meetings and marketing

I have settled in to the new project here in Warrenton, VA. I couldn't have asked for a greater group of people to be working with, town for us to be living in, and apartment to be renting. Up to this point, I have been involved in a lot of meetings and marketing. Things are going great.

Shannon and I have been exploring the area and will continue to do so over the long, upcoming weekend. Our anniversary is Monday, which we can't wait to celebrate.

Moving in with Ikea

Moving day was hectic, but it all went very smoothly. Sean arrived earlier than I did on Thursday morning, because he immediately went to work at the church attending several meetings that day. I arrived later that afternoon and began the process of organizing our life in our new apartment. After mulling over several different options, we finally decided that the most cost efficient and least prohibitive solution to our furniture needs was a big trip to Ikea. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this store, it is a large European chain home store with very chic styles and very affordable prices. After walking around for about 5 hours, we finally decided on some seating, tables, a desk, TV stand, lamps, kitchen and bathroom necessities, and a variety of other miscellaneous things. We are so happy with our choices, and I've even already put it all together (everything comes unassembled which helps to keep the prices low), and we have an apartment that is really taking on the form of home. We are going to get a few more odd things at Wal-Mart this afternoon (no Target, unfortunately), and then we hope to take some pictures of our place to post up here in the next couple of days.

We also attended church this morning, and Sean held 2 meetings afterwards, which went very well. I'm sure he will be telling you more about it in the days to come.

Home is where the heart is

We have found a place to rent in Warrenton, VA, and we're looking forward to moving in on Thursday and making it home. With the mountains as our neighbor, we anticipate sitting on the porch overlooking some beautiful gardens, or taking a short drive into the Shenandoah for an afternoon hike. Sean is excited to be starting his new project with a great church, and I'm looking forward to exploring more into one of my top 3 things to do.

Exercise for the Travelers

In many ways, life creeps up on travelers as it does with everyone else. For example, we are not excused from the war with calories. Weight gain is always lurking and, should we cease to exercise, we would become prey. (Notice I didn't mention anything about watching what we eat.) We both enjoy food and for now have decided to spend all of our health consciousness on cardio and weights.

In the last four months, we have lived in four states, slept in ten different beds, and our exercise has been equally varied. We have run up and down hills, biked (unfortunately resulting in Shannon's elbow fracture), hiked in the mountains, run on treadmills and through neighborhoods, and the latest--swimming laps in my parents pool. With our next project being at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I am certain our next regiment will include many hikes.

Traveling Day

I left Houston this morning and arrived in Charlotte an hour ago. Shannon picked me up from the airport and we headed here--to Panera Bread--to grab a late lunch and get on our laptops. Next, we are going to the outlets across the street and then heading up 85 to Virginia. We are going to spend some days with my parents before traveling to Warrenton for the project.

As many of you know, Shannon and I are fond of Charlotte. We have our eye on this city as the place where we eventually want to settle down. Who really knows?

News

I found out yesterday where our next project will be. We are heading to Warrenton, VA in the next week or two. Warrenton is located in the foothills, which means we are in for a beautiful fall. It's not far from Washington, D.C. and has its share of wineries, outdoor attractions, and history.

I am still in Houston visiting my brother. Last night we went out with some friends of his and today I am starting to get acquainted with Warrenton over the internet.

Airports and a girl's day out

My niece, Allie, and I took Sean to the Atlanta airport early yesterday morning. I asked her to ride along with me so that I could have some company on the way back, and she was happy to oblige. Sean flew to Houston to visit his only brother for several days, and we were marveling as he was packing at how many different cities our "stuff" was spread out in. I think we narrowed it down to 5. Not too shabby.

After we dropped off Sean, having not listened to the news all morning, we found out about 15 minutes later that there had been the bomb scares that everyone now knows about. Allie noticed a local news crew in front of the baggage claim area, and then I received a call from Sean's Mom inquiring about Sean's flight. Thank the Lord, Sean was able to board his flight with relative ease and arrive in Houston at the scheduled time. He's already enjoying visiting family there.

Allie and I then proceeded to have a girl's morning. We drove to a well-stocked mall and got breakfast at Panera. After that, Allie was thrilled to find a pet store where she could ohhh and ahhh over the cute little puppies, bunnies, and birds. We walked around there for a while, dropped in a few more stores, and then went to meet the rest of the family for lunch. We had a wonderful morning of spending time together, exploring through unknown parts (thanks to my trusty GPS!), and laughing about silly things only a nine-year-old can truly appreciate. I can't wait for another special morning like this one!

Ants and a birthday

It seems to be ant season this summer in GA with many homes being plagued by those little monsters. So I find it ironic that we just went to see The Ant Bully with my niece and nephew at the local theater. While it didn't necessarily give me compassion for those that may happen across my personal living space, I do think that I won't be able to look at exterminators in quite the same way again.

Tomorrow is my dear Gram's birthday. I'm very excited to be able to spend it with her this year. Maybe the weather will cooperate and give us a sunny, but not unbearably hot, day for her. We love you, Gram.

3 things

Today the travelers went shopping with relatives. It was nice to wake up on Monday morning and not have to worry about wrapping my body in business attire--actually, I haven't had to worry with a suit and tie in over a month. Our traveling of late has been pure pleasure and our hearts are exploding with gratitude.

Over lunch today, my friend of a sister-in-law pops a question. She asked each of us at the table the following question: What 3 things--excluding typical answers such as family and God-- mean more to you than anything else. All of us began inner journeys of reflection and a few of us, including Shannon and I, had gathered our conclusions within minutes. Here are the lists the travlers came up with:

Shannon: hiking, bargains, and computers
Sean: coffee, traveling, and creativity

What 3 things--excluding typical answers such as family and God--mean more to you than anything else? Think about it, converse over it, and learn from it. None of us are pedantic, rather each is fearfully strung together and wonderfully articulated for the good of all and the cheer of God.

Birthday Week

Shannon's birthday was last Wednesday which meant we spent all of this week celebrating. We had fun, and among other things, I tried to turn her into a rock star (that's all I will say about that). Thursday night we spent time with some close friends, who as always, were a delight to be around and graciously generous to the two of us.

Now we are doing internet stuff in front of a coffee shop. That's right--we are in our car--as to our suprise the shop was already closed for the day when we got here. Such is the way of the travelers and small town life.