LEFSE!

Quick story then we have to clean.... (it's the weekend and I feel like it is the only time for us to catch up and clean)

This morning started out like any other Saturday. Except I wasn't working!! Instead we went to Neighbors in Need and voluteered! It was another great morning full of great conversations!

After NIN I asked Derek if we could go get Lefse! We had talked with Norma (who has family in Fargo and is the worship director at Trinity) and she said we could find lefse in Ballard (supposively where all the Norwegians live in Seattle) or we could travel to Renton where there is an IKEA. Derek and I thought it would be fun to check out Ballard to we googled where to find lefse... called the Scandinavian Bakery to ask if they had lefse, they did and we set their location in our GPS and we were on our way! First, we ended up in a residential neighborhood in East Seattle. There was no bakery. Then we drove to a Great Harvest Bread Co. thinking that this was the bakery and there was no Lefse. We parked illegally and feared being towed, luckily we made it back to the car in time before anyone noticed! By this time we were about to give up when I called the bakery for the second time to ask for their address. We now had plugged in three different addresses for this bakery and finally we were off in the right direction!

After finding the bakery (pictured below) we parked illegally in the Chase parking lot (Derek assumed it would be fine because he has an account with Chase) and we walked into the bakery very proud to have reached our destination. As we went up to the counter and asked about their lefse... they informed us that their lefse is not fresh and from Montana. They also keep it frozen for their customers. Although I was dissapointed that it was not fresh and frozen I still happily asked for a couple bags and we were on our way! I guess what I am trying to say is we miss Fargo-Moorhead and the grocery stores that have the food we love and the holidays where we get home made lefse! Now Derek was just along for the ride... he is not a lefse fan but I am thinking I will convert him into one! After a long journey of finding some comfort food we are home... and ready to conquer our next challenge... cleaning the house!

Here is the Scandinavian bakery in Ballard! I am hoping that next year when we are home... I will learn how to make all of my favorite Norwegian treats! Grandma Gulsvig better be ready for a lot of questions and I hear Amy makes lefse as well! This year we will have to stick with our frozen lefse but next year this will not be acceptable!

Things are great... life is great and Derek and I are eagerly awaiting December 20th when we get to see family!

P.s.

Thank you to everyone who is sending us Christmas cards! It has been so fun to get mail!

Here is our address in case some of you are wondering...

6304 194th St.

Lynnwood Washington 98036

Holiday Spirit...

Our first Thanksgiving was a complete success with many thanks to our Mom's for helping us compile some last minute recipes we were able to form two family traditions into our own traditions! Derek and I were pretty excited to host our first Thanksgiving but began to feel nervous Wednesday night when we were at church and many of the congregation members were giving us tips on how to cook the turkey! We then went home and decided to watch Martha Stewart's your first Thanksgiving to help us out! After many debates on if we should grill or use the oven to cook the turkey we decided to use the oven for the turkey and the grill for the ham! (Yes we had Turkey and Ham because the Salzwedel's always have both... and I like Ham better than turkey!) After coordinating the oven dishes we had everything ready to go! And EVERYTHING turned out! Here are some pictures of our feast!

(I must say Derek did the Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes & homemade gravy! Thanks to Grandma Dar who took a last minute phone call on how to make the gravy!)

Let's just say we had more than enough food! Eric and Megan joined us for Thanksgiving which was a wonderful treat! Our neighbor Jamie and her friend Courtney also stopped by at the end of the evening! It was a fantastic day with wonderful people!

The day after Thanksgiving Derek and I ventured out to get some Christmas decorations! Paul, Amy, Katie and Brian will be here for Christmas and we wanted our home to be decorated for the holidays! We found some great bargains....

We hope you are staying warm! We are looking forward to hearing how the holidays are treating all of you! I started working at another Caffe Ladro to get more hours in. I now work at the Edmonds Ladro as well as the Lynnwood Ladro.

Derek is busy preparing for Christmas. He continues to love being in this congregation but we are missing all of you very much...especially during the holidays!

Love you!

Stormy days!

Well after beautiful weather in October we now know what they mean by RAIN! I believe it has rained for a week straight... can you believe it? The past couple days have been extremely windy which has led to some minor flooding and fallen trees! In fact, I just got done subbing in the preschool today because one of the teachers was out due to a tree incident. Last night at about 10:30 a tree fell through their roof. No one was hurt but the rain was pouring in their house all night! Good thing we live on the bottom floor right?

Derek is finding himself to be very busy! He is learning all the different faucets of being a Pastor! Last Sunday he preached 4 times and then was able to due a funeral for a family later in the evening. Once again, his sermon was outstanding (but I think I may be biased so you should listen for yourself...http://www.trinitylutheranchurch.com/Sermons/Sermons.asp)

This weekend he is at a conference and I am working so I guess you could say we have a fun weekend planned!

As for me, I am loving working at Cafe Ladro! The atmosphere and girls I work with really allow me to have sort of a social life! Who would have thought I would be making coffee in the coffee capital of the world! I also was able to be in the preschool this week... kids have such wonderful energy! AND such a great outlook on life! I think adults could learn a thing or two from them!

Brian was here last weekend! We had way to much fun! We were able to visit the Experience Music Project & Science Fiction Museum! (When you come visit... this is a must now!)

Derek and Brian also had fun on Saturday while I was at work! They visited the market and the Bodies Exhibit! It was so great to have Brian here... it was almost like he was a dose of medicine for home sickness! I think we can now make it to December when Paul, Amy, Katie and Brian are here! My family is waiting to come out til this summer... BUT I am officially coming home the first weekend in February to watch Maggie play! I am really looking forward to visiting home in the middle of winter!!

Thanksgiving! Derek and I are hosting our first Thanksgiving! We have a couple of friends coming and we are really looking forward to cooking! We are trying to bring in our families traditions.... so Mom's be ready for some phone calls about recipes!

I think that is it... I updated you on pretty much everything! Be sure to check out Derek's sermon and Happy LATE Birthday to my Mom & Grandma Vi and Happy Early birthday to Amy! Two amazing Mom's and a spectacular Grandma born in the same month!

We miss you... but we are loving this adventure!

Happy November!

The weather has been absolutely beautiful here and we just said goodbye to our first Candice! We had a fabulous weekend of checking out the sights of Seattle! It was also Halloween weekend so here are a couple of pictures from this weekend!

It was a fantastic weekend full of friends and work!

This picture is a favorite of ours from Pikes Place Public Market.

There are many fun street performers at the market... I put a dollar in the jar and became part of his juggling act!

Here is a picture from Key Arena (where the Supersonics used to play!) Pretty amazing view of the Space Needle... you can also walk all the way down into the fountain!

Derek and I decided to be a Cave Couple for Halloween! We had a couple friends over after I was done working for the day! It was really fun and we really enjoy entertaining! (Minus the clean up of course!)

We have found GIGANTIC Maple leaves throughout our area! I guess that means we are still in the fall season!

We are thinking about all of you back home and we talk about all of you daily! We are looking forward to more visitors coming our way! Brian is coming next and we can't wait to take him around Seattle!

Love you all!

"God helps me all the time... therefore I need to help him"

Happy Halloween week!

Derek and I are doing great... Derek preached yesterday and I had to work at the coffee shop so I was unable to attend the service at Pointe of Grace. (This is Trinity's second church that recently opened!) We both worked all weekend so we were extremely tired last night and I looked at the clock around 7 and I asked if it was to early to go to bed... he replied YES!

I love working at the coffee shop and I recently have been getting asked to babysit so I am really looking forward to those evenings!

We are excited to have our friend Candice Grimm out here this week... she was a counselor for Pathways this summer and was one of my basketball and youth kids back at Trinity.

Eric Clapp will be here as well... we are really looking forward to their visit because we plan to go into Seattle and tour some of the sights we haven't been able to see yet! It will be a great weekend!

This last Saturday I was able to be apart of Neighbors in Need. I have explained this program in an earlier post but for those who need a reminder... neighbors in need is a program that Trinity runs for the homeless people in our neighborhood. Every Saturday morning Trinity opens there doors to feed, clothe and help the homeless. We are lucky enough to be apart of this. What has been hard is that I have been working mostly weekends and I am unable to attend every Saturday. This past Saturday I was able to attend and I was able to reconnect with families that I had met the first Saturday that I was there. I was seeking out one girl in particular. Her name is Yesernia and she is 18 years old and is due in December. This Saturday I made it my mission to find out what she needs from us. I was greeted by her and her sisters with a big smile and after talking with them for a while, I asked the big question... "What can we here do for you and your baby?" She didn't know how to respond, after asking the question again and giving examples, she told me that she didn't have anything. I found out from her that she is in need of a crib, baby clothes, diapers, toys, bottles....EVERYTHING that a newborn and mother need she hasn't received.

This couldn't have come at a better time, I had just received my work schedule for November and I was disappointed to find that my hours didn't increase as much as I had hoped... meaning, I have time on my hands. Instead of getting upset that I won't be working and making money... I decided that maybe this is my year to give back. To volunteer and help out where needed. So... today on this Monday I have made phone calls and emailed new friends that we have made here in Washington in hopes to find out how we can help this family. God's power is truly amazing because within one email and a phone call... I have found baby clothes and toys that will be donated to this family. I have found resources online to help Yesernia with the stress, questions and uncertainty of bearing a child. Instead of being down and disappointed that I am not getting certain hours at the coffee shop I need to channel that disappointment into helping those in need. Before I left neighbors in need on Saturday a kind lady was helping us clean up. She was there on Saturday to use our services. She was not there to volunteer. As we folded up the last table together... I thanked her for staying after to clean up...she replied, "God helps me all the time...therefore I need to help him." Her outlook on faith has allowed me to realize that we are a team. God is on our team and what a great team to be on...but sometimes I feel like it is a one sided team, it is important to remember that being on a team means that we need to do our part too... and what a great part we have in this world, to help out our neighbors and our world while being on God's team.

Home Sweet Home...two weeks later....

Hello. Derek here.

I am back from Mexico, although truthfully I got back 2 weeks ago. What can I say? Things are busy.

Picture #1: This is an example of the foundation trenches we were digging. Unfortunately with reports of H1N1 and drug violence, Tijuana is not the most popular destination at the moment. In fact, the group we worked with saw an 80% decrease in American volunteer groups this past year. An 80% decrease means that the 20% that do show up work even harder. There were lots of houses that needed foundations, so we were in the trenches with shovels and pick-axes digging them out.

Picture #2: This is what I looked like after four days of digging. Also I have a moustache.

Picture #3: This is what happens when a pick axe falls on you when you are digging.

Picture #4: This is the family that we built the house for. They were so great and were right down there with us digging.

Picture #5: This is Lily and her older sister Reina. Their dad worked for the organization that we built with. They couldn't pronounce Derek so they decided to call me Paco. We played Life, Monopoly, and ate ice cream.

Picture #6: Although we didn't finish the house, we did get a huge chunk done. When the houses eventually are finished, this is what they look like.

However, the trip came with a price. This is what I missed:




I also missed Bobbie Jo's birthday, but I don't have a picture of her sitting alone on the couch eating pizza. When I called her on her birthday, that's what she told me she was doing.


While I did miss one of the greatest games in Twins history, one of the greatest games in Vikings history, and my wife's birthday (I got her flowers on the 5th and a fake Tijuana designer purse so hopefully I covered my bases there), I wouldn't give up a minute of my trip. It was such a great experience and I am so thankful that Trinity let me go.

Since then it's been business as usual, although I am truly thankful now for having hot water, plumbing, and more to eat than rice and beans. I take for granted all of the great things that I have, and it's trips like this that really help you realize it.

Stay tuned for more.

Derek

The sunshine state?

Greetings from the sunshine state? Rumor has it that it has rained for days in the midwest... out here the weather has been unbelievable. The sun has been shining since last week week and it has been in 60's. I hear the rain might be coming but for now it is beautiful. (You all should have moved out here with us!)

Derek is still in Mexico. He is having a fabulous time and we are able to talk through email. This is an adult mission trip so there is much more work involved and I think he is really enjoying it! He said he was pretty sore but it was a pretty amazing experience so far! He is extremely excited to get back and watch the Twins! I have DVR'd the games for him. (But during Tuesday's game, I ran into Seattle with a friend and had left the DVR going. Little did I know the game would go into 12 innings and that the DVR would stop in the middle of the 10th inning! Oops)

Yesterday was my birthday! I was able to work at Caffe Ladro so that made my birthday a little less lonely! After work I was surprised by beautiful flowers from Derek and a couple cards and packages! Thank you so much for thinking of me on my birthday! It was such an unexpected treat to get mail! For supper, I made myself a personal pizza and watched the Twins get beat. I was planning on meeting a friend after her confirmation was over but I started to feel sick! I took my temp and it was a little over 100! So... I called off my evening date and went to bed! Before bed I called my Mom which probably wasn't the best thing to do because she went over all my symptoms with me and proceeded to worry about my conditions! NO... I don't believe I have the swine flu! I had the chills, a temp and I was pretty stuffed up! My nose wouldn't stop running throughout the night so I think it is just a cold! I woke up this morning to a text from Dad asking how I was feeling and within minutes a phone call from Mom! Mom & Dad I am fine!! (Although I appreciate all the care and worry!)

Today I work the night shift... 4 to close! I have not worked this shift so I am looking forward to it!

Derek is back on Saturday! I am sure he will be exhausted but he will go back to work on Sunday! What a turn around!

Thanks again for the birthday greetings! It was so great to hear from all of you! We are so lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives!

Love from the sunshine state...

Hello,
Derek is in Mexico and I am currently trying to find things to do while he is gone! This morning I went to Neighbors in Need. Neighbors in Need is a group of individuals from Trinity that put together a weekly Saturday morning meal for the homeless. Every Saturday morning, the homeless in our community are given an opportunity to get themselves back on their feet. Trinity offers them a hot meal, as well as gift cards to the local grocery store, a shower coupon for the neighboring Lynnwood Community pool and a thrift store type shopping experience. This was truly life changing for me today. I was able to see the need in this community for outreach. I met a girl who just turned 18 and is pregnant, I met a group of young adults about our age who are living on the streets and I met many kids who felt like it was Christmas because they were able to "shop" for toys and clothes in the make shift thrift store. There were about 124 people there this morning receiving help and they say once it is colder, the need is greater. This has really put my life into perspective and I look forward to many more mornings with Neighbors in Need. If only there was more we could do to help!

I made it through my first 5 a.m. shift and I loved it! I am really enjoying being a "barista"! It has been really fun to meet the regulars and I love the girls I work with! Right now, I am part time but I am really hoping to get more hours once I am done with training! Caffe Ladro is very similar to the Moxie Java's back home!
Here is a picture of the Lynnwood location! It was right across the street from the church! Derek and I are really enjoying being able to walk everywhere!









Happy birthday to Brian on Monday! We are so sad we won't be there to celebrate! Hopefully the Vikings will pull off a birthday win!


We hope you have had a chance to listen to Derek's sermon and take a look at our wedding pictures! We are really enjoying life here but we miss hearing from you!
Please keep us posted and have a fantastic rest of your weekend!

Wedding Pictures!

Wedding pictures are up!

http://bwalker.photobiz.com/cart/event_select.cfm?eventID=249930

The first sermon on internship!

Here is Derek's first sermon. I believe it is from the 9:30 worship.

Click here to listen!

http://www.trinitylutheranchurch.com/Sermons/Sermons.asp

Have a great day!

Getting Settled

So it has been officially one month out here in Washington, and we finally feel like we are settled in. We miss everyone back in Minnesota like crazy, but we are truly thankful to be here. Trinity in Lynnwood has been incredibly welcoming to us and they're doing a great job helping us fit in. At this point in the game, both of us are starting to get in a routine. Bobbie Jo started work at the coffee shop across the street and she loves it. Things for me are also starting to pick up, but it has been absolutely great so far.

While we do miss Minnesota and our family and friends, I wouldn't say that we are homesick because, really, we now feel at home and settled into our own place.

The following is a photo journal, showing examples of how we are settled in:







This is the area I like to call the Man Cave. Last week Bobbie Jo and I went to a thrift store and found this awesome TV for $25.00. There was also a really comfy armchair so this naturally makes a great location for watching TV, movies, and Xbox.

There is also a wireless internet router attached to our cable so I am able to check fantasy football stats and scores on my Mac while I watch football on our new TV. It is very convenient.


Another bonus of the new TV located in the Man Cave is that it includes a built-in headphone jack. Bobbie Jo is a early morning/early to bed person while I enjoy being a night owl and sleeping in. When Bobbie Jo goes to bed at 8:30 PM, which she sometimes does, I can play Madden on my Xbox with headphones so it doesn't wake her up. (See picture)







Another sign of our settled-in state is our refrigerator. As you can see from the outside, we have many important dates, cell phone numbers, and grocery lists stuck on it. There are also several magnets of the places we have visited in the past few months including a magnet of Old Faithful that we bought in Yellowstone and a magnet of the Seattle skyline that I bought our first week out here.

The inside of the fridge also shows a lived-in state. You may notice a few pieces of tupperware holding left-overs. On your right you may see some bottles of ketchup, mustard, and mayo that have been used. You may also see a six pack of beer that is used Sundays after work while Derek and Bobbie Jo watch TV on the couch in the Man Cave (see above).



While it is true that I have the man cave, it must be noted that Bobbie Jo has two closets: one for her clothes and one for shoes. She wouldn't let me post the closet full of her clothes, but here is the shoe closet:













We love our house and we love all of the amazing new people we have met. I think that it's going to be a quick year because we are having so much fun.

Derek & Bobbie Jo

Our home!

Hello,
It's Wednesday! Derek has been busy at Church and I have been writing thank you cards! So many to write!!! Derek has been helping too and our goal is to get them done by this weekend! We are looking forward to the weekend... Derek has Friday's off so tomorrow night is his Friday night! Tomorrow morning I am joining the Quilting ladies.. I am really excited about this because it reminds me of my Grandma D! She was a phenomenal quilter and we miss her so much! Hopefully I will connect with some great ladies tomorrow and attempt to help them!

Here are some pictures from our house here in Lynnwood! We are right next to the church and next to a shopping center with two grocery stores! (Trader Joes and Albertsons!) Also, I was so excited to stop into the UPS store to find out they are now OPEN! I have used there services alot this week! Derek and I sent a book, card and picture from our wedding to my second graders from last year! I think we are going to get to know the UPS workers pretty well! Do you think they give discounts to frequent visitors? My guess is not! We are in a pretty busy neighborhood... plenty of trucks entering because of the grocery store and plenty of traffic outside our front door because of the preschool/daycare! Good thing I love people watching!

We are still working on setting up some things but we have been having fun decorating and finding room for all of our wedding gifts! We are looking forward for guests to come and visit! So book your flights! So far we have Clapp and Candice coming at the end of October. Nick and Erica are coming at the beginning of January! (January 6-10th!)

Have a great day and we love you!

Spiders and rain!?

Hello,

We have embarked on our 1 month milestone! Woohoo! Today is September 15th and one month ago today we were saying I Do! We had such a beautiful wedding day and we were so blessed by the love and support that we received throughout our day! Thank you to everyone that made our day so special! Especially our parents! What would we do without parents!

We miss everyone back home so much but we are loving our new home! We were welcomed with plenty of spider webs and a little bit of rain! We have been told that it is Spider season, meaning that the spiders are attempting to make their way into the homes to live for the season! How fun! Derek is the king of killing spiders and I am the Queen of finding them and telling him to kill them! (Although, I have killed my fair share!) The weather has been absolutely beautiful and we are waiting for the rain (which we hear is coming!) Derek loves the rain, and we will see how I do with it!

Derek has begun his work at Trinity and it is going well! We have really been welcomed here and we are excited to get things rolling! Derek will be assisting in Worship this Sunday and I will be starting Sunday School! I am co-teaching the six year olds! (Maggie is teaching Sunday school too so maybe we can swap stories! )

As for me, I start at the coffee shop on Monday. I am really looking forward to starting there and as of right now it is just part time so I am currently looking for another job as well! I talked with the preschool today and I will be subbing for them when needed!

Last weekend Derek and I had a dinner party! It was really great to entertain and have people over! We are looking forward to having company so we can continue to use our wedding gifts! (We received so many beautiful kitchen gadgets!

We hope that we can keep you updated with our blog and we look forward to hearing from you!

Please feel free to email us or call! Just remember... we are on Pacific time:)

Thank you for all of your love and support!