Life Sometimes Seems So Puzzling!

Well, I think we've settled in nicely; we've eaten several homemade meals, watched some movies, and slept in our new bed. Yet things still are up in the air. <sigh>

Financially, God is going to be the only One Who makes this first month happen. I am looking forward to seeing how He does it - but there's a part of me that's fighting being depressed about it. I AM fighting it, though - this is a recurring theme in our lives, that we have to DAILY depend on His provision. So please pray and praise with us as He does it - and if you happen to see our sale gallery posts on Facebook, share them so other people can sow into our ministry support! :)

Now, then. I've got a loaf of banana bread in the oven, my grandmother's recipe, and the apartment's going to start smelling like HOME. :) Kenn's out shooting the sunset for the first time on our trip. :D So I thought I'd share a few of my photos from our visiting our new 'hood. :D

This is about two miles down the road from Reedsport, and the closest beach access to the house - that we've found so far. :D What you see past the sign is a triangle where oysters are raised commercially - to the far right of the photo is the Umpqua River mouth entering the Pacific Ocean.

And this, of course, is Kenn at the ocean. It was an absolutely glorious afternoon/day. It was forecast as RAIN. We simply had to get out of the house and go to the ocean. :D

There is an elk reserve on the way inland, and we happened to be driving in when we spotted a rather large herd. I think they're ugly. LOL

This is the Umpqua Lighthouse. It's not very tall, but it is beautiful! And VERY accessible - it's only about three feet inside the Coast Guard compound, so you can see the whole building.

The above photo is the ocean and the beach without Kenn. :D



And finally, this area is a national ATV draw; it's the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area. And WOW, do these people have the toys - RVs, ATVs, bikes, buggies, trailers. :D


We went to church this morning, and it was good to be in a place where our dear friend, Nila, was known and so, by extension, were we. But OH, how I miss our Springhouse family and worship. So does Kenn - for the first time in his life, he's actually homesick for people, not a place. And that, friends and family, is evidence of God at work in his life. WOW.

So, at this moment, I don't know what our adventure will be - or for how long. But I am determined that God be glorified, no matter what or where we are! :) I'd love to hear from some of you! :)

We found a place!

We are now renters - in Reedsport, Oregon! It's not too big, but it's fully furnished - and have a twin hide-a-bed, so room for one guest at a time. :D
Here are pictures!

See? Open floor plan and high ceilings, so it feels much bigger. It's basically what I know as a mother-in-law suite, attached to the owner's house by a breezeway. Full kitchen, because the wife of the owning couple is a CHEF! How cool is that?! :D

OK, I'm outta here. We're headed back into the valley this afternoon to get all our stuff out of our friends' house, then back to start living on the coast again! :)

One month!

Yes, that's right. Wednesday marks one month since we left the house in Old Hickory. And yes, to me it feels that long! :) We've logged a LOT of hours and miles in the car in the past month! And Wednesday, we head back to the beach to look at a possible rental. Yea! :)

There hasn't been a whole lot going on around here to share. However, we did go to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm today - Woodburn, Oregon, is in the middle of its tulip festival. And WOW!

So this post is to mostly share some photos with you, and ask you to continue to pray for our housing needs, provision, and HEALTH! :) (If you have stock in Puffs, I'm your increased revenue this quarter.... :D )

 This is Kenn and me at the front of the garden. :)

This is a tulip I for which will be waiting to come on the market! It's in testing right now, and it's the PERFECT tulip for my mom. Isn't it beautiful???

Kenn setting up to take his first picture of this amazing field of tulips!

It really is amazing - they seem to go on and on, in beautiful stripes of color.

This is one of my all-time favorite tulips. I love purple! :)

Trying to catch y'all up a bit!

Well, let's see. The last I wrote, we were leaving California.

We went to Bend, and spent ONE night with our friend, Jane. She had a cat, and that kind of started off a period of bad news for me. She also had a juniper tree in full bloom right outside her front door, and that's one of the worst for Kenn's hay fever. SO. We called Lee and Corrine, and said we were on our way. Although way surprised - we weren't supposed to be with them for five more days! - they graciously said to come on.

Now, Lee and Corrine also have a cat. They keep an ionizing machine in the bedroom we use, so I have a safe zone - but it always feels awkward to check out for a while when everyone else is together. :/ So I probably overpushed it; I developed my yearly upper respiratory infection.

But that hasn't stopped us! We went to the ocean this week! :D

This is Yachats, probably my favorite rocky beach on the Oregon Coast. It's also one of Kenn's; Smelt Sands Beach is the one place we visit more than any other. Perhaps you can see why! (Don't forget you can click on any shot to see it at the size I uploaded it!)

Monday was pretty cloudy, but we were at the OCEAN. :) We took lots of photos, we ate good Chinese food, and we kicked back.

Tuesday started out the same way; we went out to take some pictures, but it was just too drizzly and rainy. So we took a drive and looked at a couple of properties and went and asked questions of a local facility, then got a Papa Murphy's pizza and took it back to the room to cook and eat. We rested and watched TV for a while, then went to see GI JOE:RETALIATION. Good movie! When we came back out, it was BEAUTIFUL!!! HOORAY!!!

Out we went for photos! :) This one is from Cape Fowlweather; it was a glorious evening.

Wednesday morning, I woke up to sunshine filling the kitchen area and the bathroom. It was really nice. :) Kenn went to the marina to take some pictures; when he came back, I was ready to load. The sun was starting to get clouded out, so we went inland, stopping along the way to take some more photos. :)

These last couple of photos were from our first day, when we went to Yachats. Knowing about the trauma the Japanese are still going through, mostly because of the work Kenn's brother, Bob, is doing with them - you can find his blog here.

Anyway. We've been back in St. Paul since Wednesday afternoon, and have had good food, good times, and relaxing time. We're waiting on some information from an acquaintance about lodging possibilities; we're in a waiting mode, I think. God's moving, I know. We just don't SEE it yet. :) So all prayers are gratefully accepted - for health (I'm still fighting this URI, Kenn's still fighting the pollen!), lodging, direction. But above all, we are SO grateful for His love and for yours!!