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. 

Painting at the Fort

Adventured alone today. I needed the recharge time. Since I've been home, the pace has been crazy and exhausting. 

I dropped Evelyn off at school. The sunrise was stunning and made me want to wake up early and see more glorious mornings with pink skies behind snow capped mountains. I've missed those views.

The drive to Fort Casey was relaxing with the few exceptions of annoying drivers who didn't know how to read a speed limit sign *insert minor road rage and name calling here*. Hardly anyone was at the park for the first hour or so while I was there, so I wandered about taking pictures and walking the beach admiring the rocks in complete silence. Almost too quiet. I had to make myself walk the dark tunnels. I am far too used to a crowd at the fort.

Only car in the parking lot

 I thought it would be too cold for painting, but settled down atop the fort and painted away with my favorite chai tea to give it a try. I sat there a while, painting and admiring the Olympic mountains.

Basic down, just need to add the details.

Chowder on a dock in La Conner, browsing my favorite jewelry store, reading poetry and listening to music with the windows down. It was a much needed day. 

Saturday Deals

I almost named this post Saturdeals, but that was just toooooooooo bad. So, what can I say, except you're welcome...

Slept in. Woke up refreshed. Ate leftover cheesecake and yogurt for breakfast, because why not. Also, Chris' Outrageous Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory is hands down the best over-the-top cheesecake ever.

The weather is one of my favorites, overcast, slightly warm with a breeze. There's a storm rolling in, so I'm excited. Hopefully it means thunder. Oh, and ridiculous amounts of rain. Northwest girl here, am I right? Anyway, I spent the afternoon running errands and leisurely walking through the mall. I rarely do the mall, if I do, it's always super fast. This time, I had several things I was looking for and willing to pay (kinda) for.

Top of the list? Plaid shirts. Because last season I tried a traditional buffalo plaid on and then decided not to buy it. I regretted it literally all year. Plus, they were 40% off, so that's a pretty decent deal in my books.

I got a beautiful green shirt for $2.25 at a thrift store here. It's going to be a sweet addition to my wardrobe. I have been so into the color green, that I usually just skip that color while shopping, otherwise I will buy EVERYTHING that color.

It was a nice, relaxing afternoon, a change of pace from the usual days around here and nice to get some of the things off my list that have been on there for ages. The day ended with delicious salmon, card games with the Little Fuji Family and a couple episodes of Chuck.

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! 

September Summer

The last few weeks have been the hardest weeks of my entire life. Even while I've felt a lot of anger, sadness and stress lately, I was shown I have the best support system in my friends and a closeness with the Lord that I've never had. All the problems have also drawn us kids together and shown me that I wouldn't want any other family besides mine. So even though this time is painfully hard, it has helped me grow and face my fears. Amid the hardness of this page of my life there is sweetness I never expected.

A way I cope and think is to drive, so there have been a few days where I went out with no destination. I drove country roads, found new places and favorite places. I painted, walked beaches, took pictures and was thankful... I was determined to enjoy these last summer days. There is nothing like driving country roads with the windows down breathing in the warm ripe blackberries or the ocean. I am still in awe of the world God gave us to live in. I'm cherishing every day, even the hard ones, they are part of my story.

Jane-O

My littlest sister... She's no longer little. Well, kinda. Even a nine year age difference can't keep us from being close. I love going on errands with Jane, reading fairy tales together, tickling her, even though she says she isn't ticklish, playing Ninja, playing Jeep Beep and Slug Bug on drives and cooking together.

We had a blast taking pictures at Jennings Park and she was amazingly patient as I figured out the proper camera settings for all this light and sunshine we now have. Now some facts about this girly...

This girl enjoys fruit of any kind, pudding (especially lately) and if you ask her if she wants anything she will ALWAYS say pizza. Garlic chicken in particular and yes, she can make a mean pizza. 

The sarcasm as I told her to cross her legs and not sit like a dude... ;-) What a crazy kid. 

Jane loves the color blue (it used to be green) and if allowed, will try on EVERY possible dress at Value Village. She loves her orange/red pants and borrowing this leather jacket from one of the many sisters. 

Jane loves playing the piano, singing with Ev, any kind of animal, dancing and hanging out with her friends (and mine... She's in the process of stealing my two closest friends). 

Her normal face.... Naw, just kidding, she made a couple goofy faces when I told her to switch up her look... Guess she needs more practice modeling. ;-)

Who can resist a rooster sculpture? And there wasn't a sign saying not to climb on it!! 

Anyway, thankful for the baby of the family. She's one cool kid.

Solo Adventure

Yesterday, I drove. No true destination. GPS-less. Spontaneous. For those who do not know me well, that is a rarity. I am a planner. I plan routes based on left hand turns and not taking the same road a lot. But not yesterday. I was in need of peace, a time to recharge my introverted side after a social weekend. I was in need of finding nature and painting inspirations.

Through forests, up hills, with sun in my eyes and windows rolled down, I drove. I fell in love with the mountains, the leaf-less trees mixed with evergreens, the lakes and rives, even the pot-hole filled roads. I enjoyed the challenge of not getting lost, of trying new roads and finding new places.

While in Tennessee, I would purposely leave the house in search of nature, since it was so different from here and yesterday I realized that I need to keep doing that. There is so much of Washington that I can explore.

I can't wait for the roadside stands to open up, until the tulips and daffodils bloom and when watching the sunset doesn't freeze me completely. 

I highly recommend adventuring. Both solo AND with friends. It was such a refreshing time. A thoughtful time. A quiet time... It's what we all need sometimes. 

Adventure of the Gracies

We decided to celebrate our Friendiversary. We did some talking and we decided we've been really good friends for six years. We've known each other for a lot longer than that, but were never friends.

This morning, Gracie came over and we headed out on an epic adventure to Whidbey Island. Our first stop was at Rosario Beach. It is now my favorite spot. It was gorgeous. Although really cold, so be warned. Also, don't dress like Gracie and leave your warm jackets at home...

Gracie had never gotten out of Deception Pass, so after the leisurely drive out and the recon missions to several parks and beaches, we got to the Deception Pass Bridge and walked most of the way across.

The drive continued to Langley where we stopped for lunch and coffee. I got an amazing London Fog (one of my favorites). We shopped around the town, which has some rather cute shops. Our favorite shop was called Music for the Eyes. It was a great store with a collection of cool rugs, gorgeous jewelry and beads from all over the world (mostly Middle East and Asia).

We drove further still and found a random beach where the lighting was great so we stopped for pictures/photoshoot/to admire the view, but mostly for pictures. ;-)

We stopped off at an art gallery on the way back home as well as to try on formal dresses as Ross. It was super fun and both of us didn't want the day to end.

In addition to all that, I saw mountains for the first time since I've been home, we ate amazing chocolates, drove through slush, hail, snow-ish and rain, had many conversations and drove over 200 miles. It was a lovely day and I'm so thankful to have this girl in my life!

A Happy Quest for Fall

The "cabin fever" set in this week. For the past month, I have only gone out twice or so times a week. Compared to the somewhat crazy schedule at home where I usually go out at least once a day and often times will be out for hours running errands, chauffeuring kids and such. The first couple weeks were lovely, with no pressure, no demand to get ready for the day first thing each morning. All I did was wash dishes, watch Elsa, workout and clean. My batteries are finally recharged.

Today was lovely, I had a leisurely morning tidying up my room, bathroom and the upstairs bonus room where Elsa and I spend the majority of our time together. It's cozy up there with a giant air mattress and a super comfortable couch, plus the the surplus of books on one wall and the projector making it into a in-home theater. 

In the afternoon, I headed out. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do. I wanted to drive and see fall, drink something warm and then pick up the few items I needed before heading back. Getsome Coffee has the best raspberry white chocolate mocha, so I got one of those on my way out. I first went to Miss Lucille's, a sweet warehouse filled with booths of antiques and knick-knacks. It's a fun place to browse. 

After that, clueless of how far away it was, and without a GPS to help me if I got lost (I rarely do), I decided to venture to Port Royal State Park. It turned out to be a lovely drive down a windy highway and about twenty minutes off of the main highway. 

The view from the parking lot of the Red Fork river. I met a nice lady who was waiting for her client to arrive. She was a photographer and we talked for a few minutes and she told me about several places to check out at the park. 

And so I found fall!! It was fun to see all the deciduous trees and the crunching leaves on the ground.

I loved the vibrant greens against the dulling orange leaves. It once again proved that fall is my favorite time of year.

This field was technically not on the park property and thus I trespassed, which made me think of my best friend and how much I've changed... This field made me happy! I didn't stay for long, but the red barn in the distance and all the beautifully colored trees with the bright blue sky was just what I needed to see. 

My adventure felt like it ended way too fast as I picked up a couple things from Hobby Lobby and a few ingredients to make pretzel bites and cheese sauce this week.... 

All in all, today was a happy day and I am thankful for where I'm at. 

Outting Adventures

Yesterday, we headed to Opry Mills Mall in Nashville. It's like quite literally next door to the Grand Ol' Opry and Opryland. We had dinner at The Rainforest Cafe, which was an interestingly fun experience. Elsa loved all the fake moving animals and the jungle feel. 

We watched Storks that night in theater. After The Secret Life of Pets, I had little to no hope for it being a good movie. I was pleasantly surprised, it was a super cute movie, all made better because I got to snuggle with Elsa almost the entire time. 

So, I had my first time in a Disney store. SO. MANY. SPARKLES. Lisa got Elsa an adorable pair of pajamas. They're adorable on her. 

Anyways, ended up staying up wwwwwaaaaaaaayyyyyy too late and fell asleep on the floor of my room for a few minutes.

It was a good day. 

Return to Fort Worden

For two months, we had a date set aside in September to spend together at Fort Worden. We made improvements from the last time by making ferry reservations and packed enough food for everyone.

So this past Saturday at 7:50am, three Fuji's, three Grays, three Jamiesons, one Hacking, four Miles and one Caitlin-- fifteen people total-- loaded into the our "rad" semi-white van and headed for Fort Worden. I forgot how chaotic and loud a full van can be, but it was fun to listen and participate in the different conversations. We arrived in Coupeville at the ferry terminal in great time. Forty minutes before the ferry was to leave. It left us the perfect amount of time to play Duck, Duck, Bang and Ninja in the parking lot. 

Fierce game of Ninja at the ferry terminal

Once on the ferry, the looks we got while fifteen adult/teens got out of the van was priceless! It looked like a ridiculous amount of people in one vehicle. 

All those people fit in one van! 

We admired the view and eventually met up on the Mezzanine deck of the ferry where it was relatively quiet and clear. We had to take what is now a traditional ferry picture for us. 

We arrived at Fort Worden hungry and ready to explore. We grabbed lunch things and headed for the beach. 

Some things you should know:

Gracie+Beach= Friends

Gracie+Beach= Frolicking 

Gracie+Beach= Happiness 

Gracie+Friends+Beach= Bliss + <3

So we ate our Robin Hood lunch of French bread, meat, cheese and sand. Washed it down with Mucho Mango tea and water and hand pies. 

The beach explorers took off, running and laughing down the beach, we were happy. There was real sand between our toes and sun in our eyes. The majority of them ran around the bend in the beach and way out from eyesight. Since shoes, socks, bags, wallets and food were still at our original lunch area, I stayed relatively close looking for cool rocks and shells and talking with Lindsay. 

After a good hour or so, the beach wanderers were called back (I'm mean, what can I say), so we could go explore the fort. They came back with smiles, covered in sand and some wet. 

The beached boat was our next destination. We had to get a group picture there and recreate the recreated Washington Crossing picture from last time... 

We went next to explore the upper bunkers. They were pretty much all the same, but still pretty sweet and not as busy as the lower bunkers. We always search for the best singing bunker. Part way through the exploring, Nick, John and I ditched in hopes of finding a different room to sing in, or just get away from the rest of the group. I think a good scare would have been planned as well. It was fun. I took a bunch of picture as we continued to explore, we ran around, sang and looked around more. 

Near the end, some of us got "separated" from the rest of the group (we thought they would find us, but instead, they went all the way back to the van). It gave us a chance to sing a little as a smaller group. The funnest part was when this dad and his three girls walked past and we screamed really loudly and Ian banged on his Cajon, then silence. When we stepped out into the hall, no one was there. It was awesome! 

Overall the time at Fort Worden was a blast, although it could have been longer.... 

The second ferry ride was us hanging on that same Mezzanine deck the entire time. Gracie gave me a killer neck massage. I was so out that walking back to the car was really really weird feeling. 

Since spending ten hours together wasn't enough to satisfy anyone, we went to Fort Ebey to watch the sunset and sing some more. It was the perfect way to spend the evening. The acoustics in the large room at Fort Ebey were way better than any of the others at Fort Worden. 

It was a sweet time and once again, I am left thinking that I know a great group of people and am thankful for my friends. Until next adventure...