Going Green

I should be afraid to write this, but I do have to say...I've never really cared all that much about where my food comes from, how much electricity I'm using if I can pay the bill, what cleaning products I'm using, etc. My whole perspective is truly changing. I can't pinpoint exactly what has been altering my perspective...
-living in the Northwest around a bunch of "granolas"
-powerful documentaries (we have watched several..."Where does your food come from?" and "Inconvenient Truth" are two favorites)
-the ongoing conversation about our environment
-friends who live "green" lives
-God changing my heart

I've always just bought what was on sale and not worried too much about our food or where it comes from. Lately, we've been getting local organic produce delivered to our front door twice a month (how convenient is that!) by a great company - Pioneer Organics. I'm trying to cut down on our waste as well as the amount of packaging that we use. I am in love with Trader Joe's! :) We're eating better and I'm actually spending less.

My new favorite cleaning product..."Greenworks All-Purpose Cleaner" which is a "green" product made by Clorox. Smells great and does a great job. The cost is not much more if any different. It smells so lemony fresh, but not fake. Check them out: http://www.greenworkscleaners.com/ I bought mine at the grocery store this weekend.

The other day at Costco, I noticed a 10 pack of the compact fluorescent bulbs on sale (major sale) because Seattle City Light (our utility company) was offsetting the cost of the bulbs in a major way. I was able to buy 10 of these fancy-shmancy bulbs for $9! They are usually about $4 each! What a steal. You know I love a bargain! The nicest man was looking at them too and counseling me on my decision. He asked if I'd used these bulbs before and I told him that I hadn't. He really encouraged me to take the plunge. He mentioned how astonished I'd be at the reduction in my light bill. I asked about the light - did it feel fluorescent? He said no, I trusted him, and I bought the bulbs. I am so glad that I did. That was such an easy and quick fix.

Please know, I'm not writing this to pat myself on the back, by any means! Truly this is my new realization...that for me, it is important to know where our food comes from and what little steps I can take to help a major problem. Nothing that I did was hard...I needed new light bulbs, so I bought energy efficient ones; I needed to replace my all-purpose cleaner, so I bought natural products, etc. We're not planning to start hiking to work anytime soon. :)

I live in a city that is incredibly progressive when it comes to the idea of "green", but I was not taking full advantage of all that was being offered to reduce my carbon footprint. We're trying - slowly, but surely...I'd encourage you to try some of these little changes as well.

We're on our way to being "granolas"!!!

Tucker and Sabre

Tucker is of course our charming and ever-needy golden retriever. Our good friends, Matt and Courtney, recently (well, in October) got a gorgeous and very well-behaved puppy, Sabre. Her dad was a golden retriever and her mom was a black lab/chocolate lab mix. She has such a wonderful temperament and adores her older cousin Tucker. He loves her too. I have never seen him be more patient with any other dog. She watches his every move and does as he does....

Tucker peers, Sabre pees.

Tucker poops, Sabre poops.

Tucker eats, Sabre tries to eat his food.

Tucker sleeps, Sabre tried to wake him up. (So she doesn't do everything just like him!)

They have a great time playing together. It has been really fun to see them with each other. It has made us think of getting a puppy this summer. No promises, but definitely a possibility! We hope you love the pictures as much as we do.

*We kept Sab for a week while Matt and Court were in NY...what a fun experience that was!!

Jerrod and Amanda in WA

Our friends from college, Jerrod and Amanda, spent their summer vacation with us in Seattle. We had a great time playing on the beach, going to a Mariners game, kayaking, and enjoying things the Pacific Northwest has to offer. I'll probably write more about their visit when I have time, but for now, check out the photos on our picture site. (By the way, this is my first time linking from our blog, so please let me know if it works. Thanks!)

Blog Takeover

Mackenzie and I entered the blogosphere (that's right--I know the lingo; I'm not proud of it, though) when we first moved to Seattle three years ago. I maintained a photo blog (which is still up and running although not as frequently updated) that allowed friends and family in the Midwest to keep tabs on our adventures in the Pacific Northwest.

About a year ago, Mackenzie decided we needed an actual blog, as well. I was reluctant, mainly because I wasn't interested in posting longer, potentially more personal, entries. Plus, I wasn't convinced that people actually read blogs or that they were a helpful tool to stay connected with people. Also, I noticed her struggle to keep the blog updated.

A few months ago, I started writing articles for the Mars Hill Church (from here on referred to as MHC) West Seattle Campus Blog. That experience has served many purposes. First and foremost, it has given me an opportunity to serve God and the community in a small, humble fashion. Second, it has motivated me to do more writing in my life, rather than simply trying (desperately, at times) to teach others how to write. Third--and this is the point of my intro--it has sparked an interest in exploring the available technological tools of today, rather than resisting their influence (I've been exploring things like facebook, goodreads.com, podcasts, and other potential time-wasters that I hope to use in a positive, beneficial way).

The past six months have clearly been a season of predominantly positive change and growth in more ways than I can comment on in one sitting. God has been using our involvement with Mars Hill Church to change our perspectives and lifestyles in many ways. I hope to explore several of them on this blog because of the accountability a blog creates to keep material fresh. Recognizing that this coming school year is going to be packed full of adventures (I'm leading a community group at church and continuing to write for the blog, we're both going through the National Boards process, I'm creating the curriculum for a creative writing class, and I'm committed to at least one more year of coaching football and basketball--I'm sure I left something out) I pray that God would help me use this medium to make sense of all that Mackenzie and I encounter and share that process with others who are interested.

9 days...

Believe it or not, there are only 9 days left in our school year. After three years on the west coast, we've finally adjusted to being in school well until the end of June. Long gone are the days of the last day of school being in May!

9 days left. There seems so much left to do...report cards, awards, packing to move to a new school, wrapping up curriculum, parties, and so much more! It has been a fun year and it is hard to believe that the end is so near. I had a wonderful class this year; not free from challenges, but it was a refreshing change from my position last year.

Continuing with the theme of change, I will be teaching fifth grade next year. I have the privilege to "loop" with my students. For the most part, I will have many of the same students next year that I had as fourth graders this year. This is a unique and interesting opportunity. I am really excited about the ease of transition to fifth grade. It should be fun....not without incident I'm sure, but exciting nonetheless.

Overwhelmed

It has been an insane winter...full of crazy happenings, bizarre weather for the Pacific Northwest, and annoying episodes as homeowners.

It seems as though it has been one thing after another, with little reprise. It all began a few days ago with me (Mackenzie) driving into our driveway and realizing that the gate to our fence had blown off in a windstorm and was laying in the middle of our carport. (This reminded me of the night our screen door blew off in the gale force winds a few weeks earlier.) As I discovered this, Cliff called to say that he had noticed a crack in his windshield. A few days later we were unloading our trunk, went to close it and it bounced right back up. Ever needed a new trunk latch? We did!

The next day, we had snow again here in Seattle. All well and good except people are incapable of driving in such weather. I came home last Wednesday as it was snowing to find that the ceiling in our mud room/laundry room off of our kitchen had a bowed ceiling and paint was peeling from the wall. Even I could tell this was not good. After Cliff's 3 hour commute home in the snow (should take him 30 minutes) I got to tell him the good news that we needed some serious help. After a stressful night, conversations with insurance, and a couple of contractors we were feeling a bit better when we came out of the house to realize that one of our tires on our other car was completely flat. Needless to say, it did not need a small patch, but had to be completely replaced. Life has been an adventure!!! :)

Through it all, we are reminded time and time again how the things we are dealing with really are small and insignificant. BUT they are still stressful, annoying, bothersome, and worst of all for us -- expensive. We're really trying to see the positive in all of this...We're learning new things, experiencing the struggles of home-ownership, being challenged to work together, and meeting contractors along the way. :) Things have been a bit much, but I am reminded very often how truly blessed I am.

Love to you all...

Merry Christmas!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas! We are really enjoying our time away from work and are thrilled to have time to spend together as well as with family and friends.

We're off to Chicago on Tuesday to spend some time with the Ellis clan. That will be such fun. We're also going to see great friends - Jerrod & Amanda and the Conrads! We are pumped for that special time.

Much love this Christmas...

Power Outages!

Well, I'm sure many of you have heard on the national news all the craziness that has been going on in the northwest. It is all true!

On Thursday night/Friday morning a very powerful windstorm hit our area with gale force winds of up to 70 miles an hour and along the Washington coast, they reported winds of up to 90 miles per hour. Needless to say, the wind caused a bit of damage. On Friday, over 1 million people in the Seattle area were without power and today (Monday) there are still about 350,000 people without power. We lost power on Thursday at about 11:30pm and regained power on Saturday at 4:30pm. We were very thankful when the lights on our Christmas tree popped on. It was a rough couple of days.

Due to outages in Bellevue (where we teach) we did not have school on Friday or today, Monday. Tomorrow is supposed to be our last day of school before break. Hopefully, we'll at least be able to go to school and wish our students a Merry Christmas! We'll see...

Dave Matthews Band

What a Saturday! Early Saturday morning, Cliff and I met up with 8 or so friends, drove east across the beautiful state of Washington for about 2 1/2 hours to George, Washington (yes they were quite creative with that one!) and went to a Dave Matthews concert at the Gorge Amphitheater. The Gorge is one of the most famous concert venues in the US...breathtaking views. We sat outside last night, facing the Columbia River and watching O.A.R and Dave play from 7:00-midnight. Can't beat that! (Check out the Gorge - http://www.hob.com/venues/concerts/gorge/index.asp)

Then we went back to our campground and crashed! It was a very fun day and it was our last hoorah before school starts on Tuesday. Such fun! :)

Mackenzie's Linguistic Profile

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

25% Yankee

10% Dixie

10% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Give it a try. Very interesting. I would say this is quite reflective of all the places I've lived. :)

Project...after Project...after Project...

We are working like crazy on our house...not because it wasn't perfectly fine in the first place, but because we want to add personality. Do you ever enter into a project with all these great ideas, envisioning the end product, only to get halfway through and want to never have started? Well, we aren't quite there, but it sure is getting close! :)

Over the last four months, we have seen our home transformed from a house with no plants and white walls to a very colorful place. We were talking last night about how much we have enjoyed this journey! The journey continues...that's for sure - with no end in sight!

This week, we painted furniture, installed two new light fixtures (with help from dad!), hung all kinds of things up on our walls, bought new decor, built a stone retaining wall with free landscaping stones from craigslist, and bought a shed at Home Depot that Cliff and others are building this weekend. While they're building the shed, I'll be painting more furniture and refinishing a chest. Yikes!

Like I said, it is fun to see the finished product, but whew...I'm tired!! :) Love to you all...keep us in your prayers as we dive into all these new projects while teaching summer school! As always, you're all welcome to come stay with us and see the new place!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Brent and Katie Luettel

Katie and Brent were married on June 30, 2006, in Kansas Ciy, MO. It was a blast! The ceremony was gorgeous, Katie looked beautiful, Brent was dashing in his white tux, and the party was awesome!

Katie did such a great job planning everything and making it all work perfectly. Everyone that was there and part of their special day was thrilled for them. :)

Kate and Brent went to Mexico on their honeymoon. Such fun! It is great to have another new brother. We couldn't have asked for a better match for Kate. Brent is such a great guy!

Yeah for the new couple. We love you so much!!!

Almost our 2nd Anniversary!!

We cannot believe we have been married for nearly TWO YEARS! It has been an amazing time and we've loved every minute of it. We both agree that it feels a lot longer! :) We mean that in a good way. It just seems as though we've done so much and have grown so much since we got married. We have moved, started new jobs, bought a house, adopted a dog, and now I'm changing jobs. Life is great! :)

To celebrate, we're planning to go camping at Mt. Rainier. Monday night (our actual anniversary), we're going to a VERY nice restaurant in Seattle...Daniel's Broiler.

4th Grade!!!

After 2 years as the special ed teacher at Woodridge, I'm making a change! Next year (per my request) I will be teaching 4th grade! I will still be at Woodridge, and I'm very excited for the new opportunity. Can't wait!!!

Washington Coast

This weekend we went to the Washington coast with some friends! Two of the guys are in the army, so they were able to rent an army owned beach house, quite inexpensively. It was a great time - relaxing, filled with laughter, and lots of smores!

We drove out on Friday night with our friends Matt and Courtney. Tucker joined the group and was a very good boy. We played some lively games of Catch Phrase on Friday night then headed down to the beach on Saturday. We made a fire pit, grilled hot dogs and smores, and played frisbee and football. Tucker also had his first beach experience (with us anyway). He loved the water and we could barely coax him out! Granted the wet dog smell was not the greatest. :)

Tucker is Wonderful

We have had such a great time with Tucker! He is a wonderful dog and a perfect addition to our family. Saturday night was fun, but Sunday was better!!! We went to Petco to get a few supplies and he was so friendly to the other dogs. Then we went to Lincoln Park (our favorite park that happens to be very close to us) and walked around. We had such a great time - we took Tucker off of his leash and he just walked the paths and stayed close by. He even looked back a number of times to make sure we were still with him...what a good boy!

This week has been an adjustment for him, because he's staying outside in the backyard all day while we're at work. He definitely wants to be with people and doesn't love the "alone time" but he's getting used to it. :) I can say, he is extremely excited when we get home!

He and I (Mackenzie) have been running together, which is a great motivator for me. We couldn't have asked for a better dog or situation!

Tucker

Tucker, a six year old golden retriever, joined our family tonight. We adopted him from a family in Seattle, who simply couldn't give him the exercise and attention he needed since they moved to the city. The adoption process was quick and simple - they brought him over, he checked out the backyard, we played ball, and we said yes. Like most goldens he's mild mannered. He also happens to be quite a large golden. The vet has said he's about twenty pounds overweight, but we're hoping our backyard and our motivation to exercise will help him slim down for this summer's bathing suit season. Other than that he's simply content to be in the same room as everyone else. Check out our picture site for more pics.

Happy Birthday!

Cliff's birthday was very fun!

The play and dinner on Friday was great. Nine Parts of Desire was a one woman show - except the one woman played nine different characters...it was truly amazing! Saturday we had a great time at my parents. Then on Sunday evening, I invited some friends over for dinner and Cliff didn't know it. When our friends Matt and Courtney walked into the backyard singing "Happy Birthday!", Cliff was shocked! We had a great night eating Cliff's favorite meal (roast beef sandwiches - Rita's special recipe), playing badmitton, and doing smores in our fire pit. It was great!!! We all had a good time.

Cliff's Birthday Weekend

Yeah for Friday!!! I can hardly believe how quickly this week has gone by. Cliff's birthday is this weekend, so we have lots going on...of course. :)

Tonight we're going to The Keg for dinner - great steak and they send you a coupon for a free steak and lobster dinner during the month of your birthday. How can you refuse that??? Then we're going to see Nine Parts of Desire - a play at the Seattle Reperatory Theatre!

Tomorrow we are getting our NEW COUCH!!! You'd think a cable guy was delivering...they give you a 3 hour window that you have to be home; but for my new couch, I can handle it. We'll post pictures, so be sure to check them out. My parents are having us over for dinner Saturday night to celebrate the birthday boy. Then on Sunday, we'll go to church, hang out, and then I'm making a nice dinner. Sounds like fun to me!!! Happy Birthday, Cliff!

I hope everyone has a nice weekend...

What a trip!!!

We just got home last night (late!!) from Chicago and Indianapolis. We flew to Chicago on Wednesday with Nate and Kara after their visit to spend some time with the fam. It was nice to have 2 whole days where we weren't painting or doing any housework - it was amazing!!!

Then on Saturday, we drove to Indianapolis with Rita and Gary for Nana's (Cliff's gram/Rita's mom) 80th birthday party! It was a surprise...and boy was she surprised. It was nice to see family and spend time with Mark and Trent. (They drove over from EIU.)

Sunday morning we went to church with Bob, Sheron, and Brit (Cliff's aunt and uncle/Gary's sister). It was nice to see their church - it reminded me of my church in Alabama. It was great! Then we went back to Sheron and Bob's for an Easter brunch. It was exciting to see that whole side of the family and all the new babies that have been born since the last time we saw everyone. Amazing how time flies.

We flew home late last night...getting it at 11 is rough, but well worth it! Then it was back to work today...crazy as ever. It was a beautiful day though, which was awesome. We got home, mowed the lawn, I went for a run...great day!