After several months of religiously checking Craigslist and Property Management sites, Andrea and I have chosen an apartment to move into!!
Its on the outskirts of downtown Bellingham, on the corner of "H" St and Bancroft, if you happen to know Bellingham.
Its a two bedroom, 1.5 bath, one living room, one kitchen, upstairs apartment. Its got two smallish decks, one of which has a partial view of the Bellingham Bay!!
Its a 15 minute walk from downtown, and from the downtown bus station. Its a five minute walk from a small coffee shop, and has a small community theater across the street. Its a few blocks from the Lighthouse Mission, where homeless people are welcomed in. Its a 5 minute walk to a park with tennis courts, and the church where we have Tuesday night Chorale rehersals. Its a 20 minute walk to the marina, and another park down there.
The second bedroom will be perfect for visiting guests and dignitaries. So come visit!!
I'll try to post pictures once we've moved in (in about 2 weeks).
______ of the day: despite this exciting news, most of my joy right now comes from a wonderful morning of fellowship with friends at church.
The moving Ogukuo
01 November 2009
16 October 2009
City of Subdued Excitement
This post is inspired by an email Andrea got yesterday (you know who you are).
Reasons to live in Bellingham:
1. Its big, but not too big. There is pleanty of things to do around town, but is not overly crowded.
2. Its small, but not too small. You see people you know around town, but its not a small-town rumor mill.
3. Its by the water. Sailing, kayaking, ferry rides, and multiple parks/paths along the waterfront to take it all in while staying on dry land.
4. Its by mountains. Mt. Baker is less than 2 hours away, and has skiing, great vistas, and hiking trails (if you want a challange). There are also lesser mountains around that present great hiking opportunities.
5. Its located between two international cities. Seattle and Vancouver, BC are both easy day trips. And they both offer endless places to search out and explore.
6. Its got a decent bus system. Even living in Lynden currently, I take the bus to work every day. Once we move to town, we'll be able to do alot more on the bus system.
7. Its got great places to buy food. The community co-op, Trader Joes, and a weekly Farmers Market. As organic as you want to be!!
8. Its surrounded by wineries. There are at least half a dozen small, independent wineries right around the area. And I know there are more right across the border in Canada.
9. Its got breweries!! I know of two beer breweries in town, both are great places to go tasting, or to eat!
10. Its got great resteraunts. Everything from the aforementioned breweries to gourmet pizza places to snooty Italian resteraunts to great seafood places to small cafes.
11. Its got cultural attractions. An independant cinema, small community theaters, art walks, an annual festival of music, the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra, and several community choirs (Andrea and I sing in one of them).
12. Its got seasons. And I mean more than just summer and winter like the midwest gets. Spring and Fall are great, Summer means long days, but nice temperatures. Winter is a bit dark and rainy, but worth it overall.
13. Its near Lynden. Thats right, if you need to explain to any of your Dutch relatives where it is, you just say its near Lynden.
14. Its got an airport. And direct flights to the Bay Area. Or Vegas. Or Phoenix.
15. LinuxFest Northwest. I don't even know what that is, but it may interest some people.
16. Its got great parks. Big parks, small parks, parks with lakes, waterfalls, ponds, parks on the bay, parks with hiking trails, bike trails, frisbee golf, and tennis courts.
17. Its got great downtown atmosphere. Downtown has lots of coffee shops, restaurants, shops, and is very bike friendly.
18. Its got a certain energy. Its not called the City of Subdued Excitement for nothing!
19. It rains here. Alot. Ok, not a direct reason to like it, but it sure makes everything green!!
Ok, those are a few things I can think of off the top of my head. Rest assured there are more.
______ of the day: I get the joy of looking at beautifully colored leaves outside right now.
The Pacific Northwest Ogukuo
Reasons to live in Bellingham:
1. Its big, but not too big. There is pleanty of things to do around town, but is not overly crowded.
2. Its small, but not too small. You see people you know around town, but its not a small-town rumor mill.
3. Its by the water. Sailing, kayaking, ferry rides, and multiple parks/paths along the waterfront to take it all in while staying on dry land.
4. Its by mountains. Mt. Baker is less than 2 hours away, and has skiing, great vistas, and hiking trails (if you want a challange). There are also lesser mountains around that present great hiking opportunities.
5. Its located between two international cities. Seattle and Vancouver, BC are both easy day trips. And they both offer endless places to search out and explore.
6. Its got a decent bus system. Even living in Lynden currently, I take the bus to work every day. Once we move to town, we'll be able to do alot more on the bus system.
7. Its got great places to buy food. The community co-op, Trader Joes, and a weekly Farmers Market. As organic as you want to be!!
8. Its surrounded by wineries. There are at least half a dozen small, independent wineries right around the area. And I know there are more right across the border in Canada.
9. Its got breweries!! I know of two beer breweries in town, both are great places to go tasting, or to eat!
10. Its got great resteraunts. Everything from the aforementioned breweries to gourmet pizza places to snooty Italian resteraunts to great seafood places to small cafes.
11. Its got cultural attractions. An independant cinema, small community theaters, art walks, an annual festival of music, the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra, and several community choirs (Andrea and I sing in one of them).
12. Its got seasons. And I mean more than just summer and winter like the midwest gets. Spring and Fall are great, Summer means long days, but nice temperatures. Winter is a bit dark and rainy, but worth it overall.
13. Its near Lynden. Thats right, if you need to explain to any of your Dutch relatives where it is, you just say its near Lynden.
14. Its got an airport. And direct flights to the Bay Area. Or Vegas. Or Phoenix.
15. LinuxFest Northwest. I don't even know what that is, but it may interest some people.
16. Its got great parks. Big parks, small parks, parks with lakes, waterfalls, ponds, parks on the bay, parks with hiking trails, bike trails, frisbee golf, and tennis courts.
17. Its got great downtown atmosphere. Downtown has lots of coffee shops, restaurants, shops, and is very bike friendly.
18. Its got a certain energy. Its not called the City of Subdued Excitement for nothing!
19. It rains here. Alot. Ok, not a direct reason to like it, but it sure makes everything green!!
Ok, those are a few things I can think of off the top of my head. Rest assured there are more.
______ of the day: I get the joy of looking at beautifully colored leaves outside right now.
The Pacific Northwest Ogukuo
21 September 2009
Three steps to giving a sermon guaranteed to start a discussion:
1. Choose Psalm 139 as your text.
2. Add Proverbs 15:3.
3. Start the sermon by likening God to George Orwell’s ‘Big Brother’ who is always watching for mistakes.
This pretty much describes the sermon we had Sunday morning from a guest pastor. The title of the sermon was “WATCH OUT!! SOMBODYS WATCHING YOU!” Yes, that was actually the title, and yes, it was all in caps lock.
I don’t know about you, but that’s not exactly the image of God I get from reading Psalm 139. I’d recommend reading this Psalm, as it’s a song of great comfort that speaks to God’s steadfastness and constant presence to comfort us. I would say that it is certainly is not a warning that God is constantly watching us waiting for us to make a mistake.
It’s discouraging that a Pastor would take such words of comfort and turn them into a threat to obey the rules because God’s watching. The sermon did not touch on the comforting qualities of this passage, or on God’s grace in any way. There was no call to action, or words of encouragement on how to appropriately apply the words to our lives. It was simply a warning that when we sin, God sees it.
Now, if I understand the bible correctly, Jesus’ message was in complete contrast to the rules and laws of the Pharisees. Jesus did not speak of a God constantly watching us, marking every sin we commit. Jesus taught that God’s grace is sufficient. Jesus taught that our sins are as far from God as far as the east is from the west. Jesus showed us, through his own death, that he has taken the entire burden of our sins and cast them into the sea. If this is truly the heart of what we believe, how can a sermon preach something so entirely opposite without giving a single ray of hope?
_______ of the day: Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be.
The thankful Ogukuo
2. Add Proverbs 15:3.
3. Start the sermon by likening God to George Orwell’s ‘Big Brother’ who is always watching for mistakes.
This pretty much describes the sermon we had Sunday morning from a guest pastor. The title of the sermon was “WATCH OUT!! SOMBODYS WATCHING YOU!” Yes, that was actually the title, and yes, it was all in caps lock.
I don’t know about you, but that’s not exactly the image of God I get from reading Psalm 139. I’d recommend reading this Psalm, as it’s a song of great comfort that speaks to God’s steadfastness and constant presence to comfort us. I would say that it is certainly is not a warning that God is constantly watching us waiting for us to make a mistake.
It’s discouraging that a Pastor would take such words of comfort and turn them into a threat to obey the rules because God’s watching. The sermon did not touch on the comforting qualities of this passage, or on God’s grace in any way. There was no call to action, or words of encouragement on how to appropriately apply the words to our lives. It was simply a warning that when we sin, God sees it.
Now, if I understand the bible correctly, Jesus’ message was in complete contrast to the rules and laws of the Pharisees. Jesus did not speak of a God constantly watching us, marking every sin we commit. Jesus taught that God’s grace is sufficient. Jesus taught that our sins are as far from God as far as the east is from the west. Jesus showed us, through his own death, that he has taken the entire burden of our sins and cast them into the sea. If this is truly the heart of what we believe, how can a sermon preach something so entirely opposite without giving a single ray of hope?
_______ of the day: Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be.
The thankful Ogukuo
10 September 2009
Yes, I'm trying blogging again, too
Ok, I've been inspired by Andrea's recent blogging efforts to try it myself. Per standard blogging protocol on following up after several months of silence, I will do this in list form.
-I'm married. As of June 28, 2009 (the day after the wedding, when the pastor signed the liscense) Andrea and I are married :). As all newly married couples know, this is particularly special event, as it marks the end of wedding planning!! Life is much less stressful now.
-We honeymooned California. We came into California greeted by 108 degree temperatures in the valley. Thankfully, we spent most of the week either at a cabin in the mountains, or on the coast. Both places were cooler, and quite awesome.
-Upon our return to Lynden, we experienced about 3 weeks of epic busy-ness. I started back to work, Andrea worked at VBS (during the evenings), we were both working on organizing 2 people's worth of stuff into one smallish apartment, Andrea's parents visited, and Andrea made an unexpected trip to Michigan for a cousin's funeral.
-Things have started to settle down since then, and we've had time to try to figure out what living the married life is like.
-While we work on figuring out what the new "normal" is, we are still faced with many challanges. Andrea, as of yet, remains jobless. I am trying to get back into school to earn a teaching degree. We are trying to find a place to call home thats a bit more permanent that what we have now.
-There are quite a few other things I'd love to blog about, but I'll just list them out quickly instead. If anything sounds overly interesting to you, feel free to inquire :).
Other activies have included: 2 camping trips (one on an island where we were almost trapped by an incoming storm). Adopting a cat that we've named Ophelia. Her nicknames include Ophy, Fifi, Oph, Kitty, and Get-out-of-that-cupboard!! Making a tack box for camping equipment from bare plywood using my own design. A fishing trip. Further exploration of the beauty of Northwest Washington. A rekindling of my love for reading! (thanks mostly to Andrea).
-If anyone actually stumbles across this blog and reads it, I'm hoping to post a bit more frequently.
_____ of the day: REI is a freaking awesome store.
The lunch-hour Ogukuo
-I'm married. As of June 28, 2009 (the day after the wedding, when the pastor signed the liscense) Andrea and I are married :). As all newly married couples know, this is particularly special event, as it marks the end of wedding planning!! Life is much less stressful now.
-We honeymooned California. We came into California greeted by 108 degree temperatures in the valley. Thankfully, we spent most of the week either at a cabin in the mountains, or on the coast. Both places were cooler, and quite awesome.
-Upon our return to Lynden, we experienced about 3 weeks of epic busy-ness. I started back to work, Andrea worked at VBS (during the evenings), we were both working on organizing 2 people's worth of stuff into one smallish apartment, Andrea's parents visited, and Andrea made an unexpected trip to Michigan for a cousin's funeral.
-Things have started to settle down since then, and we've had time to try to figure out what living the married life is like.
-While we work on figuring out what the new "normal" is, we are still faced with many challanges. Andrea, as of yet, remains jobless. I am trying to get back into school to earn a teaching degree. We are trying to find a place to call home thats a bit more permanent that what we have now.
-There are quite a few other things I'd love to blog about, but I'll just list them out quickly instead. If anything sounds overly interesting to you, feel free to inquire :).
Other activies have included: 2 camping trips (one on an island where we were almost trapped by an incoming storm). Adopting a cat that we've named Ophelia. Her nicknames include Ophy, Fifi, Oph, Kitty, and Get-out-of-that-cupboard!! Making a tack box for camping equipment from bare plywood using my own design. A fishing trip. Further exploration of the beauty of Northwest Washington. A rekindling of my love for reading! (thanks mostly to Andrea).
-If anyone actually stumbles across this blog and reads it, I'm hoping to post a bit more frequently.
_____ of the day: REI is a freaking awesome store.
The lunch-hour Ogukuo
07 March 2009
My taxes have been slayed!!
I just filed my tax return online, and now have this odd urge to blog.
There's something satisfying about getting a tax refund, and at the same time, there's that thought in the back of my mind that I'm just getting money back that I let the government use for the past year interest free. I think its mostly satisfying because its done, and I don't need to worry about it anymore :)
In other news, I got to meet my new (and first) niece, Abigail Vonita last weekend!! This is, of course, a new experience for me. I have "almost nephews" (as Dillan would put it) thru Andrea, but this is my first blood relative born in 22 years! The whole ordeal was rather exciting, but also quite stressful and awkward, as Neil and Sarah were living in a hotel for a week due to flooding at their apartment. So on top of being new parents, they were kicked out of their home and had a dozen family members (or inlaws) visiting for the weekend. Hurray for no downtime!!
Does anyone else find it satisfying that Democrats are starting to get "disillusioned" with Obama? No, I'm not one of those people who's hoping that Obama fails, or thinks every move he makes is a terrible mistake simply because he's not a Republican. I'm just saying that he could have easily played up the rock star persona that was thrust upon him and not really gotten anything done, but instead he's digging in and getting work done (weather you agree with him or not), and those who just wanted a new messiah are starting to get bored. And lets all admit it, it doesn't matter at this point if you agree with a Democratic president or not, he inherited a pretty crappy situation. I laugh at people who are trying to blame him for the economic situation right now. I mean, really, does anyone actually believe that its his fault??
Has anyone else heard of John MacArthur? He's a preacher man, and I just read his book "Hard to Believe". I've gotta be honest, the general premise of the book is absolutely true, but most of what he is saying is simply making roundabout attacks at anyone who isn't trying to be obnoxious about their Christian faith. I think he's trying to turn Christianity into something as offensive as he would find a gay pride parade, or "Woman's Lib" movement, as he called it.
Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I must get back to the general Saturday morning activities.
______ of the day: My morning mix this morning included: Bob Dylan, Keane, My Morning Jacket, and Fleet Foxes
The tuned up Ogukuo
There's something satisfying about getting a tax refund, and at the same time, there's that thought in the back of my mind that I'm just getting money back that I let the government use for the past year interest free. I think its mostly satisfying because its done, and I don't need to worry about it anymore :)
In other news, I got to meet my new (and first) niece, Abigail Vonita last weekend!! This is, of course, a new experience for me. I have "almost nephews" (as Dillan would put it) thru Andrea, but this is my first blood relative born in 22 years! The whole ordeal was rather exciting, but also quite stressful and awkward, as Neil and Sarah were living in a hotel for a week due to flooding at their apartment. So on top of being new parents, they were kicked out of their home and had a dozen family members (or inlaws) visiting for the weekend. Hurray for no downtime!!
Does anyone else find it satisfying that Democrats are starting to get "disillusioned" with Obama? No, I'm not one of those people who's hoping that Obama fails, or thinks every move he makes is a terrible mistake simply because he's not a Republican. I'm just saying that he could have easily played up the rock star persona that was thrust upon him and not really gotten anything done, but instead he's digging in and getting work done (weather you agree with him or not), and those who just wanted a new messiah are starting to get bored. And lets all admit it, it doesn't matter at this point if you agree with a Democratic president or not, he inherited a pretty crappy situation. I laugh at people who are trying to blame him for the economic situation right now. I mean, really, does anyone actually believe that its his fault??
Has anyone else heard of John MacArthur? He's a preacher man, and I just read his book "Hard to Believe". I've gotta be honest, the general premise of the book is absolutely true, but most of what he is saying is simply making roundabout attacks at anyone who isn't trying to be obnoxious about their Christian faith. I think he's trying to turn Christianity into something as offensive as he would find a gay pride parade, or "Woman's Lib" movement, as he called it.
Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I must get back to the general Saturday morning activities.
______ of the day: My morning mix this morning included: Bob Dylan, Keane, My Morning Jacket, and Fleet Foxes
The tuned up Ogukuo
23 January 2009
Bursting into the blogging biosphere!!
Now that I've got the catch-up blog out of the way, I can write about whats going on now.
But, instead of doing that, I think I'm going to break back into the blogging world with a random list of whatever is on my mind. So, here's nothing in particular, just thoughts and stuff about me.
But, instead of doing that, I think I'm going to break back into the blogging world with a random list of whatever is on my mind. So, here's nothing in particular, just thoughts and stuff about me.
- I do everything left handed. Except play guitar and throw a frisbee.
- I hate leaving messeges. I sound stupid and never know what to say.
- I can't go to bed at night without brushing me teeth first.
- I once broke 3 tennis rackets in one afternoon.
- I'm a terrible speller, stink at grammer, and don't know much about lit, but love crossword puzzles. And recently Sudoku.
- I hate Scrabble.
- I just found out that it is normal for "rich" families in Indonesia to have live-in servants for about $40 a month.
- I finally got a laptop, but am writing this on my fiancee's roommate's laptop...
- For the past 4 years, I have never experienced normal weather wherever I've been living.
- I have had 30 different roommates in the past 5 years.
- The average person has stopped reading this blog by now.
- I have yet to experience the joy of skydiving.
- Oddly enough tho, the sense of freefalling seems to be very prevalent in my life recently.
- I'm beginning to believe that where I see my life going is almost always extremely different than how God sees it going (I think hes going to win this one).
- The above point is somewhat comforting.
- I've recently discovered the joy of making pita bread.
- I've never understood why America runs on 110V while Europe runs on 220V.
- I have not spent a night in a tent in way too long.
Ok, that's all I got for now...
______ of the day: These walls are paper thin and everyone hears every little thing.
The listing Ogukuo
- I finally got a laptop, but am writing this on my fiancee's roommate's laptop...
- For the past 4 years, I have never experienced normal weather wherever I've been living.
- I have had 30 different roommates in the past 5 years.
- The average person has stopped reading this blog by now.
- I have yet to experience the joy of skydiving.
- Oddly enough tho, the sense of freefalling seems to be very prevalent in my life recently.
- I'm beginning to believe that where I see my life going is almost always extremely different than how God sees it going (I think hes going to win this one).
- The above point is somewhat comforting.
- I've recently discovered the joy of making pita bread.
- I've never understood why America runs on 110V while Europe runs on 220V.
- I have not spent a night in a tent in way too long.
Ok, that's all I got for now...
______ of the day: These walls are paper thin and everyone hears every little thing.
The listing Ogukuo
22 January 2009
Its only been 4 months...
Ok, its been many many moons since my last update, but I am resolving to get back into blogging. I'll start with a brief overview of the last few months...
October:
Indeed did go to a Fleet Foxes show. Couldn't get tickets, smooth talked an usher into sneaking us in for free. Best move ever. I loves Fleet Foxes muchly. Their albums are cool, but their live shows are much more awesome.
November: Friends and family visited, and I got to play tour guide of my new house, etc. Lots of fun. Looking forward to people visiting again (hint hint). Andrea and I went to CA to be with my parents for Thanksgiving. This was an awesome time enhanced by our engagement on Thanksgiving morning! Thus ushered in a new era of wedding planning and generally asking and answering lots and lots of questions. We also did some fantastic wine tasting and sightseeing while in California.
December: I found out that I would be moved out of my starting position at work, and would become a "float". I would do the same job, but would be moved from office to office. I was kinda bummed because I like where I was, but given everything going on, I'm just glad to have a job. We spent Christmas back in Iowa seeing family and old friends. Twas a merry time. Also went to David and Elaine's wedding and saw more old friends. More merry times.
January: New Years was spent in Seattle getting horribly lost and accidentally finding Gas Works park, the perfect vantage point to watch the fireworks off the Space Needle!! I've also started my float job now, and have been working in Pediatrics for a few weeks. Kids scream. Alot.
Ok, now that I'm up to date, I'll feel better about writing more specific stuff in the (near) future when I blog.
______ of the day: Indonesia for Christmas anyone?
The updated Ogukuo
October:
Indeed did go to a Fleet Foxes show. Couldn't get tickets, smooth talked an usher into sneaking us in for free. Best move ever. I loves Fleet Foxes muchly. Their albums are cool, but their live shows are much more awesome.
November: Friends and family visited, and I got to play tour guide of my new house, etc. Lots of fun. Looking forward to people visiting again (hint hint). Andrea and I went to CA to be with my parents for Thanksgiving. This was an awesome time enhanced by our engagement on Thanksgiving morning! Thus ushered in a new era of wedding planning and generally asking and answering lots and lots of questions. We also did some fantastic wine tasting and sightseeing while in California.
December: I found out that I would be moved out of my starting position at work, and would become a "float". I would do the same job, but would be moved from office to office. I was kinda bummed because I like where I was, but given everything going on, I'm just glad to have a job. We spent Christmas back in Iowa seeing family and old friends. Twas a merry time. Also went to David and Elaine's wedding and saw more old friends. More merry times.
January: New Years was spent in Seattle getting horribly lost and accidentally finding Gas Works park, the perfect vantage point to watch the fireworks off the Space Needle!! I've also started my float job now, and have been working in Pediatrics for a few weeks. Kids scream. Alot.
Ok, now that I'm up to date, I'll feel better about writing more specific stuff in the (near) future when I blog.
______ of the day: Indonesia for Christmas anyone?
The updated Ogukuo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)