Well, I can't believe that the big moving day is almost here. In just 4 short days, we will be packing up all of our things into one big truck and moving it across the country. Wasn't I applying for grad schools just a few months ago?! My how time does fly. Heather and I have enjoyed our year in Bellingham so much! She has said repeatedly that Bellingham is the first town besides Walla Walla that she's ever felt like she could settle in. We know that there are so many exciting things waiting for us in Tennessee, but we sure will miss the spectacular view of Mount Baker to the east, and the beautiful sunset over the water to the west.
There are so many mixed emotions surrounding our big move. We are both pretty sad to be leaving our first home together, but at the same time we just want to get it over with! We have been planning this next step for so long and we are ready for the anticipation to be over. Then again, moving so far away from family will be difficult for both of us. We know it won't be long until Christmas, and we hope we will get to see you all more than once a year for the next 3 years. It's a bit hard to think about that reality even now. But on the brighter side, we are following Gods will! We also know he has great things planned for our lives in Tennessee. We are eager to grow closer together through this crazy adventure. And someday, we WILL move back to the west coast!
Oh, so many things to think about! The thought of this move away from home can be unpleasant, but being reminded of God's plan is the most reassuring thing we have. We are thankful for all of you, excited to see most of you this next weekend, and will miss you so much. We promise to keep in touch through this blog. Have faith Cami! We can do it!!!
I'll sure we will have plenty of pictures to post, and stories to tell when we get to Nashville!
Until next time...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Camping Trip '09
On this weekend's agenda, CAMPING!!! Heather, Draco, and I went to Silver Lake Park near Mount Baker. We had scoped out the area with Mom and Dad when they came up to visit a few months ago. One look around the park and we knew we wanted to camp there before we left town. So this weekend was our time to camp! We have been waiting to go camping since we got married. You may remember that a major motif of our gift registry was camping gear. We tried to find a camp site on several occasions last fall but were unsuccessful. Needless to say, we were very excited to spend some time outdoors (sans hiking).
Being the planners that we are, we made several checklists and packed our gear at least a week in advance. Excited? Nay, Thrilled to camp!!! We barely fit our stuff + Draco in the car but we made it and set up camp Friday afternoon
This is proof that I can build a fire! But don't be fooled, the wood was a bit wet and the fire barely hung in there. It took the both of us to keep it going all evening.
This is a part of Silver Lake. Aside from sitting on its bank and enjoying the beauty of the surrounding mountains, we went on a paddle boating excursion directly to the nearest shady spot! I think we both had forgotten how much work a paddle boat can be! Despite the unwelcomed workout, we really enjoyed the time together exploring the lake and searching for fish swimming below.
We had the best time camping together! We learned a bit about "surviving" outdoors and will be even better prepared for next time and we hope we can find some good places to camp in Tennessee.
Oh, Draco had a ball too! Does it get cuter than this?
Next weekend Heather's parents will be coming to visit and the week after that we will be packing and moving. Oh my goodness...Uff Dah! Until next time...
Being the planners that we are, we made several checklists and packed our gear at least a week in advance. Excited? Nay, Thrilled to camp!!! We barely fit our stuff + Draco in the car but we made it and set up camp Friday afternoon
This is proof that I can build a fire! But don't be fooled, the wood was a bit wet and the fire barely hung in there. It took the both of us to keep it going all evening.
This is a part of Silver Lake. Aside from sitting on its bank and enjoying the beauty of the surrounding mountains, we went on a paddle boating excursion directly to the nearest shady spot! I think we both had forgotten how much work a paddle boat can be! Despite the unwelcomed workout, we really enjoyed the time together exploring the lake and searching for fish swimming below.
We had the best time camping together! We learned a bit about "surviving" outdoors and will be even better prepared for next time and we hope we can find some good places to camp in Tennessee.
Oh, Draco had a ball too! Does it get cuter than this?
Next weekend Heather's parents will be coming to visit and the week after that we will be packing and moving. Oh my goodness...Uff Dah! Until next time...
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Graduation and After
Here is the second part of our graduation weekend in Bellingham. The graduation ceremony was all that we could have hoped for. Despite having to read over 600 names in my ceremony, they were able to finish exactly on time in only 90 minutes! We all sweat through the ceremony and then had a bit of time to cool off before we had a great dinner celebration at the Hearthfire Steakhouse on the water. We spent several hours at the restaurant talking, laughing, and enjoying being together as a big family. I'm pretty sure that Dad got about 10 times as many pictures on his camera as I did so be looking for more pictures from him soon.
On Sunday after everyone left town, Heather and I spent a little time together just trying to relax and then we decided to take a drive and try out the new GPS! Heather found a county park that looked pretty interesting in Ferndale, just a few miles north of Bellingham. We excitedly got in the car and hopped on the I-5. We were barely half-way down the entrance ramp when we noticed traffic was at a standstill and backed up for quite a ways. It didn't take long to figure out that there was a pretty intense situation up ahead and we probably wouldn't be moving for a while. After only 5-10 minutes of waiting, people started to turn around and go back up the entrance ramp to the surface streets!! Heather and I couldn't help but just stare at people with our jaws on the floor in disbelief! She captured the whole thing with our camera. Yes. Those are several rows of cars on the same side of the road, going in different directions. Brilliant right? Not so much...
The first thing we found at this park was a fragrance garden. It was full of all kinds of varieties of sage, mint, thyme, rosemary, and other aromatic flowers and trees. It was such a unique garden and was very interesting to explore!
Later, we look some really neat trails through a large wetland area. It was full of all sorts of wildlife and plantlife that we don't usually see. We weren't able to get a good picture, but as we were pulling into the park, a bald eagle was circling overhead! They are such majestic birds. Feel free to click on the pictures to make them much larger.
Here is a Blue Heron
While standing on a bridge taking pictures of the Heron, we noticed this little guy silently swimming down the stream at a pretty good pace! At first we thought he was a small beaver but he turned out to be a muskrat. Too cute!
On Sunday after everyone left town, Heather and I spent a little time together just trying to relax and then we decided to take a drive and try out the new GPS! Heather found a county park that looked pretty interesting in Ferndale, just a few miles north of Bellingham. We excitedly got in the car and hopped on the I-5. We were barely half-way down the entrance ramp when we noticed traffic was at a standstill and backed up for quite a ways. It didn't take long to figure out that there was a pretty intense situation up ahead and we probably wouldn't be moving for a while. After only 5-10 minutes of waiting, people started to turn around and go back up the entrance ramp to the surface streets!! Heather and I couldn't help but just stare at people with our jaws on the floor in disbelief! She captured the whole thing with our camera. Yes. Those are several rows of cars on the same side of the road, going in different directions. Brilliant right? Not so much...
The first thing we found at this park was a fragrance garden. It was full of all kinds of varieties of sage, mint, thyme, rosemary, and other aromatic flowers and trees. It was such a unique garden and was very interesting to explore!
Later, we look some really neat trails through a large wetland area. It was full of all sorts of wildlife and plantlife that we don't usually see. We weren't able to get a good picture, but as we were pulling into the park, a bald eagle was circling overhead! They are such majestic birds. Feel free to click on the pictures to make them much larger.
Here is a Blue Heron
While standing on a bridge taking pictures of the Heron, we noticed this little guy silently swimming down the stream at a pretty good pace! At first we thought he was a small beaver but he turned out to be a muskrat. Too cute!
Friday, June 12, 2009
New Dog & Graduation
Preface: There is much more to come from this great weekend! Tonight we had a bbq at our apartment. Woah, talk about a full house! We managed to entertain 12 people (including Addi) in our not so huge apartment. We bbq'd and ate outside at the picnic table. We were fortunate enough to have beautiful weather today and the best company in the world!
Oh wait, what's that horse doing next to Emily? He's no horse, but he is our new dog! Correction, our new HUGE dog!! Draco was brought to us from Walla Walla today and we are so excited to finally meet him! I must admit, it was a GIGANTIC surprise to see him for the first time. We knew was a bit over weight, but when we met him, we saw that he is COLOSSAL! His new nickname is "the sausage". We offer for proof, the next photo. Please, try not to laugh too hard, he is very sensitive about his weight. As we're posting this I am singing "Fat dog with little leeeggggggssss....."
That picture definitely reminds us of the more famous shot of a pig from the same angle. We are looking forward to giving him the exercise and diet that he needs to be a healthy, long-living pet for us. He's going to be a TITANIC chore and will require much patients and care, but we love him already and can't wait to spend time with him! And here are a few pictures that are more flattering of his ROBUST physique.
Oh wait, what's that horse doing next to Emily? He's no horse, but he is our new dog! Correction, our new HUGE dog!! Draco was brought to us from Walla Walla today and we are so excited to finally meet him! I must admit, it was a GIGANTIC surprise to see him for the first time. We knew was a bit over weight, but when we met him, we saw that he is COLOSSAL! His new nickname is "the sausage". We offer for proof, the next photo. Please, try not to laugh too hard, he is very sensitive about his weight. As we're posting this I am singing "Fat dog with little leeeggggggssss....."
That picture definitely reminds us of the more famous shot of a pig from the same angle. We are looking forward to giving him the exercise and diet that he needs to be a healthy, long-living pet for us. He's going to be a TITANIC chore and will require much patients and care, but we love him already and can't wait to spend time with him! And here are a few pictures that are more flattering of his ROBUST physique.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
All that's new
Well, It's been quite a while since our last post. I'm sure we'll have a lot more to write about when we start our cross-country move. But for now, just a few things to report.
We have an apartment waiting for us in Nashville. It's a newly remodeled townhouse in a suburb called Bellevue. It feels really great to have a place to stay waiting for us when we get there! We've pretty much picked our moving date also. Heather's last day of work will be Friday, July 24th. We will probably get a moving truck on Monday the 27th, pack everything that morning, and head for Walla Walla!
I am graduating from Western this next weekend! I have one final tomorrow (Monday) morning and I'll be finished! It feels like Mom and Dad dropped me off in my dorm just a year or so ago. Time is starting to fly! Yikes! We are planning on having a big crew up to Bellingham for the festivities. It'll be more people in our little apartment than there ever should be, but it will be a great time! Aside from the reunion, it will be one of the last times we'll get to see everyone before we move.
Oh, we almost forgot to add...we got a dog today! Mom, Dad, we know. Our friends Seth and Emily called us a few days ago. They have a friend who is an older lady with three dogs. Apparently her allergies are kicking up to the maximum and she needed to get rid of her dogs ASAP. Long story short, we ended up with a 4 year-old purebred Welsh Corgi, for FREE!!! Seth and Emily are going to take care of him until we can come pick him up. We decided to give him a new name (his old name was scrappy). His name is Draco (pronounced Dray-Co). I have a few pictures of him on my cell phone but I couldn't get them onto my computer for this post. I'm sure most of you will see him soon!
So that's mostly what we know for now. We're looking forward to seeing most of you this next weekend here in Bellingham! Until next time...
Love, Tim & Heather
We have an apartment waiting for us in Nashville. It's a newly remodeled townhouse in a suburb called Bellevue. It feels really great to have a place to stay waiting for us when we get there! We've pretty much picked our moving date also. Heather's last day of work will be Friday, July 24th. We will probably get a moving truck on Monday the 27th, pack everything that morning, and head for Walla Walla!
I am graduating from Western this next weekend! I have one final tomorrow (Monday) morning and I'll be finished! It feels like Mom and Dad dropped me off in my dorm just a year or so ago. Time is starting to fly! Yikes! We are planning on having a big crew up to Bellingham for the festivities. It'll be more people in our little apartment than there ever should be, but it will be a great time! Aside from the reunion, it will be one of the last times we'll get to see everyone before we move.
Oh, we almost forgot to add...we got a dog today! Mom, Dad, we know. Our friends Seth and Emily called us a few days ago. They have a friend who is an older lady with three dogs. Apparently her allergies are kicking up to the maximum and she needed to get rid of her dogs ASAP. Long story short, we ended up with a 4 year-old purebred Welsh Corgi, for FREE!!! Seth and Emily are going to take care of him until we can come pick him up. We decided to give him a new name (his old name was scrappy). His name is Draco (pronounced Dray-Co). I have a few pictures of him on my cell phone but I couldn't get them onto my computer for this post. I'm sure most of you will see him soon!
So that's mostly what we know for now. We're looking forward to seeing most of you this next weekend here in Bellingham! Until next time...
Love, Tim & Heather
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
Hello all! We miss you all so much today! This is our first major holiday without other family, but we've managed to make it a pretty good one. Yesterday we had a full-fledged Easter egg hunt (Davis style) complete with clues leading to a DVD at the end. Heather got shoes instead of a DVD...Heather style.
Here's all of our loot! We are now officially swimming in candy. God help us.
After our great egg hunts, we sat down and watched Ratatouille and went out to dinner. A fun start to a great weekend! This morning we went to church. As per usual at any church it was more than packed! We went to the early service to try to dodge some of the crowds. We got home a little before 10 and got to work on a great Easter dinner. On the menu: ham, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, and deviled eggs.
Here are a few highlights.
The final product...
Here's a picture of a re-created cartoon from one of Tim's professors.
Brown Bunny -
"I can't feel my butt!"
White Bunny -
"What? I can't hear you!"
Here's all of our loot! We are now officially swimming in candy. God help us.
After our great egg hunts, we sat down and watched Ratatouille and went out to dinner. A fun start to a great weekend! This morning we went to church. As per usual at any church it was more than packed! We went to the early service to try to dodge some of the crowds. We got home a little before 10 and got to work on a great Easter dinner. On the menu: ham, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, and deviled eggs.
Here are a few highlights.
The final product...
Here's a picture of a re-created cartoon from one of Tim's professors.
Brown Bunny -
"I can't feel my butt!"
White Bunny -
"What? I can't hear you!"
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Scratch THAT...GO COMMODORES!!!!
UPDATE!!! So most of you have heard the great news already. This morning I was on the phone with Vanderbilt and they offered me a very generous tuition scholarship package that we can't refuse! So this coming fall, Heather and I will be living in Nashville, TN and I will be a 1st year Au.D. student at Vanderbilt University! YAHOO!!! We are so thankful for the opportunities ahead of us and are really excited to explore a different part of the country.
Yes, we will be much farther from home, but we are hoping that this will be an enriching time for the two of us as we grow closer together through this huge transition. We will have opportunities to explore parts of the South and East coast that we may never have the chance to visit otherwise. Don't get me wrong...we will miss home like crazy! We may even doubt our decision from time to time. But we feel strongly that Vanderbilt is where we should go. And don't forget, we aren't moving for several months yet. We'll be making at least a few trips home in the mean time and we'll see many of you in June for my graduation.
We can't wait to get this quarter over with, get the move over with, and settle in to our new home and a new adventure!
So much more to come!!
Yes, we will be much farther from home, but we are hoping that this will be an enriching time for the two of us as we grow closer together through this huge transition. We will have opportunities to explore parts of the South and East coast that we may never have the chance to visit otherwise. Don't get me wrong...we will miss home like crazy! We may even doubt our decision from time to time. But we feel strongly that Vanderbilt is where we should go. And don't forget, we aren't moving for several months yet. We'll be making at least a few trips home in the mean time and we'll see many of you in June for my graduation.
We can't wait to get this quarter over with, get the move over with, and settle in to our new home and a new adventure!
So much more to come!!
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