate bunch of people and really love what they do. Their site says they want to have fun and make friends, and I’m into that. I seriously need to make some friends in Olympia, that statement in itself is enough to draw me in for now.

Mud Bay Coffee Company (http://www.mudbaycoffeeco.com/Why_It_Matters.html)

What’s cool about this shop is how focused their business is on helping out small farms. They realize how hard the coffee business is, and they focus their attention on buying their beans from farmers who may be suffering financially and need the cash. I think that’s pretty cool. Their site seems to talk more about the farmers than the coffee, so I don’t know what all they have to offer, or what the atmosphere of their shop is like at all for that matter, but I guess we’ll find out.

So, as you can see by the title of this post, it is only Part One of the short "My Highly Anticipated Coffee Shops in Washington" series . Part Two is yet to come, and will consist of feedback on these places from yours truly. Did I love it? Hate it? Mediocre? Well, we'll see, so stay tuned coffee lovers!

Finally, I’d like to leave you with this statement posted by liveolympia:

“Olympia has some of the most unique coffee houses in the Puget Sound area. If you are looking for a unique blend of coffee you will find it in Olympia. You will find a coffee shop or espresso stand on just about every street corner in Olympia. Many coffee houses in Olympia offer free wireless internet. Olympia has many coffee shops that will satisfy any appetite.”

My last 23 days in West Virginia

So I guess the last post titled 37 days was a joke. I must’ve miscalculated. 23 days left in the great West Virginia hills, then it’s “hello snow capped Mounties!” I’m pretty excited.

I can’t believe I’m leaving my home; it’s crazy. What do I even want to do in my last 23 days as a West Virginian…

Well, I’d like to make some money first of all. Tomorrow I’m having a big garage/bake sale and I’m hoping I can at least get $200. I know that once I make it out to Olympia I have enough money to last me till the end of the year, and I’m hoping that in between now and Christmas I can land a good job with benefits, and hopefully use my PR degree that I spent a squillian dollars on. That reminds me… I’m going to be paying back students loans soon aren’t I? shucks.

Outside of trying to make a few extra bucks I’ve made some fun plans with some friends. This weekend is completely dedicated to my garage sale, so not too much will be going on, but Sunday night one of my best friends from school, John Hupp, is coming to town. I love spending time with John, though we usually don’t do a whole lot outside of laugh and talk. I think that’s when you know you’ve got a good friend. You can just sit around with each other, and that’s entertainment enough. So we’re going to head up to my dads for a couple of days and sit down by the river and relax. I’m really looking forward to it.

Next weekend I’ll be heading to Huntington to play a gig. My friend Meredith is currently raising support to go to Nicaragua, and she’s having a big silent auction/ pool party thing. She asked me to be the live entertainment so I agreed. Some friends from home are heading over too so it should be a good time, but I’ll have to leave pretty late that night to head to Morgantown in order to make it to Stonebridge by the AM to lead worship.

I haven’t been to Stonebridge since I left Morgantown, and I really miss it. I think it’ll be weird for me to not see Pastor Russ there, but I know Jason is holding it down, for sure. I’m really excited to hear him preach again. After church I’ll probably catch lunch with some friends and then maybe head back to Parkersburg. This will make my last trip to Morgantown for quite awhile, so it’s going to be hard, but the time has come to make a change. I guess it might as well be a 3,000-mile kind of change, I mean why not? There’s too much to see and do to just sit around Morgantown forever, no matter how much I love it.

The weekend after my last trip to Morgantown I’m heading to the Big Apple, that’s right, NYC. John’s sister Tracy and her family live there, so he invited me to tag along with him while he goes to visit. I couldn’t turn him down.

Then we reach my very last weekend, the 13-15. (I just had to pause and take a deep breath there for a second. Nervous? Stressed? Yeah, a little.) Who knows how I’ll spend these last few days, probably with my family. I know I’m getting a haircut, but that doesn’t mean much. The fifteenth, that’s a Sunday, my church in Parkersburg is having a commissioning service for me. The pastor wants me to get up in front of everyone so they can pray for me and send me out onto the mission field. I think it will be pretty cool. I’ll probably cry, my family will probably cry, but it’s what I know I’m supposed to do. As time goes by I feel more and more content in my decision to pack up and move to the Northwest.

Yet everyone seems to think that this is a very easy transition for me, and I just want to make it clear that this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I mean who in their right minds could say that moving 3,000 miles away is no biggie? It’s huge. Sure, it’s really exciting, extremely exciting, but saying goodbye and moving on from where you grew up and the places and people you feel comfortable with is not easy. I don’t even know one street name in Olympia. It’s definitely not comfortable or familiar to me, yet.

But here’s what I think. I don’t think that we’re not necessarily called to live these ultra comfy lifestyles as some Christians may preach. If you read through the Bible you’ll see that Jesus, and his inner circle of bros, didn’t have easy, comfortable lifestyles. Jesus obviously had it the worst, but was mocked at, spit at, laughed at and crucified all the while knowing He was God, and wanted so much to save the ones that hated Him. Peter was crucified upside down. Paul was chased out of cities, stoned, put in prison numerous times and then killed for his faith. There are more examples other than these guys, but when you look at how they lived their lives, it doesn’t really seem so easy. But they loved Jesus and their passion and dedication to Him spurred them on to do uncomfortable things, and I think that’s where I am. It’s scary, but I wouldn’t want to be in anyone else’s hands, but the Lords. I know He’s taking care of me and looking out for me through this transition.

I’ve had people ask me recently “How do you know that it’s God’s will? I don’t know, and I don’t feel like it’s the right thing for you to do.” Well, the thing is, is that we’re never going to know 100% what it is God has in store for our futures (other than the fact that as Christians, we have been promised eternity with Christ in a really super awesome sweet heaven). If we knew 100% then we wouldn’t be taking steps of faith. It’s like Jesus calling Peter out of the boat and onto the water. We must take those steps of faith and learn to trust God. So, that’s what I am currently trying to do. Trust God and take a step of faith. I guess we’ll see how it all pans out. The days are going to fly by.

37 days.

I think it’s time that I started to count down till the big move: 37 days.

Time has really flown by this summer. Watching Lyla has been one of the greatest joys in my life, and as time goes by I am realizing more and more how much I’m going to miss watching her grow and getting to spend so much time with her.

Only 37 days to go and I’m not even half way to my support goal. It’s totally stressful. I played a worship set and spoke at Lubeck Community Baptist Church in June and got most of the money that I currently have. I’ve had a really hard time getting people to respond to my support letters that I’ve sent out, and it’s pretty discouraging.

Luckily, today I got two contacts of pastors in the Parkersburg area that may be able to help me out, so I’m really praying hard that our conversations will go well this week, and they can help me financially this fall. I also talked to a friend in Parkersburg who knows of a church in Huntington that may let me come and speak the first of August, so that’s good. I only have four Sundays left so I don’t know how I will fit all of this in, but God is going to work it out and in the mean time I’m trying hard not to stress.

On a happier note… I found out recently that I get to have lunch with Pastor Mark Driscoll in Washington toward the end of August. If you don’t know Mark Driscoll, you should. I first heard him speak my junior year of college with two of my best friends, Jordan Stone and Sara Matheny. The talk was called Enjoy Your Life and it was all about loving the Lord and enjoying His creation. It changed my view on God a lot, and made me love Him even more. It really showed me that God is totally not distant from us, that He loves spending time with us and that He has created this whole world out of love and wants nothing more than for us to enjoy it.

Anyway, I got hooked on listening to Mark’s sermons and have been listening to him ever since. He’s is one of the biggest mentors in my life, even though we’ve never met. I look up to him a ton and I can’t believe I’m going to get to meet him. It’s super exciting! I’m probably going to go off telling him how great I think he is and thank him so much for living such a busy and hectic life so people can hear of Jesus. I’m sure I’ll sound like an idiot, but I don’t even care. I’m going to meet Mark Driscoll!!!! AHHH!!! =) haha.

Speaking of great things… I had a fabulous weekend. I got to spend time in Parkersburg with a few of my best friends from college, Sarah Johnson (Sij) and Sarah Yopp. We ended up saying our goodbyes to Sij, which was sad, but I’ll see meet up with her in December. She is moving to Orlando to work with Campus Crusade for Christ and the Jesus Film, and I’m sure the next time I see her we’re going to have so many cool stories about what God has been doing all over the country and throughout the world.

After Sij left I couldn’t sit around cause I would just cry, so I cleaned my moms entire house. (lawlz) I worked from 1-8. I went through all my stuff to prepare for a garage sale this weekend. I found some fun things from freshman year, like pictures and what not, and it was pretty sad. I can’t believe that it’s all over, it’s just now hitting me I think. So I packed up a bunch of boxes and stored them in my closet. Whenever I go to move all I have to do is pack my clothes and I’ll be set. I can’t believe it. It hardly seems real to me. Nonetheless it’s an exciting time and I’m ready to explore the Northwest. I can’t wait to see those beautiful mountains!