White As Snow

"Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool." Isaiah 1:18 NLT

On Tuesday night, we were blessed with a beautiful snow shower. Unfortunately it melted throughout the night (weird Seattle weather--we woke up to rain). But I definitely enjoyed it while it lasted. The girls (what I call my two dogs) and I went outside late at night to play in the snow. Notice all the dog footprints. They had a blast out there!

As you can tell by Kona's beard, she had lots of fun in the snow. She was constantly eating it, as if she hadn't eaten in days!

Marlowe also had fun. She was eating the snow like it was going out of style as well (and I guess it did kind of go out of style); she just doesn't have a beard, so the snow doesn't stick to her.

Snow is so beautiful, and I don't think it's because I'm not used to it. It's beautiful for its stark white color. It covers up dirt and other stuff. Our yard mostly consists of dirt and pine needles, so when I walk outside, my shoes are always dirty. When it snows, I bring no dirt in the house.

Though our sins are like scarlet, God will make them as white as snow. When it snows, I'm reminded of what Jesus did for us on the cross. He took away all the dirt and grime from our lives and covered us with snow, His salvation for our lives.

House Photos

I realized I never posted pictures of our home since we owned it. The pictures I posted were ones that were taken before purchasing and moving into the home, so here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Master Bedroom

Fireplace

Great Room

Kitchen

Another View of Kitchen

Master Bathroom

Hall Bathroom

1st Bedroom

Another View of 1st Bedroom

Backyard

Marlowe peeping out of the fence

Our Home

Our E Flag

Marlowe sleeping

Us

- Christie

Livin' the Life

We have finally moved into our new home in Huntsville, AL (actually Harvest). We've actually been here for about 3 weeks, but it's been busy, so please excuse our absence. We're so grateful to have a place of our own as we begin our lives together. We're still not completely settled in since it takes so long to unpack boxes. We're close, but we had over 200 boxes and not enough space to put anything. I guess we didn't realize that we have accumulated too much stuff. Luckily, our parents have helped us settle into our new home. Christopher's mom came to help us paint the week after we moved in. We finished painting the kitchen and great room, which make a world of difference. I can't wait to have the whole house completely painted! I already bought new paint for our bedroom, which needs it badly. My parents came last week and helped unpack boxes, get rid of clutter, and complete some projects. We now have lots of shelving in our closets, so Christopher can actually put his clothes up! Hopefully, by the end of this week, we will look like we're settled in (minus the paint). And maybe I can paint our bedroom as a surprise to Christopher, who is currently in New Mexico. I'll put inside pictures up after the house looks clean, but for now, enjoy the outside of our house. Keep in mind, these pictures were all taken before we owned the house, therefore, it looks much better now.

Our home before we owned it

The neighborhood and cul de sac

The creek behind our house

May

So it's been a little busy for us. May has been absolutely crazy but very memorable. So, we graduated on May 9th. Christopher graduated with his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, while I graduated with my master of arts in elementary education. We went home the following week to prepare for our wedding. 

Our wedding was May 16, 2009. Our photographers were amazing, and we can't wait to see the proofs! There was a little rain during the ceremony. I decided that it probably wouldn't rain during the ceremony, so we began outside. The key word is began. Before we took our vows, we moved inside due to the monsoon affecting 1/3 of the guests. We didn't notice because we were covered by a humongous oak tree. We went to Boston that night for our honeymoon.

When we arrived at Hotel Marlowe, complimentary truffles and champagne was awaiting us. It's an awesome hotel that's very service oriented! They have free kayak rentals as well. We named our puppy after this hotel, so our Boston Terrier has a Boston related name.

We went whale watching and were so close to Humpback whales. I love pictures of whale tails.

We ate at Larsen's Seafood Market in Menemsha, and the owner of the market offered to take a picture of us. We had wonderful lobster rolls, lobster bisque, and clam chowder!

He wore his groom hat the whole time in hopes of getting a free upgrade, but only got some congrats and a, "Why'd you do it?!" Notice how happy he is. It's not because he's on his honeymoon, but because he's driving a Mini Cooper convertible.

At Fenway Park. Of course his eyes are shut!

We had so much fun in Boston and Martha's Vineyard! We would love to go back sometime soon. The highlights of the trip were the food, whale watching, historical sights and sightseeing, kayaking, shopping, my massage, and Fenway Park. We stayed in Boston for two days before going to Martha's Vineyard. We didn't see much while we were there, but we did eat in the North End and go kayaking. Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge is so nice! We loved Martha's Vineyard! We stayed in Edgartown, but had time to see the whole island while we were there for two days. We went back to Boston for our final two days and were able to travel on the Freedom Trail and go to a game at Fenway Park. We wish we had more time, but we had to come back for Blake & Kristine's wedding.

Their wedding was so sweet and fun! I know they had a wonderful honeymoon, as long as they didn't get the swine flu...haha. They did go to Mexico though...

The Tuesday after their wedding (the day after Memorial Day), we packed and moved out of the house. It was a two day process. And we got Marlowe, our Boston Terrier, on wednesday as well. 

Marlowe didn't want us to sleep for two days straight, so she whined and attempted to bark throughout the night. She is now sleeping through the night, but unfortunately, Kona does not like Marlowe at all. She is now much sweeter to her. She hasn't bit her in three days, so everything is getting better.

We also put an offer on a house this week and has the house inspected yesterday. There were a couple problems, so we're not sure what we're doing at this point. Please pray for us as we make so many huge life decisions in such a short time. We definitely need prayer and guidance. I'm also looking for a job. I'm still interviewing, but I know that God will put me where I need to be. 

Well, Christopher is about to come home (to the hotel) from work. He started work last week as well. We're pretty busy, but we're enjoying our new lives. 

-Christie Elm