Jp
Monday, May 31, 2010
A Little More Fun
Woke up later again on Sunday morning... I'm liking this pattern this weekend.
Mom and Meggan both had things to do, so I spent my morning (after having some cereal) listening to last week's sermon while I sorted out pictures from the last two months. I make sorting sort of complicated, since I have two external hard drives where I back everything up. I thought once about how all my lovely pictures could be lost forever if my one machine stopped working (I even used to take it on the airplane...). Call me over-zealous, but I wouldn't like to lose them for a silly reason like a computer crashing (either way).
By the time I finished, Mom got back home and we had lunch before we took off to Carnation. She had to fit some dresses for the wedding and I wanted to ride for a bit. There was a little rain, but not much to speak of. Roo came walking towards me! Usually he tries to avoid work! His winter coat is almost all gone, revealing his glossy, short, darker coat underneath. It also makes for less hair all over me by the time I finish brushing. He did very well on three of his hooves... but again, on that back right one he fought like it would be fatal if I did it. I had to get the whip again, and even that didn't help very much. He backed himself against the fence and I was able to finally do it.
Riding itself was great! He did wonderfully and didn't fight me at all. But coming out of a trot once he seriously tripped and almost fell down (the ground was pretty soft from the rain) and he got scared pretty bad and bucked for a second once he got his feet. LOL, poor guy! I calmed him down though and we continued to ride for a while.
The grass outside the riding pasture was two feet tall! I rode Roo outside the ring and dismounted and he could barely wait for me to get the neck strap off before he plowed into it. Molly didn't need to be called to come join him. :) So I took all his tack off and they happily munched away. The funniest thing about them is they'd never get 20 yards away if they ever got out of the pasture. They would just sit there and eat. :) So I didn't even need to hold onto lead ropes or anything.
On the way home, Mom and I stopped by Fred's for some items (I finally found the replacement hiking socks I've been looking for forever... the pair I used on Friday have some pretty giant holes in them!) and it was very successful. We had a quick stop at home and then soon went off to church for the evening service. I am just loving this study through 1 Corinthians! So very good! When we got home I arranged some things for today and then we watched an episode for fun... "I gotta sing, or I'll die... It comes easy to me... Have you come to love me?"... Yep!
This weekend is just unbelievably wonderful.
Jp
Mom and Meggan both had things to do, so I spent my morning (after having some cereal) listening to last week's sermon while I sorted out pictures from the last two months. I make sorting sort of complicated, since I have two external hard drives where I back everything up. I thought once about how all my lovely pictures could be lost forever if my one machine stopped working (I even used to take it on the airplane...). Call me over-zealous, but I wouldn't like to lose them for a silly reason like a computer crashing (either way).
By the time I finished, Mom got back home and we had lunch before we took off to Carnation. She had to fit some dresses for the wedding and I wanted to ride for a bit. There was a little rain, but not much to speak of. Roo came walking towards me! Usually he tries to avoid work! His winter coat is almost all gone, revealing his glossy, short, darker coat underneath. It also makes for less hair all over me by the time I finish brushing. He did very well on three of his hooves... but again, on that back right one he fought like it would be fatal if I did it. I had to get the whip again, and even that didn't help very much. He backed himself against the fence and I was able to finally do it.
Riding itself was great! He did wonderfully and didn't fight me at all. But coming out of a trot once he seriously tripped and almost fell down (the ground was pretty soft from the rain) and he got scared pretty bad and bucked for a second once he got his feet. LOL, poor guy! I calmed him down though and we continued to ride for a while.
The grass outside the riding pasture was two feet tall! I rode Roo outside the ring and dismounted and he could barely wait for me to get the neck strap off before he plowed into it. Molly didn't need to be called to come join him. :) So I took all his tack off and they happily munched away. The funniest thing about them is they'd never get 20 yards away if they ever got out of the pasture. They would just sit there and eat. :) So I didn't even need to hold onto lead ropes or anything.
On the way home, Mom and I stopped by Fred's for some items (I finally found the replacement hiking socks I've been looking for forever... the pair I used on Friday have some pretty giant holes in them!) and it was very successful. We had a quick stop at home and then soon went off to church for the evening service. I am just loving this study through 1 Corinthians! So very good! When we got home I arranged some things for today and then we watched an episode for fun... "I gotta sing, or I'll die... It comes easy to me... Have you come to love me?"... Yep!
This weekend is just unbelievably wonderful.
Jp
Saturday, May 29, 2010
A *Perfect* Day
I stayed up rather late last night after the game, posting and chatting with friends... into the wee hours of the morning. So later this morning (at 8:30) I woke up dreamily. The over two hour nap yesterday gave me the insurance sleep I needed. Had a lazy morning and a nice, little breakfast. It wasn't long before I got out of my pajamas and into what I was wearing for the play. :)
Mom and I drove to the convention center to park and then walked two blocks to the Paramount theater. We were there nice and early, so we had lots of time to climb all those stairs to the balcony. The only complaint I had the entire time was the scrunchy seats. There was hardly any leg room... but we made it okay.
The Paramount is very ornately decorated and has an impressively designed theater. Large mirrors, carved wood everywhere and large chandeliers. The curtain had a painted scene of hardwood trees, and soon it opened. I enjoyed the pace of the play much more than the feature film... Harvey Fierstein excelled at playing Tevye. He didn't copy Topol and made it very much his own performance. Often times he would use a long silence to accentuate the comedy. And they performed all the songs... and even did a dance with bottles on their heads during the wedding celebration in the first act. Mary did a wonderful job, as usual, and had many, many lines throughout the play that always brought a chorus of laughter from the audience. The entire thing was just so lovely; the time slipped by so fast.
And if I thought the play went fast, the half-hour that Mary so generously spent with us on the sidewalk by the stage door felt like three minutes instead of thirty. :) She was so very nice! We all exchanged hugs: myself, and then I introduced my Mom and then Meg and Jason, who had come by just to meet her. One of the first things out of her mouth was bewilderment at the lack of DVD's. She quickly asked me if I had any solution... and she was overjoyed when I let her know she could have a set so easily. She had just lately found the episodes on Google and shown "Eugenia Bremer, Master Spy" to a friend. We talked about the tour of Fiddler on the Roof for a while, but conversation always turned to the show. She confessed to preferring Victor in the Great Debate (before we showed any inclination of our own!) :) And we found out she has a friend her in Seattle who she is staying with and having a wonderful time. I'm so glad she has company here! Here are a few pictures: (Mom and her had a duel... LOL!)
Everything was so wonderful today! We went out to dinner immediately after we parted company (she was meeting a friend) and we had very good Vietnamese food at a bistro right on the corner across from the theater. Oh, so perfect!
Jp
Friday, May 28, 2010
What a Day!
Today I climbed a mountain and watched the Huskies defeat Oklahoma in the final four innings of the second game, which means they've advanced to the World Series in OKC next week. Whew!
I dragged myself out of bed at twenty after six this morning so I could get to work early and leave early for a meeting with three other recruits. No recruiters were involved: everyone is off for the Memorial Day weekend, but we wanted to PT anyway. When I looked outside in the morning, I was disheartened and didn't know if I wanted to follow through on my promise to come. It was solid gray and drearily wet. I also wanted a couple eggs this morning, but got out of the sack too late to do anything like that. So I munched on Nature Valley "Oats & Honey" bars that I picked up yesterday after Jazzercise instead (I used to eat them all the time back in college).
I caught up on busy-work during all four hours of work and then promptly headed off to join up with people in Bellevue. I drove all four of us past Issaquah to Tiger Mountain. It was seriously wet out. I laced up my GI boots from ROTC. I almost didn't use them because I thought they might look silly with the workout pants I was wearing, but I suddenly realized that I didn't care what I looked like. It was just black boots with black pants after all. And they ended up saving my life on the trail (my feet's life). They really are marvelous for hiking up and down mountains. Great ankle support, and although my feet were drenched from sweat, they were relatively comfortable in the broken-in leather.
Goodness, gracious! was it a difficult hike! Three miles up and three miles down in the pouring rain. The trees provided shelter for the first bit, but by the time we were getting to the top we were hiking in a small creek. My thin pants were sopped and sticking to my legs and I had long since opened my outer shell to ventilate... and my sweatshirt didn't stay dry. What didn't get wet from the rain got soaked with sweat. It was really hard to keep going up some inclines, but I didn't stop. I only took a drink after Bradley reminded me to, and he stayed with me most of the time. The last half-mile was a killer. I was ready to be done. I stopped for a second or two twice, I think, just because my legs could hardly move. But I used little bursts of energy to keep me going. It's amazing what we can do if we decide to. I almost decided not to. :) At the top of the mountain (2,5oo feet) all we could see was the mist being blown by the wind right at us. On a clear day you can see the city and valley, I hear. Oh, well! It really was about getting there. We shared some string cheese and I ate some more Oats & Honey bars.
I was worried about coming down since my knees can get rather sensitive about all that pounding on them... but I did some side-stepping and jogging to make it easier on them and they came down just fine.
When I got home I had the most wonderful shower in the *world* and then a little snack... zucchini and grapes and a small taco. And then I got my pajama pants back on and slept for two and a half hours. When I woke up, the Huskies were just finishing the first softball game, winning 3-0. And then they announced the next one would start in a half-hour at 8:30. Yikes! I've played some double-headers in my past, but I always thought it was a little too much for one day. Danielle Lawrie pitched both games and struck out around 15 batters in the *second* game. Whoa! So as I sat listening to it, I decided I'd like to go to at least some of the second... so I did. I drove over to the U, found a free parking spot (because it's the weekend), walked a half-mile to the stadium and saw if I could get a ticket. They were still selling standing room only, so I got one of those for $3 and went in. I stayed on the 1st base side for a while, but then realized I could get the whole view from the outfield. And that was much nicer. And they won again, 4-0! I saw the final four innings and lots of exhilarating, nail-biting moments. So neat!
What a day. And tomorrow promises to be fun as well!
Jp
I dragged myself out of bed at twenty after six this morning so I could get to work early and leave early for a meeting with three other recruits. No recruiters were involved: everyone is off for the Memorial Day weekend, but we wanted to PT anyway. When I looked outside in the morning, I was disheartened and didn't know if I wanted to follow through on my promise to come. It was solid gray and drearily wet. I also wanted a couple eggs this morning, but got out of the sack too late to do anything like that. So I munched on Nature Valley "Oats & Honey" bars that I picked up yesterday after Jazzercise instead (I used to eat them all the time back in college).
I caught up on busy-work during all four hours of work and then promptly headed off to join up with people in Bellevue. I drove all four of us past Issaquah to Tiger Mountain. It was seriously wet out. I laced up my GI boots from ROTC. I almost didn't use them because I thought they might look silly with the workout pants I was wearing, but I suddenly realized that I didn't care what I looked like. It was just black boots with black pants after all. And they ended up saving my life on the trail (my feet's life). They really are marvelous for hiking up and down mountains. Great ankle support, and although my feet were drenched from sweat, they were relatively comfortable in the broken-in leather.
Goodness, gracious! was it a difficult hike! Three miles up and three miles down in the pouring rain. The trees provided shelter for the first bit, but by the time we were getting to the top we were hiking in a small creek. My thin pants were sopped and sticking to my legs and I had long since opened my outer shell to ventilate... and my sweatshirt didn't stay dry. What didn't get wet from the rain got soaked with sweat. It was really hard to keep going up some inclines, but I didn't stop. I only took a drink after Bradley reminded me to, and he stayed with me most of the time. The last half-mile was a killer. I was ready to be done. I stopped for a second or two twice, I think, just because my legs could hardly move. But I used little bursts of energy to keep me going. It's amazing what we can do if we decide to. I almost decided not to. :) At the top of the mountain (2,5oo feet) all we could see was the mist being blown by the wind right at us. On a clear day you can see the city and valley, I hear. Oh, well! It really was about getting there. We shared some string cheese and I ate some more Oats & Honey bars.
I was worried about coming down since my knees can get rather sensitive about all that pounding on them... but I did some side-stepping and jogging to make it easier on them and they came down just fine.
When I got home I had the most wonderful shower in the *world* and then a little snack... zucchini and grapes and a small taco. And then I got my pajama pants back on and slept for two and a half hours. When I woke up, the Huskies were just finishing the first softball game, winning 3-0. And then they announced the next one would start in a half-hour at 8:30. Yikes! I've played some double-headers in my past, but I always thought it was a little too much for one day. Danielle Lawrie pitched both games and struck out around 15 batters in the *second* game. Whoa! So as I sat listening to it, I decided I'd like to go to at least some of the second... so I did. I drove over to the U, found a free parking spot (because it's the weekend), walked a half-mile to the stadium and saw if I could get a ticket. They were still selling standing room only, so I got one of those for $3 and went in. I stayed on the 1st base side for a while, but then realized I could get the whole view from the outfield. And that was much nicer. And they won again, 4-0! I saw the final four innings and lots of exhilarating, nail-biting moments. So neat!
What a day. And tomorrow promises to be fun as well!
Jp
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Waiting for the Weekend
At least I've been posting on other blogs this week... :)
And here's a new one I made,
for reasons I explain there.
Really, nothing much has happened... besides Mary getting back to me about meeting on Saturday and our sudden urge to watch an episode or two. We did "Who's Minding the Asylum?" (aka "Swing Low") on Wednesday night. I've been good about eating things for breakfast and working out... however, if I'm going to lose those last couple pounds (how annoying, that I've been so close for so long. I've just been maintaining.) I really need to get serious somehow. If only I knew exactly what I should eat and how much.
Listened to the first couple innings of the first softball game between UO and UW... and we weren't doing very well. Ugg. Just checked... we dropped the ball and lost 6-1. Boo.
I was going to do a short run tonight, but the dog saw me getting my shoes on, so we went on a walk instead. :) I did do Jazzercise tonight and it was an excellent routine. Many muscles were burned. And I needed to go to break off the automatic withdrawal they have on my account anyway. Come October, that would be bad if it still deducted.
I feel a little restless: I'm tired and I can't wait for Saturday.
Jp
And here's a new one I made,for reasons I explain there.
Really, nothing much has happened... besides Mary getting back to me about meeting on Saturday and our sudden urge to watch an episode or two. We did "Who's Minding the Asylum?" (aka "Swing Low") on Wednesday night. I've been good about eating things for breakfast and working out... however, if I'm going to lose those last couple pounds (how annoying, that I've been so close for so long. I've just been maintaining.) I really need to get serious somehow. If only I knew exactly what I should eat and how much.
Listened to the first couple innings of the first softball game between UO and UW... and we weren't doing very well. Ugg. Just checked... we dropped the ball and lost 6-1. Boo.
I was going to do a short run tonight, but the dog saw me getting my shoes on, so we went on a walk instead. :) I did do Jazzercise tonight and it was an excellent routine. Many muscles were burned. And I needed to go to break off the automatic withdrawal they have on my account anyway. Come October, that would be bad if it still deducted.
I feel a little restless: I'm tired and I can't wait for Saturday.
Jp
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sprinkles
Not a whole lot to report from yesterday, except that after work I thought about biking, but didn't get around to going outside until it was 8:30. Much too late to drive out to Woodinville... and then Spiffy sat there begging to go on a walk. I had just spent a half-hour working on the trip, and the poor boy spent the whole time lying at my feet waiting for me to get up. So I gave in and we had a good walk. But that meant all I could do for a comparable workout was running. But as I started, and continued, I felt pretty good. I wasn't heaving for breath at the end of the first half-mile, so I went around again for a complete mile. And I wasn't gasping! I think I might be getting better at it... maybe.
Last night I woke up at 3 am in dire pain from my period after dreaming about boot camp. I found the irony rather funny after I thought about it, but for a few moments of disorientation I figured that I must be quite insane to join the service. :)
And I'm 2 for 2 this week having something for breakfast. I've decided it's something that will help me feel better and be healthier, and I think it's helping.
I was also desperate to work out last night because they said it was going to be our only dry night this week. Today we had some sprinkles, but nothing too crazy. Just got back from a quick walk with the dog - we watched a movie tonight - Run Silent, Run Deep (1958, Clark Gable) - so it was dark out by the time we started and the ground was wet, but that was all... We also had our family Bible study again for the first time in a few weeks, and we finished James. It was good. Spiffy didn't last long on our walk tonight, though. I don't think he cares much for night walks.
Jp
Last night I woke up at 3 am in dire pain from my period after dreaming about boot camp. I found the irony rather funny after I thought about it, but for a few moments of disorientation I figured that I must be quite insane to join the service. :)
And I'm 2 for 2 this week having something for breakfast. I've decided it's something that will help me feel better and be healthier, and I think it's helping.
I was also desperate to work out last night because they said it was going to be our only dry night this week. Today we had some sprinkles, but nothing too crazy. Just got back from a quick walk with the dog - we watched a movie tonight - Run Silent, Run Deep (1958, Clark Gable) - so it was dark out by the time we started and the ground was wet, but that was all... We also had our family Bible study again for the first time in a few weeks, and we finished James. It was good. Spiffy didn't last long on our walk tonight, though. I don't think he cares much for night walks.
Jp
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Fun Days!
I've just spent around six hours entertaining friends and family who came over for a celebration and open house for Meg's doctorate. Mom and I put all the decorations out and Dad and I picked up the platters of food from Fred Meyer this morning. Poor Doggy! People were coming and going the entire time. For everyone's sanity, he had to stay in Mom & Dad's room as all the door bells went off. I was able to have a nice conversation with my 96 year old Grandma and I entertained a 6 year old son of one of Meg's friends with my dinosaurs. :) My brachiosaurus turned into a meat-eater and had a triceratops for a son... LOLYesterday morning was spent cleaning the house rather thoroughly: I did all the vacuuming (and thought of friends with similar goals as I did) before my friend came over. That was about 2pm that we went out to have Thai food. I had the same beef salad with tomato and cucumber that I had had on Thursday with the ladies at work. Right after that we headed over to the university to catch the softball game... the Huskies are hosting the first round of the NCAA regional tournament (they were the National Champs last year). But when we got there we found out the game was sold out. :( My friend wanted to get something at the U bookstore, so we went to upper campus (free parking on the weekend!) and did a little shopping. We then drove back down to the wetlands trail near the stadium, but it was a little too wet:
So we decided to walk over to the stadium along the Montlake Cut (waterway between Lake Washington and Lake Union) and we ended up arriving while the game was still on! So we climbed up the north bleachers of the stadium which overlooks the softball stadium! We had a bird-eye view for the last two innings! for free! :)
And Danielle Lawrie struck out the very last batter for the win! - and as I just linked that, I found out that they won again today, sending them on to the next regional series... against Oklahoma... - didn't think I'd be saying this, but... BEAT THE SOONERS! :) no offense, of course. :)From that high up in Husky Stadium, we had a pretty good view of Lake Washington and the 520 bridge:
And during a very fun chat last night, we watched "State Fair" for some good, old-fashioned entertainment. What a weekend! And I had such a dream last night that I awoke after nine this morning with the thought that I was late for work. I guess I'll save that for tomorrow.Jp
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Sun and the Rain
Just nine more working days until the Big Trip. :) I'm on a major countdown to it. And I've been fine-tuning the Plan. Used AAA Trip Tiks to help me out a little bit, mapping out gas stations and restaurants along the route. I don't know if I'll use it, since I'm going to try to use a lot of supermarkets, but why not have back-up, right? And I ironed out more of the last day in NY.
No sooner had I finished Facebook-updating about how happy I was that I didn't need a coat on Monday than the weather got colder. It was still very sunny on Tuesday, but by Wednesday afternoon it hailed, I hear. I was buried away downstairs at work and only noticed the lights flickering as I heard the fierce wind.
Tuesday evening all I did was print out pictures for Mom and a few for myself. Meg was still grading, so by the time I got home she started a second picture. I pretty much sat down and watched Sense & Sensibility with her. On Wed. night, we indulged in our next Netflix: "Little Miss Marker" (1980, Julie Andrews & Walter Matthau). It was set in the '30's and it was very funny.
Tonight after some yummy leftover corn-on-the-cob and baked potato, I arranged meetings with friends via Facebook and then went on a short 5-mile bike ride. I didn't want to go too far because tomorrow I'm doing the Navy workout. I almost missed out though, because it had just started to sprinkle when I walked outside through the garage. But then I thought, "why not?" and got a water-proof wind-breaker and went anyway. I knew I was in for a special ride when I pedaled into the park in Woodinville. The sun was shining straight ahead of me between the clouds. As the rain kept falling it was illuminated into a shower of falling, golden droplets. The family of geese I saw on Monday were there again, but it looked like they had more than a dozen children. There was hardly another person on the trail as I took off north to Bothell, and that meant the birds were out in force. They wove and dove and sang and chirped everywhere. As I stopped to watch the river otter I spotted, some little guy burst out into song, not four feet in front of my face! Lord, how I love the animals! I heard Red-winged Blackbirds and Robins and Sparrows and many others that I don't know. On the return trip through the Bothell Landing I looked up and saw a duck coming in for a landing almost right on top of me. And then of course, there were the bunnies. As I came back the clouds to the west had turned orange and yellow with the setting sun. Oh! How I will miss biking along the river! The rainbows were still there when I packed up my bike and came home. What an evening!
I haven't been to church these last two weeks, so while I picked up my room and cleaned all the junk off my desk I listened to the May 9th service online. It's starting to get into the shortcomings of the Corinthian church... and how the first thing Paul talks about is human wisdom verses God's wisdom... an interesting place to start. Anyway, I found it very nice to get back into thinking about the Lord.
It's time for bed now... and Yay! it's Friday! :)
Jp
No sooner had I finished Facebook-updating about how happy I was that I didn't need a coat on Monday than the weather got colder. It was still very sunny on Tuesday, but by Wednesday afternoon it hailed, I hear. I was buried away downstairs at work and only noticed the lights flickering as I heard the fierce wind.
Tuesday evening all I did was print out pictures for Mom and a few for myself. Meg was still grading, so by the time I got home she started a second picture. I pretty much sat down and watched Sense & Sensibility with her. On Wed. night, we indulged in our next Netflix: "Little Miss Marker" (1980, Julie Andrews & Walter Matthau). It was set in the '30's and it was very funny.
Tonight after some yummy leftover corn-on-the-cob and baked potato, I arranged meetings with friends via Facebook and then went on a short 5-mile bike ride. I didn't want to go too far because tomorrow I'm doing the Navy workout. I almost missed out though, because it had just started to sprinkle when I walked outside through the garage. But then I thought, "why not?" and got a water-proof wind-breaker and went anyway. I knew I was in for a special ride when I pedaled into the park in Woodinville. The sun was shining straight ahead of me between the clouds. As the rain kept falling it was illuminated into a shower of falling, golden droplets. The family of geese I saw on Monday were there again, but it looked like they had more than a dozen children. There was hardly another person on the trail as I took off north to Bothell, and that meant the birds were out in force. They wove and dove and sang and chirped everywhere. As I stopped to watch the river otter I spotted, some little guy burst out into song, not four feet in front of my face! Lord, how I love the animals! I heard Red-winged Blackbirds and Robins and Sparrows and many others that I don't know. On the return trip through the Bothell Landing I looked up and saw a duck coming in for a landing almost right on top of me. And then of course, there were the bunnies. As I came back the clouds to the west had turned orange and yellow with the setting sun. Oh! How I will miss biking along the river! The rainbows were still there when I packed up my bike and came home. What an evening!
I haven't been to church these last two weeks, so while I picked up my room and cleaned all the junk off my desk I listened to the May 9th service online. It's starting to get into the shortcomings of the Corinthian church... and how the first thing Paul talks about is human wisdom verses God's wisdom... an interesting place to start. Anyway, I found it very nice to get back into thinking about the Lord.
It's time for bed now... and Yay! it's Friday! :)
Jp
Monday, May 17, 2010
Plodding Along
Sunday I was determined to have a day of rest... and I generally did. Of course, I added a few bits more to my PLAN, but that didn't take very long. I slept in til a good, late time of ten-thirty. Meg had grading to do, so we sat around and watched movies together. Familiar ones, so she didn't have to concentrate on them. We watched Sleeping Beauty and Emma, and later half of the Court Jester, which we finished tonight. Later that afternoon when my parents got back, Jason's parents came over for dinner and we had a great time. We talked a lot about future travels... they're going to NYC as well, later this year.
I felt rather distracted at work, thinking about the near future. After dinner, the Fun Couple came home and we played Skip-Bo and watched the before-mentioned Jester. I wanted to do some sort of exercise as well, since yesterday I didn't. The dog pleaded (whined loudly) for a walk, so we did that *first*. I then contented myself with a few push-ups and a half-mile run.
I'm tired! And it's Monday. But I realized that I only have about six weeks of actual work left... how short my time is!
Jp
I felt rather distracted at work, thinking about the near future. After dinner, the Fun Couple came home and we played Skip-Bo and watched the before-mentioned Jester. I wanted to do some sort of exercise as well, since yesterday I didn't. The dog pleaded (whined loudly) for a walk, so we did that *first*. I then contented myself with a few push-ups and a half-mile run.
I'm tired! And it's Monday. But I realized that I only have about six weeks of actual work left... how short my time is!
Jp
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Fives
As I biked along the Sammamish River trail tonight at 5:05 pm (I like to keep track of how fast I go), I saw a Mallard swimming on the river. But I had to stop and watch her because I noticed a little one with her. When I looked closer (while not going 15 MPH) I saw that she had 5 of them flitting around her. Cute little things. I love how they zip around Mommy.
I had not yet gone 5 minutes more before I saw two ladies standing near the river, peering down over the edge, so I stopped because I noticed three Canadian geese and lots of young ones. As they jumped off the bank into the river I counted twelve. So cute! And just around the corner was mile post 5.
So I biked for an hour for 15 miles (another day, another hour ride), going all the way from Woodinville to Marymoor Park in Redmond. Some high school baseball games were being played, so I stopped for a second and watched. And I noticed on all the backstops they had signs saying "Marymoor Wi-Fi Hotspots" for free Internet. What? So Mom's and Dad's can ignore their kid's games? Oh well. Strange day and age we live in.
And I finally finished planning my big New England trip! I've been planning and re-planning since I bought airplane tickets in February and before. Yay! It's in just under three weeks! Yay! And that was pretty much all of yesterday. I tried to do a Navy workout, but it got canceled. I'm just giving excuses for not working out as much as I should. :)
What a beautiful day, again!
Jp
I had not yet gone 5 minutes more before I saw two ladies standing near the river, peering down over the edge, so I stopped because I noticed three Canadian geese and lots of young ones. As they jumped off the bank into the river I counted twelve. So cute! And just around the corner was mile post 5.
So I biked for an hour for 15 miles (another day, another hour ride), going all the way from Woodinville to Marymoor Park in Redmond. Some high school baseball games were being played, so I stopped for a second and watched. And I noticed on all the backstops they had signs saying "Marymoor Wi-Fi Hotspots" for free Internet. What? So Mom's and Dad's can ignore their kid's games? Oh well. Strange day and age we live in.
And I finally finished planning my big New England trip! I've been planning and re-planning since I bought airplane tickets in February and before. Yay! It's in just under three weeks! Yay! And that was pretty much all of yesterday. I tried to do a Navy workout, but it got canceled. I'm just giving excuses for not working out as much as I should. :)
What a beautiful day, again!
Jp
Thursday, May 13, 2010
In the Good, Old Springtime
I love Spring. Especially in the cool of the evening when the sky is pure blue and the vivid green leaves of the hardwoods and evergreens are illuminated gold from the sun, low in the sky and poking out between the tall trees. As I walked with the dog this evening, we were serenaded by songs and calls and chirping from many, mostly hidden singers that ringed around us as we sauntered along. Strangely enough, for one moment I was reminded of sitting in the garden at Balboa Park last July. I so loved just drinking in everything around me: little animal noises everywhere and the sight of the trees and the sunlight. So relaxing.
After I had finished this excursion with the dog (calling it this can be a convenient substitute for the indicator word "WALK", especially when secrecy is needed) and finished the dinner dishes, I went biking on the Sammamish/Burke-Gilman Trail from 8-9PM for 11 miles round trip. That's another springtime blessing: late light! I've given up listening to music as I go lately since the birds are out in full force. It was a lovely trip. The Sammamish river was as still as glass and reflected the evening light perfectly and I saw a blue heron and some Mallards when I got to Log Boom Park on Lake Washington.
Gosh, Wednesday sure felt like a Monday, getting back to work and all that, but today was as nice a Thursday as you could ask for.
Jp
After I had finished this excursion with the dog (calling it this can be a convenient substitute for the indicator word "WALK", especially when secrecy is needed) and finished the dinner dishes, I went biking on the Sammamish/Burke-Gilman Trail from 8-9PM for 11 miles round trip. That's another springtime blessing: late light! I've given up listening to music as I go lately since the birds are out in full force. It was a lovely trip. The Sammamish river was as still as glass and reflected the evening light perfectly and I saw a blue heron and some Mallards when I got to Log Boom Park on Lake Washington.
Gosh, Wednesday sure felt like a Monday, getting back to work and all that, but today was as nice a Thursday as you could ask for.
Jp
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
In the Nick of Time
Well, we certainly flew around today. Our flight was supposed to leave Miami at 2:10 eastern, so we got up at 9:30, had another lovely bkfst at Denny's, packed up and left for the airport in two taxis (and arrived right on schedule). But our flight to Chicago was delayed because of soupy weather there, so they told us 3:30 for the new departure. This messed up the connection to Seattle, so they bumped us off that flight and Dad got us on a waiting list for an 8:30 (central) flight. But when we got to Chicago, we found that our original flight was still there (it was in a "final boarding" status). So some of us ran ahead and made sure they didn't leave without us if they could. We got on in the nick of time, but we couldn't see any two seats together, and there were 6 of us; Meg and Jason had this same flight returning. But thank the Lord, the back row was completely empty! We all got to sit together on our original flight. :) We were a little worried about our two checked items making it by the time we did, but they were waiting for us when we arrived at Baggage Claim.
I can't believe I was in Miami this morning! How strange it is to cover the entire distance of the country in a matter of hours! Most of the trip was smooth sailing. All of our landings were a little bumpy though (which I think is FUN!) and we did encounter a bit of turbulence going over the cascades (which is also FUN). Chicago certainly was enveloped in soup... we weren't able to see the ground until we were coming down for the touch-down. And on the flight to Seattle, we didn't have a break in the clouds below us until we got at least half-way through Montana. Whew! That was a BIG blanket of clouds!
But anyway, we're at home sweet home and we already stopped off at my sister's house in Everett to collect Spiffy, who enjoyed his stay with them very much.
Jp
I can't believe I was in Miami this morning! How strange it is to cover the entire distance of the country in a matter of hours! Most of the trip was smooth sailing. All of our landings were a little bumpy though (which I think is FUN!) and we did encounter a bit of turbulence going over the cascades (which is also FUN). Chicago certainly was enveloped in soup... we weren't able to see the ground until we were coming down for the touch-down. And on the flight to Seattle, we didn't have a break in the clouds below us until we got at least half-way through Montana. Whew! That was a BIG blanket of clouds!
But anyway, we're at home sweet home and we already stopped off at my sister's house in Everett to collect Spiffy, who enjoyed his stay with them very much.
Jp
Monday, May 10, 2010
Doctor Payne
At roughly 4pm eastern time, Meg was called back into the room she had just finished defending her dissertation in and was congratulated as "Doctor Payne". We're all very much beaming with pride. I would have ridden a plane twice as long to see what I was able to see today.
We slept in late this morning (well, it was 7am pacific time); I woke up just after 10. We soon went to Denny's for a fabulous breakfast and then caught a university shuttle to the center of campus. We waited in the Philosophy department's library while Meg had a meeting with her advisor, and then we headed for the law library, to an office where she would defend. The university had trouble getting the conference call to work. One professor was phoning in from England, and one locally in south Florida. So Jason had the idea to use his cell phone to use "freeconferencecall.com" or something like it, and it went off perfectly! Good job Jason! Since the room was so small, Mom and Meg's friend and her baby stayed behind at the Philosophy dept. and listened in on the conference call via my cell, so there was no risk of a baby crying. We had to keep absolutely silent (no interjections - but laughing along with a joke was okay) and it went a lot faster than I thought it would. Meg spent about twenty minutes describing her work and why she chose this particular project and how it was relevant and distinctive in the field.
Three other grad students watched along with Jason, Dad and I as the five professors grilled her on some finer points. It was all very interesting and neat to watch. The dissertation was on how truth is communicated through fiction and why that's important. There was a lot of questions about Plato, since she talked for three of her chapters about what he and other folks had to say about this. But one of the questions asked brought up her example from Remember WENN, how she found out about James Buchanan's vice president through an episode, and was able to mention the show and Rupert Holmes specifically in the defense. :) That made be smile!
The questions took about an hour and a half... and the deliberation afterwords (which no one could sit in on) took about two minutes. Congratulations, Meg!
We celebrated by going out to TGI Friday for a fabulous dinner... steak, broccoli, salad and mango lemonade... mmm! We're just about to go down to the hotel pool for a swim before we rest and then watch the new episode of Foyle's War at 1 AM. Hey, that's only 10 PM pacific time... which we're still on! :)
Jp
We slept in late this morning (well, it was 7am pacific time); I woke up just after 10. We soon went to Denny's for a fabulous breakfast and then caught a university shuttle to the center of campus. We waited in the Philosophy department's library while Meg had a meeting with her advisor, and then we headed for the law library, to an office where she would defend. The university had trouble getting the conference call to work. One professor was phoning in from England, and one locally in south Florida. So Jason had the idea to use his cell phone to use "freeconferencecall.com" or something like it, and it went off perfectly! Good job Jason! Since the room was so small, Mom and Meg's friend and her baby stayed behind at the Philosophy dept. and listened in on the conference call via my cell, so there was no risk of a baby crying. We had to keep absolutely silent (no interjections - but laughing along with a joke was okay) and it went a lot faster than I thought it would. Meg spent about twenty minutes describing her work and why she chose this particular project and how it was relevant and distinctive in the field.
Three other grad students watched along with Jason, Dad and I as the five professors grilled her on some finer points. It was all very interesting and neat to watch. The dissertation was on how truth is communicated through fiction and why that's important. There was a lot of questions about Plato, since she talked for three of her chapters about what he and other folks had to say about this. But one of the questions asked brought up her example from Remember WENN, how she found out about James Buchanan's vice president through an episode, and was able to mention the show and Rupert Holmes specifically in the defense. :) That made be smile!
The questions took about an hour and a half... and the deliberation afterwords (which no one could sit in on) took about two minutes. Congratulations, Meg!
We celebrated by going out to TGI Friday for a fabulous dinner... steak, broccoli, salad and mango lemonade... mmm! We're just about to go down to the hotel pool for a swim before we rest and then watch the new episode of Foyle's War at 1 AM. Hey, that's only 10 PM pacific time... which we're still on! :)
Jp
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Flying and Then Flying Some More
Woke up at a good time, packed in a half-hour, did the dishes, ate some eggs and then some cereal and then we all blew out of the house rather quickly. No problems at the airport at all... and because Meg's friend came with her 1 year-old, we got to board first and were all settled before everyone else crammed on.
I read a bit and listened to Bible and music, but the best part was the hour between Missouri and Tennessee where I held Abby... she fell asleep instantly on my shoulder and just stayed there when she had been fussy and crying. By the time I turned on the map on the little screen in front of me, we were flying right over St. Louis. We flew really close to Owensboro a few minutes later and I waved. As we entered into Georgia, we flew right over Powder Springs (we had a connection in Atlanta) and I waved again. :)
I wanted to post while we were flying at 37,000 feet and traveling at 628 MPH, but that would have cost me $13 (dumb ol' Delta)... And the Internet in Atlanta was down. So here I am in the hotel in Miami, just about to hit a pillow. And does it feel good to be postured horizontally! My seat was getting rather sore those last couple hours.
Okay! Talk to ya'll tomorrow.
Jp
I read a bit and listened to Bible and music, but the best part was the hour between Missouri and Tennessee where I held Abby... she fell asleep instantly on my shoulder and just stayed there when she had been fussy and crying. By the time I turned on the map on the little screen in front of me, we were flying right over St. Louis. We flew really close to Owensboro a few minutes later and I waved. As we entered into Georgia, we flew right over Powder Springs (we had a connection in Atlanta) and I waved again. :)
I wanted to post while we were flying at 37,000 feet and traveling at 628 MPH, but that would have cost me $13 (dumb ol' Delta)... And the Internet in Atlanta was down. So here I am in the hotel in Miami, just about to hit a pillow. And does it feel good to be postured horizontally! My seat was getting rather sore those last couple hours.
Okay! Talk to ya'll tomorrow.
Jp
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Simply Perfect
Woke up very early, but stayed in bed til just after 8. The sunshine was brilliant, just like the last two days, so today I decided to seize the chance. By 9 o'clock I headed out the door for a run. Did skips and lunges on the way to the main street that goes through our neighborhood to warm up a bit and then I ran a half-mile, walked a half-mile and repeated it on the way back. Although not too hungry when I returned by 9:35, I fried a couple scrambled eggs. It really is best to eat right away after working out. Gosh, I felt wonderful!
I took the dog on a quick little jaunt through the park with my camera, and when I returned him home I had to go again and pick up something he left there. And I just enjoyed the sunshine, swinging on the huge, green swing-set next to the pool. I walked around a bit, totally satisfied with the day and the peaceful singing of the birds. While out & about I tried out push-ups again and hit the milestone of 19! Which is a passing grade! When I returned, I cleaned up and then it was time for lunch. After that, Mom & Dad and I enjoyed a silly Jack Benny movie "To Be or Not To Be". They were a little confused when I described it beforehand as a "Nazi Comedy". LOL! What fun!
We've just enjoyed some strawberries from the store on some shortcake... so much for dieting! But I suppose fruit and shortbread is not the worst thing one could eat. How I love spring time!
Tonight we're going to go visit my Grandma in Monroe for a few minutes to wish her happy mother's day for tomorrow, since tomorrow we will be on the plane to go see Meg give her defense in Miami on Monday. Flying to Miami takes all day, especially when you consider the three hours we lose when we get there. Not my favorite place to visit, but at least seeing Meg defend her dissertation (which I just finished reading yesterday) will be very exciting (truly).
Jp
I took the dog on a quick little jaunt through the park with my camera, and when I returned him home I had to go again and pick up something he left there. And I just enjoyed the sunshine, swinging on the huge, green swing-set next to the pool. I walked around a bit, totally satisfied with the day and the peaceful singing of the birds. While out & about I tried out push-ups again and hit the milestone of 19! Which is a passing grade! When I returned, I cleaned up and then it was time for lunch. After that, Mom & Dad and I enjoyed a silly Jack Benny movie "To Be or Not To Be". They were a little confused when I described it beforehand as a "Nazi Comedy". LOL! What fun!
We've just enjoyed some strawberries from the store on some shortcake... so much for dieting! But I suppose fruit and shortbread is not the worst thing one could eat. How I love spring time!
Tonight we're going to go visit my Grandma in Monroe for a few minutes to wish her happy mother's day for tomorrow, since tomorrow we will be on the plane to go see Meg give her defense in Miami on Monday. Flying to Miami takes all day, especially when you consider the three hours we lose when we get there. Not my favorite place to visit, but at least seeing Meg defend her dissertation (which I just finished reading yesterday) will be very exciting (truly).
Jp
Friday, May 7, 2010
Nothin's Comin' to Mind...
Well, at least it's better than "Untitled".
How was my Thursday and Friday, you ask? Clunk. (head hits table)
I've been rather tired. Got up in the morning just fine, both days. I think it was work that wore me out. Well, that and the Navy meeting on Wednesday, followed by a long date with the dishes (whew! that was a pile! ...and a good dinner!) and a beautiful talk with Mike into Thursday morning. No, it really was work that did the wearing... I spent 6 straight hours releasing 40 documents... and then today I spent 5 more hours releasing 9 and entering a dozen part numbers. The person we hired to take over that part of the job has been very sick all week. Thankfully, I didn't have much else to do for my QDC job, and I got to feel like a hero for getting it all done right away. My boss really does let you know when she appreciates you.
And we've had such beautiful weather! I really wanted to go exercise Thursday evening, but I was a little late getting off work and I turned the wrong way when getting on Willows Rd., so I bagged Jazzercise and went home for dinner with the family. After that I thought I'd lie down for a moment and then do something, but I promptly fell asleep and then woke up and went to bed. Oh, well. Another day, another burst of energy.
Today was my parent's 33'rd anniversary! To celebrate, we went to the Olive Garden for a fabulous dinner and then went to Redmond and saw "Babies", which was a cute film showing the similarities between little folk in four different places at the same time: Tokyo, Mongolia, Namibia and San Francisco. And yes, the parents from SF acted like they were from Mars. So in truth, the galaxy was well represented. Back at home tonight I got on Facebook for the first time in a while and noticed my good friend in Florida was on so I gave her a call and we talked for a half-hour. So nice! And then we all enjoyed some strawberry shortcake as we watched a rather dull Audie Murphy western from Netflix [The Cimarron Kid - 1952]. The storyline was ridiculous, but at least the setting was nice: it was Oklahoma. Hmm, they pronounced Chickasaw "chick-shaw" instead of "chick-a-shey"; silly folks.
Jp
How was my Thursday and Friday, you ask? Clunk. (head hits table)
I've been rather tired. Got up in the morning just fine, both days. I think it was work that wore me out. Well, that and the Navy meeting on Wednesday, followed by a long date with the dishes (whew! that was a pile! ...and a good dinner!) and a beautiful talk with Mike into Thursday morning. No, it really was work that did the wearing... I spent 6 straight hours releasing 40 documents... and then today I spent 5 more hours releasing 9 and entering a dozen part numbers. The person we hired to take over that part of the job has been very sick all week. Thankfully, I didn't have much else to do for my QDC job, and I got to feel like a hero for getting it all done right away. My boss really does let you know when she appreciates you.And we've had such beautiful weather! I really wanted to go exercise Thursday evening, but I was a little late getting off work and I turned the wrong way when getting on Willows Rd., so I bagged Jazzercise and went home for dinner with the family. After that I thought I'd lie down for a moment and then do something, but I promptly fell asleep and then woke up and went to bed. Oh, well. Another day, another burst of energy.
Today was my parent's 33'rd anniversary! To celebrate, we went to the Olive Garden for a fabulous dinner and then went to Redmond and saw "Babies", which was a cute film showing the similarities between little folk in four different places at the same time: Tokyo, Mongolia, Namibia and San Francisco. And yes, the parents from SF acted like they were from Mars. So in truth, the galaxy was well represented. Back at home tonight I got on Facebook for the first time in a while and noticed my good friend in Florida was on so I gave her a call and we talked for a half-hour. So nice! And then we all enjoyed some strawberry shortcake as we watched a rather dull Audie Murphy western from Netflix [The Cimarron Kid - 1952]. The storyline was ridiculous, but at least the setting was nice: it was Oklahoma. Hmm, they pronounced Chickasaw "chick-shaw" instead of "chick-a-shey"; silly folks.
Jp
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
New Day
Our weather cleared up yesterday and we had lots of sunshine amid a few sprinkles. Mom and Dad were still gone when I went home for lunch, so all the little extra tidbits of cleaning up I did before work were for naught... although that meant I didn't need to do it at lunch. I ate up the leftover grilled chicken with the leftover buttered broccoli, and boy, was that good!
The night before when I was interrupted by a bolt of lighting I was going to mention that my tax refund came... and the government added the "making work pay" credit automatically, like I heard they would after I filed my return without knowing about it. I've been out of touch with the news lately. So it was a sizable one, and I deposited it on my way back to work.
Mom and Dad had returned by the time I got home, and we had a hodge-podge dinner because everyone was tired. "Ray" had come from Netflix, and at 2.5 hours, we thought we'd only watch part of it, but we went through the whole thing because nobody wanted to quit. Good movie, but I'd only want to watch it once. In my room afterwords, I tried out push-ups again (I haven't done any in a couple weeks) and I did a dozen or so with not much trouble. Need to start building on that again. In bed I opened my Bible to random places and skimmed Matthew 6, read Psalm 86 and a passage in Ecclesiastes 7 that I found very comforting. It was odd, because verse 12 caught my eye, and then I found that I was reading verses I memorized as a kid (verses 13-14) and I kept on through 15-17 and verse 18 really stuck in my mind. I went to sleep in peace.
It's my co worker's 40th birthday today, so last night my other coworker and I conspired to put signs up all over the stairways last night, and this morning we really put smiles on her face! :) This noontime we're all going out to eat to celebrate.
Jp
The night before when I was interrupted by a bolt of lighting I was going to mention that my tax refund came... and the government added the "making work pay" credit automatically, like I heard they would after I filed my return without knowing about it. I've been out of touch with the news lately. So it was a sizable one, and I deposited it on my way back to work.
Mom and Dad had returned by the time I got home, and we had a hodge-podge dinner because everyone was tired. "Ray" had come from Netflix, and at 2.5 hours, we thought we'd only watch part of it, but we went through the whole thing because nobody wanted to quit. Good movie, but I'd only want to watch it once. In my room afterwords, I tried out push-ups again (I haven't done any in a couple weeks) and I did a dozen or so with not much trouble. Need to start building on that again. In bed I opened my Bible to random places and skimmed Matthew 6, read Psalm 86 and a passage in Ecclesiastes 7 that I found very comforting. It was odd, because verse 12 caught my eye, and then I found that I was reading verses I memorized as a kid (verses 13-14) and I kept on through 15-17 and verse 18 really stuck in my mind. I went to sleep in peace.
It's my co worker's 40th birthday today, so last night my other coworker and I conspired to put signs up all over the stairways last night, and this morning we really put smiles on her face! :) This noontime we're all going out to eat to celebrate.
Jp
Monday, May 3, 2010
Solid Gray With Flashes
That's the sky. The leaky gutter is right outside my window and it's pouring down. Yikes!!!! I literally just saw a bolt streak down on 140th St... a block away, right outside my window as I was just typing "down". A car alarm went off with the crash of thunder that just shook the ground. Poor doggie... he was (and now is again) lying down quietly next to me. Well, that's not what I'd thought I'd be writing a few seconds ago... :)
Anyway, we're stuck in some gray soup.
Jp
Anyway, we're stuck in some gray soup.
Jp
Trips and Trials
Church yesterday evening was excellent, just as last week.
After taking a late morning nap (because I woke up sorta early again) and after taking the dog on another walk (he's been a bundle of energy lately) and taking pictures of the trees in the park, I headed to Redmond for a couple of tasks: pick up a poster frame at Ben Franklin's (I found a couple neat sheets of stickers as well... maple leaves and koi fish), I went to Panera for lunch and to do some planning work on the big trip. I needed to collect all the addresses for all the places I'm going so I can quick enter them into the GPS as I'm there. It would be much more efficient than toting around 30 pages of Google Maps instructions. :) It was a little frustrating at times since those NPS websites never have a street address listed. They only have "directions".
This affair took a few hours, so by the time I was done I got another snack to eat and then headed home. By that time it was nearly time for the service to start. I got there a little late, but I'm very glad I went. It was the summation of last week's message about God's grace; this was about his faithfulness: how he is faithful and how I should respond to it. How I need to keep Christ at the center of my life.
After spending so much time today focused on one thing alone (myself, and having the best trip possible), it was a bit sobering to think about what I'm doing. Spending so much time and money on travel. Why am I joining the Navy? To serve and to be available for whatever the Lord has in store. I feel a bit like I'm going on a binge of self-centeredness before I give up some of my freedoms, sort of like some silly people do before giving something up for Lent. I don't really believe that I am; the Lord gave me the opportunity and means to enjoy it. I just need to live every single day like he is the most important, because he should be. And that's where I'm really struggling, I think. I feel very sad that I'm so unfamiliar with scripture and about how very little I read of it. I even have an audio copy... I have no excuse! And I think I should start serving a ministry somewhere, but I haven't been able to think of one yet. But I think I'm doing pretty well on one aspect of the "trusting him" part. He's given me great courage to take this next step in my life.
So I just need to remember to be satisfied with whatever happens on the trip and enjoy whatever I get to see, because I know there are going to be a thousand things along the way that I'll wish I could experience. I hope I don't forget that doing it in the first place is a great blessing. How silly would that be to be impatient and irritated the whole time? :)
Jp
After taking a late morning nap (because I woke up sorta early again) and after taking the dog on another walk (he's been a bundle of energy lately) and taking pictures of the trees in the park, I headed to Redmond for a couple of tasks: pick up a poster frame at Ben Franklin's (I found a couple neat sheets of stickers as well... maple leaves and koi fish), I went to Panera for lunch and to do some planning work on the big trip. I needed to collect all the addresses for all the places I'm going so I can quick enter them into the GPS as I'm there. It would be much more efficient than toting around 30 pages of Google Maps instructions. :) It was a little frustrating at times since those NPS websites never have a street address listed. They only have "directions".
This affair took a few hours, so by the time I was done I got another snack to eat and then headed home. By that time it was nearly time for the service to start. I got there a little late, but I'm very glad I went. It was the summation of last week's message about God's grace; this was about his faithfulness: how he is faithful and how I should respond to it. How I need to keep Christ at the center of my life.
After spending so much time today focused on one thing alone (myself, and having the best trip possible), it was a bit sobering to think about what I'm doing. Spending so much time and money on travel. Why am I joining the Navy? To serve and to be available for whatever the Lord has in store. I feel a bit like I'm going on a binge of self-centeredness before I give up some of my freedoms, sort of like some silly people do before giving something up for Lent. I don't really believe that I am; the Lord gave me the opportunity and means to enjoy it. I just need to live every single day like he is the most important, because he should be. And that's where I'm really struggling, I think. I feel very sad that I'm so unfamiliar with scripture and about how very little I read of it. I even have an audio copy... I have no excuse! And I think I should start serving a ministry somewhere, but I haven't been able to think of one yet. But I think I'm doing pretty well on one aspect of the "trusting him" part. He's given me great courage to take this next step in my life.
So I just need to remember to be satisfied with whatever happens on the trip and enjoy whatever I get to see, because I know there are going to be a thousand things along the way that I'll wish I could experience. I hope I don't forget that doing it in the first place is a great blessing. How silly would that be to be impatient and irritated the whole time? :)
Jp
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Sailing, Sailling...
A couple weeks ago I got an email from one of the local groups I support that they were going out for a sail on a wooden schooner named "Adventuress" through another local group that owns and operates it. And I thought, "Wow! Sailing on a sailing boat!" And so I did.
The cruise started at 5 o'clock and lasted for about three hours... and no, we were not shipwrecked. :) The ship has two masts, but it also has an engine. It was one of the first schooners equipped with an engine. It was built in Boothbay (lol) Maine in 1913. We started out hearing about it's history, how it was built by some millionaire in the east in order to collect specimens for the museum of natural history... but that didn't work out and it was sold to someone in San Francisco before it came to Seattle. It was a fun little ride in the bright sunshine and in the spotty light rain. Once the wind picked up, I was very glad of my coat!
There was a short talk about the organization I support that organized this thing (People for Puget Sound), and it was great because they mentioned things they've had some success with in the local Tacoma area (where we were cruising).
When we were coming in I saw a seal swimming just ahead of us! He bobbed up and down before disappearing just as we came on. I was able to help reef the sail, and that was a lot of fun!
Fun adventure, indeed!
Jp
[As for the rest of the day... I realized I only mentioned the one thing... I spent a lot of time with the dog. We went for a couple walks! He was very energetic and we even ran part of the way through the park! While Meg was watching a lot of the Derby blab with Jason and Steph, I went out, stopped by the library and then dropped off some stuff at the goodwill. I got rid of extra shoes and oddly, backpacks that have collected over the years, both that I've barely ever used. I ironed and hung up the Navy flag I got in Bremerton, washed and made my bed, and also did a little vacuuming. Now my room really looks ship-shape. We watched the actual two-minute race and unfortunately, Stately Victor got eighth. But Ice Box did get second and I picked him for that. :)]
The cruise started at 5 o'clock and lasted for about three hours... and no, we were not shipwrecked. :) The ship has two masts, but it also has an engine. It was one of the first schooners equipped with an engine. It was built in Boothbay (lol) Maine in 1913. We started out hearing about it's history, how it was built by some millionaire in the east in order to collect specimens for the museum of natural history... but that didn't work out and it was sold to someone in San Francisco before it came to Seattle. It was a fun little ride in the bright sunshine and in the spotty light rain. Once the wind picked up, I was very glad of my coat!
There was a short talk about the organization I support that organized this thing (People for Puget Sound), and it was great because they mentioned things they've had some success with in the local Tacoma area (where we were cruising).
When we were coming in I saw a seal swimming just ahead of us! He bobbed up and down before disappearing just as we came on. I was able to help reef the sail, and that was a lot of fun!
Fun adventure, indeed!
Jp
[As for the rest of the day... I realized I only mentioned the one thing... I spent a lot of time with the dog. We went for a couple walks! He was very energetic and we even ran part of the way through the park! While Meg was watching a lot of the Derby blab with Jason and Steph, I went out, stopped by the library and then dropped off some stuff at the goodwill. I got rid of extra shoes and oddly, backpacks that have collected over the years, both that I've barely ever used. I ironed and hung up the Navy flag I got in Bremerton, washed and made my bed, and also did a little vacuuming. Now my room really looks ship-shape. We watched the actual two-minute race and unfortunately, Stately Victor got eighth. But Ice Box did get second and I picked him for that. :)]
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