Vacation Week I

Not to brag, but I just had the best week of vacation a girl could ask for. My train was two hours late, but after 8 hours sitting next to a very large wheezing lady, I arrieved in Seattle!

I stayed with Tobin and Allyson Sunday night through Thursday morning, then spent Thursday through Sunday afternoon with Julie before I caught the train back home!

Highlights from the trip:

- Professional massages with Allyson.

- Lunch at Agua Verde (best Mexican food I’ve ever had, seriously), and kayaking at Agua Verde on a beautiful, sunny 80 degree day.

Kayaking between Lake Washington and Lake Union

- Cooking and eating yummy food out of Simply in Season.

- The Ballard Locks - we watched the boats go through the locks, saw trains and airplanes, watched the fish climb their ladder and had a picnic in the grassy area.

The Kids at the Ballard Locks

- Shopping all afternoon in downtown Seattle with my bestfriend Julie.

At Pikes Place in Seattle

- The Farmer's Market in the community where Tobin and Allyson live.

- Seeing a Bear in Leavenworth!


- Relaxing and recreating on Lake Chelan (soaked in the sun, swam in the beautifully clear lake, rode in the boat, learned to wake surf, played games, ate yummy food, and enjoyed the fireworks show).

Julie and I tubing - before we broke the handles

Learning to Wake Surf

- Chopstix - a dueling piano bar in Belltown (Seattle).

At Chopstix

- Church with Allyson ad Tobin at Wallingford United Methodist Church (the first time in quite a long time that I have felt more positive leaving church than I did going in).

Here is part of the liturgy I loved so much.

Prayer for Our Giving:
“O God, through the offering of these gifts may we become a more open people…
open-minded in hearing your word and wisdom,
open-hearted in healing a broken world,
open-handed in heeding your call for charity and enacted love.
With thanks for all good gifts,
We present a portion of our substance and the whole of ourselves. Amen.”

and...

Prayer of Confession:
“Creating and Sustaining God, your great commandment in Christ is that we love one another as Christ has loved us. We confess that we fail to embrace your liberating love. We divide where you would unite. We exclude where you would embrace. We choke the breath from your Word when its truth does not accommodate our fears. Forgive our hardness of heart. Mend our broken human family. Breathe into us the living Word of all-inclusive love. We ask in the name of your Child, our Brother, Jesus, the Healer of our souls. Amen.”

The church also had “Summer Choir” which invited anyone who desired to join, to go to the front, pick up the piece of music, divide into sections, and sing for the congregation. As Winn girls, Allyson and I naturally went forward to join. What a fun and interactive way to worship!

I arrived back in Eugene tonight, and it was great to see Tim again. We’re not as good at long distance as we once were.