Simplicity.

The title of my blog first started when I realized how much I move around. I had started a job that had me in a new town almost every 2 days. But, now that I am actually living somewhere for a specific amount of time, it’s more of, where am I at in my life. For those of you who know me, I don’t stay in one place for long. Maybe a year, tops. But, there’s a new season in my life starting very soon, where I hope to stay for a very long time.

I will be in Seattle until June 1^st, when I will then move to Portland, Oregon. My most favorite city I have ever lived in! Although Bainbridge Island is cutting a close second.

Bainbridge Island

My Fiancè Trevor Downing and I will be starting our life together, July 2011, in Portland.

In my life currently, I am living alone on Bainbridge Island, I am working for the most incredible company, Storyville Coffee, and I am planning my Wedding.

My life is peaceful, yet busy. I have so much going on, but I also have a schedule that allows me to have these amazing days that are dubbed the name- weekends. For those of you who had normal school schedules, and jobs that allowed you to have weekends, you are blessed! This has been the first job I’ve had where I work 8-5 Monday thru Friday. I already love what I do, then on top of that to have time to do whatever I want/need to do? Craziness.

So, here I am, it’s Saturday. I am making Martha Stewarts Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate Glaze, listening to Harry Connick Jr. and reflecting over how blessed I am to be living the life that I am.

Pumpkin cookies =)

Perhaps now that my life has settled down I will have more time to be on here and update you all on the current progress of my wedding planning, and the happenings of life.

Thankyou for reading!

Rachel Ann

Been awhile...

Hello everyone! Its been a while since i've been on here, so, I figure I should update you all on why.

I am being moved from the Storyville Live tour (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4eMry4gU-0) to be in the roasting studio on Bainbridge Island, Seattle, WA. I'm excited for this new season in life! I may be on tour every once in a while, but not as often as I was.

I will be living on Bainbridge until June, because in July I am getting married! Yay!! Anyways, this is just a quick update to let you all know where I am, how my life is changing. I will be better about writing on this, and posting more pictures!

I promise!

Rachel

Trains, Highways, Rivers and Hippie Buses.

Particularly over the last couple days I’ve been thinking about history and the beauty of Gods creation. Its insane to watch the terrain go from being completely flat to high mountains and low canyons,

To drive next to a train and think about when its tracks were first layed, the families that had traveled out west by wagon train looking out their windows at the steam in the distance. I don’t know why just looking at the train and its tracks make me think of this, but they do.

I think about old western films while we’re driving through the canyons, films like Butch Cassidy.

Then while driving by the rivers I think about A River Runs Through It. Waiting to see a glimpse of a river like the one in that movie.

The mountains start rising up even higher and now I know that we are west. Closer to home. Pine trees started appearing a couple hundred miles ago and I’ve been waiting for the mountains that accompany them.

Along the way we’ve passed some old buses that have been painted and abandoned in fields. Obvious hippie buses. I started to think about how in the world hippies got buses?? Seriously though. How did a group of people that were all about freedom, organic living, drugs, music and community end up with a bus? Did one of them used to be a bus driver and one day he just gave up? Do people normally just abandon buses and then hippies saw a use for them? I’m not sure. I definitely don’t have the answer for this. But I’m almost certain that someone who is not concerned with possessions and materialism did not buy an old school bus. So, my question will linger in the air of the Montana mountains as we travel through and I’ll forget all about it in an hour or so. Till we pass another one.

I look up from my computer and I’m almost certain that sister maria is going to run up over on of these grassy hills and start singing that the hills are alive… the mountains and hills of western Montana are beautiful.

The travels of a Storyvile vagabond…

(ok, so I’m not really a vagabond because I have both a job and a home….)

Right now I’m sitting in the passenger seat of our van that we have lovingly named Alpha (the other van is named Beta). I have lots and lots of thoughts from the past few days that I am SO ready to get down onto paper.

My life has been a whirlwind of emotions, traveling and work for the past few months as many of you know. Beginning with me moving out of my Portland house on March 24^th, Getting Engaged on April 7^th, Starting an incredible film project with Storyville on April 11^th, then having that end on the 17^th of May, and having my new job with Storyville Live as a Crew member start on the same day! On that day I returned a bunch of camera stuff with my friend and co-worker Melany Ramsay then we both flew out to Florida(that day itself is a story for another day). Then after Training in Florida and Seattle I started Tour with my team, the west coast team, on June 1^st. Since then I have been from Seattle to Ashland,

Ashland to Reno,

Reno to LA,

LA back to Seattle.

Seattle to Virginia, Where I experienced the birth of my nephew Uriah Steven… what a crazy miracle of craziness birth is!! I feel so connected to that kid because I witnessed his coming into this earth, so wild!

Then from Virginia back to Seattle where I spent 3 days with my Fiance Trevor before having to say goodbye to him for 8 months =(

Then I went from Seattle to Pheonix,

Pheonix to Eastern Texas,

then to Houston,

Houston to Oklahoma City,

Oklahoma city to Denver,

Denver to Ft Collins,

Ft Collins to St Louis,

St Louis to Minneapolis,

Minneapolis to Green bay

and now this journey has started of 4 drive days from Green Bay back to Seattle. We’ve stayed in Fargo, North Dakota, and Miles City, Montana. Now we are on our way to Post falls, Idaho. Tomorrow is our last drive day, and tomorrow I will fly home from Seattle to Ashland. YAY!!

So, Minnesota eh?

I'm posting this a couple days late... Cuz I'm in Montana now, but here ya go!!

We made it to Minneapolis! We unloaded our luggage from the van, I walked through the front door to the La Quinta Inn, went up the elevator, tried my key in the door and then opened the door as it creaked. I then realized that I had traveled 10 floors and the only people I talked to were these young girls coming from the swimming pool... hotels are full of people everywhere, from all over, traveling to different places for different reasons. We all live in this building for an alloted amount of time, we swim together, excersize together, eat breakfast together, but hardly any interaction goes between us. I alwasy try to say hello to people in the elevator and no one ever knows what to do. Its like I spoke a different language...

Tonight I ate a frozen burrito from the store in the hotel (don't worry, I warmed it up before I ate it) and I drank a vitamin water. I've been failing in the healthy area... its hard to be healthy when you drive on freeways all day. But, I am determined to figure it out. Now after a relaxing bath and shower I'm laying in my hotel bed thinking about how bazaar and fun my life is.

Meet me in St. Louis...

Ah, finally in St Louis. Took a Day and a half from Ft Collins, Colorado. Could have done it in a day, but it proves to be safer to split it up into 2 days when you have 3 drivers and 2 very large vehicles.

Its incredible how different our country is, and how the culture changes just as much as the scenery does. Its been fun to see so many states. From the stormy desert roads of west Texas to the flat, never ending corn fields of Kansas, and all in-between, its all beautiful and intriguing in its own way.

Things I have discovered/found out-

Though Kansas is SO flat and boring every once in a while it surprises you, it'll drop down into a shallow valley and you feel like you're finally above all the sunflower and corn fields, and when you see all of that land its amazing...

The skies in Kansas are unlike any other, the sunset was amazing.

Texas had these incredible desert mountains that when the sun would start to set, they would light up like fire.

The lightning storms have been great as well.

I discovered that almost any mexican restaurant in Texas is awesome.

I also discovered that I love Texas barbecue! I started my conversation with my waiter like this,"I'm from the northwest... we don't have barbecue... what should I eat?"

Literally. Thats what I said, maybe I sounded dumb, but I had really good ribs because of it.

I found out that I really miss rivers, mountains, lakes and valleys. I need to go on a long bike ride in Ashland when I am home for my week off. I'm going to sit by lithia creek with my bible, and just listen... I haven't heard water moving, other than the shower, in a long time.

I've found out that you can plan a wedding and a marriage while on the road. The week off every month helps too! But, its not quite as difficult as I thought. Being without Trevor? Not fun =(

Learning once again how to communicate over only e-mail. We've done it before, and this is the last time! I hate not being able to call him. But, we've both started blogs about our adventures, and we e-mail eachother often. I also started a wedding website on theknot.com so that he can follow along with the wedding planning.

We are long distance relationship pros, waiting for the day when we'll never have to do long distance again!

Ah the joys of a modern day gypsy... haha.

Well, have a lovely day. I'll probably be in Minneapolis next time I update this!

Rach

Living in Hotels...

Its amazing the little things that make you happy when you live in hotel rooms.

Lately I've been in a new hotel almost everyday. I'm totally easygoing and comfortable almost everywhere, especially if theres a pillow and a blanket. I could sleep on a pile of rocks in the middle of winter with a blanket and a pillow. But tonight when we showed up to our hotel, there was pantene pro-v in the bathroom =) it made me so happy! Anyways, besides that...

Two weeks ago I was in Seattle hanging out with my Fiance Trevor, after visiting my sister in VA and since then I have been ALL OVER! I've been to Pheonix, Driven through all of Texas, Stayed in Houston, Stayed in Oklahoma City, Stayed in Denver, Driven through all of Kansas (twice!) and now I'm staying in Topeka, KS on my way to St Louis, MO...