Just The Beginning...

I live in a town where people don't have to lock their doors. I woke up the other morning to find the front door open as well as the back door that led to the yard and the garage door, with no cars and no sign of anyone. I was by myself. Its not a usual thing to carry around keys aside from your car keys. No one lives in fear of anything getting stolen? I have never lived in a town like that, and now I do. There is no wind, just a slight breeze on a hot summer day. Always green..always moist. Trees surround me as I travel from to to here in my pretty green car. Oh how I love to drive my car. After not having a car for 3 months you sure become thankful when you get one back, one that is your your very own. I live in a town where no one cuts each other off and their is not traffic. Where everyone grew up together and and knows almost everyone who passes by. Everyone seems much nicer in Oregon. Or maybe its just this little town called Wilsonville. I have noticed that the people here are consistently happy and they like to live here. And, as I have mentioned before, most of them have lived here for most of their lives. Things have slown down here, no one is in a hurry. They know how to relax here and enjoy the little things in life. They appreciate family and community. It seems as though their biggest worry of the day is accidently getting the wrong mail in their mail box. Becky and Mike, whom I live with, fantastic people, who have taken me in to live in their home, love on me as if I was their own. Becky was sorting through the mail to find out that none had their name on it.

 "Mr. Mailman..." Becky says referring to Mike, her husband, "You brought in the wrong mail..this isn't ours...its Joyce's and Peggy's from next store". 

"Well, honey.." Mike responds, " I didn't look at it..I just brought it in." 

Do I really live here? It all seems so surreal. Did I really pack up my room from my big beautiful house in california and leave my roomates, my job, my family, and my best friends?? 

You know what I have noticed about parents houses? They always have food. Therefore if you are over at their house their is always something to eat. When I lived at my parents house that was the case and now that I live that Justin's parents house, that is also the case. 

Justin. now thats a whole other story now isn't it??

Having something to eat all the time is terrific.  When I lived on my own I rarely had food in the house. When the roommates and I first moved in we all went shopping together and everything in the fridge was up for grabs. At one point, my roommate Ashley decided she wanted to buy her own food. Kristin, my other former roommate, and I both agreed it was time to buy our own food. I liked the idea for the first couple of weeks, until I was hungry and couldn't afford food anymore and didn't have a car, so all I saw was food in the fridge I couldn't consume myself because it has other people's names on it: Ashley and Kristin. 

Plus its also fortunate when you have someone around who knows you so well that he gets everything you could possibly think about eating, drinking, or snacking on, for you. 

Justin. We are back to him again. He's the guy that took me out last night to the city, Portland. Fed me, made me laugh and smile and then wanted to take me for a walk. It was in the city and it happened just I would have liked it too, or have even daydreamed about. The water was calm and serene and the bridge above it was lit up with colorful lights. I asked what the lights were for, and he said so the boats can see the bridge as it goes through. I didn't believe him cause I didn't see any boats. But, a little while later, I did see one. The bridge separated and raised so hey large boat could go through. My brother, Phil, was walking with Justin and I on the pier. It was a beautiful night, perfect actually and the skyline was all lit up with the clear night sky in the back ground. You can still see the clouds in the sky when its dark in Oregon. Beautiful combination of dark and light blue outlining the clouds. Phil wandered off on his own and Justin grabbed my hand in that sweet way of his. We were by ourselves now. I kept my eyes on the water, the sky, the skyline, the lamp posts, and park benches, and thought to myself, this is just like a movie. I was thinking if I could choose a soundtrack right now, what song would I choose for this very moment? I felt his eyes on me and my heart fluttered and I felt my stomach leap and and I thought of some way to let out the butterflies that fly free inside me...what is this feeling? This feeling that I have never felt before...

Their is no sales tax in Oregon. Which seems to surprise me EVERY single time. What can I say? I'm easily amused and caught off guard. Things actually cost what you purchase them for! amazing! its great. 

AND. I don't have to pump my own gas..because not only do I have a boy that follows me around that would gladly do it for me, BUT it is actually against the law to pump your own gas in Oregon. You pull up to the gas station and people actually pump the gas for you! It's their job!! I find myself being amused, pleasantly surprised, and joyful every day...yet this is only the beginning of the glorious journey God has has set before me...