The Bright Side...

As you probably know by now, Joe and I recently packed up our lives (once again) and moved from Issaquah, WA to Roseburg, OR. For those of you who may not be familiar with "The Burg", it is Joe's hometown in southern Oregon and has a population of about 20,000. The town itself is actually not that small, it's just that there's really nothing around it within an hour's drive except country and even smaller towns. The closest big town is Eugene, an hour north, and Portland is a whopping 3 hour drive. It's funny- everyone I know back home (and by "home" I mean Portland) is excited to have us back and "so close". Yet Roseburg is actually just as far from Portland as our home in Seattle was. But instead of being 3 hours north, we are now 3 hours south.

I must be honest- I have had mixed feelings about moving to Roseburg. On one hand, Joe has a good job down here (he got a forestry job with Lone Rock Timber), we are back in our beloved state of Oregon and we are closer to (his side of the) family. In addition, it is much cheaper to live here, the weather is warmer, and we no longer have to plan our days around traffic. However, there is also "the other hand". For me, I am really missing our friends in Seattle, the endless variety of amazing restaurants, the more varied culture, the beautiful mountains on every horizon, and simply having more "to do". Although we didn't often venture into downtown Bellevue or Seattle, it is nice to have the option. It was also nice to live in a town that had a Costco, Trader Joe's and Target nearby - the closest around here is Eugene! Now I know what you are thinking, "How can she do it? This must be her breaking point"... BUT, I told Joe I am going to give Roseburg a fair chance and be open-minded, so I am trying.

To highlight one of the good points, it has been really nice to spend more time with family. For example, last weekend we hung out with Joe's parents, his sister Jessie, her hubby Luke, and our new little nephew, Wyatt. Here are some pics from our hike last Sunday. The weather was amazing for a November day, the sights were beautiful, and it was very peaceful out in the country :)

There might not be any skyscrapers around here, but it sure is peaceful..

I heart Oak trees.

Checking on Wyatt to make sure he's happy

                      

It's not often the Newton fam looks so little...

             Joe racing Jack and Kenai to the top of the hill

 Still climbing...

 Jessie's first baby, Kenai

 No, these are not Jack-prints. They are bear prints. And they are fresh. We basically live in the wild.

Pray for us.