Washington in December

45 days. Almost 6 and a half weeks. That's how long I was home. My calendar went from very little scheduled to meeting up over 33 times with friends and out of town family... How crazy is that. Along with that came CAP work, grocery shopping, holiday baking, appointments, even getting sick.

Highlights? (in chronological order)

Taking some desperately needed self-care/me time. Fort Casey with paints. It was lovely.

Photo shoot with this girl. Working through things together and growing. Constantly growing. Eating good foods and drinking good coffee. :-D

Derping around with old CAP cadets and siblings...  

Exploring Fort Flagler. Drift wood talks, ferry rides, dark corridors... 

Seeing my Little Fuji Family again. 

Going to the Seattle Aquarium with the Jamieson Family. Driving around Seattle, being with Mr. and Mrs. J as they saw Pike Place for the first time... 

Going to Leavenworth with Nick and Jane. It felt like a true escape. 

Anyway, this break may have had it's rough moments, but overall, I'm thankful for the time I got to spend here in Washington. 

Reflection and Projection

The highlights of 2017 were way outnumbered by the lowlights, but I wouldn't change it for anything. The personal growth I've made this year wouldn't have been possible without the challenging times. I've learned (and am learning) to rely on God more, people less and to cultivate my relationship with Him. I'm learning to control my anger - anger management has always been one of my big weaknesses, so it's a hard one. I'm learning to apologize when I do things that are inconsiderate, rude or straight up wrong. I had my first taste of jealousy and saw what happens when I overthink. I learned the importance of communication, of being vulnerable and of just listening to hear, not speak. I faced things I was afraid to do. I took a class by myself, which, until this year, I had never been brave enough to do... All this, just a snippet of what I'm learning...

In 2018, I want to continue growing and learning. I want to face some fears, break boxes I've put myself in and fight for what's right. I want to learn how to be empathetic. I want to be strong, physically, mentally and spiritually. I need to learn to keep calm during conflict. To cry when I need to and then press on. I'm determined to smile more through the hard times. I want to be filled with grace. My goal for 2018 is to grow.

A Beautiful Book

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell is hands down, my favorite book. There is something endearing about the heroine and some of the supporting characters. There are several...well...cringe worthy characters as well.

If you haven't read Wives and Daughter, I most definitely recommend it... With a disclaimer, however: it is an unfinished book, the author died before it was finished. I also recommend the BBC movie as well.

 I've wanted an old copy of the book for seven or eight years, but finding a reasonably priced and in decent shape book was near impossible. After watching the movie with Lisa last month, I resumed my search. There are quite a few versions that came in volumes, so finding matching ones was nearly impossible. With a decent amount of searching, I found this version on Etsy that was perfect.

This pocket sized version is perfect. It's a beautiful blue color and fine print inside. For how long the story is, it's amazing it was printed in so compact a book! 

This book was mailed from the UK, so I had no idea if I would actually get it. I am beyond thrilled with it and can't wait to spend my evenings drinking vanilla chai and reading this beautiful story again.

The Broken Car

Today did not go as expected. Lisa and the girls left for out of town this morning and I was super excited for the weekend off- my first weekend in a month. I had plans, plans to see nature, tour an old battlefield, to get ingredients to cook with and do some shopping I needed to do....

By 11:45, I had already driven a good 45 minutes out into the middle of nowhere. Saw Fort Donelson and now, as I drove down the National Park road, the car decided to stop running properly. Within three minutes a gentleman pulled over to make sure I was safe, checked my oil and made sure I had cell reception. There was nothing else he could do. About ten minutes later, he came back. Yes, guys, came back. He told me there was a museum about a mile away. I got there with hazards on and coasting into a spot. Barely. 

From there, I called people, Dad, a mechanic friend, Samuel and Lisa. I went Back and forth with Samuel trying to figure out what was wrong with the car. I was on the landline and running back and forth between the car and the phone.

Samuel arranged for a tow truck to come get me. While I waited, I went and toured The Homeplace, an 1850s historic farm. It was truly like traveling back in time. Once I finished touring the farm, I returned to the gift shop where I bought gift shop snacks (cause that's all I could do) and sat down by the door to wait. And waited. And waited. Three hours passed. The lady in charge kindly gave me the internet password, which she wasn't supposed to do. It was awesome to get to text Samuel about stuff and get updates on where the tow truck was.  

The tow truck got there at 5:30, half hour after the museum was closed. Two ladies stuck around until the driver got there and then she made sure that I was okay before leaving. Wallace, the tow truck driver had the thickest southern/hick accent I have ever heard. Between the windows being down, the diesel truck and his accent, it made for interesting conversations on the hour long drive to the base. 

By 7pm, We had reached the gate to get on base. He pulled to the side so we could get passes, but he had a pistol on his belt. Long story short, civilians aren't allowed to bring weapons on base. Basically, his company called another company to get another tow truck out to my location. So Wallace dropped the car and left. Half and hour later, the next tow truck got there. Isaac got right on loading the Escape and I went in for a pass.

The hassle of getting a pass was crazy. Since I didn't have the insurance card, the options were to email it (which I don't get with no wifi) or have the company fax it over. Another long story, exhausted me had to go ask the driver to show the MP the insurance card that Samuel texted him. By the time that came around, the MP gave me a passenger pass and let us on. 

Dropped the car off and called a cab. Another minor bucket list item checked off. Rode in a taxi. By 8:30 I was home. 8 hours of waiting for people or driving, I was finally home. 

Was I angry about how the day had messed with my plans? No, not really. I was shockingly calm although a little annoyed and disappointed, but I didn't let it affect my day. I was surprised by how kind people out here are. I had more than five or six people check in with me. Samuel mentioned it being "the worst day ever", but it wasn't, I was able to enjoy the little things, embrace the problem, pray and be thankful for kind people. 

Even though the day was hard and kept getting worse, my attitude was positive and to me, that another little victory. Oh, and I socialized with so many strangers today...An introvert nightmare. Anyway, congrats if you made it to the end and so sorry this post is so long! 

August

I've neglected this blog horribly in the last few months. Mostly because I was busy, partially because I have very little internet as far as evenings and being in my room (the trailer) where I like to work and partially because I keep getting self-conscious about my writing. Starting now, I'm hoping to post a little more frequently. I won't always share to social media, so check out other posts as well...


To catch you up on August:

August was, without a doubt, the best month of my entire life. I never thought I'd say that about what is usually a crazy and exhausting month. I think the two back to back summer camps of previous years wore me out. This August only had one summer camp. My favorite summer camp. The one where the days were long, nights were short, filled with happy memories, good people, new friends, old friends, hard work, sickness, stargazing, traditions, talks with God, laughter, stare-downs, letter writing and pranks.

Amazing stargazing with friends.

Pranks and initiation rites.

Ian's first year! It was awesome!

I came away with such a happy heart, carefree, stress free and incredibly thankful for the people and opportunities God has put in my path. I could have been more content.

But then the post activity sadness set in. Everyone either lives far away or has a busy life. Then, at 2am after a movie, we threw around the idea of a road trip. At first, it was one of those eventually/I wish trip ideas, but then schedules and calendars were pulled out. A little under two weeks later, three friends, my brother and I headed out on a fantastic road trip down to Crater Lake.

Never before have I felt so comfortable with a group of people. It was natural, peaceful and fun. We got to explore Cannon Beach/surroundings and Crater Lake. We saw the most amazing display of stars we have ever seen, sang songs, played Jeep Beep and sat through traffic, ate veggie chips and gummy peach rings. We told stories, laughed and took in God's amazing creations (seriously, Crater Lake, Diamond Lake, Cannon Beach and stargazing had breath-taking views). Saying goodbye was hard to do, but plans for future adventures were talked about and friendships grew stronger.

Between those main adventures, mini things happened all over. The volleyball nights (I'm in love with playing volleyball), afternoon at Kayak Point, surprising my twin at her work, cleaning my bedroom and making it my home, cooking and going to the fair are among many happy moments from this month.

Kayak Point with friends

Surprising Gracie at work

Fair day with Jane

Memory book with Gracie

But it wasn't all happy. I had a couple super challenging days. I had things that were hard, decisions that felt impossible and where adulting became harder. It was all good, I learned some valuable lessons and felt like it drew me closer to God.

And that, folks, sums up the craziest, most peaceful, fun month of my life! I'm excited to see what all September holds!

Crater Lake

It was a rather spontaneous plan, made in the parking lot of a movie theater at 2am. A plan that none of us actually thought would happen. A little less than two weeks later after much planning, some challenges and lots of excitement, we got in the van and began to drive. We kept looking at each other. Eyes lit. Smiles wide. Hearts happy. We were on a road trip. It was immediately comfortable, like being with family, we had talks and silences, serious and jesting conversations, we sang, danced and snacked away the 476 mile drive down to Crater Lake, Oregon. Best weekend of my life.

We stopped off at Cannon Beach to have lunch and to see the beach. It holds fond memories for the majority of us, but now it has even more fond memories of getting drenched by misty rain. Of frolicking in the waves. Of soggy hair and cold feet. Of homeless chic and delicious warmth from Insomnia Coffee.

And then more driving. Warming up under blankets, snacking on peach rings and figuring out that veggie straws are way more fun to eat when you blow out as you bite. Crumbs were everywhere. From Oregon gas stations and an overly flirtatious attendant to pulling over for yet another bathroom break (yes, I lost the game the most) we drove. The excitement of realizing that in just a few short hours were were out of state. 

We set up camp, including not bringing a proper second tent, which meant the boys suffered a bit as far as the sleep department... Ate dinner and literally hung around the campfire for hours until it became dark enough to see the stars. The adventure to find a "good" stargazing location in and of itself was fun and entertaining, if not a little scary as we drove down construction roads in the black of night around Crater Lake. We found a glorious field (a dessert, actually) that was dark and perfect. As far as looking up. It was so breathtakingly beautiful I can hardly describe it, but I will try.

The view was vast, we lay, heads together in the center, blankets, sleeping bags and towels keeping us warm and laying on a tarp to keep up dry. None of us knew that apparently Crater Lake is among the top ten dark sky locations in the National Park System. We could see so many stars. We laughed at the location of the big dipper and how some of us couldn't see it. We held our breath, then burst out laughing, but that was the only sounds. There was no constant roar of the highway, so sirens or dogs barking. Pure, blissful silence with the only sound being the peaceful breathing of these friends. We lay out in that field until we were gibberish with exhaustion, or in some cases, fell asleep. We could see so many stars, layers upon layers of stars and breathtaking shooting stars. We were also extremely lucky to have had a new moon that night, so it was even darker! It gave me perspective and made me appreciate God so much more. 

The next morning I was up first. I walked down to Diamond Lake and sat on the dock. I made hash for breakfast and we packed up the tent and campsite. We took our time. We drove to Crater Lake and the first sight of it in the day light was mind blowing and made me unreasonably excited. I had wanted to go here for many many years.

We drove around, stopping at many of the outlooks and taking pictures or hiking past fence lines. We hiked up to a lookout tower and sat on the edge just looking at the magnificent view. It felt so unreal.

The drive home was more or less dreaded, not because of the distance, but because none of us wanted this short little adventure to end. None of us wanted to recognize that we were going different directions within a few weeks. Our conversations skipped between serious and giggly. Friendships strengthened. Sure we've known each other for ages, some, up to eleven years, but in that particular, short weekend we became true friends.

Since then, we've gone on other adventures, expeditions to forts, watching sunsets and starry nights, late night talks and near constant Facebook chats. Then it happened, life got in the way. I left first, making the 2385 mile journey to Tennessee. Another left a week or so later to begin his 1500 (ish) mile drive to Arizona and closely following that, my best friend made the 5239 mile journey to Peru for a missions trip.

And that is my little story of one of my most favorite weekends of my life.

Exploring Louisville

Today, Ian and I went to the Big Four Bridge, which crosses the Ohio river between Kentucky and Indiana. It was a pretty sweet little walk. The drive to the Kentucky side was pretty impossible because of the construction, so after getting to the Indiana side, we finally got to walk across...

After that, we drove to Historic Louisville. It wasn't super impressive architecture, so we did a drive by on the way to Churchill Downs. We got there 8 minutes after a tour started and another wasn't set until an hour later so we got lunch before heading back.

The museum had a massive room with a 360 set of screens, which they played a fifteen minute video on. It was amazing. The tour was cool, we got to see part of the grounds and track as well as the grave sights of some of the horses. It was pretty sweet tour.

After the tour, we checked out the rest of the museum and the gift shop. They had a great selection of expensive screwy hats...

After that, we spent a few minutes in our hotel room before heading out to meet up with Ian's instructor, Brent. We had dinner and Ian had his first test and welcome speech, but tomorrow is looking busier. I also saw Chef Becky, my former culinary instructor, so that was fun. We'll probably get a chance to hang out later this week. 

Mega Cavern Zip Lining

I've always wanted to do some serious zip lines. Quite different from the ones we used to make and use in the back yard as kids. So I made it happen...

Ian and I left Samuel and Lisa's at 2:40. We had to be in Louisville by 6:30 and technically it's only a 2 hour and 56 minute drive. Somewhere along the way we switched time zones and blah, blah, blah, we ended up with an ETA of 6:40. Don't tell anyone, but I made up like 15-ish minutes, five of which we lost on a bathroom break. I just couldn't wait to go and we needed gas. We ended up getting to Louisville's Mega Caverns at 6:31 to check in for the zip lining tour.

The cavern was huge. The guides were nice, informative and funny. Sarah, the girl, was super sarcastic and perky and Michael had some fun stories in response to our questions on people afraid of heights and such. There were six zip lines, two long suspension bridges and a few other walks high up in the cavern. It was awesome.

The suspension bridge challenge was to keep your hands on your helmet instead of holding on to the edge. I thought it was going to be easy, but then the ground vanished way below me and it felt a little weird. I still did it without touching the sides, but it was very Indiana Jones-ish. They even played the theme song.

The last zip line was a racing one, so Ian and I raced. I guess winning that one made up for the fact that at the water park yesterday, I lost every water slide to Ian.

Anyway, if you're ever in Louisville, I totally recommend this place, although I'd not bring Moms who would be concerned for the well-being of her kids around heights, kinda like my Mom would be.... ;-) It was spendy, but well worth the cost in my opinion.

Adventures in Tennessee

Ian and I made it to Tennessee last night with no real problems. I thought, for a moment, that we missed our connecting flight in Detroit, but in reality, I had just misread the ticket. We got there just in time to board the next flight. I picked up my first rental car, a little hatchback Hyundai Accent. It was pretty easy and the entire drive to Samuel and Lisa's house I didn't use a GPS. I guess Tennessee really is my home away from home.

Today, we went to Nashville Shores. An awesome water park. I forgot how much I hate crowds of people. They tend to be selfish and rude. At least it's rather entertaining. I've never see so many disturbing bathing suits, hilarious tanlines and over (fake) tanned people. Ian and I went down several water slides (a first for him) and while waiting in line for one, we saw the most hilarious I-didn't-wear-a-shirt-under-my-overalls tan ever. It was hilarious.

They had a wave pool and Elsa and I hung out while Ian battled both the waves and the masses of peoples and their floating devices. Samuel and Lisa got a chance to try out the water slides and Elsa and I had fun catching up.

She loves Ian. She got really tired while we were at the edge of the wave pool and had her head resting on my shoulder. It popped up suddenly and she exclaimed in an excited voice "Uncle Ian (en)"

Anyway, we had a blast at the water park and all of us left a little on the burned side. I'm barely burned, just a bit around the edge of my current tan on my shoulders and a bit on my shins. Not bad, just feels a little hot... We got Dairy Queen on the way back and within a minute and a half of driving, Elsa was asleep.

A Package Arrived

I have always wanted a Kitchen Aid. Like, seriously, forever. Not just any Kitchen Aid, a big professional one. I was tired of making small batches of things in our Bosch mixer, tired or having to make single recipes on repeat for three or four batches, or mixing in chocolate chips or chunks of anything by hand. When I say by hand, I mean, quite literally, by hand, as in with my hands in the dough. I was tired of the not-quite-soft-enough butter that would make the plastic part of the beaters snap off and I'd have to throw away butter...

So finally, after a long time, I finally bought the Kitchen Aid I wanted. A Professional 600 Steel Blue Kitchen Aid. It is beautiful. From the second I opened the box to every time I walk into the kitchen and see it sitting on the counter, I knew it was perfect.

Of course I had to make a batch of cookies to christen it. Or maybe I'm just weird. Ian does approve because it "doesn't have flames", but seems to still eat what is produced from it. Already it's made a batch of cookies and a double recipe of vanilla biscotti. I'd say it's a keeper!