sunset on the sound.

what a day, a beautiful day. i woke up 3 minutes before my alarm for the 3rd day in a row. i like it actually, i wake up feeing more rested that way.

sunday- finally.

i decided to go to mars hill this week, and conveniently enough, the campus is less than a mile from me. i walked, which was quite enjoyable! i wasn't cold until the walk home, which is kind of backwards, but whatever. i'm trying to get used to this weather still. the service was great- the campus pastor preached on the parable of the good samaratin in luke. and interwoven throughout were constant reminders of the truth of the gospel, that we are redeemed people, and that the spirit works through us to enable us to serve and to know God. the worship was refreshing to my soul- with all this travel and moving around, it's been a while. we sang a couple songs that i sang often over the summer, and a few classics. mmmph. i really loved it. afterwards i found the coffee (i know, backwards.), which wasn't your typical tastes-like-dirt coffee. this was good stuff, AND they had soy milk. what a treat! totally not a necessity in a church home, but a bonus for sure :) i talked to someone about getting plugged into a community group, which i plan to do this week. there's another church i want to try out as well, called bethany community church, but i won't be able to go until the 26th, and i'm eager to plug in somewhere!

after i walked home (where i ran into my roommate, who said, upon finding out that i went to mars hill, "if you end up engaged, it's not my fault!" haha) i composed a grocery list, which was a slightly larger task than it was in college, seeing as i no longer have new life, kappa, and my roommates to provide a meal a week apiece. i get so excited to have a kitchen again that i want to cook everything right now, but then i would have entirely too much food on my hands. patience.

with so many places to buy food, grocery shopping here is a multi-location affair. i ventured to the west seattle farmers market, which was definitely an event in itself. there was a jazz band playing, and people selling everything from homemade soup to fresh cheeses, fruits and veggies galore, meats and eggs, fish, flowers, honey, and on and on. my grocery list was definitely dominated by produce, so i bought a few things there. it was fun to be sure, but when i got to the grocery store, i realized just how very much more expensive the market was. so, i'll probably be back to browse, but maybe not purchase! there's another market close to me, and i stopped there as well to pick up some more fresh blueberries- at $2 a carton, it's hard to pass up! then on to qfc for the rest of the necessities. i bought some fresh salmon this week- that's tomorrow's dinner. i hear the fish up here is incredible. everything i've had so far sure has been!

after i got all that put away i headed to barnes and noble, dressed in pants and a long sleeve shirt with a cardigan. as soon as i walked out the door i felt silly, because it was considerably warmer outside than in my bedroom, which is always freezing. but i went on, because barnes always seems to be cold as well. i was lucky enough to get a table by the window, and was pretty productive until the sun came out.

these days, sunshine is a good excuse to drop whatever you happen to be doing and go outside. and so i did. i hurried home to change into some running clothes, then headed to the park, where i jogged along the beach of the sound for half an hour or so. it was beautiful, the sun was out, the ducks were swimming, the waves were coming in...i dabbled a bit. the only downer was that smell of seaweed...not used to that one yet. then i grabbed my phone and sat on one of the many water-worn logs and caught up with some good friends as the sun came down. what a wonderful evening.

only to be topped off by a fantastic salad at home and some leftover homemade pizza.

a day full of the grace to enjoy all the things that i love.

tomorrow starts day one of orientation! not until ten though, so i think i might start the day off as any good day in seattle should start, reading at a coffee shop.

grace and peace.