3/31/2013. - Day 5 - Alleluia! He is Risen! Easter, Issaquah & Renton, WA.

3/31/2013. - Day 5 - Alleluia! He is Risen!

Easter 2013.

Issaquah & Renton, WA.

He is Risen indeed! And what a wonderful Easter Sunday morning it was! Gorgeous weather, cherry blossoms in full bloom, and bright Easter colors. Kristen accompanied the choir at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Issaquah. It was a lovely service and the little girls in Easter dresses and hats were adorable. This of course made me miss Eden and Giselle, but they are surely home enjoying a slightly more snowy Easter. 

We shared an Easter meal with Scott’s mother and grandmother, and met up with some of their friends afterwards. Lots of fellowship today and reminders of all of the blessings we have because Jesus gave it all for us! ✝

3/30/2013. - Day 4 - Same place different day--

3/30/2013. - Day 4 - Same place different day--

--Except we unloaded the BIKE today! Whoo hoo! 70° and riding. Unbeatable. I can't wait to plan a little ride through some scenic areas of Washington. And I'm LOVING this weather.

After a lunch date with Scott, Kristen and I went to pop some tags at the thrift stores in Bellevue. We had a wonderful time exploring and also checked out the local mall. Kristen’s wedding ring needed some TLC, and she claims she felt naked without it after only a few seconds. After a quick trip to Forever 21 (I’m pretty sure she just wanted me to get her yet another replacement ring--Déjà vu July 2012) I presented her with a lovely new temporary ring, in the traditional style which involved me getting on one knee in the middle of the mall after she asked me to get the ring out of the bag so she could feel complete. Probably slightly more than she bargained for, but it’s Washington so there weren’t too many people staring. No big deal. Move over Scott.

Next, we began the creative process. Kristen and Scott admitted they have not dyed eggs in many years, but we still came up with some pretty great specimens. I have to say we take our egg dying pretty seriously!

This is a combination of Kristen, Scott, and my artistic ability. I'll let you decide for yourself who made which eggs!

3/29/2013. - Day 3 - Joy(works) of Shopping. Bothell & Snohomish.

3/29/2013. - Day 3 -  Joy(works) of Shopping.

Bothell & Snohomish.

Definitely slept in today. Mom and Dad (aka Kristen and Scott, my dear friends who are housing me right now) had to work. They keep a healthy supply of cold cereal and pop tarts here-and blue Powerade in their wine rack—so I had sustenance until Kristen came home from work.

Prior to Kristen’s arrival, I had a brilliant idea to go through the pickup, organize the crazy amount of gear I brought with, and bring in the necessary items.  And then it happened. One false move and everything went wrong. I had grabbed the essentials out, and then reached way inside the cab, twisting into an unnatural form and straining to reach one final item….and ZING!  The stretching and twisting movement forced the metal button on my jeans to fly off of my pants with enough force to shoot someone’s eye out. All those years of pop tarts, PB&J, and candy bars coupled with trying to contort my body just to grasp a final pair of flip flops without climbing into the cab-- and my 25 year winning streak of being a champion of metabolism came to a screeching halt. Massive fail.

 I spent the rest of the afternoon sulking and then jumped at the chance to take the pups for a walk so that I could feel better about getting in some exercise. Later, Kristen and I went to Snohomish to see her school, and their new –surprise!—house! We peeped on the workers putting the new roof on for a few minutes and then took off for downtown Snohomish.

Fact: Snohomish downtown area = enchanting little piece of shopper’s heaven. Good thing Kristen was with to curb the spending spree I was tempted to engage in. Gorgeous little shops and tons of variety to be found!

 

We headed home then and I, yes I, procured a tasty dinner of grilled cheeses and tomato soup. Scott and I went to Target later to get egg dye to commemorate the Easter holiday with some youthful fun.  Even though I instigated this, I’m pretty sure the Lynch’s are almost as excited as I am!

3/28/2013. - Day 2 - In the Hall of the Mountain King.

3/28/2013. - Day 1 - In the Hall of the Mountain King.

Billings, MT to Seattle (Bothell), WA.

I’m going to preface this by saying that I’m not sure I’ve driven through the mountains before. I’ve done a little motorcycle riding through them, but nothing compared to this 13 hour journey. Not long after leaving Billings I could see the snow capped peaks of distant mountains--an absolutely beautiful way to begin today’s drive.

It did get a bit stormy not far into today's journey,  and I was a little concerned about crossing through angry mountains. I had visions of getting stuck in the clutches of the Winter Warlock. If this image is unfamiliar to you, I apologize for your sub par childhood. 

In between bursts of rain and snow, the mountain passes were exhilarating, especially since the speed limit through them is 75 MPH. I did check the rear view mirror a few times to make sure the bike was still riding back there after climbing through a couple passes.

 

I crossed into Idaho and was instantly in love with the sleepy little towns at the foot of the mountains and the smell of smoke that came from their chimneys. No cell service here but plenty to look at.

The esteemed 4^th of July Pass was much less scary than I thought--Thank goodness since I was depending on modern technology to save me in the event of disaster. In reality, if things had taken a turn for the worst, I had no cell reception and I’m fairly certain I’m not coordinated enough to articulate a spontaneous mountain climb in search of the ever elusive “bars” of reception. Additionally, it was cold, it was getting dark, and I’m a huge pansy. So I probably would have huddled in my pickup and cried. Near miss. I'm unemployed now though, so at least I don't have to fill out a stupid form.

Washington state line finally. (Note to self: Do not attempt to tackle 13 hours of driving again in one day.) And then, surprise, another mountain pass. I'm proud to say I conquered Snoqualmie Pass in the dark. Interesting piece of knowledge—the area of Washington around this pass is completely and utterly pitch black dark at night. No light whatsoever. Creepy. But I did it. 

I had to stop only once in the dark, something I tried to avoid but couldn't. I found the most well lit establishment, parked as close as possible to the entrance, and literally sprinted to the door. Then sprinted back to my truck like a serial killer was chasing me. 
Safety. 

And a few more miles and finally—Seattle. Well, Bothell, but close to Seattle. And nowhere near sleepless after all that driving!

3/27/2013. The Power of Prayer [on the side roads]

3/27/2013. The Power of Prayer [on the side roads]

It started out as a crazy idea, evolved into a tentative plan, and today became a real life journey.

A journey of discovering new friends, visiting old friends, learning to love new places and realizing why I love the old places so much, and losing myself and finding myself at the same time. They say if you aren’t happy, change something. So I changed everything. And the coolest part isn’t driving across the country—it’s how frequently the amazing response of “I’m praying for you” has surfaced in my emails, phone calls, and text messages. Oh and my “HeyTell” messages. (If you aren't familiar, download the app. You can't text and drive, but HeyTell turns your phone into a walkie talkie for little blurbs you can share as you go. And you can say “Roger that, 10-4, over and out, and all sorts of cool 2-way radio jargon.) Back to the subject of prayer—I’m overwhelmed at how great my friends are. It happens over and over again where I forget just how blessed I am to have amazing people who choose to be in my life. And now, God has not only blessed me with their presence, he has used them to remind me not just to have fun, be safe, or enjoy my trip-- but that while I’m out seeing the world and finding out more about who I am—I’m in the prayers in their hearts. And that is the most powerful and safe place to be. All I can humbly say is Thank You!! Thank you to my friends for being incredible people, and thank you to God for allowing me this amazing opportunity to spend time with those I love that happen to be scattered across the country!

3/27/2013. - Day 1 - There are bugs on my windshield, and I'm not even mad.

3/27/2013. - Day 1 - There are bugs on my windshield, and I'm not even mad.







Mile “0” starts in Harvey, ND and it’s actually about 6° out but winter has been so long that it feels like negative 60. There is a thick coating of frost on my motorcycle this morning so I’m questioning the decision to bring it along given that I cannot check the ratchet straps for tightness because they are frozen.














Fast forward 250 miles and I’m almost into Montana and it’s 55°. No second guessing it now. Just a little warmer and I'm gonna have to break out the AC! I also have to share that while I was relishing this warm weather, pretty much a heat wave given the recent sub zero temps, I was confused when it began "raining." The "rain" however, was insects pelting my vehicle. Normally this would be an annoyance, but again, this means WARM. I'll buy some Simple Green later. Right now I don't even care.


I'm always in awe when I see the Badlands. I think living here, we really forget how neat Medora is. The Badlands are pretty cool, although I remember them being a lot more breathtaking from a motorcycle. Maybe next time.











Eastern Montana is a prodigal wasteland, although given the immense temperature change in only the first 100 miles (6° to about 40° from Harvey to Bismarck and climbing steadily since)—I’m also questioning why we choose to reside in the Northland when you only have to drive a few hours south and your teeth will stop chattering. And now I’m thinking, “Wow, this is way too much time in a car by yourself to sit and think about things.” It's going to be a real long rode trip, riding solo.

Good thing Billings was just around the corner to save me from my own thoughts! And with it, friends and good food and unfiltered conversation with laughs into the night.

If there’s one thing I realized I needed in planning out this trip, it was fellowship. I love the closeness of my small community, and the safety and the familiarity—but I was starved for fellowship with my peers. Day 1 reminds me that I am so thankful for all of my friends, near and far. And seeing the particularly glowing face of Tana Cornelius tonight has been such a blessing! †