The Quest and Subsequent Adventures of Brad and Mirela

Mother in love

2011-11-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

I've known my mother in law (MIL) since I was 15 years old. She wasn't my mother in law back then and we didn't know much about each other, but she let me talk to her in my very broken English and I liked that. Throughout the years she lived in Portugal, I became her language partner and through weekly meetings at the "Ola" stand in the mall, we became friends. I looked up to her more as an example for my life and I don't know what I was able to offer her besides Portuguese lessons, but for some reason she liked hanging out with me as a teenager.

One of the things I've always admired in her is her generosity and her wonderful ability to give to other people. She gives her time, energy, conversations and gifts to others... and always with a smile. If you are friends with her on facebook, you can go to her page and read tons of messages from people that have known her since childhood and talk about how much they miss her and how wonderful she is. I must also add that she was "Miss Congeniality" at OBU, which basically means she was really popular and liked by all on campus. I'd say she's one of a kind.

When we found out I was going to have a C-section, we called Brad's parents and gave them the scoop... They were super sweet about it, and Sherri immediately told us she'd change her flight plans to come to Portland earlier for the surgery and stay for 2 weeks to (in her own words) help us out.

By "helping us out" I think she meant "I'll do anything you need, including cleaning your bathroom floor" because that's exactly what happened. The day we came home from the hospital our house was spotless, our fridge & pantry were full and Norah's room was ready to receive her. And I didn't do a thing to make that happen, nor did Brad. Sherri did it all and she loved on us so well the whole time she was here. She cleaned our dishes. She cooked for us. She cleaned our floors. She watched Norah while we slept. She went to the doctor with me. She even threw a Tea Party to our friends' kids who had never had a "girl tea party". She gave of herself over and over and she had such a beautiful attitude about it all - except when lil' Norah got really hungry (aka cried and cried) and I was in the ER with an infection... but that's something we can laugh about now! :)

When I think of Jesus serving other people, I think of the example Sherri was to us during those weeks. My heart is so thankful for the wonderful mother in law I have. She is kind, smart and important, and I'm thankful for her generous and loving heart. She is a one of a kind, my mother in love.

Lil' Norah

2011-11-08T15:37:00.001-08:00

It has been exactly 2 weeks since we got to meet lil' Norah and it stills feels surreal. The amount of love for her that fills my heart is impossible to measure, describe or explain, but it is a whole lot. She's so peaceful, beautiful, quiet (when she's not hungry), calm (also when she's not hungry) and happy (except for when she's hungry)... We love her and as my (soon-to-be) sis-in-law Gretchen said, she's going to be such a babe. :)

I love spending time with her and I can't wait to see her lil' personality develop more and more each day.

The joy of a new life is such a gift from God. Norah is that gift to us and we're so thankful.

Norah Rocha Watson

Born on Oct. 25th, 2011 @ 9:35am (PT)

W:7lbs 11oz (3,5Kg) L:21in. (50cm)

Names & Dates

2011-10-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

During this pregnancy, the two main topics of baby-indecision in our house were "what are we going to name this baby?" and "when do you think she'll be born?". We didn't know the answer to both of these questions until a few days ago. We had decided on a name for this lil' one but had no idea about the date until last Tuesday. So, first things first, her name.

Since we found out about baby Watson, Brad mentioned that he wanted him or her to have a Celtic name. Why? I don't know. He likes anything Celtic, and as we started to look at some of the names, I really liked how they sounded. My only condition was that it would have to be a name you could say well in Portuguese and in English. Our list started with maybe 5 names and we added some that were not necessarily Celtic but we really liked them and the meanings. They also sounded good in Portuguese but we soon realized we were not "falling in love" with any of the names we had written down. So, I went to Powell's and got the book "60,000 baby names" and thought "This is it. We have to choose a name!" Brad was a lil' overwhelmed with the 60,000 options and I was just having fun going through all these names. Finally, we started writing some names down and the list got to about 20 options.

Our next thing was the meaning of the name. As we went through the names on the list, we looked at the meanings and crossed off the ones we didn't like much. The list went from 20 to 2 very quickly. (i know, we're kinda name-snobs...) And then we started calling her one of the 2 names we had picked to "test" and see what would sound best. Finally, we fell in love and knew what we'd call her.

Her name will be Norah Rocha Watson. Norah means "honor", "compassion" and "ray of light" and we really loved it. Every time I say "Norah" I can only imagine her sweet face and (for some reason) her brown eyes looking at me. "Rocha" is my mom's last name that we wanted our kids to have since they won't be able to meet her. "Watson" well, that's pretty self-explanatory. :)

Now that we had a name, we were still unsure about the date until about 2 weeks ago. You can't predict when your child will be born, unless you have to go through a C-section - which looks like will be our situation. Last Tuesday we had an appointment with the OB-GYN and lil' Norah is still sitting in my belly. So we have a cesarean scheduled for this upcoming Tuesday, October 25th at 7:30am. This is 1 week earlier than my due date, but C-sections are scheduled for 39 weeks to avoid a situation when the mom starts going into labor and halfway through it, an emergency c-section needs to happen.

When I first was told about the c-section I was very scared and disappointed. I wanted a normal labor. But things have been a bit better since and though I'm still a bit disappointed, I'm no longer scared. I'm getting excited to meet lil' Norah, and so is Brad. We're on the countdown for 4 more days, until this lil' one meets the world around her. Unless she turns around in the last minute. Who knows what could happen? :)

38 weeks - twists and turns

2011-10-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

It's been challenging to keep this blog up-to-date on the events of this baby/pregnancy, but I'm going to attempt to do that tonight.

Tomorrow I will officially be 38 weeks pregnant. I feel:

- thankful that it's almost over

- short of breath

- some pain on my back & hips

- tired of waking up 4/5 times in the middle of the night (I know this is prep for the rest of my life, but still it's a change)

- and most of all... I feel HUGE.

Baby girl seems to still be growing even though I'm not sure how she's fitting in my belly. Like I said, I feel huge and the reality is... I am kinda big. It's impossible for me to bend over, I definitely have an outie, and the belly has started to weigh me down. I'm looking forward to being able to look down and see my toes again, walk normally and not be as tired. Oh wait, that last one is not going to happen for a long time. :)

Besides the normal things that comes with being 38 weeks pregnant, we had a little turn of events last week. During my pre-natal appointment, our midwife did an ultrasound and we found out that baby girl is breeched. What does it mean? It means that instead of looking like the baby on the left (ready to slip down and come to the world), baby girl is positioned like the baby on the right (just hanging out).

So what's going to happen?

We don't know yet, for sure. We did an external version last week (quite a painful experience, and worth way more than 3 paragraphs of explanation) but she didn't move an inch. She's healthy, her heartbeat is great, she's still moving around and apparently she just loves to be seated. You can't fight with that, I guess. So, after the external version, our options right now are:

- baby girl moves and turns head down so we can have a normal labor and delivery

- the doc can try another external version before our 3rd option which is...

- a c-section

We have an appointment tomorrow morning with the doc that might possibly do the c-section. I have a thousand questions for her and I hope we'll have a better understanding of the big "c-monster".

I'm still hoping she'll be head down. It would be lovely, for sure. We shall see where these twists and turns take us in the next 2 weeks.

Nursery

2011-09-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

These last 2 weekends brought in days filled with "baby stuff". We had decided that the only way we'd be able to finish the nursery was to set aside a weekend to "get it done" and write it on the calendar, so that's what we did. Sept. 10th and 11th were the chosen dates and we took it at heart.

Our house has 2 bedrooms and the master bedroom has a sunroom in the back, facing the back yard/garden. We had decided to turn that room into the baby's nursery. It's not a very big room (maybe 8 x 8) but we love the fact that is attached to our bedroom so we went with it. Brad did a wonderful job painting the walls, ceiling and windows. He also caulked the windows because we can't really open them and it does get a bit chilly in the back of the house. The room had been painted since the end of June, but we hadn't done anything else to it so last weekend we put the decal on the wall, put the curtains up, moved the furniture around (in the tiny 8x8 room!) and everything seems to be in place for this lil' one to arrive. It took us the whole afternoon and some of the evening to get it all done but it was really fun, we had a blast together!

Brad did an awesome job with everything! He sanded and painted the changing table/dresser, he picked the rug for her room, put the crib together, took care of the windows, put the curtains up and even ironed them. I was pretty impressed, especially with the iron part. :) We're both so pleased with the room! Brad kept going back and saying "It's so cute, isn't it?" :) and I definitely agree!! It's simple, cute and right next door to us!!

Here are some pics:

The mess before (already with the ironed curtains up)...

Putting the decal on the wall

Final product!

And of course since we live in Portland, we had to "PuT a BiRd On It!!" :)

We're excited to welcome our lil' one and feel so very blessed as future parents! Thank you for the love everyone and thanks to the Creator of life for taking care of her even inside the womb as Psalm 139 says!

Conversations

2011-09-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

Today I had two of the most interesting conversations ever in Portland.

Scenario #1:

Shannon, Emily & I were hanging out at Woodstock Park this morning, which is right by the Elementary School. As soon as we arrived there we noticed all the parents who were taking their kids to the 1st day of school. The kids were excited and so were the parents, it was cute. The bell rang and everybody went inside. We stayed by the baseball fields where Emily could watch her kids play in the playground while we hung out.

In the middle of our conversation this lady + her dog walk by us and she starts this lil' convo:

"Hi there! I thought school had started..."

"Yes, it did! The kids just walked in!" - and we pointed to the school

"Oh, I see. So what are you doing here?"

**We look at each other, a lil' puzzled and say:

"We're just... hanging out..."

"Oh, I see. That's what you prefer to do?"

"Well, we're done with school..."

"Hum, I guess that's the choice you've made for yourselves. Alright, well have a good day then."

"Thanks, you too."

Of course, as she leaves, we look at each other like "What in the world just happened?" and THEN we realize: She thought we were in High school (which made us feel good b/ she thought we were really young)!!! So we started laughing and in my head I start to think of 3,000 things I wish I would have told her, like this one:

"Lady, I've been done with College for 3 years now. I'm 28, expecting my first child. She is also 28, done with her school and has travelled the world for the last 3 years. And she is in her 30s, obviously done with school because now she actually teaches her own FOUR kids!!!!"

But none of that was said, and we just laughed....

Scenario #2:

This afternoon I got a lil' pampered. Brad got me this Groupon that I could use for a pedi & mani anytime before baby girl is born, so today was the chosen day and I was excited to go get my nails done especially these days when they grow SUPER fast.

The lady that was pampering me wasn't very talkative but she'd make comments about her sister who is also pregnant and about her other sister who just had a baby, and so we talked about family, babies, pregnancy, etc. In the midst of our conversation, I asked:

"Did you grow up in Portland?"

"Yes, actually I grew up right around here."

"Oh wow. Your whole life?"

"Yup!"

"That's awesome, it's rare to find someone who grew up in Portland their whole lives."

"Yeah, I guess my parents just decided to settle here, they liked it here."

"Oh, cool. Where are your parents from?"

"I mean, they've lived here most of their lives, but I think they're from Hong Kong, China, something like that..."

"Ohhh... okay"

**The end**

In my head, I'm thinking: you don't know where your parents are from? You're not sure of your genealogy? You THINK they're from Hong Kong or China?! How can you not know where your family is from?!?!?!?

So yeah... today was an day with some interesting conversations filled with some humor and lots of questioning.

By the way, the Pedi/Mani was amazing. :) Thanks to my sweet husband!

Going Cloth!

2011-08-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

It's incredible the amount of decisions you have to make for a baby, months before he/she is born. Sure, the biggest one is the "name" for the child (which we haven't decided on yet, if you're curious!), but there are also other decisions like... which color for the room? will it be themed? what furnitures do we REALLY need? what kind of stroller should we look for? what kind of sling to get? do you really need all the 10,000 things that people say you need? and the other "big" question for us is what kind of diapers will we want to use in our child's body?

Way before I got pregnant, we made two decisions. First, we decided that we wanted a Bob stroller for the baby (I actually wanted to get pregnant JUST to get a BOB... how ridiculous is that?!?! oh my...!). Second, we decided that we wanted to use cloth diapers for our child. Well so far the BOB has been replaced by the Bumbleride stroller (which will be talked about in another post) but the cloth diapers remained. So, we're going cloth and here are a few reasons why...

#1) The idea of buying diapers for the next 3/4 years of my life wasn't very appealing at all. Plus, which brand to choose? I'd rather just have them all in my house and use them up instead of running out of it and going to the store every single week for diapers. So, we decided that convenience would win over making runs to the grocery store.

#2) Researchers say that you use about 6,000 diapers from the moment a baby is born until they're potty-trained (3-4 years)... 6,000 diapers are A LOT and more than that, they end up COSTING a lot!!! How come 168 lil' diapers cost about $40.00?! We'd go through 60 diapers in 1 week of our newborn's life, which means we'd need 240 diapers a month, about $80.00 for the first few months of her life. One cloth diaper, that you can use and wash it and use it again cost 19/20 dollars a piece, and in the long run we figured that it would be worth the high cost upfront. So, early on we decided that cloth diapers would be a good financial decision.

#3) My friend Jessica Bottomly has two beautiful little girls and she was a big influence on our decision to use cloth. She uses cloth diapers with Banner now (since Adley is potty-trained! YEAY!) and it works really well for her family. I remember we took a trip to Kansas with her and Zak and that was the only time she used disposable since we were gone for about 4 days and stayed in hotel rooms with no time to wash diapers. So, when we travel to the Midwest with baby girl, I don't plan to use cloth diapers because it does get messy and complicated to wash your diapers in other people's homes... Speaking of washing them, that can be a hassle so I hear, and I'm sure it'll be necessary to create a system in our house to have enough diapers & sanity of mind during the week. And that's also where Jess influenced me. She is also a pretty practical person, and she created a "wash-it-every-other-day" system for her own mind's sake that has been working for her for almost 4 years now. I like it! So, we have a good example of a family who decided to use cloth diapers and are very successful with it!

#4) There is, of course, the environmental reason. Researchers also say that it takes 500 years to biodegrade each diaper we use, and I'm pretty we won't be on earth to watch all the diapers we'd use biodegrade, so we went the cloth route for that reason too. When we have more kids, we're able to use the same diapers that were used with baby #1 instead of adding up to the pile of disposable diapers that are in the landfills. Once again, this is a personal decision. I'm far away from being an "environmentalist-fighter" person, but I do enjoy the world God created and that we live in so I figured I could do a lil' bit to contribute and care for the environment. So, we can care for the earth while caring for our baby's butt! :)

#5) There's also the other side of the environmental debate which is "well, you'll be using a lot more water, haven't you thought about that?". The water issue is an interesting one and I'll admit, I didn't spend much time researching on this topic. But I'll say this: we live in a state where water is one of the most expensive utilities in our house and we've been good about keeping our bill pretty low. I grew up with "turn the water off while you brush your teeth" and "turn the water off if you're just shampooing your hair" and "make sure the water isn't running in the kitchen", etc, etc. In Europe, the washers are smaller than the ones in the US so even the way we do our laundry has been different. So we know it'll take us an extra step to have clean diapers but we're hoping that our laundry system will be a good one for the environment and for our utility bills.

#6) Cloth diapers are SUPER cute! You can buy covers for it, you can have it in all sorts of colors, you can even match it with the outfit your baby's wearing!! We just got our first order of cloth diapers and I can't wait to mix and match it with all the cute dresses baby girl is going to wear!!

So... what kind of cloth diapers to choose from?! There are a gagillion of options so how do you know which one to buy? Well, we chose the "Fuzzibunz" because...

- It has been highly-rated among the experts (aka moms) as a durable diaper;

- Fuzzibunz are easy to wash!

- They have a "perfect size" option that comes with elastic bands which allows you to adjust the size of the diaper as your baby grows, so no need to have different sizes going on in your house;

- The inserts are super soft and they get softer the more you wash it;

- The snaps help you make sure that there won't be little hands trying to take them off and wake up after a nap naked and wet. :)

- Have I mentioned they are really cute??? :)

- And here are some more reasons to buy Fuzzibunz!

I do think this is a personal decision and in no way, shape or form think highly of myself for using cloth diapers. I think disposable diapers are very practical and functional, but since I do have the option to choose, I just decided to try something else for our baby. According to my friend Colt Westbrook, I am the girl who would not "follow the trends" so... I'm just following this pattern of my life!! haha

Hope this is helpful for anyone out there that's trying to decide what kind of diapers to choose from!

Quick update...

2011-08-06T16:40:00.001-07:00

... on Portland life!

- on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday we hosted an "Art camp for kids" in our neighborhood and it was really fun!! Our neighbors came with their children and helped out a lot - it was great to spend more time with them and get to be a little bit more part of their lives. We had different crafts for the kids to work on such as finger paint, "make your own kite", basics of watercolor, among other things. They also learned a little bit of color theory as well as how to be kind and show care for each other. Some basic "kid stuff" you know... :)

Below are some pictures of the hours of fun everyone had!

Today we're hosting a barbeque/cookout in the hood where we will give out "certificates" to the kids and see them smile big! We're excited. :)

Weekend away #1

2011-08-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Since the world has realized that I am pregnant, I keep hearing things like:

"sleep as much as you can now..."

"go on dates as much as you can now..."

"enjoy some free time now because once she's born, blah blah blah..."

I'm sure all the people who say those things, speak out of their own experience and I believe partially in what they have to say. I'm positive we won't be able to do lots of things spontaneously once baby girl is born, but I also think there are ways your can enjoy life WITH a baby. Buuuuuut since she's still inside of me, we get to have a little bit of spontaneous moments and go on weekend trips, like last weekend.

On Thursday we loaded up the car with very few things and went to Crater Lake National Park, about 5 hours south of Portland. We stayed in a little "western-looking resort" about 30 minutes south of Crater Lake and saved some good bucks on lodging. We also were able to enjoy cheap homemade food at the restaurant across the street and sleep with the windows open hearing the water running on the creek right next to the lodging. It was pretty heavenly to get out of the city for a little bit and be in a place without any cell phone connection, internet or the crazy mixture of bikers+walkers+drivers all on the same road...

Crater Lake is a beautiful, huge and deep lake that reflects the sky during the day when the sun is shining on it, and pretty dark grey at night when the moon & stars are the only ones decorating the vast Oregon sky. No matter when you get to look at it, it's beautiful, huge and deep.

We enjoyed seeing the lake by driving on the East Rim and were amazed by all the mountains around it. Central Oregon has SO MANY mountains, it's almost like God continued to spread little drops of the Rockies after the Oregonian desert. We loved the area, loved the place where we stayed and loved to visit another National Park.

And since baby girl won't be born until November, next on the list: Beach Trip, coming up in 4 weeks! :)

Lessons from being pregnant (it's a lil' long...)

2011-06-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Claire Westbrook posted on her blog yesterday a couple of truthful paragraphs on lessons she has learned from being pregnant. You see, Claire and Colt (her husband) are expecting their first child (just like we are), they found out about their pregnancy around the same time we did, and our babies are due exactly 10 days apart - Claire is due on Oct. 22nd and I'm due on Nov. 1st. We also think there's a high chance our babies will have some crush on each other since they're having a boy and we're having a girl!

So after reading her post yesterday, I thought of a gagillion things that I have learned about pregnant life and decided that a comment on her post wouldn't hold all the words I have to say. So I decided to write a blog post about it. Here it goes...

- Being pregnant is, sometimes, like being in your teen years again: your hormones are functioning like crazy and putting you on a emotional roller coaster stage everyday, your body is changing but you can't even see it happening, and you get pimples in your face even if you didn't have any when you were 13. That was weird...!

- At the place where I work, I have to stand up the whole time I'm there - except that I'm pregnant and there's no way on earth that I can stand up for 8 hours without having a leg cramp. So, I have a chair at work and I'm the only person behind the counter who has a chair. When my "pudge" wasn't very visible at first (which was also around the same time I was puking in the middle of the day at work), I'd have customers come up to me and say "So, how come you are the only one with the chair???" kinda like "are you special or something?" So, being pregnant has taught me to blow off nonsense things that people say most of the time... except that a few weeks ago a customer told me what no woman EVER wants to hear:

"Oh, you're pregnant?!?! I mean, I noticed you had been gaining some weight but I didn't want to say anything about it..."

This statement people, (read it MEN out there) is a BIG "NO NO" in a woman's life. You don't say that to your sister. You don't say that to your mom. Or your best friend. NEVER to your wife OR to the bank teller who helps you once a week. NEVER.

- I've learned that my energy level goes up and down everyday. And I need to be okay with that. During my 1st trimester I literally had no energy to do anything before work, after work, I didn't want to see anyone, I was grouchy. And I felt horrible, because I felt like I did NOTHING all day. But Brad was always quick to remind me that I had been "busy" all day, hosting our lil' child inside my body and that does take a lot of energy. So, now I'm okay with feeling tired some days more than others.

- In the beginning of June, Brad and I went up to Seattle for an early celebration of our 3-year anniversary (which is today, by the way!) to see U2 at the Qwest Field and enjoy a wonderful weekend in the Emerald City. We bought our tickets before we found out about Baby Girl, and we really wanted to see Bono really close, so we bought General Admission tickets. Needless to say that once we found out about baby, we decided that camping out in front of Qwest Field and saving our spot in the middle of the crowd for 24hrs was not a wise decision. So, we enjoyed our day in Seattle and about 2 hours before the doors were open, we went to the stadium. Yes, there was a line and yes, we were not going to be close to the stage. But what we didn't know was that there was a "Pregnant woman section" in the General Admission area with chairs and a wonderful view of the stage, and that's where we stayed. Brad wasn't too excited about it because he wasn't going to be able to shake hands with Bono at that place, but I LOVED the chairs and was able to enjoy the concert probably more than if I had stayed in the middle of people way taller than me. :) Who knew that a "Pregnant Women section" existed in concerts?!

- I've learned that most of my headaches are related to dehydration. I thought I drank a lot of water before I got pregnant, but now I realize that water really makes up 2/3 of our body. I'd rather be going to the bathroom every 30 minutes or so than having a huge headache that doesn't even let me open my eyes. I learned it the hard way, but I learned it!

- I've had CRAZY dreams that I can't even describe because most of them don't make any sense... and that's also because my hormones are just all over the place, so welcome to the world of Salvador Dali when you're pregnant!

- Brad and I have tried to take a day to just be with each other and have no "nursery/baby" talk. My great friend Jessica reminded me last week that once baby girl is born, it'll NEVER again be only the two of us, so we're trying to enjoy those lil' times now before our lives change forever!!

Being pregnant is great and I'm loving every stage of it. Most of the time, I only think about the day when she'll be born and we'll be able to hold her, but I know that everyday is important too. So I'm trying to focus on today and how much of a blessing it is to have a human being growing inside of you. It's a beautiful miracle of life and God allows us to be in it. Meanwhile, He's weaving all her lil' limbs, teeth, skin, her character, personality and heart. It's way too mysterious to be explained. So, I'm just trying to take it all in.

Ruffled bottoms & Leg warmers

2011-06-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday we had an ultrasound; the one that they take forever doing because they measure every single thing there is to measure in a baby's body inside a mom's belly.

It was very emotional to see this lil' one. At first we were able to see a profile of the face and the lil' mouth opening & closing, the legs & the arms moving, it was sweet! Then the ultrasound lady (what do you call people that do ultrasounds??) started searching for the gender but... the baby had the legs pretty closed so no luck. She said she'd continue doing all the measurements she had to and would go back to the "search for the gender" later.

She measured the size of the brain, found the spinal cord, the stomach, the liver, the bladder and showed us the 4 chambers of the heart - a tiny little heart beating! CRAZY!

Then she went back to the "search" and was able to see... nothing between the legs!! Which means

it's

GIRL!! (I'm sure you had figured that out based on the title of this post...)

Funny thing about it is that most of our friends & some of our family had decided, for sure, the baby was a boy... so we were kinda mentally prepared to hear the words "it's a boy". But when the US lade said "well, it looks like it's a girl!" we were both a lil shocked! And then excited!

Introducing to you: lil baby girl Watson!

These days all I can think about is ruffled bottoms & leg warmers...! This is way too exciting!!

Portugal

2011-05-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

About 1 month ago we had the opportunity to go to Portugal and spend 2 wonderful weeks in the "place where we met". :)

Some highlights:

- It was wonderful to "walk down memory lane" with Brad as we drove on the streets of Carnaxide;

- I loved that I got to introduce my wonderful friends to my amazing husband;

- Our trips to Sintra and the times we spent there while sipping on a good "galao" and eating yummy "travesseiros";

- We went on date and watched a beautiful Lisbon sunset from the Castelo de Sao Jorge.

We also were spoiled to the max by lovely friends and family. We ate A LOT of Bacalhau (cod fish), yummy pastries and had lots of good coffee - well, decaf for me and baby don't worry, Vovo.

Speaking of baby, this lil' one was super spoiled as well. We brought back a suitcase full of baby clothes (and other yummy goodness) that people gave us - we were so blessed!! It was overwhelming the amount of gifts our friends kept giving us, I tear up thinking of how much this lil' one is already SO LOVED by so many people across the ocean.

It was very meaningful to go there with Brad, especially because when we lived there we were not dating and had very different lives. Now that we're married, we get to build our own "Portugal experience" together. I loved it!

Here are some pics:

Sintra

Travesseiros, Pasteis & a Bica!

Sintra

Joao, Rita & us!

Monica, Rita & I at the Moinho - beautiful Guincho beach on the background!

Us at the Guincho beach.

At a park in Lisbon

Brad & Paulo

Love him.

Lisboa

Love these two - Bekits & Same

Eating one of his childhood favorite ice-creams

My favorite twins - Cadi & Suze

I love them - my aunt & uncle

A huge & delicious filet of "bacalhau"

Dear friends

More dear friends

Brad entertaining the crowd with his Wii abilities! :)

At a scone & tea place

Portugal is and always will be in our hearts - it's a special place, full of very special people to us.

Growing

2011-05-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

Lots of things growing around here:

my belly

veggies

Brad's beard

Check it out!

February

March

April

Beginning of May

End of May

This brings me memories of College years...

More on the "belly" part and the "veggies" part to come!

Beauty (3)

2011-04-19T13:46:00.001-07:00

This weekend something awesome happened.

This photo was taken by the super talented Derek Watson.

Baby girl, Finley Ryan Watson was born just 15 minutes shy of sharing the same birthday with her favorite aunt. :) This sweetie is only the 1st of many in the lives of Derek and Julie and we are SO happy for them. I seriously CANNOT WAIT to hold her, hear her laughing, crying and let her crawl everywhere (would that be considered spoiling?).

Congratulations brother and sister! We love you 3!

Beauty (2)

2011-04-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

Lots of people out today. The city is becoming alive again. All because of this...

(Ha esperanca, Ana Nunes!)

Beauty (1)

2011-04-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Cloudy skies and blooming trees... spring is coming!

Only...

2011-03-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

...28 more days until we cross this country and an ocean to see some of this beauty

or eat this

and this, too!!

And did I mention that my heart pounds really fast when I start to think about all the people we'll get to see again??

There's nothing like leaving home to go... home.

The Ides of March (not a creepy post, I promise!)

2011-03-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Wowzers. Where have all the days gone?!?!

These last 3 weeks were super fast-paced for multiple reasons, here are a few:

1) Brad's sweet grandpa passed away on Feb. 27th. We flew to OKC and celebrated his life with hundreds of other people I had never met before and whose lives were impacted by his life. It was a sweet service and everything was so meaningful. We saw a lot of family that we haven't seen since our wedding, and met other family that we didn't even know existed. And though I didn't know what to expect from a "memorial service" or a "weekend of mourning", there was not much mourning taking place. People were sad for his absence, don't get me wrong. However, there was much celebration of the great life he lived while on earth. I never had the chance to meet him very well, but attending the memorial service made me realize the kind of man he was.

Grandpa was a gentleman. A man with character and integrity. A sweet and funny man with an incredible sharp mind for business. A wonderful husband and dad. A strong believer, well respected. For many, he was the best sunday school teacher they've ever had. For some he was a role model, their hero. He loved his family. Loved people. Loved God. It was beautiful to see his life remembered and God honored for who this one man was while he walked on earth. What a great man!

2) We moved 1 mile south of our lil' Belmont place and LOTS of people from our sweet community helped. Thanks a MILLION! According to my uncle Dara, "we're moving up in life" going from an apartment, to a duplex, to a house. I'm not sure where that "up in life" takes us, but I sure like this house. Brad's favorite spot so far has been the front porch. My favorite spot: my bed where I can sleep without people thumping above my head. :) I also love waking up to the birds chirping. It's like we live in the country side but really, we're just 2 miles from downtown Portland. Kinda crazy and I love it. I'm posting some pics of the house but not everything is "ready for show" yet so, more shall come. :)

Kitchen

Breakfast "nook"

3) Brad turned 25 this past Sunday. Woooo-hoooo!!! He can now rent a car! :) We celebrated together in our house with yummy pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and later with some friends and a Coconut Chocolate chip Pound Cake as he requested! And he was also the one who taught me what Ides of March is, hence the title of the post. Seriously, it's the only reason. ;) He's so smart. And handsome. And he loves to ski so he'll be doing that soon to continue celebrating his birthday!

"Hurry... up... please...! :)"

Happy Pre-Spring everyone!

Celebrating life a year later

2011-02-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

I was dreading last week. Why? Well because on February 20th, 2010 my mom left this place we call Earth. It all happened so fast. I was so far away. I remember what my heart felt when I heard the words "Your mom passed away" spoken to me through a phone conversation with my aunt. I will never forget that moment. It's almost an unbearable pain to remember that day. What made it all better and even in the midst of pain, it became a perfect weekend, was that I was surrounded by the best friends on the planet - and later joined by Brad. If I could have handpicked who I wanted to be with when that moment happened, it would have been them. So, thanks Carol, Amanda and Emily. I love you all so much.

There were thousands of things that happened that weekend that made it all better. One of the many important pieces happened in our trip to Illinois, while we were trying to get tickets to Brazil as fast as we could and get an expedited VISA for Brad. Sweet Carol and adventurous Andrew drove us to Chicago in the snow, so we could get Brad's visa and fly out from there. It was a crazy adventure, but one that I'll never forget.

So, fast forward to this year. About 2 months ago Brad asked me if I had thought about the "anniversary weekend". I told him I didn't really know what I wanted to do for it - part of me wanted to just let it go by really fast and part of me wanted to do something happy and enjoyable. He asked me to take the weekend off because he had already planned on something for us (Thanks hubs!).

If you know Brad, you know that when he wants to plan something special, he REALLY takes time thinking through it. He plans with excellence. So for this weekend, he planned to rent a place on the coast for us to stay. But it wasn't just for us. He asked Carol and Andrew to come and join the "party". Why? Because as I explained earlier, they were key people when it all happened a year ago. Plus, Carol went to Portugal with me exactly 1 year before my mom died to help take care of her. Plus, Carol is just the best friend anyone could have. And then she married Andrew who is an awesome guy, and happened to befriend Brad through all those "wedding weekends" we went through after college. Perfect.

They flew into Portland last Tuesday and on Thursday we went to Waldport in Central Oregon. The weekend was awesome!!! The house we stayed was ON THE BEACH and even though the weatherman said "it will snow on the coast all weekend long", the wonderful Lord sent us an amazing sunshine all day on Saturday. We rode the Pacific Coast Highway up North from Waldport to Cannon Beach and stopped along the way for a visit to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, good coffee and... pictures, of course!

Not only the place we stayed was great and the weather was perfect, but we were able to remember my mom and celebrate her life together.

My mom was a wonderful woman. Strong. Joyful. Perseverant. Excellent. A hard worker. A giver. A wise woman. Loved the Lord. She would always say "God is faithful, merciful and just" no matter what the circumstance. Loved her family. Loved me. She also had her crazy moments, but don't all moms do? :)

I loved her. I still do. I learned so much from her. And one of the many things I learned from her was that we must enjoy life and thank God for every breath we take. Celebrate life and celebrate today.

So that's what we did this past weekend. It was wonderful. Praise the Lord.

The week of Superbowl...

2011-02-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

Snapshots of this past week:

- The Wood Brothers went to the Wonder Ballroom and were simply spectacular!

- Portland, for part of the week, looked like this (and this is NOT a complaint):

- We drove to Mt. Angel, a small town south of Wilsonville, and were gifted with an amazing sunset and clear skies!

I spy with my little eye...

- SOMA Communities training at Red Sea was full of life, enriching and heart changing. There are not enough pictures that could describe the days we spent going through the Story of God with the Family.

- Our hearts got a little shaky and... anxious with the news on Carol's brother (please, pray for the Bean family...)

- I cried my eyes out on Thursday when I thought I had lost my ring forever and forever after it fell into the heater vent buuuuuuut my AMAZING husband went to the rescue and got it back!

~My precious~

Things we're looking forward to...

- Life with gospel community this week - aaaaalways good!

- Life with these cats next week:

Yes, that's Andrew behind a beard :)

- Less than 80 days until we get to be here again:

Bela Lisboa!

Oh, and the Packers won today, right?! I had no idea Superbowl was such a national and patriotic event! Our "party" was at this little place...

Happy Sunday everyone!

monday night...

2011-01-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

culture shock #1

2011-01-23T14:53:00.001-08:00

Even though the speed limit in some areas of the city is 35mph - or should it be called the "slow limit"? - drivers in oregon decide that 25mph is a much better "speed" to drive around. So I have started to give myself an extra 15 minutes to get to work every morning. Just in case it drops down to, oh i don't know, 15mph...

In Oregon

2011-01-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

(I really am working hard on trying to catch up with the blog world... look at this, 2 posts in 1 day!)

Back to life in Oregon, we're loving the cold/rainy days and trying to spend it outside as much as possible. On MLK day we went sledding in Mt. Hood with the Revard's and the Eddleman's and it was SO MUCH fun! We love both of these families and loved the day we spent together!

Today, for the 1st time since the year has begun, the sun was out!!! ALL DAY LONG!!! I'm pretty sure the number of runners in Portland escalated like never before, it was so good to see everyone outside. Brad and I went on a bike ride for 3 hours or so all the way to Sellwood. The ride back was kind of a killer, but so worth the trip! We loved it.

As we were riding along the Willamette River, I found myself saying these words:

I can't believe we get to live in this city!

And we feel a little bit more planted here everyday.

Catching up...

2011-01-22T18:45:00.000-08:00

I once wrote on Jason Gallagher's facebook wall that it was about time he updated his blog. This was only 3 days after he wrote his first entry. Now it's my turn to have somebody yelling at me for not updating this thing for... 2 months. But nobody has yelled at me and I really appreciate that. I know you're enjoying life and doing more fun stuff than reading stories "on the line" and I'm glad you're doing that!

But back to not writing on this blog, we wanted to say this to you:

Merry Christmas/Welcome 2011/Happy January!!!

December was... how should I say?

Chaotic?

Wonderful?

Crazy?

Filled with things to do and lovely people to see?

All of the above? Yes.

We went to OKC after Christmas to spend time with family and friends. It's always good to go back to OKC, it's like a 3rd home for us. Or would that be a 4th home? Well, they say that home is where your heart is and our hearts have room for so many places and people right now that it doesn't really matter. OKC is great!

While in OK, we spent 4 days in Davis with Brad's family - the whole gang: boys, girls and babies. Yes, babies. Baby girl Watson is in Julie's belly and growing. :) We had a wonderful time! One of the good things about being together for Christmas AFTER Christmas is that you get to celebrate Christmas & New Year's Eve all on the same day. It was great! Among the presents given, the favorite ones were of course the onesies, tiny shoes, and baby denim jacket that Jules opened for baby W. We all got to see it and say "aawwwww, that's soooooo cuuuuuuute." This baby girl has no idea how much spoilage awaits for her, let me tell you.

It was also really fun to watch all three "boys" play together and have grown up conversations about their jobs, 401Ks and favorite episodes of Saturday Night Live.

Another fun thing we have done during our family times is play Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan together. This last picture is from our round of Ticket to Ride, I think the round Grant won... it was right after he won Settlers of Catan... and Fifa for PS3... and ping-pong. He was unstoppable on that day. I think he was already on NYC lifestyle mode and was just conquering it all. Or maybe he was just trying to impress Gretchen.

These days were super relaxing and fun. Really, really, REALLY fun. I'm so thankful to be part of a family who loves each other and is so supportive of each other. Cheesy, but truth. :)

Back in OKC we got to see dear friends and spend quality time with some of them. Time with the Smith's was great - I seriously considered borrowing Graham and Abigail and bringing them back to Oregon but Adriane told me I wouldn't survive long... :)

(**WARNING: The following pictures might cause your heart to melt...!**)

(Told ya!)

Abby Jay drove from Tulsa to spend the day and we had such a good time together!

We got to see Crystal and her baby belly!

Colt & Claire hosted us (for the 100th time... thanks a million guys!) and I feel like every night we had a Westbrook/Watson debrief evening filled with good stories, some fight stories, laughter and coffee. Lovely, oh so lovely!

(We all like each other a lot. I promise.)

We also had dinner with the Sullivan's, hung out with the Bottomly's (not enough, though!), and spent more time with family before we all headed back to our lives in the 4 corners of the country.

2011 started pretty well and we've enjoyed every day of it so far! We're thankful for all the people in the pictures above and the ones we get to do life with everyday!

God is so good!

Just a glimpse...

2010-11-20T14:22:00.001-08:00

... of what some days look like.

Somebody came in today asking to withdraw some money from their account. The convo went something like this:

Me: How much would you like to withdraw?

Somebody: (insert number here) dollars.

M: Ok, great. It will take me just one moment!

S: Ok.

(S is waiting patiently, looking around and I'm processing the transaction.)

M: Thank you for waiting, how would you like your cash today?

S looks at me surprised by my question and answers: In US Dollars, please.

(And then it was my turn to make a funny face.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If anybody knows a place in the US where you can take Euros out of your bank account, please let me know. :/

They say it gets calm after a storm

2010-10-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

If I could use one word to describe this last week, month and year, it would be the famous TuPac Shakur song, entitled Changes (not the whole song, just the title...). :)

Our life has been in what it feels like a whirlwind for the past year. It has been good and frustrating, peaceful and stormy, exciting and numb, stressful and relaxing. Something like this

These days, the seasons are changing in Portland. Fall is here and it is beautiful. Leaves are changing its colors and the weather is changing - as in, it has started to pour.

And to follow the change in the season, our lives are changing as well - nothing new, right?!

Brad left his job at UPS after Bread and Wine offered him a job, to which he gladly said Yes! He is SUPER excited to start it and it has already been a blessing in our lives. That means he will be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas and will have Sundays "off". More than anything, we're thankful for the opportunity he's having to do what his heart has always desired: to work for the equipping of the Church and to serve the people of Portland. All we can say is that God keeps humbling us and giving us tremendous gifts. For real...

I left Nike and just started working at Bank of America. I might also work at the school near our house, which means that I will also have Sundays, Thanksgiving and Christmas off. It also means that I'll get to spend a lot more time with Brad. As far as what my heart desires, I'm still trying to figure that one out. ;)

The relationships with our friends and neighbors are also changing. We've had more chances to talk and hang out and it's been great to love on more people in this city.

A new member of the Watson family is on his/her way. Our sis-in-law is pregnant and BIG family life will never be the same again! We're super excited for Derek & Julie and can't wait to meet this lil' bundle of joy!

And in all this change, there is something that remains the same. The One who brings all this change in and around us remains still and unchangeable. Jesus is the same and we live knowing that in the midst of a roller coaster day, week and year, He still says "I love you and I know where you've been. I'm the one who has been taking you by the hand all along. I also know where I'll continue to take you, but for now, just rest in me."

And that's why it is always peaceful after a storm.

A few things I learned...

2010-09-19T15:55:00.001-07:00

... while working in retail.

- The people who say "Hi! How are you doing today?" are exactly that... people. You don't have to pretend you're best friends with them, but you can AT LEAST acknowledge their existence.

- Every retail store has a stock room where inventory is kept at all times. If you hear "Sorry, we don't have this item in our store/stock room right now" it means exactly that. Unfortunately, nobody at the store will be able to make that item for you right there on the spot. Most things these days are made in China.

- In the "chain of bossiness" the people on the sales floor are usually on the bottom. If you want your complain to be heard, throw it at a MANAGER. That's one of the reasons they exist.

- Though you might have travelled 1,000 miles to buy that specific pair of shoes, and you find that the store doesn't have, there's no need to despair. For one, it's simply a PAIR OF SHOES and two, I'm sure you can order your $200.00 shoes online and get it shipped to your "1,000 miles away" home.

- Don't bring back your 5 year old sandals and tell the cashier that you bought them last Christmas, in 6 months the outsole got ruined and now you want to exchange it. This also goes to 5 year old backpacks, jackets and shoes. Most people know their store's inventory and why would you lie to get new stuff? You're just embarrassing yourself.

- Don't use the old "name-drop" technique. People at retail don't care if your best friend's mom is an executive at the company. Using the whole name-drop to get what you want at a RETAIL store is like being a middle school boy who tells the football coach that his dad is friends with the principal so he better become the QB of the team. That's called childish and you're way past middle school now. (I'd hope.)

- Sundays are sacred. Why do people go shopping on Sundays?! Since working in retail, I decided that I'm not going to shop on Sundays because for me to go shopping, stores need to have somebody there to "help me". And I've ALWAYS hated working on Sundays. There's no end or beginning to your week because it's Sunday and guess what? You're working, and on Monday even if you're off, everybody else is working, and the same on Tuesday, and Wednesday, and on and on... :P

- Have I mentioned that the people who help you are.... people? So, please treat them as you (a person) would like to be treated. Having more money doesn't necessarily qualify you as more of a person than somebody else.

I'm sure I'll learn more things before my last day at Niketown! Till then... Just Do It!

Cartopia

2010-09-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

*First of all, thanks for your messages, encouraging words and prayers. Love you all.*

Well, it's funny that the latest issue of Portland Monthly is ALL about Food Carts in Portland... because that's exactly what I've thought about blogging lately. So go ahead, read the article above and consider this post done...

Just kidding. We really enjoy Cartopia in this city, and surely have something to say about it.

What's Cartopia anyways?

I tried to find a Merriam-Webster's definition of it, but decided to define it myself: Cartopia is a food cart culture that I've only seen in Portland. It's where a huge parking lot gets filled with RV's & Trailer's that are painted, decorated and turned into small restaurants. Below is a picture that better describes what I'm trying to say:

A big shout out and thanks to whoever took this pic and posted online for the world to see...

Where's your favorite Food Cart block located?

The one we enjoy going to the most is the one on SE 12th and Hawthorne (the one pictured above). It's open from noon until 3am. Even Jason Gallagher could go there for a lil' snack before and during his work time...

Is it healthy/good/real food?

Yes, of course. This is Portland. Healthy, good and real are all middle names of this city.

What kind of foods do you find there?

In this one specifically, you'll find Burritos & Tacos, Po' Boy Sandwiches, Whiffies (Fried Pies - sweet and savory), some AMAZING french fries, an out-of-this-world tomatoes with artichoke and goat cheese pizza from Pyro Pizza and incredible Crepes from Perriera Creperie (my favorite is the Banana w/ Nutella one - the Sullivan's know what I'm talking about).

What if I don't like any of the foods mentioned above?

Your options are endless. There are hundreds of Food Carts in this city. Just that I've seen, there are 2 full lots on SW9th and Alder as well as another whole parking lot on SW5th and Stark and a great one too on SW 3rd and Washington. These are all in Downtown Portland. There is the famous Grilled Cheese Grill on NE portland, some yummy ones by Portland State University and a whole new parking lot about 5 blocks from our house with about 10 new food carts. A couple of other favorites are the Aybla Greek Cuisine (best gyros in town), and Built to Grill on SW 3rd and Washington. Their grilled Panini's are good, but they make a KILLER Grilled Chicken Fettuccine.

How does it work?

Welp, that's the simple part. Choose the type of food your tummy feels like eating (it can be anything from vegan cupcakes to shrimp pad thai). Approach the food cart that offers what you're looking for. Read the menu and pick an item from it. Place your order at the window, pay with cash, don't forget to tip and leave your name with the nice lady that got your order. Grab a sit next to somebody you don't know and wait for your name to be yelled. When you hear the big yell, that means your food is ready. Grab your goodie, sit at your table next to the newest stranger, and enjoy your meal!

Why do you like to go there?

First of all there's a quality level: it's really good food. Second there's the cost-benefit analysis: for the amount & quality of food you get, it's pretty cheap. Prices range between $3.00-$9.00 and it's usually so much food that you end up sharing. Lastly, there's the "local" aspect of it: most of the people and the food you'll find in the food carts are local, organic, healthy, "green", love the earth, etc, kind of people & products. That sounds very Portlandish to me and I like it.

Have you ever thought about opening your own food cart?

Hum, yes. Especially if my friend Carol Bean Caplinger is the cook. Those of you who have tried her amazing food know that the food cart would be a success...

Why should I go to a food cart instead of a real restaurant?

Besides the reasons mentioned above, it's also a great excuse to sit down and talk to people whom you'd have never met if you went to a restaurant and got a table-for-two-please.

We're still discovering this incredible culture of goodies made in a trailer cart, but we love what we have found so far. So next time you come to Portland, make sure we take you to one of these... you won't regret it!

Wondering if...

2010-08-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

... when people tell you that grieving gets better, do they really mean "life will just get busier with other things, other joyful events will happen, and you just won't have time to be sad and think about your loss"? Honestly, it has only been 6 months, but no, it hasn't gotten better. It's actually harder. I tell myself that it'll get better, but it feels like my heart is stuck in this mud of pain.

I'm sorry, this might not be the happiest blog entry you'll ever read. I'm just writing some thoughts down, so feel free to browse to another page if this whole post is way too sad for you right now.

The pain of remembering somebody and knowing that all you can do is remember, is a drastic pain. It's not that you think about them right now and wait until tomorrow morning to call them, or write them an e-mail tonight hoping for an answer to come, or make plans to potentially go see that person. None of those things are possible. The smile that you remember is only that: the memory of a smile. The moments are now in the section of your brain labeled "worth to be remembered", you can't look forward to enjoying new and different moments with that person. I enjoy memories, they bring a lot of laughter as well, but when there's a mud of pain surrounding your heart, and all those memories are stuck in this mud, they actually become a small sting that initiates the hurt.

Another thing I wonder is if I'll ever move on, feel something else besides pain, and if tears will actually be turned into moments of joy. I know it's not too much to ask. The reality is that today, like many other days, I selfishly wish my mom was still here on earth, alive and well.

I've realized that there's no newness in death. My mom is gone from planet earth, and her life here was interrupted. And when I think about what I want instead of what God wanted, I can't seem to really comprehend His ways and wants. I can easily feel my pain. Because my heart feels it and it hurts a whole lot.

Summer finally found us!

2010-08-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

The summer is coming to an end, and just this past weekend the thermometer claimed to have reached 100 degrees - we weren't in Portland for that 'treat'. We've been working a whole lot, but it has been good. Brad gets paid to work out (seriously, he does squats and lifts weights for 5 hours everyday - we're talking some big muscles here!) and I'm still at Niketown, selling anything and everything with a swoosh in it. :)

This summer we were blessed by so many wonderful visits to Portland! Derek & Julie came for a few days in June and it was really, really good. They were immediately immersed into the Portland culture when, at 11.45pm on Sunday night, we heard a bunch of people yelling on the street and as I peaked through the blinds, all I could see was a bunch of naked butts sitting on bikes… The annual naked bike ride was taking place RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE. Literally, on our street. I almost want to say on our door step but that would have been too close… and weird. So for the next 45 minutes, all we could see outside our window was a bunch of naked bodies riding their bikes. It was hilarious and we couldn't believe that 8,000 people had done that… and then we remembered we live in Portland. Of course it would happen. (I'm going to let you do the google search and see pictures for yourself if you're interested...)

A few weeks later, Eric-Eric and Ashley Sullivan came for a few days and we had a really good time with them. They're really, really, REALLY funny people and so genuine at the same time. We loved spending time with them! We did the "normal" Portland visit stuff, but decided to venture off on our trip to the beach and go blueberry picking - our reward of hard work in the sunny hills of Oregon was 6lbs of fresh blueberries. Needless to say that for the next week or so we ate blueberries everything - muffins, cake, blueberries with ice cream, blueberries by itself, etc, etc. It reminded me of when Ryan & Adriane came out and G-man ate a whole bowl of blueberries and his poop that day was completely blue. haha!! The Sullivan's are a blast and we're super happy that they just bought a house and next time we go to OKC we can bug them in their new place. :)

Lastly, we were wonderfully "surprised" with a visit from the Westies (Colt & Claire Westbrook). Oh, they're dear to our hearts and every minute we spend with them is so special and not enough at the same time. In the end, it's not what we do that matters but the moments of truth, heart conversations, silliness, "call-outs" and transparency that makes our hearts get in tune and beat differently every time we're together. We have few friends like them, and we enjoy every second of their presence.

On another note, I was able to get back into reading this summer. Yes, I did read "Mountains, Pilgrims and Foreign Languages" and you should too! Thanks to Jules' recommendation, I devoured "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett and thanks to my friend Fifa, I really enjoyed "The Prodigal God" and "Counterfeit Gods", both by Tim Keller. Next on the list are "This Child will be Great" by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Africa's first woman president) and "A Thousand Miles in a Million Years" by Donal Miller.

Along with these books, I'll also be listening to The Timberline Hike's new cd, "Oil Stock and English Kids" that was released about 1 week ago. If you're in the OKC area, you should check them out on August 26th at the UCO Jazz Lab… and buy their new album. They're 4 amazing musicians who love… making music. It's pretty simple. And they make GOOD music. So, yeah, go check them out and enjoy good music!

Even though it has been a fast summer, we've enjoyed it. We're blessed to be surrounded by wonderful friends and are thankful for the endless connections God continues to bring our way.

We still love it here!

Canada, oh Canada!

2010-08-16T22:49:00.000-07:00

We're on our way back from vacation. Yes, we did have a vacation this summer. For a while it didn't seem like it was going to happen, but we were both able to take off work, yeay! We spent 5 wonderful days in Cochrane, Canada with Brad's parents, Grant, Gretchen, Grady, Kristie and the "kids". It was wonderful to be with family and we're very thankful for every minute we get to be together - we missed Derek & Julie but hope to see them soon!

We stayed at this huge "log mansion" out in the country side, surrounded by cows, horses and a beautiful view of the Rockies. It was, oh so relaxing and we did… nothing for 5 days.

Today at the airport, Brad asked me what were my highlights of the trip and there were two great moments:

1) On Thursday night we had a delicious Parmesan Chicken with wheat pasta - completely homemade by Glenn - at the "log mansion" and after dinner we sat around the table for, oh maybe 4 hours, and just talked, talked, talked. I.loved.it. I could do that everyday, just sit around and talk with a bunch of people I love. It was so good to catch up, hear a little bit about the new season that Grady & Kristie are going through, talk to Grant & Gretchen about the summer, and laugh really hard at each other. Definitely a wonderful Watson tradition!

2) On Sunday after church we went to Canmore, this small town on the way to Banff and had lunch at a local pizzeria that only uses local products - they have the best goat cheese & dun dried tomato pizza I've ever had. Seriously!

We then went to Banff and just walked around town, goofed off, took pictures and got some fudge. Banff is beautiful whether it's covered in snow or not. It was a perfect summer day in the mountains, it was warm and the town was hopping!

After Banff, we went to the restaurant inside Rimrock, this really fancy hotel, and had coffee surrounded by beautiful mountains… it was unbelievable. **Funny story about this moment: when you're ordering at the restaurant, they ask for your room number and last name. We weren't staying at the hotel, so we just gave them our last name. The waiter went on to serve the people sitting next to us and they said "Oh, we have a room number for you! It's 341 and our last name is -------". Immediately, Grant and I were like "okay, we're staying at 341!". It was kinda funny… and no we didn't really do that.** Anyways, after the coffee at the super-extra-fancy Rimrock, we had a last stop at the falls and saw this:

Every time we go to Canada I feel like I don't want to come back home... Canadians are really, really nice people, super chilaxed, and well, every time we go to Canada we're on vacation! :)

Long live the Queen, eh!

How does it feel...??

2010-07-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Maybe this is how it feels like when you seem to have found the perfect house...

Perhaps when you get your dream job...

But I think it's somewhere in the lines of a "we're having a baby/adopting/adding a new person to our family" feeling... (all you momma's out there, please don't judge me!)

So, the new addition to our family is Brad's book! It is OUT!! After a long period working on it, he released an online version of the book today! You can read the announcement here: http://tinyurl.com/27ho6aw

And make sure you ask for your copy on his website: www.bradsstories.com

Proud of you, hubby! You are a wonderful writer with a beautiful heart for the Kingdom of God, for His people and for this world!! I love, love, love you!!

Ocean...

2010-07-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's officially summer in Portland. The sun is out (unbelievable, I know!), people are flocking the streets, the river is full of boats, tubes, and jet-skis, the beach is packed and we're melting inside! The thing about summer here is that it only gets really hot about 1 month out of the year, so the houses don't have A/C. Yup, you read it right, NO A/C. We manage it with fans, lots of cold water and a nice breeze! I'm not complaining, it's SUNNY!! :)

Growing up in Portugal, I got used to going to the beach every summer - I believe I spent 1 summer in OK with no visits to the beach. Now that we're living in the West COAST I feel very privileged to be so close to the ocean again... I've started to miss it so much that I've had dreams that I was at the beach. So on wednesday I drove 1.5hr to Cannon Beach and spent a wonderful afternoon staring at the beautiful ocean. I'm telling you right now, it's therapeutic for me. Every time I stare at this huge body of water, these things cross my brain...
--The world is a MASSIVE place and I'm a tiny bitty drop in the midst of it all;
--Somehow the ocean connects people: when I step into the Pacific, I'm stepping in the same body of water that somebody in Indonesia, Japan or New Zealand is stepping into;
--In my daily life, I can run around, work hard, do this and that to "make things happen", but there's absolutely nothing I can do to make waves go back and forth... yet they still move. So strong, loud and beautiful. It reminds me of this verse "He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea." Job 9:8

--There's a WHOLE world under the sea (yup, just like the song!) that I've never met, been a part of or lived in. Yet God, the creator of it all, made it, and guess what, he knows every single detail of life that happens in there. If he knows everything that happens under the sea, where nobody else can see, how much more does He know about my life, your life out here in this concrete road we walk into everyday? He knows this world we live in, He is active in it too, He's not just watching it go by and hoping we won't mess it up. He is alive and active. And just like the ocean that doesn't need any human being to make it move back and forth, God moves without us asking Him too. He moves to meet us where we are: in our hurt, joy, pain, wonder and amazement. Those are the places where He's been meeting me... I will admit though, I desire for more wonder and amazement, yes I do.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
If I make my bed in the depths,you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139:7-10

Love your city

2010-06-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

As I drove back home from work today, I found myself saying "I love this place, I love Portland." It could be that today it's raining again and it feels like Portland. It could also be that I saw a biker riding down the street wearing shorts, a rain jacket and chacos. Maybe it was the bumper sticker that I read saying "Keep Portland Beered!" or just the grey sky that I saw and made me think "I love where I am right now, I love Portland."

I find myself thinking about this city today, how much I've grown to love it, how much Brad and I have had a chance to experience its craziness, corkiness and snobbiness at so many levels (coffee, beer, food and outdoors). I also find myself thanking God for the trials, challenges, blessings and joyful moments we've had here.

We really love it here. :) Nope, we're not making millions of dollars, we're not in a church with 500 members attending it every (sun)day and we're not in our "perfect job" choices, but we're thankful. Thankful for the path we've taken and how the Lord has carried us all the way, through pain and healing, sorrow and joy. We're thankful for the people he has surrounded our lives with (the ones living a few miles from us as well as thousands miles away), we're thankful for all the fun stuff we've been able to do and all the people we've met & seen along the way. We're thankful for our families who still love us even when we tell them we'll be moving further away than we were before and for our friends who say "we'll visit you!" and they really do come visit us. We're thankful for the confidence we have that we're loved and cared for by God and His people. We're thankful for His endless grace... oh yeah, that's a great one...

We love Portland. We love how the city flows and goes on even in the midst of rainy days; we love how Portlanders absolutely LOVE the Trailblazers and are definitely the craziest fans in the NW; we love to see and join hundreds of people ride their bikes around; we love the runners who are so hard-core about training for every race from 5k to Triathlons; we love to walk by our neighborhood and see the same people every time; we love the music scene, the artists, the business people walking to meetings; we love PSU and the cool campus with beautiful parks around it; we love the people we work with who love Oregon and everything that this place offers. Maybe these are some of the things God also loves about this place... because He created this city and its people for His glory, and we definitely love it too.

In about 3 weeks, Brad and I will be 'celebrating' our first Portland anniversary. Surely many things have changed in our lives here, and this year has gone by so fast that it feels like 5 years have gone by. We're thankful, super thankful to be here!

As Portland struggles to welcome the Summer time, I'm still enjoying the real feeling of a typical day: grey skys, a little bit wet, and still people out on the street. As we see it around here:

News - 2nd Post of the day

2010-06-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

Since I'm in the 'update the blog' mode, I'm just going to give you guys some updates on the Watson household...

#1-We are officially part of a network of House Churches called Bread & Wine and we've been meeting at our house for the past 3 weeks. It has been a great experience and we're excited to be more invested in our neighborhood as the summer time approaches and EVERYBODY goes outside even more. :)

#2-I am still working at Niketown and enjoying it - the World Cup really is happening and the Soccer room is looking beautiful!! Added to Nike, I am also working at a High School near our house, helping Latino students with College & Scholarship opportunities. The work at the HS has been good and I enjoy it, however, it has been tiring to sync both jobs into my life. I've had as much as 10 straight days without a break from work, but all of this should be over soon... :)

#3-Brad will start working at UPS next week and he's super excited about it! So am I! He's been wanting to get a job "outside of the house" and we're thankful for this opportunity with UPS. Along with the job gig, they'll also give him a scholarship that covers his Seminary education. Yeay!

Brad is also finishing up his book and it will come out sooooooon!! I'm so proud of him and all the work he has done. My husband is a wonderful writer, thinker, and expresses the heart of God for the world so well through his writing. You should definitely check out his website www.bradsstories.com and make sure you bookmark it and tell your friends about it! More to come about it! Stay tuned, ha!

#4 - This is what the summer looks like for us as of right now:

- watch World Cup games with friends and neighbors (Joshon & Brad will absolutely be glued to the TV screen while Taylor & I will enjoy hanging out, chatting and meeting people);

- go to the movies at the park all throughout Portland;

- ride our bikes EVERYWHERE (we might need the car to go to the Columbia Gorge & the coast, but that should be it!)

- have a wonderful time with Derek and Jules (bro & sis) who are coming in 2 weeks (we couldn't be more excited about it!);

- then it will be Ashley & Eric-Eric Sullivan's turn, they're staying with us for a couple of days and it should be fun and hilarious - because they're both fun & hilarious!

- in August we're going to Canada to hang out with the fam, it should be wonderful!

- maybe I'll train for another race... maybe?

#5 - Lastly, I really want to take some time to rest, continue to heal from losing my momma and all that comes with that... it has been a process, very hard at times but I'm thankful for all the prayers and words of encouragement!

We love you all!

Brad & Mirela

If 1 picture says more than 1,000 words...

2010-06-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

...imagine 10!

February 2010 - Trip to Brasil in February, my dad, his wife, Brad & I.

April/2010 - I love this lil' boy and could just keep him here forever!

This was after our trip to the beach in the midst of snow and rain! Such troopers!

April 2010 - Cannon Beach, OR - Happy Birthday Mirela!

The parents came to visit and spend the birthday weekend with us! Love them.

April 2010 - See how they're loving the NW?! :)

April 2010 - Tulip Farm Festival

May 2010 - Look who's getting married!!

May 2010 - Absolutely LOVE, MISS & I'm so PROUD of them.

It's Friiiiiday!

2010-04-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

Back in College that phrase made a whole lot of sense and a lot of us happy. Now that I have a "real job" and a "crazy schedule", being friday is not very different from being saturday or wednesday, depending on the day of the week I end up working.

Today, though, is a special friday. For one, it is Good Friday which is in itself, a humbling day and so overwhelmingly filled with the love that God has for all of us. It's crazy that God would come to earth, become a person, feel all the things we feel, eat, sleep, walk, run, smile, cry, hurt, laugh, and in the end He would choose to pay the ultimate sacrifice for humanity... with His life. All for love. For loving us so much. For loving me. For loving you. Its crazy... His crazy love!!

And for this friday, specifically in 2010, the Lord brought more pieces of His church to Portland for a few days. Ryan,Adriane and Graham Smith are here for this weekend and that makes today also a good Friday. We love them so very much, and are so thankful for having them in our lives. We were so excited to have them here and it's finally happening! Upon getting to our house, Graham said "I like this house." and I said "Well, that's where you'll stay for a few days!" and he says "And then we'll tell mommy bye bye!" and I laughed... because I could just keep him and play with him all day long! He's awesome!

So, all this to say... today was hard to pick an outfit because my brain was overly excited expecting the Smith's to get here. But here it is...

Neckwarmer - handmade by my friend Leslie Dotson (I wear this all the time!)

White shirt - Nike (what can I say... I work for them! gotta represent...)

Pink Tunic - Bershka, Portugal

Jeans - Gap

Boots - somewhere in Lisbon, Portugal, 7 years ago... :)

I'm enjoying this whole "bang" thing and trying to create fun looks for my round face...

Hope this friday is a good one for everybody. :) Any Easter plans??

~Mirela

Spring Fashion Week - Thursday

2010-04-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks for the comments everyone, I wasn't expecting so much input! This has been really fun!

I live in Portland, OR where spring takes a little bit longer than usual to arrive. Today the sun is in and out, so the day called for some jeans and scarf!

I've been on a "plaid-kick" lately, so anything with those squares and stripes make me think "That is SUPER CUTE!". I got this scarf on a great deal at World Market when my friend, Caroline, finally took me to that place... and I'm so happy we got to go!! It has small sample of coolest things from, well, all over the world!

So here's for Fashion Week - Thursday outfit

Scarf - World Market

Yellow T-shirt - some store at Penn Sq. Mall in OKC, OK (sorry, i can't remember the name!)

Green long sleeve - New York & Company

Skinny jeans - Forever 21

Boots - Aldo (gift from the hubby... awesome)

Hope everyone has a fabulous Thursday!!

Spring Fashion Week - Wednesday

2010-03-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

I've been "following" (stalking) Emery Clark's blog for a while now. Every year she has Spring Fashion week where she creates these really cute outfits, posts the pics on her blog, and challenges everybody else to join her. Well this year, I've decided to join her! Partly because I've always liked the ideas I saw and wanted to challenge myself to create something different, and partly because the prize is a freaking giftcard to the coolest store ever, ModCloth.com .

I love mixing styles and when I try really hard, something works! Every time I go to Fortaleza, Brazil, I visit this HUGE flea market that has tons of jewelry and crafts, all made with local products. The necklace I'm wearing is made with coconut shells cut into small shaped disks... I really like it! I also have more (and other styles) for sale that I brought back from this last trip, if anyone is interested...

Anyways, here's my first attempt!

Necklace - flea market in Fortaleza, Brazil

80s top - Gap thrifted

Orange tank top - Zara

Skirt - Promocao, Brazil

Leggings - Target (gift from Taylor Miller)

Shoes - Arezzo, Brazil

Oh, and the bangs were also a new creation by Taylor... she's the real vintage-y one! :)

I should probably create another blog for this but I figured it would be fun to do in this one! :)

More to come tomorroooow... Thanks for creating this fun week, Emery!

~Mirela

In pictures...

2009-10-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Farmer's Market with the parents :)

And the younger brother...

Laurelhurst Park with the Cody's :)

Chillin' like a villain at the Taylor's!

Vancouver, B.C. for... you know it... U2. :)

Leaves the size of my face (!!) in Canada!

A lifelong dream accomplished (not that we're too old...)!

Small snapshots of this fall in Portland!

Hope you all are well. We love and miss you all.

" The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit." - 1 Cor. 12:12, 13

It's fall in PDX

2009-10-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a while... a long while since an update!

The last month and half was filled with some adjustments: Brad has been working 45/50 hours a week, and I started working 35/40 hours a week. We see each other when we get back from work and on weekends and we try to make the best of it! :)
Thought we could write about our daily life in Portland, just so you'll know what's happening around here...
Weekdays - Brad usually leaves for work around 7.30am, he works in 2 different Hertz offices during the week (Lake Oswego and Tigard, right outside Portland) and spends the day in the outskirts of the city. He enjoys it, though it is a very tiring job with a 30 minute commute each way. Brad is tired, he has a pretty busy week and that's not what he wants to spend his time doing. He is actively looking for a job that goes along with what we believe God has put in his heart. He told his current boss about his job search, his boss truly appreciated Brad telling him what he was thinking/doing regarding his current job, and we're thankful that he received it well. :) Brad's manager, James, really appreciates him and Brad has learned a lot from him! We're asking God to continue to open doors for Brad's work, we believe Hertz was something the Lord brought to us, but we've had a sense that his time there is coming to an end. So, we're praying and seeking for God's will in this, and for His strength as we go through the days giving our best at our workplace!
Brad is also taking a class at Western Seminary on Monday nights. He gets home around 10pm, but he truly enjoys it! Western is a seminary focused on practical teaching, which attracts Brad a whole lot, and we're thankful we live so close to it!
As far as my job and weekday goes, I feel like I have it pretty easy! :) I work about 20 minutes from home (on the bus!) in downtown Portland. It has been a great experience to work at Niketown. I work with a lot of college students and young people who just enjoy sports and Nike. Since it is in the heart of downtown, I get to see a lot of the city life during my breaks, and the myriad of people that spend their weekday in Portland. I've had great conversations with some co-workers, either about faith, or God or 'religion'. It has opened my eyes to what people think about God, the Church and faith in Portland. At first, my co-workers thought I was a 'weird religious person' who followed a lot of rules, but through different conversations, I hope they've realized that I just love Jesus and try to follow Him and his 'law' of love. It's a great environment and I enjoy the interactions with co-workers and customers - we get a lot of international visitors and I get to speak Portugues and Spanish a lot! It's really fun!
Also, some of you know that I ran a 1/2 marathon about a month ago... During training, I injured my knee really bad, and after the marathon I was in a LOT of pain. So I decided to do some 'knee rehab' workout - it's been good and I'm hoping it will get better!
The weekends are filled with visits to the Farmer's Market (YES!) restful time with each other, and some time with house church friends. We've been going to the house church that Josh and Becky Taylor started when they moved from California. We enjoy it, but we'd also love to have something in our neighborhood, so that's another thing we're praying about and desiring to do!
Some of the things and people in Portland that we really like are located at...
- Downtown Food Carts
- Farmer's Market
- Stumptown Coffee
- Walk on Belmont/Hawthorne Street
- Mount Tabor

God has brought wonderful people to our lives, and we're thankful for each one of them! Josh and Becky have big hearts and big dreams for Portland as well, and we're thankful for them!
Josh and Caroline Cody moved from Georgia and we've had plenty of opportunities to spend time with them! Brad worked with Josh in LA and about 2 weeks after we got here, Josh called Brad saying they were moving out here! It has been GREAT to be with them!

Lastly... moving to the Northwest has brought us some visitors! We loved having Joshon and Taylor Miller for Labor Day Weekend, Brad's parents for another weekend and Grant (Brad's younger bro!) is spending his Fall Break here! We're happy!

Off to Laurehurst park now! It's Fall in Portland and it is BEAUTIFUL!!
We love you all.

Belmont Street

2009-08-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

When we visited Portland in December/08, we drove by this area called Hawthorne/Belmont and really liked it. We also liked another area called Division. We thought we could look for places to live in both of those areas since both are filled with young people, artists, young families and "a lil' bit of everything else", something very common to Portland.

On our 1st weekend here (4th of July weekend) we walked up, down and around Belmont St. just checking out the area, talking to the people and visiting (what has become) our favorite Stumptown. We would always come back for Stumptown but ended up looking at places as well. During the "house hunt"game, we looked at a duplex right ON Belmont St. and it was "love at first sight" for Brad. It took me a little longer to "fall in love" with it, but I did. I love the place and I'm so thankful Brad loved it first! It is quite incredible how we got this place considering the location is AWESOME, the place is in great condition and was a good price too! Our landlord also let us paint the place, so we spent the weekend painting with the Taylor's and Ryan Fick. They also moved our stuff in, it was so fast and awesome! Thanks, friends!

We have been living there for 1 week now and I thought I could post some pics for those who are wanting to visit us and are not so sure about "a place to stay"! :)

Our kitchen/living room area

Entry way

Living room with BIG windows + couches! :)

The couch is actually a sofa bed... and that's where you will sleep when you come visit Portland! We also have a 2nd bedroom with the option of an airbed... :)
We're very happy and excited about our place! Our neighbors upstairs are a brother and a sister, and they seem to be very kind. Yesterday they were baking some zucchini+blueberry bread and left a piece of it on our porch. When I got home from a job interview, the bread was still warm... it was pretty yummy! We've talked to them a couple of times and hope to have them over quite often.

We love you all and are very happy to have a place to welcome you to Portland!

Berries & Vanilla Ice cream

2009-07-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing." - Jesus speaking of him and his relationship to us

It has been 1 month since we left Oklahoma. We left OK with a sense of peace, joy and love from the community who accepted and loved us for we are. We are so thankful for each one of our friends in OKC, at the Village HC, Bridgeway, and the Refuge and we love you all dearly. Portland welcomes you anytime you want to visit!

The trip here was SO MUCH FUN! Oh, we loved it! We had great upbeat music to keep us going on the flat plains of the Midwest, and mellow folk tunes to prepare us for the beauty of Colorado and Yellowstone. God created all that beauty and allowed us to experience His creation in such beautiful ways - it's wonderful!!

Here are some snapshots of our adventure:

We spent the 1st night camping next to Buffalo's and horses at Terry's Bison Ranch, in Wyoming. Pretty scenery and yummy Bison burgers! :)

The Grand Tetons welcomed us to the beauty of the Rocky mountains! These babies are HUGE!!

Beautiful Yellowstone with big animals, breathtaking waterfalls, and clear Hot Spring water!

Our first Sunset in Oregon. A warm welcome to our new home.

The day after we arrived in Portland, Colt and Claire got here and the party started! :) It was wonderful to spend our 1st week here with the Westbrook's and the Taylor's. We had so much fun going hiking, exploring new places, tasting new food and building deeper relationships. It was great to have a "taste of OK" during our 1st week in Oregon. We miss you Westies and love you dearly!

On our 3rd week here Brad got a job, and for a small celebration, we went to Seattle for the weekend, to meet with Morgan and Joel. It was refreshing to be with them, and we can't wait until they come visit Portland! (Those pics will come soon!)

We're still looking for a house, so if you think of it, please pray for that. We have been looking for houses in the Hawthorne/Belmont area and we believe we are called to live in the SE area of Portland. We are excited for the opportunities to share life with our neighbors and future friends. Mirela has applied for some jobs and sent out her resume, we're hopeful that something will happen soon!

Lastly, our dear friend Mark Apel from Houston, TX is coming to visit Portland for 10 days. We're thrilled to have him with us! Please, pray for our moments together that this trip will be a time of encouragement to him and that He will continue to show Mark the depths of His love for him.

Oh, and the title of this post... last week, we picked out some fresh berries from Josh and Becky's backyard, and the rest is history... :) Just imagine the tastiness of it.

From Portland!

2009-07-13T11:06:00.001-07:00

Hello All,

Things have been going really well, really fast, and really crazy. We made it safely to Porland last Friday afternoon, the drive in to the city was amazing. As we got closer we felt more and more joy, knowing we were in the presence of God and that this was the end of the road he has been preparing for us.

Since arriving, we have been focusing on finding jobs, and a place to live more permanently. Our goal is to get that taken care of by the beginning of August, but we will see how that goes. More excitingly we have been having wonderful times, and getting to know the Taylors who are hosting us in their home and have a great desire to start missional communities in Portland. But also we have been praying and reading the scriptures, which gives us hope and life. We have been reading Isaiah chapter 9, and praying for the Kingdom to continue to come and come more fully in this city. I have a month of devotionals on the "City" based on Henry Drummond's book, A city without a church. We also continually read over the things people prayed for us in Oklahoma City before we moved.

Leaving Oklahoma City on the 29th of joy we felt peace like never before, of course we cried as we prayed for Oklahoma City, and drove up I-35. We only have special thoughts and prayers for the people living there. We miss you all terribly, in portuguese there is not a word or phrase for "I miss you" only "Eu tenho Saudades," which means I have a condition of longing, remembering, and missing you." The phrase is prominently used in the poems and letters of the sailors and explorers as they went to the ends of the earth.

Temos Saudades de Voces,

Brad and Mirela

Clean Up/Pack Up Party!

2009-06-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

So we really are moving half way across the continent in a week! People are always asking us, "How can we help?" and "lets hang out?" We decided to put those things together.

This Saturday, the 27th of June, we are going to have a "Clean Up/Pack Up Party" at our apt at 2:00 pm. We are going to load up the Uhaul Trailer, and clean up our house for moving out. Then when we get done we are going to go hang out and grab some dinner together. We don't have that much stuff and we don't have a dirty apartment. It should only take a few hours at most.

So it will be easy and great. And if you can't come at two still come later when we are eating or come any time because we would love to hang out.

Our address is: 12312-D Tail Oaks Dr, Oklahoma City, OK 73120

View Larger Map

Call us if you have questions.

Advice from Belton

2009-06-18T12:47:00.001-07:00

While sitting at my grandfathers side in his truck, at his table, in his living room, I soaked up all wisdom we could. His fundamental advice reminds us of what Jesus told us is the most important thing.

He, Papa Jim, said, "Love the people....and don't do anything stupid."

He also told me the passage of scripture that changed his ministry and life was Ephesians 4:12 where he realized his calling was to equip the saints for the work and expanding of the kingdom.

Our trip to Belton was so good, we felt equipped and incredibly well fed!

Hanging out with my Uncle who is a pastor and church planter in Houston, Texas was also fun, like old times, and energizing as he told me things to avoid and things to go after. Somehow realizing that the quest will be difficult is inspiring. We know more than ever that Portland is the place where we are going to do justice, love kindness, and walk with God. Our walk takes us to Portland, we should be arriving with everything we own (not much) two weeks from today.

It is Starting!

2009-06-02T13:37:00.001-07:00

Business, and the rush to see and be with everyone we love...it has started...things are really happening. We are less than four weeks from moving halfway across the continent. Although the sadness of leaving loved ones is really starting to sink in, we cannot wait to arrive in Portland.

Mirela is leaving today to go to Portland for four days of job interviews and time with the Taylors. The money for her to visit, and the job interviews themselves are really more than random--something special is happening with her job search.

We are boxing stuff up, and selling loads of things as well. We have stuff all over craigslist....so if you are interested in any of our junk let us know.

The next 3 weeks will be spent packing, and taking car of all the logistics associated with moving. We are also taking a great trip down to central Texas to see family there one last time before the move. Then we are going to Alabama for a wedding and more goodbyes.

The plan is to have all the packing done before so that our final week here will be filled with times with friends, and family--so that we can truly say goodbye to this city that has been more than good to us this last year.

Keep Mirela in your thoughts as she travels this week and interviews, and think about me...as I try to box almost all of our belongings before she gets back!

Love you all,

Brad

Downtown Portland

2009-04-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

Downtown PDX

Preparing to Move

2009-04-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

In about 10 weeks we are going to be moving 1,920 mile s north west to Portland, Oregon. We are everything from excited and anxious to tired and overwhelmed. So what are we doing to prepare, how can you be involved in this entire thing, and how can we be praying together?

To Prepare:
Most excitingly we have been getting together with others who are thinking and praying about moving to Portland. We are sharing dreams, praying, and challenging each other.

We are looking for jobs in the Portland area. (If you have any contacts at all you can connect us with them.) Mirela is looking for jobs at international and finance companies. Brad is looking for a gig in customer service, marketing or international companies. We believe and have faith that God is going to provide excellent jobs and great opportunities for us there, we are praying that we will be confident and faithful to take advantage of those opportunities and search for them. Also, friends and others moving to Portland are looking for jobs in the business world, education, and social service. We are also going through the process of making decisions about moving, and selling stuff.

In other preparation news, we are beginning to invite families, groups, and churches to become partners with us in the work God has called us to in Portland. We are going to be sitting down and sharing what God has placed on our hearts, our "strategy" and our needs with people who have been investing into our lives for the past several years. These "partners" will provide encouragement, challenge, and prayer as we embark on this difficult journey.

Our partners also be financial supporters, helping supplement the cost of moving/living in Portland. The financial cost is actually really small--we will all have jobs, and support our families predominately from that. The financial help would really be a small supplement and blessing for us and our fellow leaders as we move and get settled into Portland. The funds will also help with get away retreats, and "outreach" stuff. We are convinced that sharing the Gospel is free and cheap, but we are also convinced that there are people in our lives who desire to invest in what God is doing through us and in Portland.

So, if you, your family, your small group, your church, whatever, are wanting to support us in that way...lets get together or if you are far lets talk on the phone. We can send you our "strategy," talk about the team that you will be investing in, the city of Portland, and talk to you about our budget and needs.

We love you all and are so thankful for your support, knowing you are all interested and praying for our lives, our jobs, our move, strengthens our faith and gives us hope.

Brad

There (Portugal and Brazil) and Back Again by Mirela

2009-03-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Back in College (as if it was a long time ago!), I always dreaded writing essays, I think I have always known I could better communicate through conversations than through writing... I'm Latina, I need to move my hands while I'm talking and I believe people understand me better if I move my hands! So, hi everyone! This is Mirela and I just wanted to update you "all over the world" about what happened in our lives this last month.

About 2 weeks ago, I returned from a trip to Portugal and Brazil. My mother and I are originally from Brazil, but when I was 9, we moved to Portugal and as a family of immigrants, we were looking for new life opportunities. I went to school there, my mom worked at a company for almost 15 years, but since 2001 she has been fighting cancer, and has had different series of chemo. Cancer is such a mysterious disease, because you know that you have something "eating" your body, but you can't really see it, you can only feel it. After many series of chemo, my mother had reached a point of exhaustion and even emotional distress, and after 16 years of living in Portugal she desired to move back to Brazil, her home country. God always directed our path and cared for us, we landed in Portugal in the early 90s but now was time to go back. I knew that the Lord would continue to guide her into a new season of life. After her decision to move, Brad and I decided I would go to Portugal for 2 weeks to help her pack and then I'd spend 1 week with her in Brazil to help her settle in and make sure she would be okay. That's what we did for this past month.

The Lord is definitely gracious and so, so, so caring with us. It's amazing to me how He moves in people's hearts and loves us in unbelievable ways. After Brad and I decided that I'd go, I shared this with 4 of my closest friends, and they assured me they'd be praying for me. Rita would call me from Portugal every other day, wanting to know how was I doing and if I needed anything. *Man, I love them* In early January we went to St. Louis to visit the Bean's and the Caplinger gang, and we talked some more about my upcoming trip. Less than 1 week later, my friend Carol calls me asking me what would I say if she decided to come to Portugal with me - she just wanted to be there to help and support me and she didn't want me to go by myself. My heart was saying "Yes, please come!" but I wanted to be somewhat rational about it... What was I thinking. There's not much rationality in true love. I did tell her that this trip wouldn't really be her "European Dream vacation", but if she was up for it, I'd love for her to come! A few days later she texts me: "I quit my job, I'm about to buy my ticket! I can't wait to be with you in Lisbon!"

After a bunch of flight changes, Carol and I were finally in Lisbon, together. Rita, my lovely, loyal and awesome friend, picked us up and pretty much took us around Lisbon when she wasn't working. During those 2 weeks, Carol and I had so much stuff to do that we made a list. Here's some of it...:
- Renewing Passports
- Selling Furniture
- Opening & Closing Bank Accounts
- Going to Hospitals (2 different ones, at 3 different times)

- Buying Suitcases
- Packing (a bunch of clothes and stuff)
- Picking up a car
- Waking up at 6am to beat traffic and return a car
- Making sure I didn't go crazy
- Visiting Relatives
...
We also had some time to relax and spend good quality time just us... We...:
- Went to Sintra!

- Were deeply spoiled at the Restaurante Sao Lucas - Miguel and Gloria are the best cook and restaurant manager's I've ever known! And so, so, so generous...!

- Visited with dear friends of mine - Cadi, Suse, Marta, Tiago, the Baratas, the Pascoais
- Spent sweet time with Caroline...!

- Not only SAW the ocean... we went Surfing!!

- Celebrated Rita's 26th Birthday and went to her work!

- Learned how to make Portuguese soup!
- Had good and cheap breakfast (about $2.00 for latte + pastry)
- Drank goooooooood coffee! Multiple times, I must say...

All pictures were taken by Carol, she is an awesome photographer! There are more on Facebook, if you would like to see bits and pieces of it!

Carol was the breath of fresh air that would always come when it felt like I could not breathe anymore. She is that kind of person that loves, and loves, and loves... and you don't have time to wonder how much she loves, because when you start wondering, she is already loving! She is amazing. I love her.

On February 17th, my mom and I hopped on a plane to Brasil. She had tears in her eyes, I was exhausted and ready to crash - she was sad to leave a country she learned to live, with people she deeply loves. I kept my sadness inside, while trying to rest and renew my energies for the next 9 hours of travel. When our plane landed in Brazil, my mom was clapping and had a big smile in her face - she was back to the land of warm weather all year-around, and she was back to the place where the Lord got ahold of her heart and life. In the "welcome!" area of the airport, my dad, my brother, and Vania an old friend of my mom, were waiting for us. The week I spent in Brazil was good at multiple levels - I got to make sure that my mom would be fine; got to see old, old, old friends; got to spend quality time with my dad and his wife; got to make new friends and relaxed at the beach. This whole time, I just wished Brad was there, I felt like 007, with a mission accomplished and I was ready to be with him! I got back to the States on February 26th, and at the welcome area of the OKC airport, there was my husband holding a red rose and showing a beautiful big smile. After 3 weeks in places that belonged to my past, I was now in a place where the present is, and the future waits for me. I was with Brad again, in Oklahoma City, and it felt like Home.

During the time I was gone, Brad started working at Hertz and started taking 2 online classes through Golden Gate. Even though I was away, he was not alone. He has dear friends and family in OKC who care deeply about him, and were always calling and checking on him. I was so proud of him for not going to Little Ceasar's not even once! :) Colt and Claire were so sweet inviting him for dinner and to hang out at Cuppies 'n Joe; Zak and Jessica, always, always, always welcoming and just saying "our door is open, come on in anytime!"; our house church and d-group peeps who were so faithful and caring towards Brad; Derek and Jules, who had him over couple of times; and of course, the Watson/Mckinney clan, who calls and checks on us no matter where in the world we are. *true love - part 1000 of our lives*

Thank you for praying for us, and for continuing to love us!

Where We Are Going From Here

2009-02-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

We have always known that we would be used to plant and develop churches wherever we are, and that God would call us to specific places to start churches. Through a series of conversations, prayer times, and urging from our friends, we came to a place where we were completely and totally open to any city in the world, and we began to pray for God to give us direction and for us to be obedient to follow him there. And in a much shorter amount of time than we had imagined God gave us a city to pray about and for more intentionally.

The idea of Portland has existed among a group of our friends for some time now, and it has been a topic of many conversations related to a place to plant and to “end up.” This city rose up in our hearts and we began to consider extremely seriously what it would be like to move to Portland to start a church. We asked Brad’s parents, Mirela’s Aunt, and two of our closest "couple friends" to begin to pray for God to confirm this calling to us, and to seek their advice about moving to Portland.

Again in a shorter than expected amount of time, we began to feel and sense peace in our hearts about moving there, also we were inexplicably placed in relationships with business people and church planters from Portland. In one lunch conversation Brad had with a man he had never met he walked away knowing Portland was the place for us and with three contacts of Portland business people. Mentors, friends, and family all confirmed it not only as a good idea but the best idea for our lives.

In both of our hearts, we knew we would be moving to Portland to serve and love the city for the next big season of our lives. And so we set out to visit it. We went the first weekend in December for 4 days (only cost us $385 for both of us to fly up there). We stayed with an amazing couple that recently moved there to start a house church network. They showed us around the city and helped us know people, let us drive their car, and just truly welcomed us to the city. We also met with business people, and Brad visited Golden Gate Seminary’s Northwest campus located only 15 minutes from Portland.

What is our timetable? What is happening next?

We are going to be packing up a Uhaul and heading to Portland the week of June 22-29.

We have been formulating a strategy and vision for the last several months, with mentors, friends, and family. We meeting and talking with mentors/advisors as we think through our strategy and build our team. We are asking old friends and new friends to pray and consider moving to Portland to be leaders alongside us in planting a church and serving the transformation of the city of Portland. We are setting up a support and sending relationships with our church, Bridgeway Church.

Soon we are going to start raising funds to support our team and the cost of moving couples across the United States. And we are starting to look for jobs up there, and continue to get connected with churches and Christians living in Portland. Soon we are going to begin gathering our team to build community and pray together here in Oklahoma City.

The days ahead are not going to be easy, but they are exciting!
Seriously we can’t wait to talk about all of these things in person with you guys, there is so much we didn’t even write about!

Brad and Mirela