Immediately at home - that is where we seemed to have left off - and immediately at home is where I come to you today! The Lassiter fam is safe and settled in Portland, OR!
Thank you for your grace between updates here on the blog - we’ve been a little busy! And thank you to everyone who has followed along on via our social media “stories”. (If you’d like immediate updates on what the Lassiter fam is exploring next - catch us on there & we will try to not disappoint!)
You know when you’ve worked so hard to put a plan in place, crossing every T & dotting every I, only to be thrown a curve ball & have to quickly improvise? Well, that was our experience leaving Oklahoma City - almost as if the enemy was trying to hold us back.
We pulled away from our beautiful home & community of friends, leaving behind our wonderful families in Oklahoma, on Monday, June 20th.
Curve Ball: As we would quickly realize, we had Covid. Now, I did not spend the last 2.5 years avoiding this virus only to get it, quite literally, as we moved our family across the country! But. Here we were. For those of you that had it & had more than mild symptoms - you can attest that driving 2,000 miles across the county in a mid-size SUV with your spouse, 3 children & dog piled in while dragging a U-haul of your immediate necessities isn’t exactly the epitome of “rest and recover”. But nevertheless, we persisted!
Improvise: Two grocery sacks full of OTC meds & a lengthy log tracking “when can I take Afrin again?!” - Bryan & I tag-teamed the 12-15 hour days of driving. We pressed onward - pushing our way west - checking off states as we passed. Have no worry - our lungs stayed in good health as we fully moved ourselves up two flights of stairs into our 2nd and 3rd story apartment - alone! (Starts panting just thinking about it)
We arrived in Portland on Thursday, June 23rd. Did I tell you we leased an apartment sight unseen? Yes. Yes we did. I realize many people do this often, even without a choice, but my Type-A, Enneagram One self is not the “type” to be so out of control ;) For a solid year, I binged Zillow like it was a never-ending season of the hottest, new Netflix show. I google mapped everything. Of course, I read every review. Researched the schools. Mapped our drive to church. To the waterfalls. To the beach. And ended up landing in a suburb to the NW side of Portland. But, making very sure our address clearly read, “Portland, OR” ;)
While apartment living has been an adjustment, (hold onto your phone) like not having central AC (the temperature is a mild 101* today) in our 3rd story townhome & having an individual living below us (Lord, bless him), we absolutely love where we are. It’s simple. Freeing in the strangest of ways. We have the most beautiful views of the Oregon Coast Range - completely unobstructed views West are worth every loud vehicle noise from the busy street we live on! We can sit on our patio (or look out any of our windows!) and see evergreens, mountains, & stunning sunsets. Pinch me. This - from OUR home! I didn’t have these things on my “list”, but I like to think the Lord knew just how very much we would enjoy it. And not for one second do we take it for granted!
We have been here a month & feel like we are on permanent vacation. Yes, we have work to do - but, as someone said to us today: “I like to think I’m on permanent vacation with work in between.” I couldn’t summarize it any better! Adventure is endless in the PNW!
I have so much more to share & would love to tell you about all of our adventures & experiences thus far (Canada, Seattle, the Coast, & Falls just to name a few. Oh, & all the new things we are learning now that we are Oregonians like: keep your eyes peeled for bicyclists as they share the road with you - in their own lane, of course - & hey, let’s be better stewards of this earth by bringing your own bags to the store - or, pay a fee to use plastic - & did you know school playgrounds have fully covered areas? Because rain or shine, you are doing recess outside in the PNW!)
We would also like to continue sharing our journey as it unfolds in the days ahead. Regarding our need for J-O-B-S (minor detail): Our employer has agreed to keep me on the team remotely through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition (I’ve been remote the last 5.5 years, so quite literally, my job hasn’t changed!) Bryan is remaining on the team part-time through the end of September to allow for training and transition period. We are very grateful for this opportunity as our work ethic & the company’s success has always meant so very much to us.
In the meantime, Bryan is exploring new opportunities for work here, locally. Praying for provision, the Lord’s timing & an amazing opportunity to showcase his skills and provide more opportunities to grow into. As for me, I don’t even know what the end of this year will bring. We shall see!
The girls start school after Labor Day, so they are living their best life in the longest summer season they’ll ever experience :) I am, however, counting the days until school starts! Ha!
Nava, our 9 month old mini goldendoodle is also living her best life. Pets are the families first child around this part of the country. They’re welcome most everywhere you go. Nava loves it & we do too! The attention she gets in public is hilarious - she loves humans and couldn’t be less interested in other dogs! In our newfound ability to enjoy & explore the outdoors, we have acquired a 50’ & 100’ dog leash to let Nava Noodles run amok - controlled freedom ;)
My mom & dad are scheduled to visit us the first week of September. We can’t wait to take them around some of our favorite places and hope they can experience the joy that has called us here!
Hang around if you’d like - we’ll update again soon! I’ll leave you with one of the two words that has graciously been removed from our vocabulary: Wind.
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