Wa-Wa

When I think of a convenience store, I think of a grungy 7/11 where I would only go to buy packaged items or maybe a slushy. Never would I buy a hot dog or coffee, or any other "prepared" item.

Here in the metro-Philly area there is a phenomenon that happens to be a convenience store, and it's known as Wa-Wa.

When we first got here we would drive by all these Wa-Was and wonder what they were. The sign has a goose of some sort on it, and the parking lots are always full, especially during lunchtime.

About a week after we moved here I read an article in a local paper about this chain. It said that for out-of-towners, Wa-Wa probably seems a strange name and a strange place. But to locals, it is the place to be! I also learned that Wa-Wa is the local Native American word for Canadian Goose, hence the goose on all the signs.

This is not your ordinary convenience store. They make sandwiches and wraps (Subway-style, to order) of all sorts. They have "award-winning" coffee with a variety of flavors (everyone I work with at Bertucci's loves the coffee at Wa-Wa). They have all kinds of Wa-Wa brand food and drinks. Some Wa-Was are also gas stations.

Our first food experience with Wa-Wa occurred last week. We had heard that Wa-Wa has excellent milkshakes, and as I was craving some kind of cold dairy dessert, we thought we'd give it a try.

We walked over to the milkshake station. We assumed it would be much like getting a slushy: pick the cup size, place it under the spout, and push the button to dispense the milkshake into the cup.

We couldn't find cups, so we grabbed a Wa-Wa employee who was stocking shelves nearby. He showed us the proper way to get a Wa-Wa milkshake:

1st- Pick a flavor from the assortment of already filled cups in the mini freezer below the counter. I chose strawberry and Michael chose a coffee-ish flavor.

2nd- Take the lid off the cup. The cup is about 2/3 full and frozen solid.

3rd- Place cup in the milkshake holder/dispenser.

4th- Choose desired thickness (Choices are Extra Thick, Regular Thickness, and Less Thickness) and push button.

5th- Watch as the machine sucks up the cup inside, dispensing milk while simultaneously stirring the shake to the appropriate thickness. (You can't see this part, but that's what the Wa-Wa worker told us was happening).

6th- Pull out shake and enjoy!

I thought my shake was INCREDIBLE!! Michael wasn't as happy with the coffee flavored one, but thought mine was fantastic. We're slowly becoming "locals," though because of the the Oregonians in us we still don't carry umbrellas when it rains.

We Moved...Again!

Yes, we moved again. When people ask us why we moved, I feel a little dumb saying it, but it was mostly because of an odor.

The apartment complex we lived in had an extremely high concentration of Indians living there. And many/most of them cook with curry-a lot. We were on the third floor, and walking through the hallways and stairwells every day got tougher and tougher.

Every time I came home I would have to pull out the keys, brace myself for the stairs, and draw in a huge breath. I tried running up the stairs holding my breath, but running meant I needed to draw in breath more quickly, and the wave of curry and other odd smells would hit me like a brick. It got really bad when the smells started to seep into our bathroom and bedroom vents.

I have not had typical morning sickness (so far!) during my pregnancy. I would feel nauseous often, but the only two or three times I got sick enough to sprint for the bathroom was after coming home and getting through the hallway to get to our apartment.

I've noticed since we've moved already I rarely feel nauseous now. It's glorious!

Michael was going to bring a few people home from his cohort who had trucks to help us move. When I opened the door, 10 of the eleven walked through our door! I was so amazed! They had about a two and half hour break between classes, and they all came to help. We had our entire apartment empty and loaded within an hour, and had it all unloaded into the new place within another 45 minutes.

They were all such troopers, especially because of how humid it was, everyone needed showers before they headed back to class.

I was very blessed by this group's willingness to help us out. It's been a fun group to get to know, and I can tell many of these people will be lifelong friends.

Michael and I are very happy to be in our new place. Instead of being in a complex with hundreds of people, we deal with the landlord directly, who rents out the rest of the building to an insurance company and a nail salon. We also have our own laundry now, instead of having to walk to the opposite end of the building to pay for laundry. We have tons of extra space, and were able to upgrade the number of bedrooms, all for about the same price as our last place.

Just another way God has provided for us here in Pennsylvania.

Ode to the Northwest Pastry

As we have been getting to know our new friends from Michael's program, and talking about similar likes and dislikes, we found out some terrible news this week.

Maple bars are no where to be found! We had NO IDEA that maple bars are only found in the Pacific Northwest. We spent ten minutes trying to explain to our new friends what a maple bar looks like, and better yet, tastes like, and they stared at us with blank expressions on their faces.

The best part is that this particular friend we've met, who is from New York, has an older brother who lives in our own hometown of Newberg, Oregon. (It really is a small world!) So, we called up his brother and wife on the phone to ask them if they knew what a maple bar was. We had convinced our friends that in Oregon, anyone and everyone knows what a maple bar is. And of course, they knew exactly what we were talking about.

The brother decided to do some detective work and found this website.

This is where I learned that there really are no maple bars near us. I had no idea that maple bars are "ubiquitous in Oregon and Washington, to be found at gas stations, grocery store bakeries, convenience stores, etc."

So, if anyone comes to visit us, we may have to request an order of maple bars to share with our East Coast friends.

Betruccis Brick Oven Pizza

I got a job!


No, not a teaching job. I'm still waiting on that. But we had already decided that I would try to work an extra job in the evenings and on the weekend while I can.

So, I found an ad on craigslist for a serving job at a local restaurant. I emailed them and received a call first thing this morning. I went in and was hired within five minutes! So, I start orientation and training tomorrow. It's great because it is super close to us. I think it's the closest restaurant we live to, less than two blocks away.

Now, if only my teaching license would arrive...

Some Big Little News

We're all settled into our apartment. We got all the furniture we need and feel very organized. We have a place for everything...I think this is the first time in my life I can really say that and know it's true. I think part of the reason for that is that we got rid of anything and everything that we don't use or knew we wouldn't need before we moved here. So, we are organized and ready for the year to start. It feels like it's our home now, not just an apartment we live in.

Michael starts school on Monday. Yesterday we went over to the main campus and walked around. It's very pretty. It looks like someone's estate from many years ago that was turned into a college campus. We also had fun walking around the downtown area of our town. There are a lot of shops and restaurants, and a movie theater.

I still don't have a job. I'm not terribly worried. I am applying to substitute in the area, and that should give me steady work for the year, from what I hear.

Last but not least, Michael and I were waiting a little while before we posted anything, but the time has come. I'm not really sure who has or hasn't heard, but Michael and I found out that we are expecting a baby in April!

We found out the day we arrived in Philadelphia. We are super excited. The truth is that we had decided a few months ago that we would start trying. We decided we'd love to have a baby before we left to go overseas, and that would mean we had a small 4 or 5 month window to try to get pregnant. The average 25 year old couple takes 6 months, so we just gave it to God and decided if we didn't get pregnant it wasn't the right timing.

We didn't tell anyone that we were trying, partly because if we didn't get pregnant no one would be disappointed but us. Also, we liked the element of surprise. Having been married 2 1/2 years people are always asking us when we are planning on having kids. We've had to slough it off lately and say, "oh, it will be a long time for us still, probably a couple years, until we figure out what we're doing in life." The funny part is that our own family barely believed us when we called them, because they all honestly believed it would be a long time.

So, to anyone we told that to, I must apologize for that little, white lie! :)

I wanted to post this because there are thoughts and emotions that go along with this that I find myself thinking a lot, and may end up blogging about from time to time.

Mostly, I have to admit, I have fear. There are so many things that can go wrong that I am learning I must trust the Lord in this daily. The first few days after we found out, I was having some sharp pains, and I got really worried. Praise the Lord for the internet, because within a few minutes I was able to look up my symptoms and find out that what I was experiencing was 100% normal. I started crying in relief, because all the worst possibilities had shot through my mind.

We are very excited about this big step. It is hard that we will be doing this far away from our family, but we took that into account a few months ago. We're just learning that we must turn to Christ daily for direction.

We're "Home"

Well, we're here. We will probably post more pictures later today of other parts of our trip. The trip itself went very smoothly. We were very fortunate not to have any car trouble or flat tires.

The first day of the trip I told Michael I had a lump in my throat, somewhere down deep. I felt as if I needed to cry but couldn't. I think the reality of leaving family and friends behind had hit, but it was deep inside. We are so excited about this step in our lives, but also a bit sad.

I thought through various people we have been interacting a lot with over the past year, and realized how much we will miss those interactions.

On the last night of our trip we stayed with relatives of Michael's in Dayton, Ohio. They had lived in Newberg and moved to the midwest 22 years ago. Originally they thought they'd only be gone for 5 years or so, and here they are 22 years later having moved even further east. It got me thinking about Michael and I, and how we have no idea how long we'll be "gone," or if we've moved to our new home indefinitely (being not the northwest).

For a few days before we left I was joking with some of my friends, telling them that they may never see me again. They didn't really like me joking about that, and I realized in a way it was my coping mechanism because I really wasn't sure how long we'd live far away. Sure, we'll come back to visit, but that's a whole different ballgame.

Either way, we're here now, and we'll take it one step at a time. We both have a huge sense of trust in the Lord that He will provide for us as we need, in His timing, and meanwhile, we must continue to be patient.

"All our bags are packed and we're ready to go..."

We're not leaving on a jet plane, but we are leaving in our Subaru.

As we packed today we decided we just had a couple boxes too many, so we rented a small U-Haul trailer that ended up fitting everything we wanted to pack, including our Christmas stuff, which we had decided wouldn't fit. I am very excited about that, especially because we may or may not be leaving PA for Christmas, and if you know me at all you know how much I LOVE decorating for Christmas almost as much as I LOVE Christmas.

We were packed and ready to go by dinner time. We had run most of our errands, the car was ready to go, and the house is very empty, besides a couple camping chairs and card tables (which are also packed and returned to their rightful owners).

As we are preparing to leave physically, we are also preparing mentally and emotionally. We are excited, nervous, sad, curious, and ready.

In case anyone is wondering, we did get our other car sold today, Praise the Lord!!
And, our housing is basically confirmed except one fax we are waiting for from Easter to send to the apartment complex. Of course, anything can happen, but we feel ready.

We figured out our basic route today, subject to change of course, and at this point plan on arriving to our apartment complex next Monday afternoon. I'm especially excited about spending a little time in Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, as well as seeing Mt. Rushmore.

We'll do our best to post pictures or blogs along the way. Keep us in your prayers!

Bad News and Good News

I got a phone call from PA this morning, but not from the apartment complex. (I'm still waiting to hear from them). It was the school that I was planning on interviewing with when we got to PA. The principal called to tell me they already filled all three of their social studies positions. I was pretty bummed. I cried a little, and then decided that that just means God has something else for me.


***

I just wrote that paragraph and then got a call from the apartment complex. They said everything looks good. All we have left to do is send a copy of Michael's financial aid (showing that he's taking out lots of loans) and that will be plenty to show our income verification. We have the spot reserved, and she called me and wanted to assure me that everything is set (she sensed my anxiousness and wanted to relieve my stress). As soon as Michael can send his financial letter she can send us all the information about our apartment.

This morning I had coffee with a very good friend from high school. We were talking about following God in obedience, and trusting God each step of the way, even when we can't see the whole picture. She said something about how God keeps us informed on a "need to know" basis, and I thought captured the idea well. God only reveals as much as He thinks we need to know, and then wants us to trust Him with the rest. So, I didn't get this job, but that's OK, because I trust that God will provide. Maybe it will be teaching, maybe I'll be working at Starbucks! Who knows? Only God does. And I am trusting this whole apartment hunt process as well.

Well, I am going to go try to pack our kitchen!

Letters from WW2

One week until we leave.

Today Michael and I had lunch with his great Uncle Harold and Aunt Betty. Harold was in the army during WW2 and had a whole bunch (70) of letters he had written home during the war. I borrowed them and sat at Chapters all afternoon and read through them all. Fascinating! He kept saying that they were nothing, but to me, there was a lot of rich history and so many stories.

Tomorrow morning early we find out if we got the apartment we applied for. We are hoping and praying, as I learn to be patient.

On another note, Michael's sister and I went to the brand new Ikea that opened in Portland yesterday. I had never been to one and needless to say I am sold! I always assumed they were expensive but was really pleased with the prices, and all the stuff they had. I wasn't sure if there was one in Philly, but Amy emailed me today to tell me she found 3! One is 10 minutes from Michael's college. I can't wait to shop for our new apartment, especially at Ikea.

"It wasn't tragic, just really, really terrible"

That was our motto at the end of Tween Camp.

That, and "No one Died."

I haven't posted in a while because life has been crazy. Michael and I directed Tween Camp, the junior high camp at Twin Rocks. It was one of the most exhausting, tiring weeks I've ever experienced. We had to deal with everything from a head lice break out, to kids piercing themselves, many calls home to parents, pink eye, and so much more that I can't even list. Needless to say, we came home from the week so tired we slept for two days straight!

I was also really sick during the week. One day I skipped beach day to rest, and my phone rang. I listened to the message and it was an assistant principal from PA. I called her back and she asked if we could do a pre-screening interview over the phone. I sounded like a FROG! But, it must have gone well because I received an email a few days later and have an in-person interview set up for when we get to PA.

We just got back from Michael's family reunion in Newberg. It was fun to hang out and meet some new faces, and reconnect with old ones. It was a good time to share with family Michael and my next step in our journey and to receive encouragement.

We leave one week from today. The latest stress has been housing. Most of my young adult life I've realized that I am an impatient person, and God is constantly trying to teach me patience. This is yet another example. We're having issues finding housing because we have to have income verification, which is hard to do when I've been in school all year, and Michael's been working two part-time jobs, and he won't be working and I will be. I got my hopes up a lot about one place, and that door got slammed shut. We found another place, and will find out on Wednesday morning if we meet the minimum requirements. It would be really nice to have a place to live so we could have an address to forward our mail to.

We have a long to-do list to finish in the next week. Here's a sampling:

-Pack
-Buy a hitch/install hitch on car
-Sell Jetta
-Figure out route to PA
-Pick up Trailer
-Pack
-Find an apartment
-Switch utilities
-Forwarding address
-Change oil in car
-Michael finish school work
-Michael finish editor job
-Pick up diploma from Willamette
-Pack up car and trailer
-Clean the house

T minus less than 2 months!

Time is ticking away.

Today I sent out 4 more job applications, as well as my application for my Pennsylvania License. Now it's a matter of time for my license to come in the mail. I jumped through all the hoops: Fingerprints while we were in PA, Criminal background check, Child Abuse history, FBI Clearance, Physical exam, application, transcripts...it was a lot of paperwork, but finally I had it all and was able to send it in.

It was a process though. Everything seemed to go wrong today. I forgot my OR License, and I was planning on working on it all this morning in Tualatin while Michael was working (we stayed in town to take friends to the airport last night). Then I rushed home to make the copies I needed and the copy machine at Safeway wouldn't work right (it printed out 11 x 14 documents), so we had to stand at the counter and cut them down. We were trying to make it by 5:00 to the post office. Well, as we neared the post office the road was blocked due to construction. So, I got out of the car and walked to the post office.

I got there and realized I didn't have enough postage on my documents. But it didn't matter anyway because the pick up was at 4:00, and the next one was at 8:45. I forgot my wallet and phone, so I had to walk back to the car to get money from Michael.

All that to say, I will be happy if one of these applications turns into a job.

On a different note, I have been enjoying my summer so far. I joined a local gym in town and work out every day. It's been great. And I've read 4 books in less than a week. Summer vacation is awesome! This is the first summer in years I haven't had a job, though preparing to move is a job in itself.

Trust

I have been stressing about finding a job in Pennsylvania. Partly because while we were there I interviewed for a job and haven't heard from the school. I have been looking online for jobs, and haven't found too many, but have applied for a few.

The other day I spent some time working on looking for jobs when I was supposed to be working on schoolwork. When Michael found out he told me I need to just stop looking for the next couple weeks and focus on school, and graduation. It was a good reminder.

It made me think about how we had decided to spend the month of April praying about our future, and how we felt that those prayers were completely answered. I realized I haven't been committing this job hunt to prayer, and I need to trust that the Lord will provide in His timing.

Phili Tourists

Today we did the whole tourist-thing in Philadelphia. We went to Independence Hall, saw the Liberty Bell (through the glass-we decided not to wait through the long line), and went to an old Friends Meetinghouse.

We were planning on spending time with one of my old roommates from college, who recently moved to New Jersey. We have been emailing back and forth for a couple weeks, making plans. Apparently, our reference to spending time in the city, and her reference to spending time in the city, meant different things. We were calling each other back and forth today, making final plans before they were going to take off and meet us in the "city."

Suddenly, she called me back and said, "when you say the city, are you meaning New York?" This whole time we were planning, "the city" to her and her husband meant New York City, and we meant Philadelphia.

So, we were all very disappointed to realize that it would be unrealistic and expensive to try to get together after all.

So, Michael and I just spent the day walking around the city.

It's been a fun trip, though we are both exhausted. We came back here to our room, and Michael is totally out on the bed! It's only 8:30 (5:30 back e did find a Starbucks today. And had Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. Yum!

Quakers and Coffee

I had a job interview today. It went really well. I am really excited to see what happens with this job. I know I need to look at other places, but I've been really excited about this school. I found a few other openings in the area right before we came out here, so when we get home I will keep searching.

The people here at the University have been great. They've been driving us everywhere (including to my interview and back), taking us to dinner (and paying for it), and have been extremely helpful and willing to answer questions and just get to know Michael and I.

We've had some funny experiences/conversations as we mention our affiliation with the Friends Church around here. Out here, everything is named Quaker. The first coffee shop we saw in the airport was called "Quaker Coffee." But, as many know, the Quakers out here are unprogrammed and not Christ-centered.

During my interview today, which is at a Christian school with a very strong spiritual emphasis, the principal noticed my home church was listed as "Newberg Friends Church." He asked me the name of the Christian camp I worked at (he went to college in the Northwest), and I said, "Twin Rocks Friends Camp." At this point he said, "I see you signed our Statement of Faith. Do you have any problems or concerns with it?" I realized he was extremely concerned with the Friends association, assuming that I was not a Christian. It ended up being a wonderful conversation in which I very clearly explained that I am a Christian, and that the Friends in the Northwest are much different than the ones he is familiar with.

We've had similar experiences with most of the people we've talked to, except one professor who had a really good understanding of Quaker-dom. It's been interesting having to explain and clarify as soon as we say "Friends" or "Quaker."

The other thing about this area: NO COFFEE SHOPS!

Actually, they do exist, but no one drinks it like in Oregon. Even the on-campus cafe didn't have any coffee options, not even plain old black coffee...on a college campus!! And we have been STRUGGLING, with the jet-lag and redeye flight. I asked some students and a professor where the closest coffee shop was to campus, and they had no clue. Amazing.

Tomorrow we are going into Philadelphia to do some site-seeing. First stop: Starbucks.

My First Phili Adventure

So, Michael and I are in Philadelphia. We have some good stories of the trip already, and we've only been here since Thursday morning.

We took a Redeye from Portland and arrived here at about 11 AM. We took the train from downtown Phili to the Seminary, where we are staying for the weekend. Public transportation is great, but it was expensive! For taking a short train ride, and having to switch once during the trip, we had to pay $20!! Crazy!

So, after we arrived to the University, we spent some time with an admissions director, ate some lunch, and then Michael and I split up. He went to attend one of the MBA classes, and I went on an adventure to get my fingerprints taken for my teaching license. (For my PA certificate I have to get a whole bunch of background checks, FBI Clearance, child abuse history clearance, and I had to get fingerprinted while I was here).

I had found the directions online, from the train station to the building. So, I set off. I was running a little late, so I found myself jogging to the station. I ended up on the wrong side, and had to run up and around, over a bridge, and back down, to get directly across to the correct side of the tracks.

I had no problem figuring out where I needed to get off the train. The directions seemed simple: Get off the train, walk up the road, cross road x, turn on road y, etc.

Well, as I started “walking up the road,” I realized none of the roads were the correct ones. I started walking by a college campus, (there are over 80 colleges in the area!!) and saw a woman in her 60s or so walking off campus. I asked her where Lancaster Avenue was located, and she told me I was on the opposite side of town. (We figured out that the terrible directions were written without knowing that there was only direction off the train, and thus I should have gone in the opposite direction off the train).

The woman offered to drive me to the building. So, I hopped in her car and we headed across town. We finally found the correct road (I NEVER would have found it by myself, and I needed to be there within the hour. Those directions were terrible!) and started looking for the address number. I saw the number, and decided to just jump out of her car. I thanked the woman for her kindness, hopped out, waited for the crazy traffic, and crossed the street. Apparently, without realizing it, the name of the road had changed, and I was at 950 Country Line instead of 950 Halverford.

So, I started walking again. I figured that if I just walked up the road it would turn into Halverford. After ten minutes I saw a mailman and asked him, and he sent me back the OTHER direction.

Eventually, the road changed and I was able to find the building I needed. I probably ended up walking for a total of 30 minutes. Not too bad, though I had thought it would be a 10-minute or less walk from the station.

At the fingerprinting place, I realized that I had forgotten my confirmation registration information. The short, spunky African-American woman told me no problem. I told her I was here from Oregon. She looked at me, confused, “Oregon, you mean like the state of Oregon? Girl, you came all the way over here for this?” She was hilarious. She told me if we hurried, no one would come check on us, and we were finished in less than ten minutes, though she kept looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was going to come in and “bust her” for letting me fingerprint without the right paperwork. (She did find me in the system, so I’m sure it was fine.)

As I was leaving I asked the woman at the front desk how to get back to the train station. There are two different lines that run through the area, the 100 and the R. I told her I needed the R-line, and she sent me down the street. After at least 20 minutes, I found the station, only to realize that it was the 100 after all.

By this time I was getting pretty tired of walking. Fortunately it wasn’t raining (yet) and I was really enjoying the walk: the trees and all the old brick and stone buildings around here are awesome!

I kept walking down the line. I figured that since I had clarified with the receptionist that I needed the R line, that maybe it was just a bit further down the way. I also knew by now I was no where close to the station that I had gotten off at, and guessed that this must be the next one up. After some more time of walking I decided to ask for directions. I walked into a medical building and spoke with the receptionist. She said, “you’re walking?” Yup! Well, she gave me the directions, and sure enough it was to the next station up. It was a long walk past a couple more colleges (on College Street). But this was the most beautiful part of the whole walk. I finally made it to the train station, and realized the round trip ticket I had bought was a waste. Since I had walked all the way to the next station, I was in the same “zone” as my destination, and therefore didn’t need a ticket. Oh well.

It was a great day for a walk. I arrived back at the Seminary more than two hours after I had left. I spent less than 20 minutes on the train, 10 minutes fingerprinting, and the rest of the time walking. Not terrible, though I realized how out of shape I am!