Daddy Dates

In the midst of our changing, ever-moving lives, we have tried to keep some of the same routines from our life back in Vancouver.  That has meant the continuation of our long-standing "Daddy Date" tradition.

Due to the way our week unfolded, Kelsi got to go first.  She chose a lovely dinner with me at Red Robin, or "Red Robins" 

as she calls it.  I think she chose to go there because she has memories of us going there as a family back in Vancouver.  After a wonderful cheeseburger meal, we headed over to the nearby mall where she got to pick out her favorite candy from the candy store.  It took a while but she finally got the perrrfect bag of gummy bears.  The end of the night found us at Toys R Us where Kelsi got to pick out a special toy to bring home.  What a fun night with my Little Jo-Jo.

Kayla's turn came the following Saturday and we had a special lunch date at Johnny Rocket's- a 50's style diner in the Capitol Mall.  

It was a similar place to the Stardust Diner back in Vancouver where we had been on previous dates.  After lunch, we took in the latest Pixar movie, Wall-e.  Once the movie wrapped up, we headed over to Toys R Us to equal the playing field from Kelsi's date.   A Mary Poppins doll and a Buzz Lightyear toy for Logan later, we headed home.

I am always amazed at two things every time I do a Daddy Date.  First, it blows me away to

 watch the waitresses reaction at my girls when they learn they are on a "daddy date."  I hear, "your daughter is so cute" every time.  Second and most importantly, both my girls literally glow during our dates.  They know they are so valued and loved and they get extra cuddly.  I recommend it to every father in the world!

Sold!

We are so excited to announce that our house in Vancouver has finally sold.  And has it ever been a whirlwind of a week.  Last Thursday morning (July 17th), we got a call from a realtor saying that he had a couple that liked our floor plan and wanted to show it that afternoon.  By that night, they had been back twice and had made an offer that was very close to our asking price.  

Due to their pressing need to get into a house by the end of July, we chose to do the impossible- pack up our entire house in 3 days, load a U-Haul the next day, and drive to Olympia to put it in storage to cap it all off.  So, as of this past Saturday (July 26th), I closed the door on our Public Storage unit and wrapped up one of the most crazy weeks of my life.  All our earthly possessions are now in Olympia and we are free to start formally pursuing some of the houses we have been keeping our eyes on.

Note to self- don't move for a long time.  

Extra note to self- when you do move, don't try to do it all in 1 week.

Reason to Love Olympia #1 - The Waterfront Area

I know I am being duped because I am moving here at the most glorious time of the year- but man, is the waterfront area of downtown Olympia spectacular when the the sun is out.  Blue sky, blue water, and beauty.

The other night we packed up the kids and played a bit down at a play structure a few blocks from the church.  

Here are some pics of the what I think

 are the cutest kids in the world.  You can see the Capital building in the background of the one with all of them.

A Full Week

Though it may not seem like a big deal, this week is actually a huge one for me and my family.  For the past couple of weeks, we (or I) have been doing the commute things back and for between Olympia and Vancouver.  A service in Olympia one day, back down to Vancouver for the next few days.  Another service in Olympia one day, and back down to Vancouver to wrap up life at Crossroads.

But, as of this past Sunday, July 6th, we are Olympians for a full week.  Not only did I get to preach my first Sunday AM and PM, but we actually stayed in town after it.  God has been very faithful to provide housing for us as we are basically crashing different people's homes who are on vacation.  By doing that, we basically have free housing covered between now and the first part of August.  We are so grateful for all those in Olympia who have welcomed us with open arms and literally given us so much to help in this process.

For those who care, here is our itinerary for the foreseeable future:

-Sunday, July 6th to Sunday, July 13th: Olympia @ Ben and Shaelyn Mead's house

-Monday, July 14 to Tuesday, July 15th: Vancouver @ home

-Wednesday, July 16th to ?: Olympia @ Zack and Randi Wilson's house

Oh, and be praying for our house to sell.  We have shown it 12 or 13 times in the last 2 1/2 weeks, but still no official offers.  We trust that God will take care of this, but it can be stretching some times when it feels like it is dragging on forever.