Ebey's Landing Adventure

Rachael and I decided to go on an adventure and she brought up the idea of going to Ebey's Landing for a hike. Here are some photos and the story below:

 Here is a little map:

So, in order to get there we decided to leave our car in Mukilteo, walk onto the ferry, take the free transit 45 minutes north, and walk the mile to Ebey's Landing. Once we got there, we did the 3ish mile hike along the edge of the landing and then when we got to the end we did the same distance back on the beach. Once we were done, we had to do the same trip in reverse but it was all super fun. Total distance: 6 miles of walking/hiking. We saw a lot of interesting people on the bus and enjoyed listening in on people's conversations. It was actually impossible NOT to listen to people talk because the bus was one of those short little buses. It turned out to be a beautiful day and amazing views. We took a photo with our tattoos because as we were taking a rest towards the top and looking out over the water and Olympic mountains, we were just discussing how lucky we are to be living where we live. We have the ocean within 10 minutes, the mountains where we can ski or hike within 1 hour, the country/valley with farms and fields 10 minutes away, and then the urban downtown city of Seattle 20 minutes away. The air is so clear and wonderful, the trees are green in the spring and summer and then beautiful golds and reds in the fall, the mountains are crisp and literally surround us, and the city is surrounded by water and bridges making it impossible not to be active outdoors.

 We reflected on why this is one of the amazing things about being alive and a creation of God. God created all we see before us and it is overwhelming. So we lifted our arms and read our arms "L'Chaim!" Our tattoos come from a book we all went through at a summer family camp. The book is called "We Drink from the Cup" by Henry Nouan. The phrase is Hebrew and is traditionally a Jewish toast, meaning "to life." To us it means the same thing but also that we aren't going to appreciate the good things in life without experiencing and learning from the bad experiences in life. Without the bad, the good wouldn't be so good. So, we toast everything about life, the good and the bad. We all have gone through horrible things in our lives that have tested us and tried our trust in God, but we wouldn't be who we are had we not overcome and learned something from that experience in hopes of being a better person. Growing deeper and strengthening our faith in God. So, with that said...."L'Chaim!"

Delphine St.Clair 1919-2008

My grandma St.Clair passed last night, Tuesday April 21, 2008 at about 6 p.m. at the hospital on Pacific in Everett, WA. She had a sore on her leg initially which led to an infection and they were contemplating amputation. She then went to the hospital Thursday April 17th, because her kidneys also started to fail. They told family that grandma had about 24-48 hours but managed to hold on until last night. All of the family flew/drove in from various states and cities to be with one another and to be here for the funeral. 

My brother is going to be a pallbearer along with other grandsons. I am going to be reading scripture at the funeral, along with Maddie. I'm not sure what we're reading, my aunts chose them already. I kind of wish I could have chosen...although I guess that's a lot of pressure. I still don't know what i'm going to wear. I never have anything to wear...I don't really know why that is. Clothes just don't really fit me the right way and I always feel uncomfortable in most things. Oh well. Anyways, my dad's side of the family is Catholic so we are having sort of a mass for the funeral. It should be interesting seeing as though I've never been to a mass before. I'm kind of anxious about the whole thing, but it'll be ok. I'll post after the funeral if I have interesting things to say. 

Here is a photo I took of her during some family event up at the house. She was getting out of the car because she lived in a nursing home so someone had to go pick her up and bring her:

...little bird i invite you.

I just thought I'd elaborate more on the title of my blog. It is a piece of the lyrics from the song "Antlers" by the Microphones. The lyrics are as follows:

little bird i invite you, build your nest

little bird, i've got branches above my head

sway with me aimlessly, walk over mountains high

find winter nights with me, hang in your hammock high over me and over flight and all fright

to me

pick up your hands and become reindeers or maybe a storm

be pleasant be glassy be born

go ahead be the bird in my horns

come with me

When i heard this song for the first time all this imagery flooded my head and so I drew out some of what I saw in my head and it's on my bulletin board at work with some of the lyrics on it.

To me, when I hear the words and when I feel moved by the music itself I feel alive and inspired. That doesn't happen with every song of theirs but this one specifically.

Seattle Public Library

...is where I am currently. Every time I come here I feel overwhelmed and so small. The architecture here is quite amazing and innovative. I've heard a lot of people describe it as cold and too industrial but that's the point I think. 

The Library was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and finished in 2004. 

On the 1st floor of the new Seattle Central Library is artist Ann Hamilton's Floor of Babble. The floor is comprised of backward letters in foreign languages that record the first lines of the library's foreign-book collection. 

Headaches

It's interesting to me how much pressure I put on myself when choosing things to write about. It's like I'm telling myself that my other thoughts aren't important enough to be read by...well, only me. Which is even more ridiculous. Anyways, I have a headache...again. I think every day since high school I get a headache. Most of the time they are mild, annoying things but about 2/3 of the time they are fairly painful. Because I've had them so long, I've learned to just endure the pain and not take medicine but sometimes I just need to take something. I feel that people think taking so much medicine isn't good for me, but they don't have to feel the ache that I do. I'd told my doctor about it and she seems to think it's related to my jaw. It clicks a lot when I chew and I think there's an official name for it, but the repetition of doing that causes a headache. While I think that's what happens sometimes, a lot of the time I'm positive I didn't get a headache from that. I probably have a tumor or something. I've always secretly thought I did, but am too chicken to suggest it at the doctor. So my new apartment. I've been living there for a little over two months and it still doesn't quite feel like home yet. Plus I don't like that I don't know anyone in the area to hang out with or see randomly in a grocery store. I love that about Everett. I can go into any store or Starbucks, etc and usually see someone I know. Most of the time I find myself avoiding the person so I don't have to make small talk but I still enjoy knowing they're there. I know that I only really moved out here because it was close to work and Seattle, and I thought this might be my only chance to really live out here but i don't seem to be taking advantage of it like I thought I would. That's something I really need to work on. Like going to the SAM, seattle library, coffee shops, etc. Also, I don't have a lot of money to buy things that will make my apartment feel more comfy so that's been a little problem. I just have to buy a little at a time until I have the things I need. I just don't like having to wait!

New begingings

These past couple months have felt like new beginnings to my life. It's kind of funny how if you were able to take on a new perspective of your life, it's so easy to see the different chapters that occur. I'm sure everyone has used this analogy at some point and at the risk of being cliche I think it's so helpful sometimes to think of our lives like a book. And of course, each chapter of our lives entail some journey we've embarked on and things that we've accomplished that have allowed us to continue on to a new chapter. And since I've just officially moved out of my parents house, I feel like this has been a new beginning to great chapter. I say it's great because I only have high hopes that God will bring good things to my life. At the time they may not always appear to be good or even welcomed but in the end, extremely important and stretching. I find that I always have to remind myself of one of God's promises that has comforted me in the darkest and also the happiest times of my life, "...fear not for I am with you." So, with these words and high hopes, I embrace new beginnings and look forward to great things and hope to share those in this journal.