A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer...

It has come to my attention that Macie loves flowers...a little too much. This flower pot used to have 4 good-sized flowers, including two that were three feet high. At first, Macie just ate the short ones. Then she attacked one of the big ones, and soon after, she had gnawed this one down. Whenever we get home, we find her sitting triumphantly in the flower pot. I think the soil is soft or something.

We Koreans like to keep things on the edge. Okay, so I'm not Korean, but basically, at least on the weekends. Anyway, it's true that our church is all about the risky business. Every summer, we enjoy weekends of sunshine, and every year, out church waits until the LAST POSSIBLE weekend to have our annual Church in the Park. Because we are a small enough church, our whole group heads over to Avery Park and has service there, and afterwards we eat a lot of food and play soccer. The weather was looking pretty doubtful when we woke up that morning, but the sun actually made an appearance halfway through the day, and it ended up being a great time (as always). This is our third church in the park with the Koreans...I can't believe we've been there that long! We had a big semi-organized soccer game too, students vs. adults. We also played an earlier game with just the students. I got to be a captain....how far I've come since fourth grade recess when no one would even pi...

So we moved into our new house July 6, but I am really bad at keeping everyone up-to-date, so I am finally posting photos of our house, including our before and after photos. So here's the scoop...Bryan and I had been living in an apartment in South Salem for over two years (since we got married). Ironically, it was the exact same apartment where Dave and Beth Tinseth lived when they first got married, and Ashley and Paul Higgins moved into it after we moved out! It is very convenient to have someone there who knows us and can give us the stray mail that doesn't get forwarded! But I digress... So my aunt Janelle married into the family that owns Thrill-ville (and the KOA behind it), and the house (manufactured home) they use to live in when they first got married (20 years ago) recently was vacated when their friends moved out. So my aunt offered the house to us, for rent at $500 per month ($30 less than our apartment!). It is located in the back of the Thrill-ville property a...

Bryan and I FINALLY took advantage of the Uram's grad present to us, a night's stay and dinner in Portland, over Labor Day weekend. When we got to the Mariott, they told us we had received an upgrade, and were on the 20th floor (the highest). We even had to have a key for the elevator because the top floor is so exclusive! Our room overlooked downtown, to the North. It was pretty sweet, especially for Bryan, who loves the city. Our floor had a lounge, with free food, internet, and they basically pampered us. They even offered to bring a refridgerator up to our room, just so I could keep my leftovers from dinner cold (I declined, and had them put it in the fridge in the lounge). We drove up there Sunday, after church, and after Joel's graduation party, and after dropping Macie off at Bryan's parents. Sunday night, we walked around everywhere down town, just taking it all in as us country folk would. We found a place to eat...Pastini's Pastaria...after much searching ...