House of Kneen

My Provider

2007-11-28T17:18:00.000-05:00

After 2 days at Gaston Hospice, I have been offered a full-time position. Praise the Lord! He knows our needs and provides so well. I am very encouraged so far that the folks at Hospice are compassionate professionals who love what they do. I think it's going to be a really special time.

and Speaking of Kids...

2007-11-27T18:52:00.001-05:00

We are thrilled to announce that we are about 6 (ish?) weeks pregnant (see photo--the little bugger is in the small circle in the NE corner of the black blob). It was all I could do to not run screaming around my new office today when she called me. WOOOHOOOO!!! I am obviously and absolutely and entirely excited about this. Our Father knows and has been so faithful to us. We know the child is and is always in His mighty and capable hands...even regardless of what happens from here....we know He will always be good and sovereign. I celebrated this and the many other milestone changes of the last month with a new (and first) piercing in my left ear lobe this afternoon. Looks kind of like the picture--made of niobium and is more of a dusky bluish gray. Hurt pretty good. Thank you Ink Link of Gastonia! That's all for now. Thanks to all who have been praying and encouraging us.
dk

New chapter

2007-11-22T07:29:00.000-05:00

We've been home for 2 weeks now. In that time, we've done simple things like get our budget back in shape, switch to cable internet, get a new cell plan, visit friends, etc. The hard part has been working out the "take homes", know what I mean? What did it all mean for us? How have we come home changed? How has our thinking been changed with respect to life and God and Church and Purpose? Needless to say, but this is of course an ongoing process. One thing I know, though, is that I am always to be "on mission". I believe my life here is purposeful, that I have been put here and kept here and rescued for a purpose, for life. This has made a real difference in my thinking, my routine, my days. When I talk to people, I know that every interaction is purposeful. I don't believe in accidents or coincidence. While I am not in control of every aspect or outcome, I am simply here to trust and obey, to walk behind and serve in the steps of Jesus. Living in Sol Duc for 2 months stripped away a lot of the non-essentials. Left behind was a growing hunger for more and more of life as God Himself understands it. The Bible calls this zoe. The abundant life from John 10:10. This is no prosperity theology, but far more deep, far more lasting, and far more satisfying. He has just recently shown us His faithfulness, for which we are so grateful. I have accepted a job with Gaston Hospice as a social worker (starting Monday). I took the job expecting it to be part-time/as-needed for a while until a full-time position came available. But yesterday, while getting a pre-employment medical screen, the boss called to say that a FT position is coming open immediately so I'll be putting in for a transfer on my first day! Amazing! Also, we received our final paychecks from Aramark on the same day I got the new job. And all this on a day when we were looking at our budget and praising God, not because there was an obvious abundance (there wasn't), but because we knew that He is a Provider and He never fails His kids.

New pics up!

2007-11-12T18:15:00.000-05:00

Have got the rest of our trip pictures (selected) up on the photo page. Some of them are out of order for some reason. Working on titles and descriptions and think I will try to tell the narrative of our trip home that way rather than doing that and redundantly posting it here as well. I plan to keep both pages going though with whatever strikes us as something we'd like to share. Of course jobs and future thoughts rest heavily on us now but we are confident in our Lord to provide and to lead. Thanks again for following us virtually on our adventure.
much love
dk

Safe at home

2007-11-08T17:51:00.000-05:00

We've had a home run of a couple months. Promise to get latest pics and stories up soon. Tonight...pet the dog, do laundry, eat chinese takeout, make calls to family, sleep in own bed, that's all. Thanks to all for following our adventure...will keep the blog and pic page going on. Love to all and all praise to our Father for an amazing time.
dk and lx

Closer still

2007-10-25T15:33:00.000-04:00

Hanging out in the pool booth with Alex right now (she says "hi") during her unexpected shift today. The regular worker is sick so she gets to fill in. We are actually so grateful that we both have work to do. Neither of us was on the schedule as of yesterday since the folks who have been here the longest get first dibs on the remaining shifts for these last 4 days. But now I get to work 3 more dinners and 3 more breakfasts since our friend Molly decided to leave early. PRAISE GOD! He has provided so abundantly for us here, beyond anything we expected. We have our reservation made at Kalaloch for Sunday night (not leaving till we enjoy a greatly anticipated party and dinner that afternoon), but we find ourselves already getting sad about leaving this place. We have really enjoyed our new friends and this place is so awesome, anyone would fall in love with Olympic park. We saw a different face of it this past Tuesday on our last day off together. You can see a few new pictures on the HOK photo page. We hit PA early for an excellent breakfast at the Corner Cafe, then decided to hike up a well laid trail on the Elwa river to find the Olympic Hot Springs...a group of 7 primitive springs, unmaintained and wild somewhere in the forest. As I said, the trail was very easy to follow and quite beautiful...and the springs were a lot of fun. I did bring my suit, ignoring what I heard was the typical convention to go without there. We did not encounter any other bathers as such thankfully :) The 7th and uppermost spring was very hot though really comfortably lined with small pebbles and rocks, unlike the lower springs which were pretty muddy. We had a really fun time, capped by a gorgeous view of the moon rising over Lake Crescent (see the above pic). This may be my last post before hitting the road but will continue to post thoughts and reflections about the trip when we get back...We are set for a great adventure on our way home so will have plenty of material and more pictures to share. Thanks for keeping in touch with us!
dk

Rounding Third

2007-10-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

**NEW PICS ADDED TODAY (10/19/07)**
So that's a bit of am obscure baseball reference (watching game 5 of the ALCS) to say "about to head for home". We are in our penultimate week of work here at "The Duc" and starting to actually preemptively miss the place. Work has been abundant (hence the infrequent posts--little time to type and little else to say but "still working!") but we are still really enjoying ourselves here, despite the incessant rain (and windstorms!). The staff is slowly dwindling as they find their ways back to more permanent residence or move on to their next seasonal adventure. Alex and I are looking forward to our own bed, our dog Abby, homecooked food, our friends, and the comfortable familiarity of our hometown and street. We are thinking and talking and praying a lot about our next steps. It is likely that we will be looking for employment upon our return though I may be taking a detour of sorts before making permanent berth back in G'town (that's still a wait-and-see situation). We are also looking forward to the blessing of children which inevitibly suggests permanence of residence and employment. We cannot deny though, that this "working vacation", or "domestic mission" has given us a hunger for more travel and experience and adventure. We are seeking the will and pleasure of our Lord in this and all matters for we know that He has our best always at heart. Our latest days off, when they finally came!, took us on Monday to the local summit of Mt. Storm King and some of the best views of Lake Crescent that can be had. It was 2000ft of elevation gain in about 2 miles (whew) and we are still feeling it. We hopped an early ferry to Victoria, BC this past Tuesday. Pretty much just took a walking tour of the city and found some good food and beverages at the Sticky Wicket (more obscure Cricket reference I think) and lots of fun coffee shops and other quite assorted stores and sights. We didn't take in any of the many museums this time but really enjoyed the modern, ecclectic, and friendly feel of the city. The unexpected bonus on the return trip was a pair of whale sightings. We only saw their blow spouts from a good distance, though Alex thought she saw a dark body rolling in the waves. Very cool cap to the day. Back to work now and anticipating a busy week and a half leading up to closing day (the 28th). There will be a Halloween/End of season party that day after close and then Alex and I think we're going to spend the last night at Kalaloch lodge, on the beach, with a fire going. After that we are pondering plotting our route home via Redwood National Park, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and possibly Zion Park or Bryce Canyon. We hope to do a good bit of camping and so take 5-7 days to get back east. Will share more as the time draws nearer and we settle on the details. Will get new picture up tomorrow (I hope!). Love to all.
dk

Pondering 32

2007-10-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

**LOTS OF UPDATED PICS NOW AVAILABLE**
Greetings all! Alex and I enjoyed our first overlapping days off this past week and decided to take off for some us-time and to celebrate my 32nd (10/2). Monday was just an awesome day. We stopped first at the very-swollen Salmon Cascades just a few minutes down the road from the resort. The salmon running is in full-swing and it was just awesome watching them leap dramatically and confidently out of the water upstream and up-rapid in their instinctive quest for their breeding grounds. Had seen this before on TV but it was just amazing to witness. New definitions of "tenacity", "counter-cultural", and "are you kidding me??" lept to mind as we watched. We also took a beautiful hike through some old-growth forest. I have decided that this area of the park is my favorite...more on that later. We pretty much laughed for the next hour after leaving the forest. I was getting into the car but lost my footing and in pure "America's Funniest Videos"-style went down, down, down a short hill, head-over-heels. All Alex saw from the passenger side was me suddenly disappearing and then...after a pause...feet coming up and then disappearing themselves. At this point, she was leaping from the car only to find me shaking with laughter a dozen feet off the road. She wasn't sure if it was laughter or not at first and it took me a minute to catch my breath enough to assure her I was fine. It still makes us laugh when we remember. We then made a trek to Clallam Bay, Neah Bay, and Cape Flattery, the NW-ern most point in the lower 48. After a short hike from the car, we found a truly jaw-dropping beauty there...ocean waves crashing into sandstone cliffs, carving out enormous caves and hollows in the soft rock. Sea stacks and dramatic drops and a beautiful off-shore island and dense forest growth all made for an unexpectedly worthwhile experience. I will be putting all my new pics on the photo page tomorrow. We then stopped on the way out of Neah Bay for lunch at a roadside food hut run by a Macah lady (we were in the Macah reservation). After some terrific halibut and chips, we headed south, eventually arriving at Lake Quinalt where there is a lodge managed by the same company as Sol Duc (therby affording us employee discounts). They had a room with a view available and we had a really good evening relaxing and enjoying some terrific food at the Roosevelt Dining Room there. FDR's visit to the area was what prompted the creation of Olympic National Park. We also met Roosevelt, the cat (not kidding) and brushed our teeth with Roosevelt, the toothpaste (kidding). The next day we enjoyed some excellent quiet/coffee time in front of the lodge's roaring fireplace, then did some hiking in the surrounding rain forest. There are 6 record-holding trees in the area and we managed to see 2: the world's largest sitka spruce and the world's largest western yellow cedar. Incredible to stand at the foot of these ancient giants: nearly 200 ft tall, 20 ft around, and 1000 years old!! The cedar is supposed to be the largest tree in the world outside of California. On the way home we stopped by the Hoh Rain Forest. It was getting late and rainy so we didn't linger but did do a short hike. It was here that we decided that of all we have seen of the Olympic Park, with its diverse and awesome beauty, that we really like the Sol Duc valley forest environment the best of all. We love its enormous trees and beautiful forest floor and the quiet we find on long hikes through its shadows. On Thursday, our friend Tabatha arrived. Alex and I drove into Seattle and made a stop at the flagship REI store (camping/outdoors) where I found my Birthday gift from Alex...an awesome camping day-pack which can double as a trendy man-bag for all my manly essentials. We made it to Sea-Tac right on time then made a tiring 3.5 hour trek around the south end of the Sound to Kalaloch lodge where we spend the night. Alex and Tab will be there till Monday. They have an awesome suite there with a view of the Pacific. Friday morning, with our mochas in hand, we found a rare day of sun. So we headed for Hurricane Ridge to show off one of the most picturesque sights around. The fog/cloud bank which obstructed our view of the ridge however apparently did not get the memo. But we enjoyed the morning nonetheless up there, particularly since it was now (as opposed to when we were there last) covered with several inches of snow (as you can/will see in the pictures). It was so beautiful and quiet. Where else in the world can you wake up on the coast, then drive through a rain forest and arrive, 2 hours later, among and atop snowy peaks? Just awesone. We decided, in the cold up there, that some chili for lunch would be just the ticket so I drove us to Peak's Pub, a joint in PA I had passed a bunch of times where I noticed a sign proclaiming "Ed's Killer Chilli". That was enough for me so we went in to find a bar (not a bad place but definitely the type where the food is an afterthought). The menu consisted of: a cup of chilli, a bowl of chilli, a hot dog with chilli, nachos with chilli, and a quesadilla (not with chilli, but I'm sure they could have added it). So no wonder the waitress looked at us strange when we ordered 3 bowls of chilli, a quesadilla, and 3 waters. Really good chilli as advertised though!! The girls dropped me off after that and headed for some rest back at Kalaloch...I promise I am trying to get Alex on here to share and on the photo site to descibe her pics. Enjoyed some bittersweet campfire-time last night with the gang (got some pics there) who gathered to say goodbye again, this time to Kana...a sweet friend who is on her way home to Japan. She is such a light around here and will be missed. Finally, today I opened the pools but then got off at noon. I decided to hike so I did a 12-mile loop to Deer Lake, a sub-alpine lake on the way to the Blue Glacier and Olympic peaks beyond. Just a beautiful spot...I could see snow-capped heights ahead and it was noticably colder there, likely due to the 1700-ft elevation gain along the way...made for some sore muscles. But I will be well-recovered tonight due to the renown healing effects of our hot springs :) A mama doe and her fawns capped my hike as I neared its end. Missing Alex but I am so glad her other best friend is here to encourage and love her. Tab is also newly engaged so they have no shortage of conversation topics (as if they ever did). Thanks for reading all this. Realizing the end of our time here is fast-approaching and so am looking expectantly to our Father to continue to lead me and our family. We do continue to covet your prayers to be faithful witnesses and servants of the Most High.
dk

Goin' downtown

2007-09-30T13:12:00.000-04:00

Sorry have not posted in a while...there are new pictures on the photo site if you want to jump there first. The main events this past week were our separate day-trips to Seattle with our Sol Duc friends. Alex took Alex and Oxana, our Russian friends who wanted to get there before leaving (which they sadly did yesterday...miss you already!!) along with another friend, Josh. I took Tom later in the week and after a rolling 20 minute trip on the Kingston-Edmonds auto ferry, we had a good time seeing the Space Needle, riding the Monorail, seeing the Public Market, eating my way through the Public Market (including a Mexican Chocolate cheesecake truffle with cinnamon and cayenne pepper and an 18-year old balsamic-vineagar)...my favorite Seattle place now. We also saw the well-known fish market where customer's orders are called loudly and then flung through the air (yes large whole fish and crabs flung through the air) to a well-trained (or at least well-practiced) catcher waiting with a sheet of wax paper to complete the sale. Quite fun...other street performers were abundant (see pix) and the place was just a lot of high-energy fun. Tom was in a shopping mood so we hit some well-known and other more eclectic spots for clothing and antiques that he knew of. He came home with a 60-yr-old pair of shoes...who am I to say anything? I like chocolate cheesecake with cayenne pepper! We ate at the Crab Pot on the piers and finished our day (after a free public bus ride back to the center of town) at a Barnes and Noble where Tom shopped for CD's and I enjoyed an Oreo brownie and double espresso (fuel for the 3.5 hour trip home). Good day. I am encouraging Alex to get on here soon to share her experiences. As I mentioned before, we were sad to see Alex and Oxana leave. We barely had time to get to know them a bit but feel a bond was made...thank God for email so hopefully we'll stay in touch. We are really really glad to be here to make friends and to love and serve. The rains have come and forecasts are for it to continue until 2011. Welcome to the NW!! I am about to help out the housekeeping staff for a few hours, then hit the pools tonight to close them down. Hopefully the guests haven't lynched Jeff who is working them now. The power was out for about 6hrs last night (we all knew for it was a scheduled outing), but since the pool pumps were down, the pools were cold this morning (antithetical when we are talking about hot springs) so hopefully the guests are in an understanding mood. Missing our home but God is good!
dk

Beach-time

2007-09-21T17:40:00.000-04:00

((NEW PICS ON THE PHOTO PAGE NOW))
Have been able to explore a bit more of the area this week...we drove to the coast again on Wednesday and, while aiming for Rialto Beach, found ourselves in La Push...a small outpost of the Quileute reservation where the tribe continues to fish the dangerous Pacific waters for sale and survival. We stopped by Second Beach on the way back, accessible via a short, challenging, and beautiful 0.7 mi hike through the forest. The next day (yesteray), I made it to Rialto while Alex was working and walked 1.5 mi (one-way) to Hole-in-the-Wall, a very cool geological feature...essentially a sea-stack that was still connected to the mainland but which has a large hole eroded through the middle at sea-level (promise to have pix up soon of all this). There was a small steep stair on the inland side which took me up on top of this stack for some sweet views. Met an empty-nesting couple from Kentucky there and we exchanged photographer services. After a gray and misty-wet walk back, I stopped at the Hungry Bear Cafe for some quiet and warmth (inner and outer). While studying 1 Samuel, enjoyed a mocha, a cup of minestrone, and a slice of "bumbleberry pie" so-named by the cook but really just consisting of a medley of different berries. Satisfying, nonetheless. Before getting back, I stopped by the Salmon Cascades just off the road that approaches Sol Duc. Nothing spotted this time, but there was a deer peacefully grazing next to the road just before arriving at the lodge. Today, after a coffee-house study-session at Bella Rosa in Port Angeles, Alex and I stopped at Crescent Lake Lodge and did a short 2 mi loop to see Marymere Falls (didn't have my camera with me...will see again another time). We found the trailhead for the Mt. Storm King trail too so this will be a good challenge for us soon (only about 5 mi round trip but with 2000 ft of elevation gain). Now just hanging and getting my work clothes clean since my work week starts today. We praise God He is providing for us so well and for giving us opportunities to love and serve our new friends in His Name. We also get to see Tabatha, Aaron P, and Grant K soon about which we are very pleased! We are reminded in anticipating their arrival how important fellowship is and how acute is the missing of it while away. He is good...and He is more than enough. We are so grateful for His provision of our brothers and sister at this time.
dk

Turning

2007-09-17T13:06:00.000-04:00

The season that is...the non-evergreens (there are a few!) here are beginning to redden and yellow-en. We finally saw a couple gray, misty days and an infusion of coolness prompting me to don an insulated Sol Duc rain jacket for my guard shift on Saturday. My new job has proven to be as quiet as expected though certain guests are sometimes determined to skirt the posted rules. (i.e. after being told twice not to flip off the side of the pool...."can i flip?"..."no"..."why not?"..."because there is no flipping"...."can i jump off the board?"..."that's the guard chair"..."let's call it a board"..."no, let's call it a guard chair". sheesh. Another little girl (maybe 3?) after being told 3 other times to get out of the bigger pool (not for guests under 4)...looked me right in the eye and shook her head no...her dad shooed her out. The restaraunt has remained fairly busy and that makes for a good night (time and tip-wise). Hiking to Mink Lake and around Hurricane Ridge was very cool. Will try to get pix up today or tomorrow. We could easily see Canada and Mt. Olympus from the top of the Ridge...and we were well-above the cloud cover over Port Angeles and the Straits so it was like looking down on an ocean of clouds. The walk to Mink was actually the highlight for me. At a couple points, I came to a spot, surrounded on all sides by hundred-foot pines...not a sound to be heard...the sunlight filtering down...the moment was really sacred and I just had to stop for a few minutes and just stand there...breathing in beauty...breathing out prayers of praise and thanks. We are continuing to enjoy our new friends and are finding opportunities to share. Alex and her guitar have been a hit and she has been able to share some of her own songs. Another guy here plays so this has been a fun connection. We were up late the other night singing and playing pop songs. A bonfire on "Pebble Beach" recently was the occasion for me to connect with a guy who tells me that he knows the Truth and knows he needs to get back to it...praise God! Looking for more opportunities like this to encourage and be a conduit for Him.
dk

First day off....sort of

2007-09-13T17:09:00.000-04:00

Not in the dining room today anyway...will need to clock in later tonight to train on closing the pools (testing, draining, cleaning, refilling) as I will be taking some lifeguard hours soon. The pools are tested several times a day for bacteria count since they are untreated. They are each closed twice daily for an hour during open-hours in order to let them "rest". Temps and flow are also measured hourly. Despite all this, guarding appears to be one of the more sedate jobs around here, consisting mostly of observing people lounging, sitting, relaxing, floating, breathing or whatever other non-mobile verbs people find to do in the pools...which is precisely the reason they come. There is a big chlorinated pool too so the usual "no running", "no diving in the shallow end"-type rules are all enforced. Alex and I headed into "P.A." (Port Angeles) this morning to do a couple errands and had a great lunch at The Haven. She is working the front desk now so I am heading out to hike to Mink Lake (and possibly Deer Lake)...another couple beautiful spots nearby. Excited about tomorrow as we're taking the morning to hit Hurricane Ridge, one of the trademark/marquee sights around here...easily Googled I am sure if you want to see. We'll certainly have our own shots to share as well. I am uploadig pictures to the photo site as often as I have time. This one is of us at Kalaloch Lodge where we found time on a free morning to sit and enjoy a mocha earlier this week.

PIXPIXPIX (for real!)

2007-09-11T18:10:00.000-04:00

OK...finally got some pictures from the drive up on the HOK photo page. Please enjoy! Took a few more today on a 6-mile loop to Sol Duc Falls and back...so beautiful...like being in a cathedral where the hundreds of tall and mighty pines form the architecture, the roaring Sol Duc river and falls lend the choral voice, and the abundant life all bear witness to their Creator. Awesome.

Mocha on the coast...a

2007-09-10T01:15:00.000-04:00

Was just uploading pix to the Flikr page when the laptop I was borrowing ran out of gas. But not before I got this one up of us on the auto ferry taking us across Puget Sound (that's the top of the Space Needle coming out of my head). Oh and the new one above (sorry so big, again no juice to reduce). So close, but will have to wait another day...sorry. Alex was off today and I only had the late dinner shift so we got our first taste of the Olympic coast today. Stopped at Ruby Beach first and got our own pics of the scene from the "WA-bound" post. Next stop Kalaloch Lodge where we got some excellent mochas and found a great spot on the lodge deck overlooking the beach. We read, talked, and I took a stroll on the sand. Watched some skim boarders brave the 50-degree water, kids building sand castles, sunbathers, and a group building a raft out of the abundant driftwood and challenging some kayakers to a race up the river which empties right there into the ocean. Brought back a couple of ocean treasures to Alex: a fairly large crab shell which had been eaten out and a likewise empty clam shell (nothing too exciting, not allowed to disturb the living treasures). Just a beautiful place. Saw a huge cedar tree on the way home which was amazing. Then back to Sol Duc for the dinner shift where I handled my first "10-top" (party of ten), almost spilled water on a guy's camera, and met a party that had seen us today at Kalaloch and again at the big tree. They also turned out to be from Tennessee so I felt obligated to apologize to them for our very substandard iced tea which they all ordered. It was no problem because they all drink unsweetened anyway (age not preference they claimed)....so I didn't tell them it comes from a concentrate like the sodas. Enjoying waiting but I will also be trained to take care of the pool and hotsprings next week so I can take some lifeguard shifts as well. Really itching for some trail hiking too to take in some more of this place's beauty. Also have plans to see Victoria/Vancouver Island and the Hoh Rain Forests at some point. Still building relationships with our new friends, looking for opportunities to love and serve. Pray for us to be transparent bearers of His image.
dk

Off and running

2007-09-08T17:42:00.000-04:00

It is looking like Alex will be working second shift at the front desk pretty regularly. I tossed cabins with housekeeping yesterday from about 915 to 345 and got stopped in the middle of the day by the food and beverage manager who said "got you on from 430 to close (1045ish) tonight!" all right! dinner was pretty busy but i slid into the groove fairly quickly. was handling my own tables within the first hour or so. it is such a pleasure to serve good food to happy vacationers. Our first taste of the natural hot spring was much needed and enjoyed last night. Talk about good medicine for tired bodies. Then up early today for the breakfast run, a nice break for sunning/napping/ipod-ing/blogging, then back for the dinner run tonight. Since they've been shorthanded for a while, a lot of folks haven't had consistent days off in a while so my first day off may not come till later next week. It's ok of course, we are here to work. Still really loving meeting and getting to know our new friends...it's a pretty tight group but we really feel welcome. Also looking forward to some hiking and sightseeing soon. I will have pictures up in another day or so...a fellow waitstaff has her own photo blog and a handy laptop for that purpose.
dk

No pix yet

2007-09-07T11:54:00.000-04:00

Unable to upload pictures with the employee computer so will be seeing if I can borrow a co-worker's laptop at some point. Apologies for that. Brilliant, blue, cold day today. Alex has started training at the front desk. I am probably going to do a shift with housekeeping today and also expect to begin training at the front desk at some point. I am told I will be of use serving in the restaraunt this Sunday and Monday and at the pool side (drawing on my life-guarding history). We are really enjoying building friendships with our co-workers. Everyone is really open and friendly. Our desire is to be salt and light among them...the aroma of life. I am excited to get to work but even more so to magnify God in every thing I do. I want to be a living sacrifice here and used of Him for His glory.
dk

Jaw-dropping

2007-09-06T14:29:00.000-04:00

Coming around a corner and seeing Mt. Ranier...a 14,000 ft volcano surrounded by mere 3-4,000 ft hills....in all its snow-capped glory after hundreds of miles of farmland is quite an experience. The land only got more dramatic and beautiful as we made our way across Montana, Idaho, and into Washington (excepting the plain, flat, farmland of eastern WA). We hopped an auto ferry in Seattle along with a few hundred commuters and had a nice break letting someone else drive us across Puget Sound (no orca-sightings this time). We arrived at Sol Duc around 8p yesterday after a fine pizza dinner in Port Angeles. Getting settled and familiar with our new digs today. This is an amazingly beautiful place...will post pix later on the photo site. The drive to Sol Duc from the main road is 12 miles of pristine beauty through pine forrests and past Crescent Lake which looks like it came right from an Artist's brush (the truth actually). We are boarding in a rennovated shower (not kidding) right off the pool/hot spring deck which was quickly nested by Alex last night and transformed into a very welcoming/homey retreat. Meeting lots of very cool and friendly co-workers....it looks like we'll be doing a variety of jobs around the place (which really isn't very big at all)...front desk, waiting tables, lifeguarding, cashiering, etc etc....essentially whatever is needed. Thanks for keeping up with us...will do our best to keep this current. Peace....dk

Halfway there!

2007-09-04T08:39:00.000-04:00

Hi all...so far so good. We spent last night in Rapid Falls, SD. We are about to swing by Mt. Rushmore before hauling another 700ish miles through Montana to Missoula. Lots and lots of time in the car over the last 2 days (quite weary-ing), but having good conversation and lots of thinking/reading/ipod time. The country really started getting beautiful about 2 hours out from our destination yesterday. The terrain is starting to change which is a relief from the miles and miles of farmland. Woke up to an incredible sunrise and hopefully some renewed endurance.
No new pix yet...peace to all.
dk

For real going now

2007-08-31T21:29:00.000-04:00

Just spoke with HR at Olympic National Park tonight and we are in [great rejoicing]. We originally thought we would be at Kalaloch Lodge but they were looking for a longer commitment than we could give. Instead we'll be at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, likely doing a variety of jobs (front desk, waiting, cashiering). We'll be there until Oct 28th when the resort closes for the season. Our plan is to leave this Sunday (9/2) and make it to Columbia, MO the first night, then Rapid City, SD then Missoula, MO then roll into Port Angeles and Sol Duc Wednesday evening. I really don't want to think about the daily mileages more than I need to so look'em up if you're curious. We are looking forward to a rich time of fellowship with each other, with the Lord, and with new friends yet to be met. Email is the best way to contact us since cell phone reception in the park is nil. You can also respond to these posts if you like. Will do our best to keep this blog and the photo page up to date. The only computer access will be a shared machine so we appreciate your patience with us in this effort and in responding to emails.
In His service,
David and Alex

WA-bound

2007-08-21T19:04:00.000-04:00

We are rejoicing to report that we heard from Olympic National Park today and it appears we will be working together as front desk staff. We are thrilled to be heading to a place of such inspiring beauty and look forward to posting our own images though they probably won't look as good as this one. More so, we look forward with great anticipation to what our Lord has prepared. Pray that we be attentive to every word and obedient to His every command.

Celebrate Recovery Summit 2007

2007-08-21T17:41:00.000-04:00

Had a really good time in SoCal last week. These are the front steps of Saddleback Church where Rick Warren pastors and where the summit was held. The campus was big of course but actually quite beautiful and really well-designed to encourage fellowship in every corner, cafe, and on every step of the creek that flows throughout. We actually felt everything was done very respectfully and authentically. And what worship! These were 3500 true believers who know personally "their chains are gone" and who know the AMAZING GRACE which saved them. We also had a terrific time with the Helms, Morrows, and Watts. Thanks to them for such a special time and thanks to Pastor Long and PBC for sending us...we trust that the resources stewarded on our behalf will bear Kingdom fruit. Still working on uploading stuff to our photo page....thanks for patience.

david and alex

PhotosPhotosPhotos

2007-08-13T14:39:00.000-04:00

While we will post selected photos here...keep an eye on our photo page for additional images.

For future reference see "HOK photo page" under "Links" at the right side of the blog whenever you visit in order to see the latest.

As for other matters...the job is officially done...had an excellent time camping with Dr. Wo this past weekend at Carolina Hemlock Campground. Now Alex and I are ready for the CR conference at Saddleback Church. Will update upon our return this weekend.

dk

First Post

2007-08-06T18:38:00.001-04:00

Greetings and welcome to the House of Kneen blog. We hope to provide you an easy way to keep tabs on us while doubly hoping for consistent discipline in posting tabs for you to keep. All praise to God who keeps and guides us on our journey of life and faith. He has not failed us yet! Our plans are still developing but here's the deal right now:

David's last day work at AYN is this Friday, Aug. 10.
Travel to SoCal next week for the Celebrate Recovery summit.
Travel to SoFL the following week to visit the FL Kneens.
Then return, rest, pack up and haul on out to NW Washington to work at Olympic National Park for 3 months (Sept-ish to Dec-ish).

Yeehaw...this will be where we post thoughts, prayer requests, pictures (select only, will find another place for pix), and whatever else may be of interest. Thanks so much for visiting and PRAYING. It is all for Jesus!

With LOVE,
David and Alex