This weekend was good.
Friday night Jon and I went for a long walk to unwind from our week. Thankfully, we get to spend a lot of quality time together as is, but our walks usually include talking about the future and hopes/dreams/goals, the kind of things we don't usually talk about on a day to day basis. It's always very refreshing. We then headed over to Bothell to meet up with our small group for the first time. We did a scavenger hunt and then headed over to the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville to end the evening. I think we both enjoyed ourselves, although it will probably take the entire small group session to even learn everyone's names! I'll just be glad to have a few more familiar faces at church.
Saturday morning Jon and I begrudgingly got up at 7am and headed down to Portland. I got to hang out with my mom all afternoon, which was lovely. We went and saw Confessions of a Shopoholic which was adorable and fun and a great chick flick. My whole family, including Uli, went to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner and spent a nice evening just hanging out, relaxing, and catching up. Jon was sick (with a cold this time) so we ended up going to bed pretty early.
Sunday went by all too quickly. We woke up around 9 and had a relaxing morning that consisted of coffee, waffles, reading the paper, and taking a nap. After everyone had showered and finally gotten ready for the day, Jon and I went grocery shopping with my parents (exciting, I know) and then we came home and ate a late lunch. By that time, it was already 3 and we had plans with Ciara and Matt - so we said our goodbyes and headed over to the Hartzell's condo. It was great to see Ciara with her little baby bump! She looks good pregnant :) We ended up playing sequence (Matt and I kicked ass, go Team Awesome!) and then Jon and I had to hit the road. We got home around 8:30 last night, and by the time the car was unloaded, we were ready for bed.
Overall, we had a good weekend. But as usual, I felt so sad when we were headed back to Seattle. I wish I could just bring my friends and family home with me. I miss them terribly.
This week will be fairly calm (I hope.)
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, October 13, 2008
Operation Church Hunt: Week 2
Well... Operation Church Hunt didn't go so well this week.
Jon and I were planning on going to Westside Church yesterday morning at 11:00 am. However, about one minute before it was time to leave, I started to cry. Now, for those of you who know me well, you know I do not cry very often. But I really started to cry. Tears streaming down my face, snot everywhere, etc.
Church has been a struggle for me for the past year. I've grown to absolutely dread Sunday mornings. I hated going to church, not really knowing any of my fellow church goers, and feeling utterly alone during the services. Jon was usually playing in the band, so there I was week after week worshiping alone.
When I was a kid growing up in the Methodist church, I hated going to church. I would cry and scream and refuse to get dressed and do pretty much everything I could think of to sabotage my family's church-going experience. I didn't want to be there and I made sure my parents were aware of it. The sense of dread I used to experience as a 7-year old was so similar to what I started feeling these past few months, it was scary. I felt like my walk with God was regressing and I was feeling resentment towards the church because I couldn't get a handle on my own emotions towards Sunday mornings.
Mid-breakdown yesterday morning, Jon and I started talking about what has changed. Why church has become such a chore for me. And I suddenly realized why I've been so miserable this past year. I have no family at church. To me, church has always been about being with loved ones and worshiping together. All Saints was good for a while because my closest friends were there, and I was worshiping with them. These friends had since moved on, and I was once again alone at church. I'm realizing now that what really matters is who I share church with, not what church I attend. I want to share my church experience with my best friends, with my husband, and with my family. I want to worship and learn with them. I don't want to do church alone.
I think Jon and I are going to continue at EastLake for a while. Jon's sister Jenny and her husband Sean attend. It felt like home when we went there last week. I thought it was because it reminded me of a church I went to in Beaverton. But I'm realizing now it was nothing to do with that. EastLake felt like home because we were there with family.
I feel confident that EastLake is a step in the right direction. I'm not entirely sure if it will become our permanent church home, but I'd like to give it a change. When we were there last week, it was the first time in almost a year that I felt completely comfortable, happy, and calm at church. Our family is there and that's where I want to be too.
Jon and I were planning on going to Westside Church yesterday morning at 11:00 am. However, about one minute before it was time to leave, I started to cry. Now, for those of you who know me well, you know I do not cry very often. But I really started to cry. Tears streaming down my face, snot everywhere, etc.
Church has been a struggle for me for the past year. I've grown to absolutely dread Sunday mornings. I hated going to church, not really knowing any of my fellow church goers, and feeling utterly alone during the services. Jon was usually playing in the band, so there I was week after week worshiping alone.
When I was a kid growing up in the Methodist church, I hated going to church. I would cry and scream and refuse to get dressed and do pretty much everything I could think of to sabotage my family's church-going experience. I didn't want to be there and I made sure my parents were aware of it. The sense of dread I used to experience as a 7-year old was so similar to what I started feeling these past few months, it was scary. I felt like my walk with God was regressing and I was feeling resentment towards the church because I couldn't get a handle on my own emotions towards Sunday mornings.
Mid-breakdown yesterday morning, Jon and I started talking about what has changed. Why church has become such a chore for me. And I suddenly realized why I've been so miserable this past year. I have no family at church. To me, church has always been about being with loved ones and worshiping together. All Saints was good for a while because my closest friends were there, and I was worshiping with them. These friends had since moved on, and I was once again alone at church. I'm realizing now that what really matters is who I share church with, not what church I attend. I want to share my church experience with my best friends, with my husband, and with my family. I want to worship and learn with them. I don't want to do church alone.
I think Jon and I are going to continue at EastLake for a while. Jon's sister Jenny and her husband Sean attend. It felt like home when we went there last week. I thought it was because it reminded me of a church I went to in Beaverton. But I'm realizing now it was nothing to do with that. EastLake felt like home because we were there with family.
I feel confident that EastLake is a step in the right direction. I'm not entirely sure if it will become our permanent church home, but I'd like to give it a change. When we were there last week, it was the first time in almost a year that I felt completely comfortable, happy, and calm at church. Our family is there and that's where I want to be too.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Operation Church Hunt: Week 1
This past Sunday was the beginning of "Operation Church Hunt."
Jon and I checked out EastLake Community Church, where Jon's sister and brother-in-law attend. It reminded me a lot of Our Place, a church I went to on and off during high school. However, I felt like the pastor at EastLake really had his stuff together. This past week was more of a talk than a sermon. Pastor Ryan and his wife got up on stage and spoke to the congregation about sex (in the context of marriage). The topic had the potential to crash and burn, but they really dug down deep and had a lot of very insightful and useful advice and wisdom to share both from their own experiences and from scripture. I was impressed enough with their handling of the topic that I have a desire to attend this church again. The downside is that EastLake is about a 35 minute drive from our house, which would limit our ability to join small groups and week night activities.
Overall, Week 1 was a success. It reminded me that there are so many great churches out there and a lot of intellectual, daring, honest, and talented pastors.
Stay tuned for a Week 2 update...
Jon and I checked out EastLake Community Church, where Jon's sister and brother-in-law attend. It reminded me a lot of Our Place, a church I went to on and off during high school. However, I felt like the pastor at EastLake really had his stuff together. This past week was more of a talk than a sermon. Pastor Ryan and his wife got up on stage and spoke to the congregation about sex (in the context of marriage). The topic had the potential to crash and burn, but they really dug down deep and had a lot of very insightful and useful advice and wisdom to share both from their own experiences and from scripture. I was impressed enough with their handling of the topic that I have a desire to attend this church again. The downside is that EastLake is about a 35 minute drive from our house, which would limit our ability to join small groups and week night activities.
Overall, Week 1 was a success. It reminded me that there are so many great churches out there and a lot of intellectual, daring, honest, and talented pastors.
Stay tuned for a Week 2 update...
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Work has been exhausting the past few weeks. The traffic coming in and out of my office is hard to describe - there is always someone at my desk, at my window, on my phone, emailing me, instant messaging me, and overall harassing me for some reason or another, expecting me to drop everything else and make their problem my priority. I keep feeling torn in five different directions. I want to do everything I can to help my students and make their experience here as painless as possible, but sometimes it's just impossible to accommodate every single need of every single student.
My body keeps reminding me that I'm stressed and need to calm down. I've been sick on and off the last few weeks, my head has been killing me, my face keeps breaking out, and I've been sleeping restless nights for a while now. Thankfully Jon and I joined a gym this week, so we can move our workout regime inside since the weather has turned to poo. Working out helps my stress levels, but exercise isn't a wonderdrug. What I really need is a holiday. A relaxing week at a cabin, drinking mexican hot chocolate and playing scrabble with my husband. Sadly, that ideal time away is nowhere in the near future. HOWEVER....
I bought a flight out to Chicago! I'm finally going to visit Sarah. This trip has been a long time in the making. The last time we got together was for my wedding, which was almost a year ago. That in itself is hard to believe. Seriously, I've been Mrs. Hunt for almost a year.
I feel like my (our) life has been facing a lot of changes lately. The biggest one being that Jon and I are leaving All Saints. Sunday will be our last day there, and as bittersweet as it is to leave a church we have called home for four years, I think the change will be good for us. We both have such a desire for a strong church family, and neither one of us has found that at All Saints. As much as we love going to church there, it has become clear to both of us that we need to move on. Our entire relationship progressed during our time at All Saints, from friends to boyfriend/girlfriend, to engaged, to married, and yet we haven't felt like we've grown together at this church. Jon is the worship guy. I clean the bathrooms. It's hard to really explain why this bothered me so much but we weren't a church couple, we were individual people who went to the same church. I think if we would have come to All Saints at a different time, or when we were in a different place, it would have been different. But things don't always work out the way we want them to. It will be sad to say goodbye this weekend, but I am so thankful for a fresh start. This time, Jon and I get to chose a church together, as husband and wife. Believe it or not, it really makes a difference.
I'm thankful for fall... I know that most people see New Years as a time for a fresh start, but for me, fall is time for change. And even though a lot of changes are happening this fall, I am grateful for them all.
My body keeps reminding me that I'm stressed and need to calm down. I've been sick on and off the last few weeks, my head has been killing me, my face keeps breaking out, and I've been sleeping restless nights for a while now. Thankfully Jon and I joined a gym this week, so we can move our workout regime inside since the weather has turned to poo. Working out helps my stress levels, but exercise isn't a wonderdrug. What I really need is a holiday. A relaxing week at a cabin, drinking mexican hot chocolate and playing scrabble with my husband. Sadly, that ideal time away is nowhere in the near future. HOWEVER....
I bought a flight out to Chicago! I'm finally going to visit Sarah. This trip has been a long time in the making. The last time we got together was for my wedding, which was almost a year ago. That in itself is hard to believe. Seriously, I've been Mrs. Hunt for almost a year.
I feel like my (our) life has been facing a lot of changes lately. The biggest one being that Jon and I are leaving All Saints. Sunday will be our last day there, and as bittersweet as it is to leave a church we have called home for four years, I think the change will be good for us. We both have such a desire for a strong church family, and neither one of us has found that at All Saints. As much as we love going to church there, it has become clear to both of us that we need to move on. Our entire relationship progressed during our time at All Saints, from friends to boyfriend/girlfriend, to engaged, to married, and yet we haven't felt like we've grown together at this church. Jon is the worship guy. I clean the bathrooms. It's hard to really explain why this bothered me so much but we weren't a church couple, we were individual people who went to the same church. I think if we would have come to All Saints at a different time, or when we were in a different place, it would have been different. But things don't always work out the way we want them to. It will be sad to say goodbye this weekend, but I am so thankful for a fresh start. This time, Jon and I get to chose a church together, as husband and wife. Believe it or not, it really makes a difference.
I'm thankful for fall... I know that most people see New Years as a time for a fresh start, but for me, fall is time for change. And even though a lot of changes are happening this fall, I am grateful for them all.
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