Since our last post we have been busy! Life in Eugene is good and finally feels like it’s coming together. We’ve gotten to do a lot of exploring over the past few months, including a weekend in Florence (the coastal town close to Eugene), a 5 day trip to the Halstead cabin up in Yakima (my highlight to the summer!), a weekend trip to Bellingham for a friend’s wedding, biking around Eugene and Springfield, and swimming in the river. We’ve also enjoyed many cups of fro-yo, a tasting at the Ninkasi Brewery, a tour of the Bike Friday factory, and a few visits from friends along the way.
Not only have we enjoyed these adventures but we also got to spend a long weekend in Bend, OR to celebrate our two years of marriage. We biked, toured the Deschutes Brewery, swam in the Deschutes River (which is freeeeeeeezing!), stayed in a cute bed and breakfast known as “The Mill Inn”, a special dinner at “The Cowboy Dinner Tree” and our 1000th geocaching find! This trip deserved a blog post in itself, but summer adventures and attempting to feel settled in Eugene distracted us.
On top of all this happening Stead got a job as a book keeper for a local non-profit, Oregon Community Programs. The organization specializes in foster care research and makes a lot of good things happen. He also has taken up an unofficial IT internship with our friend Jason at NCU and has been working on his MBA. Never a dull moment for him! I’ll be joining the graduate school ranks with him at the end of them month as my Masters in Mental Health Counseling program begins.
As the summer starts to end it really only feels like it is beginning. The days are hot and the sun hangs around a long time – perfect for reading in the grass somewhere or cruising around on our bikes, which have gotten a lot of miles on them since we arrived here. Along with the long, warm days comes the beginning of a new school year at NCU. This next week I go on my first of many retreats with a group of student leaders. Soon Orientation will be upon us and all will be underway!
We are grateful for God’s provision and guidance as we have tried to find our way in our new home. Luckily we have found a church close to our house called Northpark Community Fellowship and we really enjoy the people there. They see the neighborhood as their mission field and are warm, loving people who love sharing Jesus with people. We are hoping to make it our home church
here in Eugene.
Thank you for your love and friendship! Remember – the Halstead B&B is always open!