Tacomawa: Tacoma Summer Events + Mt. Ranier WA

When Ginger arrived home from Montana, she found a surprise...

 After our long search for a Mini Cooper last year, Stephen knew exactly what parameters we wanted for a car. It's a 2007 with 56k miles, and a better deal than any of the cars we saw in New Jersey. (We are going to tone down the checkerboard design sometime.) It's only had one owner, and has all our favorite special features (heated seats, sun roof, audio jack, manual drive.) Stephen worked hard to find a car bow!

Stephen took Ginger to a high school parking lot to practice driving stick. (A teen and his dad showed up for the same reason while we were there.) She's learning.

Tacoma has had several fun summer events, like the Taste of Tacoma fair and Fourth of July fireworks show at Puget Sound.

 

For InterVarsity, Ginger visited Tacoma Community College several times to meet students during summer classes and find out how to start a club there. Correy, Sadie and Zach came to a Bible study (left) and Ginger's supervisor Tim is helping her learn about planting. 

 

She's still making cakes at Albertsons. Two favorites are drawing a naval destroyer, and an Under the Sea cake.

We enjoying our back yard! The summer weather is wonderful for grilling and playing with Clementine.

  

Our friends Jason and Julie have returned to WA after several years working on the RI project. Jason is on a different job site than Stephen now, but they live nearby in Puyallup.

Mt. Ranier

Our biggest summer adventure has been our camping trip to a state park near Mt. Ranier.

One of Stephen's coworkers advised us to visit his favorite hiking trail without sharing all the details. We were a little overwhelmed by the 3 mile trail (6 total), 3,000 foot elevation change, about 4 hours going up and 2 hours going down, ranked as a "very difficult" trail. None of this information was posted on the board at the Trailhead. But we made it!

 Google Earth capture after Stephen figured out the trail.

Hiking up had beautiful views facing south, with many mountains and meadows. Then at the top of the ridge, we could see north to Mt. Rainer (very light blue in this image)- a sight that made the climb worthwhile.

Clementine the happy camper.

Tacomawa: MT+ Kristian's Wedding WY

Montana Trip

Ginger flew to Montana for a week. It was her first time with iPhone and instagram fun! She tried to take lots of family photos.

Nancy and her irises, Mandy and Ginger looking twinly.

Uncle Larry and Aunt Kay were visiting from Arizona. It had been years since Ginger caught up with them. Nick, Mandy, Ron, Jim, Ginger, Mary, Nancy, Kay, Larry, Gramma Pearl.

Kay and Ginger, Gramma Pearl with three of her children!

Mike and Paula have owned their own house for one year now.

Ron and Nancy enjoy early morning walks. We found a playground. 

 

Visiting Nancy's aunt Lois, Ginger showed her some photos of cakes she's been making recently. Lois looked through her closet and pulled out five photographs of cakes she made in the early 70s after taking a Wilton cake-decorating class! She said it was fun, but too much work.

Gramma Pearl is doing well and played Scrabble, like always.

Ron and Nancy are continuing their interim ministry adventure across Montana. This fall, Ron will be pastoring the United Methodist Church in Glasgow, MT.

Until then, they are taking a long vacation to Poland to research Kapalka family history, and to Slovakia to help Bill and Nona Baker's mission work with the Roma gypsies. More to come!


Amos & Kristian's Wedding
Cody, WY

Amos' family owns a goat farm outside Powell with a lovely view of Heart Mountain. They had 15 baby goats. (Ginger and Sarah took 100 goat photos.)

 Kristian's bridesmaids were her sister Danyon, college best friend Sarah, and Ginger. On the morning of the wedding, we had a hair appointment in Cody. Kristian had a book of 50's and 60's hairstyles. Ginger and Sarah got beehives! It took 30 bobby pins, lots of back-teasing, and a can of hairspray. Kristian's hairstyle is the Veronica Lang. Danyon did Kristian's make-up, Shannon made the beautiful bridal veil.

The ceremony was wonderful and beautiful. Their personal vows gave everyone tears...

 Kristian has more on her wedding and honeymoon to Paris, and lovely art and graphics on her blog!

 We took photos at the sweet old art museum arcross the street from Cody United Methodist Church. At the reception, caught up with friend Dori!

Kristian and Amos cutting their pretty cake. (Mandy and Nick were in charge of delivery from a Billings Bakery.) Amos' 14-year-old niece caught Kristian's bouquet. (His mom yelled, "Give it to someone else!")

Amos and Kristian have taken dancing classes for a long time, and were fantastic "cutting a rug." Ginger danced with her mom- Nancy likes the Twist. 

Danyon with best friend Mandy! Bridesmaids looking cool in shades. The background of this post is photobooth photos from a camera/printer setup that Amos made.

Congrats to the happy couple!

tacomawa

About Us

New home in Tacoma WA

MT+ Kristian's Wedding WY 22 June 2013
Tacoma Summer Events + Mt. Ranier WA 20 July 2013
Portland OR + End of Summer September 2013
Fall + Billings MT November 2013
Christmas in Austin TX 25 December 2013
Ron & Nancy in Europe Summer 2013
Ron & Nancy visit Tacoma + Portland OR February 2014
InterVarsity at Pierce College January 2014
5th Anniversary Walla Walla WA May 22 2014
InterVarsity Spring Quarter Lakewood WA May 2014
Dori's Wedding Story WY + Billings MT + Reunion Powell WY June 2014
Stephanie's Wedding Spokane WA + Madler Visit Tacoma WA July 2014
Tacoma Summer + Simon Seattle August 2014
House Hunters  22 September 2014

additional photos of our northwest adventures available at my flickr site.

also now on instagram!
SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Coast Swap: New Home Tacoma WA

We took house #5 from the our apartment hunting. We're so excited to live in a house! (Especially after two weeks in a hotel.) Special thanks to Brock for helping us move in our furniture. Stephen's RI boss was in Tacoma for the weekend, and recommended North Tacoma as a great place to live.

Stephen spent his first month in Washington working from Absher's main office in Puyallup, but now has an office on-site at his new project: a $15 million housing redevelopment in South Tacoma.

Stephen has made a couple business trips to Seattle for meetings and conferences. He got to tour this new building, which lets in too much daylight, causing office workers to hide behind umbrellas!

We celebrated our 4th anniversary with a visit to Seattle. We got couples massages at the Little Red Day Spa. Stephen also wanted to show Ginger the new Seattle Public Library, designed by Rem Koolhaus. 

 

We walked down by the piers and visited fun shops.

A hipster band played outside the original Starbucks. 

We visited Kelsey and Peter, who just bought their own home!

Stephen's friend and coworker Jason has returned home to Puyallup after two years working for Absher in Rhode Island. They spent a day hiking and touring a bed and breakfast with treehouses!

 

Ginger is volunteering with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship with the possibility of returning to part or full time work. She is planting a chapter at Tacoma Community College. Subscribe to her prayer letter here. Ginger is also working part time as a cake decorator at Albertson's bakery. She loves doing silly kid's cakes, and also learned to make giant roses.