Deserving of its own post...

Our downstairs bathroom... I had to share because I think this is so funny.

Observe how the toilet is placed in the corner at an angle. I don't think I have ever seen this before, and I kind of think it is the greatest idea ever. Anyways, one of the reasons why this was necessary and practical for us is that, as you might be able to see in the picture below, we couldn't fit on it as it was placed originally.

When we first moved in, there was a toilet backed up against the left wall, but even I - nevertheless Ronnie - could squeeze in that spot, forcing us to sit sideways which was pretty comedic. I am only sad that I didn't get a picture of how it was before. It's previous placement made very little sense, but our best guess is that the shower was installed post-toilet and the previous renters didn't bother to make adjustments. However, the old toilet was leaking, so we were able to replace it, and they made this amazing adjustment when they installed the new one! Yay for creativity!

Our New Home!

We wanted to take some time to share pictures of our new home with you all!

Here is the view of our street from our balcony. Every Monday all day there is a market outside all along our street! It is a nice convenient way to stock up on produce each week! I consider it a blessing. Plus, there is something about hearing people outside making noise and yelling on our street that makes me feel important. (Is that weird? haha). Maybe I will feel differently after a couple of months? The second picture is one of our other balconies (there are three in all) and Ronnie liked this picture, so I included it. The third picture is the view out from the first balcony.

Our bedroom, and stairs downward to the living room, kitchen, etc. 

Our bathroom. They love their tile here! We have made a couple of updates since this picture, so I hope to post new pictures in the near future.

 Here is the view at the bottom of the stairs at our living/dining room. There is a nice big window looking out at the street. I love it!

A lot of the floors here are this wooden chevron pattern. It is nice looking, but I haven't figured out the best way to clean it yet. Also, our front door!

Here is our kitchen. It is pretty nice and has all of the necessities. Also, I believe it has more counter space than we have ever had before! Oh, and we are the dishwashers!

A life saver since we have been here! Fortunately we were able to find Starbucks coffee and are so happy that we brought the french press! =)

The small things

This past Saturday I ordered water successfully.

Why is this blog worthy, you ask?

1. I am living in a new city.

2. That city is in a foreign country.

3. I ordered the water in a language other than my mother tongue.

4. I did this over the phone.

5. I had to order multiple bottles.

6. I had to give them my address and pronounce it correctly so it would actually get here.

But the most important reason I am blogging about this is because we are supposed to celebrate the small things.

As we walk forward on this new adventure, J and I need to remember that His grace is what gets us through the big and small moments alike.

Whether that be shopping for groceries and household items, fixing an issue at the bank, riding public transportation, or getting to a friends house successfully, His grace is sufficient, even if we sound like toddlers. 

We celebrate.

Home Sweet Home!

After some (unfortunately) eventful travel experiences, we have finally made it safely to our new home and are somewhat settled in! Our city is so neat, and we are excited to have our own place for the first time in a little while. I can't wait to show pics of our new home and as much else as we can. For now, here is a quick picture from the other day as we were learning about the public transportation system!

Jess (and Ron)

[one more dawn, one more day] One Day More

Jess and I are huge Les Miserables fans and so it seemed fitting for us to title this post "One Day More", since that is what we have. One more dawn, and we'll be heading to the airport; one more day, and we'll be on our way; one day more, and...I'll stop.

We are amazed how quickly this time at home has gone, but are thankful for time with family and friends who have been beyond generous in treating us to meals, loving on us, and encouraging us to no end.

These last months have been sweet because we were able to bookend our time with staying with parents - first mine in North Carolina, and these past two weeks at Jess' in So Cal. What a blessing to have parents who are supportive and giving.

While at the G's house we have sifted, tossed, sorted, purged, and selected our possessions down to this: 

...Okay, well we have a little more than this, but not more than half a storage building, and a couple things in a sister's living room, but you get the point.

This has been a time of releasing our grip on earthly treasures, and though I will miss my Dodgers and Lakers, and Jess will miss her sweater and scarf collection, we know there is One who will supply all our needs.

And so we are pumped and ready to go, just one more...well, I know some folks who can say it better...