here comes more snow!

We got another good douse of snow last night. Shea and I went on a lovely walk this morning and enjoyed the fresh snow outside of our home.

winter wonderland

need we say more?








view from our bedroom window:

Oh the weather outside...

Last night we celebrated Shea's sister's birthday in Bellevue, WA ... kind of like Irvine, CA. They have a "drum parade" in which high-school age drummers perform on the street to Christmas songs with coordinating lights, etc. It felt a lot like Disneyland, which was lovely. The first snow of the season began falling during that parade and we drove home in fast-falling chunks of snow. This morning we work up to a light dusting of white over our view of the Puyallup River. It's supposed to stay below freezing for the next week, so we're bundled up! We think to ourselves that this is nothing compared to our friends living near Chicago or our friends in Toronto. :)

enjoy the pictures!

Christmas is here!

So, I must say....that the crispness of western WA has not been too much for us yet! We slid from Fall to winter smoothly and now typically have nights that reach freezing and days that barely reach 50 degrees. I've put in pictures of our backyard from summer to fall to winter. The last picture is of our backyard at sunrise, as I'm leaving to go to work.

We got our first real tree and discovered that an 8' tree can, indeed, be tied to the top of a Camry. :)

Missing you, our friends and family,
Elizabeth (& Shea)

seasons

I grew up seeing pictures of trees turning red, orange, and yellow. I have always associated fall with briskness in the air, pumpkin pie spices, and awaiting Advent. On this last week of October, I am struck with the beauty that 60% of the trees around Puyallup are deciduous. On the exit that I take to get off the freeway coming home from work, every-other tree is an evergreen and so there is yellow-green striping lining the off-ramp for 1/4 mile.

Today, I took the long way to get to our nearest Trader Joe's (17 miles away). With it, I took a 2-lane avenue that was covered with yellow leaves on the ground and yellow leaves on the trees lining it. I thought to myself, "I don't ever want Fall to end! These colors are amazing!" And then I realized something...this was the first time in over 10 months that I actually enjoyed driving. Since the accident that I was in in Chicago last January, I have seen driving in the car as something to be avoided if at all possible. Today was the first day I saw beauty in it.

So, I think I do want seasons to change. Some seasons in our life have been much harder than others, but I am learning that seasons change and that there is beauty in ones to come, as there is in the one we are living in. My reflections today lead me to be mindful of having a grateful heart about the things that God has put into my life for this season. I am grateful to be in Puyallup for this year. I am grateful to be an image of God's compassion, love, and healing in so many vet's and active-duty soldier's lives. I am grateful to be coming up on 3 1/2 years of marriage to a psychologically stable, healthy, joyful, strong, wise, and gentle husband. I am grateful.

there and back again

We spent the past 2 weekends with our families at Whidbey Island in WA then in LA, respectively. The dissertation is defended and now we are settling back into our cozy home in Puyallup.
And, yes...that is the coyote that wakes us up in the morning with its barks. Puyallup is definitely not Orange County. :)

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park

So...we live in a really cool area of WA. It's definitely NOT in the city, and for that, it is a relaxing place to live. We discovered a wildlife preserve 17 miles from our home. It houses animals in 400+ acres that are native to the northwest. Here are some fantastic animals that we saw. The last picture is of our wonderful Mt. Rainier. We have such a beautiful view of it. Enjoy!