Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Arbitrary

It is finally my favorite season. And almost my favorite month. Tomorrow.

When I took Gabe for his walk this morning, I noticed that it was actually chilly outside. And it made me glad.

Or sitting at a stoplight the other day, I looked up and was surprised to see that the trees lining the road ahead on either side were mostly gold.

Little stuff like that warms me inside.

I also got to help be in charge of decorating the store with a 'harvest' theme last night. We had a budget of thirty dollars - we spent one hundred and eight dollars. Um...budget fail? But we had like two things we ended up being able to return. Plus we justified it, thinking that most of the stuff could be re-used in future years. And it IS the third biggest Starbucks in the country. Shouldn't we have a budget to match?

Ever have one of those days where you just never get yourself together? Like, still wearing pajamas well past lunch, wearing your hair in the pony tail you slept with, contemplating errands you could run but instead choosing to ignore them and checking your Facebook periodically and hanging out with your dog because you're not really fit to be around people at the moment...anyone?

wow, that ended up being a little more revealing than it possibly should have been. But I, like anyone else, have my reasons for condoning such a day.

A heart that's full up like a landfill,
a job that slowly kills you,
bruises that won't heal.

thank you, radiohead.

Friday, September 26, 2008

A Young Jedi

Happy Friday!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

This Post Does Not Flow Well

The lodge we stayed at in Whistler was sooo nice. I think the final number of us staying there was 26. Even with so many people, it never felt crowded. Each room had its own bathroom, too! It was definitely a classy house, within walking distance of the village. Here is what it looked like outside and in...






Not bad, hmm?

I feel like this trip was forever ago already. And it's been what, two weeks? How does that happen? And also, how is it almost October? And continuing on that note, how can it still be 80 degrees outside? FOR YOUR INFORMATION: I am thankful that it's not as humid as it was this summer. It has been much much better lately. And I appreciate it. I just want to know when my long sleeved shirts can return to society. And my drawer full of scarves. I've never lived here during this season, so I don't really know what to expect.

On a slight-tangent-yet-still-on-the-same-topic, I am baffled by how different my life is currently than how it was just a year ago. Just read back to last September's blogs if you need proof. What I am slightly discouraged about is that last year at this time, I felt lost...and now, this year, I still feel lost. In a much more hopeful manner. But lost, nonetheless. Some people seem to have such clear direction and ambition in their lives. I'll be honest, I'm a little jealous of those people.

But I discovered a dog that is on various TV shows/ads that looks SO MUCH LIKE GABE! So I think I should contact the trainer and see if she thinks Kuma needs a body double, and then Gabe and I can just go tag along on all of their endeavors. Does he not look like he could be Gabe's brother???

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Oh, Canada.

After five years of living first part-time and now full-time in Kansas, I have gained a greater appreciation of driving places that have scenery. Sure, I guess flat fields are considered scenery...but 10 hours' worth of that to and from Colorado definitely wears its welcome on a girl after about, oh...30 minutes.

The drive from Seattle to Canada was different than Kansas. A lot different. It was even different than driving in Colorado! We left from Mill Creek at about 9 in the morning. The first pit stops? Starbucks and the gas station, of course. Give me a soy latte with protein and I'll be fairly content anyway, but the drive itself was very enjoyable! About four cars traveled in a caravan north on I-5. Someone recently told me the best way to bond with people is to take a road trip with them. I think we did pretty well in our car!

Somewhere along the way, the lead car flipped on its left blinker...and left it on. So our car soon had the left blinker going as well. As did the third and fourth cars. We drove for hours like that. And no, it didn't make any sense, but it was still a memorable aspect to the drive. We even got some other cars to play along with us, and that was hilarious!

The border crossing was relatively painless. We were asked where we were from and why we were going to Canada. We were asked what we did for a living and if we were bringing anything bad into the country. And then. We were asked how we all knew each other. I immediately took the reigns, telling the guard I knew Tory through mutual friends. It was a smooth enough transition (and a truthful statement), but it was a little ironic that he would ask us that when our answer really could have been 'we met over the internet. We just picked Becca up at the airport three days ago.' Anyway, we managed not to laugh until we were past the check point.

I wonder if people who live in the Northwest take their scenery for granted. Because look at some of this stuff just feet from the Interstate!





Vancouver via Stanley Park




North of Vancouver.

It was sooo pretty, guys.

Somewhere near Whistler, we drove through Lake Placid, BC. We rolled down the window and Phil asked a driver near us if the movie was filmed there. The guy turned to his friend and asked him the same question. He then turned back to us and shrugged, saying 'Sure, why don't you tell someone that.' haha.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Out and About

Fair warning: I am not sure how witty and fun I feel tonight, so this installment may not be all that intriguing. Then again, sometimes I am at my best when deliriously tired. Pictures can probably say it better than I can tonight.

In the two days between arriving in Seattle and then traveling up to Whistler, I was whisked about various Washingtonian locations and also got to experience several restaurants around the area. Fact: I think it's awesome that we ate at one of a kind places!

Another fact: I dare you to read the word 'shiitake' on a menu and try not to laugh or at least smile. Or is that just me?

Fun in toy stores:





An afternoon about downtown Seattle (there cannot be a cooler city. ((Colorado, you forever hold the spot for best state but Seattle is the best city. Sorry. I love you.))) Josh and Tory were great tour guides and we even got to meet up with my Mom's friend Lisa for a few hours:






In that same day, we made it all the way to Snoqualmie Falls - such a cool place! Even if they don't allow dogs there. From the looks of the sign though, only fugly dogs are banished so maybe I see their logic. Tory and I were famished by then and we just had to stop for a snack.








In the two days available to me in Washington, I made stops in so many cities/towns! Cathcart, Sultan, Snohomish, Sammamish, Woodinville, Bothell, Snoqualmie (is it more than a waterfall? It is, right?) Seattle, Mill Creek...and I am sure there were more. But someone would have to help me out with names because my mind was flooded with all of the places we went.

Well, since this is a very choppy and weird post anyway, I might as well tell you now that my hostess Tory knew I would miss Gabers so very much while I was away from him. Maybe because I couldn't shut up about it ahead of time? Maybe because she just knows. Either way, when I got to her house that first night, I turned on the light in my room and discovered that she had printed an 8x10 picture of him and put it on the wall!! Tell me she is not forever-friend material!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Introductions

I can't resist. A free night means the next part of my trip can be shared!

Today, I want to feature each person who was on the party bus when I arrived.

1.

Kevin McCoy. This guy spoke in an Australian accent for the first, oh...few hours of me being there? I was very taken off guard by that at first and I will have you all know that I WAS SKEPTICAL. Because I could tell this group of people is one that loves shenanigans and what better way to confuse me than throw in an accent? Of course, I didn't want to call him out on it on the chance that it was really a genuine accent. Can you imagine? As I would come to find out, Kevin is perhaps the wittiest person to roam the Earth. I beat him in checkers. Once.

2.

Trevor Gibson. I did not get to know Trevor too well on the trip, but I did get to meet his little Cairn Terrier Izzie! We were also the odd ones out when one night at dinner someone decided to play those silly party games where they don't tell you how it's played, you just have to observe and figure out what the secret trick is. Know what I'm talking about?

3.

Shefali Pace. This baller got us the sweet discount on the lodge in Whistler! She is super cool, nice, has a radiant smile, and gave me a very genuine hug the first night I was there. She also works downtown (along with Kevin), making her oh-so-cool in my eyes! The girl is a lifelong vegetarian, which everyone likes to give her a horrible time about. But she has the best sense of humor ever about everything! Someone stole her GPS out of her car while we were gone. If you see that thief, please punch him/her in the face for me.

4.

Brooks Wheatley. Another person I did not have a chance to talk to very much. But, his name is Brooks! And one night, he was wearing Brooks shoes, and I found that very funny. If there were shoes called Becca, I would wear them.

5.

TORY CYR! She was my fantastic host, and she is quite possibly the cutest human being in the world (as her picture demonstrates). I have so much in common with her it's uncanny! Her house is the home of five dogs, so she has me beat there - but I think mine outweigh hers by quite a bit. We had a blast talking about dogs and not having to feel nerdy about it :). Her birthday happens to be one day before mine. I wish we could have a joint birthday party, and that I could be her neighbor for ever and ever. Also! She got ENGAGED while we were in Whistler to her love!

6.

Phil Cobrea. Tory's aforementioned new fiance! I chose a very random picture of him to use. A super cool guy with a great heart. He even likes playing the name the dog breed game! Used to play bass for the band This Providence. His being in that band is somewhat the reason I ever befriended Tory in the first place, so he gets a lot of credit. I am so excited for Phil and Tory!

7.

Jeff Bundy. He is certainly a ring leader in this group of friends, pumping us up for all sorts of things (notice how he is standing up in the party bus picture). He wore a loud noise maker around his neck for most of the week and made good use out of it. Often. He runs a business from his own home and prides himself on being the Camping Photo President on Facebook (aka The Most Commented Photo on Facebook). Ask me sometime if you are curious about it!!

8.

Rachel Bundy. Jeff's beautiful wife! She is in the process of becoming a nanny for one or two families in the Seattle area so she can also work from home. I was super happy to learn that she also is a big fan of dogs and knows lots about different breeds. She has very enviable hair. I told her so.

9.

Jason Steiner. The baby of the group at 20! He was a good pal all week. Works at AT&T but is getting ready to do a DTS with YWAM in a few weeks! I found out that he once met Bethany Dillon and she got his number, then texted him a few days later. Although he originally was relatively unimpressed by my ordinary dog Gabe, he later watched the videos of his tricks and changed his mind. Therefore we can be friends.

10.

Josh Reeves. He is quite the expert with computers and web design, etc. Runs the website Wingclips for a living. If you are someone who gives speeches/sermons/talks to groups often and find yourself wanting an easy way to incorporate movie clips that tie in with your theme, you should check into this site! I managed to convert him to being a fan of LOLcats...or at least I am taking the credit for it whether or not I had anything to do with it. He was our resident Canadian who was a big help navigating and helping us not get too confused being over the border.

More people joined our group later on, but these were the first ones I met. Too much? I am milking this trip for stories to the max!!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Seattle, Whistler, and Everywhere Inbetween

I have returned!!

Being on vacation is apparently not all that conducive to posting, therefore my blog has been neglected for many days. Now I have lots of stories and pictures to share, but I'm feeling slightly intimidated by the daunting task of sorting it all out! Maybe I'll break it into sections and write blogs about those sections. Let's simply start with the journey TO Seattle.

I woke up early on September 1st to finish getting everything together for the trip. Dad and I left for the airport at about 10:20, enough time to get me there for my 12:20 flight. As we rode in the car I was slightly nervous about the thought of meeting so many people I only knew so much about, but mostly it was just exciting to finally get to the day of the trip.

I remarked to Dad during the drive about 'how ironic' it would be if something went wrong with my flight since, whenever I travel by myself, there is almost ALWAYS some sort of hold up. (i.e. Being stranded in D.I.A. for 8 hours waiting for my diverted plane to come back to pick me up due to a blizzard, waiting for a plane to be repaired after the emergency slide deployed itself for no good reason, runways shut down for high wind speeds, ice storms in KC, etc. You name it, I've probably experienced it.) It seemed like there could be no chance of a hold up that day. The weather was clear, we were leaving with plenty of time, and I was in good spirits. Dad dropped me off at the curb and I was on my way.

Well, the first discovery I made upon checking in was that my flight was delayed indeed. Only by 40 minutes, but this was a problem seeing as I was supposed to have a layover in Salt Lake that only was scheduled to last for one hour. With a knot in my stomach, I finished getting my bag taken care of and called my Mom. At that point in time, I just needed someone to tell me that there WAS a chance I would make my second flight. She thought I probably would be fine, but we both agreed that my bag might not be so lucky switching planes that fast. She asked what I had with me to carry on. 'All of my shoes, my computer, and the chargers for my camera, computer, and phone.' Awesome. 'Maybe your gate will be really close to the one you land at' she remarked. And she reminded me that there was nothing I could really do but wait and see. So I tried to relax and wait for 1 pm to roll around. This is what it looked like.



Upon boarding my plane, it did not come as any surprise that 1. the flight was completely full and 2. I was in the VERY back, meaning I would be the LAST one off of that plane. It was as if someone was trying to intentionally make me miss the next leg of the journey!

I was pleased that we managed to land 10 minutes earlier than the delayed arrival time in Salt Lake. It's a good thing that happened, too, because I was about to discover that, true to the fashion of my day leading up to that point, my departure gate was not REMOTELY close to the gate I landed at. 'It's ok,' I thought to myself. 'I will make up for the lost time. I am a fast walker!'

And walk fast I did. No bathroom stops either. I dodged elderly people and young families with strollers. Rolling suitcases were avoided and I used every moving walkway I could to shave precious seconds off of my haul. I could feel people staring at me through the back of my head. I am confident they were wondering why I felt entitled to bust my way ahead to the front of the 'line'. I ALSO felt their eyes watching me from behind when I FELL DOWN MID-JOURNEY. Yes, that's right. Fell. To my knees. Skinny jeans, moccasins, and waxed floors just do not mix I guess. But you know what? I didn't even have time to CARE about it. So I picked myself up and continued the rush to my gate. I walked straight onto the plane and glanced down at my phone to check the time. It took me ten minutes of POWER WALKING to get across that airport. Just in case you wanted to know.

But I made it! To the back of the plane again, but I didn't even care at that point. I was on my way to Seattle!!

Once I landed at SEATAC, I meandered along to baggage claim. It seemed like it would be a waste of time. I was pretty sure there was no way my suitcase could have made it to the plane if I almost lost my life getting myself to the plane. I called Tory to let her know I had arrived. She told me they (she, Phil, and Josh) were almost there to get me.

And then. My bag DID arrive!! Which I was extremely happy about so I didn't have to feel even more awkward asking brand new friends for pajamas to borrow and all. But, I did shake my fist a little at the Salt Lake airport since I practically had a heart attack making my flight and ironically, my suitcase most likely beat me there.

Stepping out to the curb, I was on the lookout for my ride. I knew Tory and Phil both drove VW something's so I was especially watching for those. Suddenly, Josh and Tory were both running towards me. 'BECCA!!!' Tory yelled. I gave them both a hug and then thought 'Weird, where did they come from?' The only vehicle I could see nearby appeared to be an airport shuttle. I was following them towards that shuttle but started saying 'Wait...what?' Then I saw Phil in the doorway of that shuttle. With a video camera. And then I read the side of the shuttle - 'Party Bus'. 'What?!' I squealed. They laughed and hopped on. I followed, and inside were lots more people!!! Needless to say, I was pretty embarassed at all of the commotion but it was so fun!



Tory said the bus itself was not nearly as nice as it looked in pictures. Additionally, the driver had a black eye. But it was the most memorable arrival I will probably ever have to a place. And it started the trip off extremely well!

to be continued...