I'm in love with Victoria

Walking along the inner habor.

The three of us (Rebekah is not very happy)

Rebekah at the beach about a 1.5 hr drive from where we live.

View of the harbor on the trail in front of our condo.

View from our condo.

Okay, we are here in Victoria safe and sound. We've been here for two weeks now. And I am loving it here. I know it's an easy city to love. But I think we have just the perfect location right now. We are within a short walking distance (like less than half a mile) to downtown which has lots of cute cafes, restaurants, shops, etc. The same goes for all that we need- a grocery store, doctors, bank, art supply store, thrift store etc. But altho we are such a short walk from these things, the road we live on is quiet, and we have a beautiful view of the harbor. And there is a trail that begins just outside our condo that goes around the harbor away from all the touristy stuff- just a neat walk around the water, and very quiet. I love having the fast city live nearby, but also the quieter things as well. I love exploring all the different places here. I'd love to try all the restaurants, but of course money doesn't permit that at the moment. But over time I'm sure I'll try a few.

To me this beautiful place and the way God has provided this condo for us is just a huge example of his extravagant love for us. Of course God shows us his love for us in other ways besides material stuff- and honstly I feel a little overwhelmed by how much God has blessed us with this beautiful condo, beautiful location, etc. But I God wants me to enjoy it- so I will! It is just for two years (most likely). But I think it is going to be a memorable two years.

Kyle starts his job on Monday, doing research at the University of Victoria on Hydrogen Fuel cells. He has also found an opportunity to help coach soccer and is super excited about that- he has really wanted to do that for awhile.

We have visited two churchs, one we really liked but it is a long drive and there are no bus routes there, and since we do not have a car we are not sure how we would make it there regularly. We are going to visit another one on Sat. So prayers to find a good church, good friends, community, etc. would be appreciated. We haven't really met anyone here yet besides a few people in the elevator who live in our building. Also, our house still is waiting to be sold back in Chattanooga. So prayers for that would be appreciated as well.

I hope that some of you will be able to come visit us here- we'd love to have you and share the beauty of this place with you.

Victoria, here we come!

After almost two weeks in Seattle, on Saturday we head to Victoria. The trip will include some driving and taking two ferries, and then we will finally see our new home (the condo we are renting). I'm very excited to see the condo, explore Victoria, and settle into our new home. It has been great to visit family, but I am ready to get settled into our own place.

Rebekah has been growing in leaps and bounds on our trip. She is pulling herself up to standing now. And she has actually stood up on her own without holding onto anything a few times. Once she is standing, she can stand for a few seconds on her own. My Mom told me that my brother and I both started walking at 9 months. Looks like Rebekah will be walking soon. She is 9 months old today!

A few days ago we were at a park and while I was pushing Rebekah in the swing, Rebekah looks at the woman standing next to me pushing her baby and says "Hi". At least it really sounded like that and the woman thought so too. Who knows. Not sure if it was really Hi but it might have been. Also seems like she is saying "Dada" to Kyle sometimes now.

So, yeah, lots of adjustments ahead of us probably. But I am looking forward to the adventure. We're still waiting for our house to sell in Chattanooga. We have lowered the price now, so hoping to get some more interest soon.