Alright, I put up my pictures online! (Stop the exclamations of "finally" please, I've been busy!!)
Here's the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pursuitofsunshine/
Enjoy! Thanks to everyone who kept up with my trip, it means so much to me!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Where Am I Going...Where Have I Been?
In short...all over Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. More specifically...kayaking in Puget Sound, exploring the Seattle waterfront, shopping on Capitol Hill, playing with the kids, and surviving a bus ride through the unfamiliar downtown Seattle.
About that experience.
I have a habit of spacing out when I'm on buses. I hate when people talk to me, I get annoyed when people turn their music up too loud, and I refuse to wait in line behind people that forget to have correct change to pay for their ride.
We got held up at a stop downtown as a lady ran to catch the bus, stormed up the steps, and then demanded to be let onto the bus even though she only had sixty-four cents. Due to the nice (or just impatient) bus driver, she was let on and we continued our route through town.
The lady fell into a chair as if she hadn't sat in days. Her outfit was a messy mix of in-style-in-the-80s clothing and boots meant for only cowboys out on the ranch, and I immediately assumed she was either crazy or homeless.
I soon came to the conclusion that she was a little bit of both, as she rattled on and on to the passenger beside her about how she hadn't been employed in months, but though she had no consistency in her life, she was trying to run a non-profit program for women, teaching them how to sew. She proudly showed off her tattered bag that had obviously been ruthlessly made by an unskilled woman with a needle, saying it was made by one of her brand new students.
As I got off the bus, I handed her the bus fare of two dollars and a small piece of paper where I wrote "Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy--James 1:2". I don't know why. But here's my thinking.
We rush through our lives so much that we never stop to think that maybe people really are at the end of their rope and just need a smile to get the courage to try to climb back up again. We don't realize that handing a homeless woman on the bus two dollars will make her cry and realize that there really are people in this world that love. We call ourselves Christians. Maybe if we took time to be such, we wouldn't have to label ourselves. Others would label us.
About that experience.
I have a habit of spacing out when I'm on buses. I hate when people talk to me, I get annoyed when people turn their music up too loud, and I refuse to wait in line behind people that forget to have correct change to pay for their ride.
We got held up at a stop downtown as a lady ran to catch the bus, stormed up the steps, and then demanded to be let onto the bus even though she only had sixty-four cents. Due to the nice (or just impatient) bus driver, she was let on and we continued our route through town.
The lady fell into a chair as if she hadn't sat in days. Her outfit was a messy mix of in-style-in-the-80s clothing and boots meant for only cowboys out on the ranch, and I immediately assumed she was either crazy or homeless.
I soon came to the conclusion that she was a little bit of both, as she rattled on and on to the passenger beside her about how she hadn't been employed in months, but though she had no consistency in her life, she was trying to run a non-profit program for women, teaching them how to sew. She proudly showed off her tattered bag that had obviously been ruthlessly made by an unskilled woman with a needle, saying it was made by one of her brand new students.
As I got off the bus, I handed her the bus fare of two dollars and a small piece of paper where I wrote "Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy--James 1:2". I don't know why. But here's my thinking.
We rush through our lives so much that we never stop to think that maybe people really are at the end of their rope and just need a smile to get the courage to try to climb back up again. We don't realize that handing a homeless woman on the bus two dollars will make her cry and realize that there really are people in this world that love. We call ourselves Christians. Maybe if we took time to be such, we wouldn't have to label ourselves. Others would label us.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
If You're Ever in Boise...
Happy July 4th! Or, really, probably July 5th by the time I'm finished.
Fireworks time with the family! (Photographer Mom not pictured)
I've had quite the week here in Boise, ID: enduring another airplane ride/layover/delay to get here, spending time with my cousins, aunt and uncle, biking everywhere and more, fishing (correction: observing the boys fish), beautiful sunsets, BBQs, shopping, celebrating my aunt's birthday, boating, floating, jet skiing, and more. So far, a very successful vacation.
My cousin Ben :)
In case you're ever in the area, I thought I'd give you a few helpful hints to survive and make your stay more pleasant.
1. Geese are overly protective of the patch of grass they have claimed as their very own, and can run really, really fast after you. (Side note: they can also hiss. Who knew?)
2. If you don't own a vehicle with 4-wheel drive, I'm sorry...you won't fit in. But you can rent one at the airport for the very low cost of approximately $150/day (which to my Missouri mind seems a little ridiculous).
3. There is approximately 43 coffee shops around here. And I'm not even in Seattle yet.
4. When you fall off a jet ski going 40 miles an hour, you're going to be SORE the next day!!
5. When floating down the river, if you let me paddle, don't be surprised that we go straight into a tree. Really, it's your own fault for giving the paddle to me in the first place.
Fireworks time with the family! (Photographer Mom not pictured)I've had quite the week here in Boise, ID: enduring another airplane ride/layover/delay to get here, spending time with my cousins, aunt and uncle, biking everywhere and more, fishing (correction: observing the boys fish), beautiful sunsets, BBQs, shopping, celebrating my aunt's birthday, boating, floating, jet skiing, and more. So far, a very successful vacation.
My cousin Ben :)In case you're ever in the area, I thought I'd give you a few helpful hints to survive and make your stay more pleasant.
1. Geese are overly protective of the patch of grass they have claimed as their very own, and can run really, really fast after you. (Side note: they can also hiss. Who knew?)
2. If you don't own a vehicle with 4-wheel drive, I'm sorry...you won't fit in. But you can rent one at the airport for the very low cost of approximately $150/day (which to my Missouri mind seems a little ridiculous).
3. There is approximately 43 coffee shops around here. And I'm not even in Seattle yet.
4. When you fall off a jet ski going 40 miles an hour, you're going to be SORE the next day!!
5. When floating down the river, if you let me paddle, don't be surprised that we go straight into a tree. Really, it's your own fault for giving the paddle to me in the first place.
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