Happy Birthday, Daddy

Today would have been my dad's 60th birthday. Three years ago, after spending my first Thanksgiving without him, I escaped into a coffee shop in Bridgeport with my Bible and journal in tow. It had been two months since we lost him and I had avoided these, what used to be my best comforts and time alone with God. It wasn't that I didn't trust the Lord anymore - it was more that I didn't want to pour out my heart to Him because I was already so empty, I was afraid of what might be left.

Once I started to pray, and the tears started to come, it was like the floodgates were opened. My heart, though still in so much pain, was ready to feel again. I wanted to talk to God, really talk to him, for the first time since Dad died. A small start, but critical to me.

Exactly three years later now, I am awash with familiar emotions: another year passed without him, another afternoon spent putting a wreath on his grave. Another Thanksgiving with one less plate at the table, another birthday without someone to sing to. Watching my mom go through another anniversary and holiday season, I see her strength though I think she sees mostly her weakness. Her tears and grief are an offering, and she is helping others get through their own in an incredible way. She is amazing and my dad would be so proud of her.

At the youth group I help out with last night, our pastor asked the kids what they were thankful for. He asked them to be completely serious, and they were - as far as middle school students get, anyway. They were thankful for family, friends, for passing tests, for band practice and sports teams. Typical and honest, and blessings all. But I couldn't get it out of my head that there are sometimes things you are so thankful for, they overwhelm you - and one such blessing happened this past weekend.

On Friday night, a friend of my cousin's (and mine) lost her dad. It happened suddenly, unexpectedly, abruptly - just the way my dad left us three years ago. Without warning he was gone, and they are left without their hero, confidant, and guide. When Paige got the call from her dear friend, we knew only that he was without a heartbeat or breath, and she wanted us to pray. I felt for my strong, godly cousin in that moment - because she was so far away, with nothing to hold to but the hope and love of Jesus for this family, and she held onto Him with all her might. We prayed, we cried, we prayed again, and harder; eventually my family went to bed, and still we sat in silence in the family room, hoping that God would use this opportunity for a miracle. We waited for news - I feel asleep in the armchair, but Paige kept the light on as a true watchman - and near 2:00am we heard that he had passed. We cried some more, and prayed, and then slept. I was reminded of David - how he begged and pleaded with God for the life of his son. And when he was taken home, David got up, and washed, and ate. This father was at home now, and our prayers were now for the living and hurting left behind.

Perhaps this doesn't seem like something to be thankful for at all. But if you've lost someone dear to you, you know - those last memories of time spent together are absolutely precious. How much more poignant that their last days as a family came at Thanksgiving - days already looked forward to and cherished completely. Our friend told Paige that they had had amazing time together as a family - a true gift from the Lord. This we can be thankful for - this is a huge blessing from the God who loves us more than we can know.

The Thanksgiving after my dad passed began with a birth - the birth of my beautiful, precious niece Sadie Pearl. God gave us joy in a time of heartache, peace in a time of pain, beauty in a time of ashes. I am forever thankful that we had something beyond our sorrow to focus on - Sadie was more than the gift of a life, she was a promise that light would breakthrough the darkness we all felt.

I don't understand the why of hurt - of why this family is without their father, or why my daddy isn't here to celebrate his birthday. But I do understand the gift of healing - I know that Jesus Christ, the Savior, is present with us in our pain, turning it into something beautiful and good in our lives when we trust in His love for us. I know that Almighty God, the Father, is holding out his arms to embrace us when we cry. And I know the Spirit intercedes for us and never leaves us alone, even when we feel like we are. Such is the mercy, love, and beauty of my Lord - beyond all we could ask or imagine.

Happy Birthday, Daddy. I know you probably already have, but could you go find Dean Walton and give him a great big hug from everyone down here? His family and friends miss him more than words can say. I love you & miss you too.

Dinner at Coach Forbes'

Yesterday (Tuesday November 2) the JV volleyball team I coach came over to our house for a dinner and awards night. They had a blast! They were excited from the moment they got there and saw the house and the view until the moment they scared their parents with the speaker feature on the front doors. It was an awesome night, with tons of laughter and good memories made.
One of the things we did together was work on making a "Good Luck" video for their big sisters on the varsity team who are headed into state playoffs. They were supposed to say some encouraging words and wish them luck - but we ended up adding a lot of humorous twists. For example: giving encouragement from my bathtub, on a Swiss ball, at the piano, and in a prom dress (or actually, ALL of my sisters' and my old prom dresses). Here are a few of the best for your viewing pleasure. :)

Germany Week 2: Mom's Visit

July 19-27

Technically, most of this week was spent in Italy. But since it began and ended in Germany, I think I'm allowed to keep my title. And as for writing 'Mom' instead of 'my mom,' everyone who's reading this A) also calls her 'Mom,' B) has spent enough time around me that it shouldn't bother you anymore, or C) is my mom. So no complaining. :)

Venice - the Basilica de San Giorgio Maggiore

Monday, July 19

Alps near Innsbruck

As I mentioned before, after we picked Mom up from the train station we headed back to the Abrams. We finished getting ready to leave for Italy, and introduced her to some of Ryan and Emily's friends. On our way out of town we stopped at their favorite Doner Kebap restaurant in town - it was very good but so big! I ate three of those things while on this trip and I don't know why I never got smart enough to not eat the whole thing. Then we got on the road, traveling southeast through Innsbruck, Bolzano, Trento, Verona, and after five hours in a hot car, Venice. I never expected the Italian Alps to be so beautiful! With all my knowledge of maps and geography, I still found myself saying, "I didn't expect Italy to look like this." (Later, driving through Tuscany, I commented that that was more along my expectations.)



Two views of Ryan's favorite Italian castle on the drive

We parked and got on the train somewhere around 11:00pm. My first experience with people who act helpful and then want money for their "service" happened here, as we tried to figure out where to buy the 1 euro ticket we needed for the train into the city. I think Emily gave him the equivalent of 50 cents.
As soon as we left the train station, the sensation of being on a floating city hit me. It was SO gorgeous! Venice at night is spectacular - glowing and dancing on the water with such radiance. We took a vaparetto (water bus) all the way down the Grand Canal, past the Rialto Bridge and the Plaza San Marco to our stop, then wandered through tiny streets to our hostel. We had somehow ended up with an apartment (at the top of 74 stairs, I counted), with 4 twin cots set up in the same room, a small kitchen, and an upstairs balcony to which the door was locked. Ah well - would have been cool. :) It was nice to have so much space, and a great view over the city.

Tuesday, July 20

In front of a canal & St. Mark's Basilica

We were all fairly exhausted but still got up at a decent time to go exploring. We started out at Piazza San Marco, wandering through the throngs of tourists lined up to get inside the Basilica and dodging illegal street vendors and their stacks of purses. Then we headed off in no specific direction, with a vague idea of a mid-morning snack and the somewhat indefinite ultimate destination of the Rialto Bridge our goal. We window shopped, ate at a snack bar, wandered, crossed a bridge over the Grande Canal (along with many bridges over small canals), shared a fruit cup and a slushy, and generally had a great time. It was hot, very hot, but we kept ourselves to the shade. Around noon we hitched a ride on a vaporetto going around the city back to the Rialto Bridge, and set out on a much more determined goal: finding me gelato.

We had passed gelaterias earlier, but they weren't open yet - now was the time. Ever since reading Sisterchicks in Gondolas several years ago, I have known that what I wanted most out of Venice was gelato. (That's only slightly an exaggeration.) We passed a few, but they didn't look quite authentic enough - one of them even had the gall to call themselves "ice cream" in the hopes that those American tourists who either have never heard of gelato, or who can't tell that the brightly colored rows of deliciousness in the cooler are an Italian cousin to their favorite treat, would choose this stand over the many lining Venice's tiny alleys. Once we found one to my satisfaction, I went all out: three scoops(!), of chocolate, strawberry, and lemon. Oh, so good - and well worth the wait.

It was definitely lunch time by then, and so our next stop was at a cafe on the waterfront. We had passed it earlier while I was on my hunt, and the waiter had walked by carrying a pizza topped with freshly sliced pineapple. It looked so good! We all knew that was exactly what we were in the mood for. Getting back there was difficult, though - with barely any space between the cafes, and with hosts trying to seat you as you just walked by (very similar to the manner of the street vendors), we couldn't tell which one we were going for. But one of those hosts caught our attention by breaking out in song: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine!" He sang this to Emily, which prompted a strong response in Ryan: "No, she's MY sunshine." We were pretty sure this was the place, so we asked if they had the pineapple pizza and they did. It turned out to be the best pizza I had ever had, and we were stoked to enjoy it in such a beautiful setting along the Grande Canal.



Rialto Bridge behind us

Looking from the Rialto Bridge back to our cafe - the last with a burgundy canopy

After lunch, we walked back in the direction of our apartment. We ended up retracing our steps from the Piazza earlier, in search of a couple of things we had seen, and decided to buy - a small cappuccino/teacup for me, and a beautiful sailboat of Murano glass for Mom. The sailboat is now sitting proudly on the mantel in our living room, and the teacup is displayed with the rest of my collection. Happy campers are we!
Our next goal was to escape the afternoon heat of Venice by heading for the beach. The island of Lido, a short boat ride away, was calling our names. It turned out to be a great idea - more gelato, bouncing around in the Adriatic, and napping on the beach. It was perfect.


The beach at Lido

Walking from one side of the island to the other

Lido from the boat - I wish the pictures could show the stunning colors of the buildings, especially when the sun hit them

We decided to dress up a little for dinner, so after showering and donning my new Tollwood dress, we headed out in search of a place recommended to Ryan and Emily the last time they were there. It was good - not great but good. We shared a bottle of wine and each had an appetizer. I had grilled eggplant and a whole bream - mom didn't want to look at it but helped me out by de-boning it for me - she's so awesome!
We slept so well that night - we were all so tired! I think I fell asleep before the lights were even off.


Wednesday, July 21

Murano glass decorating the patio

Venice in the morning

Our second day in Venice began with me waking up long before the rest of my family. With the sun shining through the window and my stomach growling, there was no way I could go back to sleep. I was able to spend some time reading the Bible, and then decided to go for a morning walk and return with breakfast. Mom was up by then so I told her my plan and took off. It was a gorgeous morning - the sun glancing off the canals and streaming between the buildings, people going about their morning chores and jobs, very few tourists out yet - it was a great way to experience Venice. I found my way through the maze of alley-sized streets to a cafe and filled up on a variety of pastries for us. Everyone else I saw were enjoying their morning cappuccinos from tiny teacups at the counters, and gave me interesting looks when I walked out with a ton of buttery and sugary goodies.
When I returned to the apartment, everyone was up and getting ready. We split every one of those pastries into fourths and has more than our fare share for one morning. Oh so good!! Ryan and Emily have become experts at bakery goods since moving to Bavaria, and kept rebuffing my attempts to get them to save some for later. So with full bellies and all of our gear, we set out for the train station. We decided to walk part of the way, so we got off the vaparretto at the Rialto Bridge and walked along a wider boulevard and shopping area.
The best thing we found that morning was a juice bar complete with fruit cups, pre-made smoothies, fresh lemonade, and a bowl of sangria. They let us taste everything - soo good! - then we bought one of all but the sangria and found some shade to enjoy them in. We eventually made it through the heatwaves and throngs of other tourists to the train station, after getting cheap pizza to go from a nearby stand.
On to Florence! It took us over an hour to actually leave Venice because of several train and parking lot setbacks, and then about three hours of driving. It was really hot without air conditioning, but Ryan did a great job of getting us there quickly and safely.
Finding parking in Florence was an issue (more so since I was stressed about missing our reservation time), but we did end up making it to the Accademia in time for our appointment with David. :) He was excited to see us! And he is HUGE. When we walked into the room, we just kind of stared - every detail is so intricate and impressive. The museum as a whole wasn’t that amazing, although they had a few individual items that were special, like Botticelli paintings of scenes from the book of Esther, and several Byzantine paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries. It was also quite eye-opening to see the unfinished Michaelangelo’s as we walked into the hall housing David: you can see unfinished men emerging from massive blocks of marble, and the chisel marks still present where he last worked on them. Seeing the process that Michaelangelo used to create David was very cool, and made me even more impressed with his incredible abilities.
After the Accademia, we headed towards the Duomo. Mom wanted us to see the Baptismal’s gold doors - which were pretty impressive. The pictures on them are 3D. On our way there we stopped for gelato, a slushy for Ryan, and dress shopping for Colleen and Amy. Then we followed Rick Steve’s advice for a restaurant next to the Duomo, which had awesome food but wouldn’t give us tap water. What the heck! We were so thirsty that we ended up getting a couple of Italian beers to share instead.
We got lost on our way to our hostel/campground that night - but eventually made it thanks to the GPS system. We had two rooms, side by side, one for Emily and I and one for Mom and Ryan, but the woman at the front desk tried to charge us for our car. By that time we were done dealing with people, and headed to bed. After a day of both excellent experiences and extreme frustrations, sleep sounded good.

The Duomo

One panel of the Baptismal's door

I can't possibly fit anything else into this post, so I suppose there will have to be a part two. Until then!

Germany Week 1: Exploring Bayern

July 13-19

Seeing Ryan and Emily at the train station in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was one of the best moments I have had all year. I arrived via train, having flown from London to Munich (ask me sometime about being mistaken for a native German by a group of Spanish guys and attempting to use my very poor Spanish skills). Ryan and Emily were there to meet me at the station - biggest hugs ever! How I missed them the last six months. We spent the whole evening talking and hanging out in Ryan's dorm room, eating pancakes and looking at their pictures from Egypt and Israel.

Wednesday, July 14
When I arrived, Ryan and Emily were in the middle of a 10 day working stint to make up for all their time off in the Middle East. So, that meant I was on my own every morning and afternoon until they got off work. The first few days I had limited access to the Abrams (the dorm complex where they live), because my passport had not yet cleared the access roster. The guards would only let me onto the base if I was signed in by someone who had permanent access. So, I took Emily's cell phone along and just hung out in Garmisch until they got off work.
The town is really a neat place - the Marianplatz has many cute shops, gelaterias, and backereis, which I definately took advantage of. The day was really hot (had I known that it would be the only hot day while I was there, I might have spent it differently), so after walking around town I wandered down to the river Loisach and read with my feet in the really cold water.

Hanging out at the Eibsee

Ryan and Emily picked me up when they got off work, and we went out to the Eibsee, a lake lying at the base of the Zugspitze (tallest mountain in Germany at 9,718 ft). Its a gorgeous place, and it was awesome to jump in and cool off. Later we headed back to the Abrams to make dinner. I think Emily made eggplant that night, thus beginning my love affair with grilled eggplant on this trip (I kept requesting it everywhere we went, especially in Italy).

Thursday, July 15
Although it was cloudy when I got up, I decided to go on a hike on Thursday. There were so many hills and mountains surrounding Garmisch that I wanted to get as much hiking in as possible while I was there. The path to the Kramerspitz began less than five minutes walk from the dorms, so that's where I chose to go. I had a map but was really just following along the signposts as I wandered around. The hike provides a great view of the valley on the way up - it was fun to see where things were in relationship to where I had been the day before. By the time I got to the ridgeline, however, I couldn't see anything but clouds. I was pretty much socked in and didn't know how much further it was to the top (plus I reached an area where I kind of lost the trail), so I stopped. I found out later from one of Ryan's friends that I had been about a half hour from the top - oh well. I was super tired, having not hiked like that in a long time, and it was getting to be late in the afternoon. I pretty much ran all the way down the hill (it took me just shy of 3 hours to get to where I stopped, and about 45 minutes to get down).
That night Ryan, Emily and I went to dinner at an Indian restaurant with three of their friends: Renee', Sam, and Ben. All of them are a part of the Bible study they attend. The food was great and the company was even greater - they have such great friends! I loved hanging out with them.

Friday, July 16
The day before I had decided to go to Dachau Concentration Camp, which is outside of Munich - an hour's train ride from Garmisch. Renee' was headed to Tollwood, a hippie-style festival (without the drugs), so we shared a train ticket to save money. Before we left I had time to explore the farmer's market in the Marianplatz, and came back with a bunch of fruit, vegetables, and bread. So much fun! And somewhat difficult when I don't even know numbers in German, let alone phrases.

Dachau was really hard. I don't have any words to explain what it felt like to see the same land, same buildings, same walls as held captive so many innocent and hurting people. Even though it wasn't an extermination camp in the same way as Treblinka or Auschwitz, so many people were robbed of their lives there. It was the first of the Nazi's concentration camps, and many of Dachau's prisoners were held for political or religious reasons. In the exhibit they have so much information - pictures, statistics, stories....it would be impossible to wade through it all in one afternoon, but it was an incredible experience. Sad and heartbreaking, and powerful.

Ryan and Emily drove up and met me in Munich that evening to go to Tollwood. We walked around, looked at all the random things for sale (and bought some of them), and ate a wide variety of food. It was so good! We bought and shared a waffle, crepe, falafel with tabbouleh, chocolate covered strawberries and bananas, a coconut with its top cut off so you drink the milk, and maybe something else I don't remember. There were a bunch of different music tents, including one where people were swing dancing, and several large structures made out of road signs. Emily LOVED it, and Ryan and I had an awesome time too.

After Tollwood, they took me to the Hofbrauhaus - a famous huge Bavarian restaurant and bar. It serves beer in liter size glass mugs called a mass (pronounced 'moss'). I'm not a great one for drinking beer, so when that mug showed up I thought there was no way possible I would finish it. But Emily had ordered me a Radler - a mix of lemon soda and beer, which was actually really good, and drinkable. The night ended with possibly the craziest, fiercest hail and lightning storm I have ever been in. The hail got so big on our drive home that Ryan and other drivers were pulling over and stopping underneath overpasses in order to get out of it. Emily and I were praying the whole drive. We eventually made it safely home with only a few unfortunate dents and scratches on Ryan's BMW.


Saturday, July 17
Ryan and Emily's friend Ben invited me to go hiking with him Saturday morning before he had to work - he's one of the RAs at the Abrams and works an early swing shift. So we took off around 9:30 and headed towards a ruined castle not far from the dorms. When we got there, we happened upon an alpenhorn lessen - a woman dressed in a dirndl, who spoke no English, was giving a middle-aged gentleman a lesson on the traditional Alpine instrument. It was crazy! The guy was pretty good for only having two days experience. The feel of where we were just made it seem like we had walked into Switzerland in 1600. Ben was really excited - he's a music guy and hadn't seen anything like that before.

We also made it to a small lake nearby, and then just kind of wandered around on trails until we had to head back. It was a great morning, and so much fun to get to know Ben a little bit.
When Ryan and Emily got off work, I think we began planning our Italy trip for when my mom arrived, and then watched Die Hard 4 or whatever the latest one was. For not being a fan of that kind of movie, I liked it - funny and not scary like I always think they will be.

This is what much of hanging out in Emily's room consisted of :)

Sunday, July 18
Ryan and Emily are never able to go to church on Sunday, because they always work weekends. But a bunch of their friends go to the chapel on base, and Ben is actually the worship leader for the chapel. So Sunday morning I walked to the base and attended chapel, which was a great experience. I think it was really refreshing to see an Army chaplain who truly believes the Word of God, and a community of believers who are committed to each other, to outreach, and to the Word. Meeting some more of Ryan and Emily's friends (including the couple who lead their Bible study), was also really neat.
That afternoon I hung out with Ben until he had to work, then did random stuff at the Abrams until my favorite couple got off work. It had by this point kind of become a routine - like being at home & spending time with family in the evenings. It was so nice to be able to stay in Emily's room and have a welcoming home base.
A bunch of their friends wanted to have a Boy Meets World marathon that night - I watched for a while (remembering how awesome a show it was when I was in jr. high). I also went for a walk that evening - the moon was out and it was a beautiful night. There was just a tiny bit of light coming over the mountains, and the silhouette was gorgeous.


Monday, July 19
Mom arrived today! But before that, I convinced Ryan to let me borrow his car (after dropping them off at the hotel) so I could drive to Neuschwanstein Castle. It wasn't that far away, but taking a bus would turn a morning excursion into a day long excursion and I didn't have that much time. For anyone who knows how Ryan feels about my driving (boats, cars, vans, video games), you know that it took a LOT for him to say yes (thanks Emily for backing me up!) - so I thank you dear brother! I took good care of it!

Ryan's GPS took me there without incident. I parked and started walking up the long hill - I had already decided not to pay to go inside. The enchantment for me with this castle has always been the exterior (plus several friends said its not worth it). It was gorgeous, but just so weird to see it sitting there looking over the plain - like it was slightly out of place. Hohenschwangau, where King Ludwig II grew up, was also just crazy to see - bright yellow and prominent, although situated at less of an altitude than Neuschwanstein. Behind both of them is the Alpsee, the small lake you always see in pictures of the castle. It was amazing to see in reality, and not just in my head, how these places exist.

I climbed up the hill beyond the lookout bridge to get these pictures.


Hohenschwangau with the Alpsee behind it
Once I got back, the three of us picked up Mom from the train station (a reunion much like the one I had - lots of hugs and smiles and estatic-ness), returned to the Abrams to get ready for Italy, and headed south.

More to come!

Wales 2010

* Sorry I have taken so long to finish this! I started it in Germany and then got caught up doing other things.

I don't have any pictures to show yet, so I apologize up front for that. When I get home and can upload them I promise anyone who reads this will be amazed by the beauty of this small country and its rugged coastline. I admit I was a bit uneasy about heading out on my own for another adventure - I mean really, why play with luck twice? But it turned out to be an awesome few days and I am SO glad I went.

Thursday, July 8
I arrived in London and made it through the passport check around midnight after having three pretty uneventful flights: Portland to Seattle, Seattle to Chicago (small layover), Chicago to London. I had an open seat next to me on the S-C flight, which was great for sleeping, and had a window seat to London next to a nice professor from a school in Tennessee. I made it to AVIS, where my biggest challenge turned out to be figuring out which car was mine. At first I thought I had been assigned the one in A3, which was a nicer compact car that I could not figure out how to turn on: it was a manual but had one of those start buttons, so the key had to be in, clutch in, and then push. So I spent forever figuring that out before I drove to the front, realized I was in the wrong car, reversed to get the car in A9 (much more my style, no buttons), and came forward again. All this took me roughly 40 minutes. Making it to the hotel while driving on the "wrong" side of the road was easy by comparison.
The GPS unit I rented from AVIS was extremely helpful while getting around Heathrow. I had no issues, checked in easily, and spent the night in the smallest hotel room I have ever seen - probably 3x5 feet of walking space, a single bed, and tiny bathroom. But that never bothers me so it was fine - plus they had wireless so I could use my iPod to tell everyone I had made it safely. Then, sleep. :)

Friday, July 9
I got up relatively early (for me) and was on the road by 8:45. I was prepared to be gripping the wheel and scared of driving on the left side of the road, but two things made it pretty easy -
1. Everyone else is driving the exact same way you are, so just by following the flow of traffic you end up being fine.
2. The steering wheel is on the right side of the car, and there is something about having the center lane next to you as a driver that feels right - that of course you should drive on the left because you want to be on the side of the car closest to the lane - it wouldn't feel right otherwise.
The GPS got me to the M4, where if I was going straight to Wales I would have stayed on almost until the end of my 4-hour journey. However, I had already decided that I wanted to visit Bath - a beautiful old city with a Roman bath system dating from the first century, complete with having made many appearances in Jane Austen novels - her characters found visiting Bath to be somewhat of a social necessity. So I eventually found parking, and time to do everything I wanted.

First, the Baths - I paid to enter and tour around the small museum, which was actually very interesting. It was cool to see the way the baths worked, with water flowing through it continually from the small spring, still steaming today. They give you a glass of the water in the Pump Room, attached to the baths - this is where Jane Austen's characters would 'take a turn about the room' and try to be noticed by men of high society. :) The room is a restaurant now, so I didn't stay long, but it was huge and beautiful.

The Abbey from above the Baths
Second, the Abbey - I went in and found that this beautiful & huge church (more like a small cathedral) was having a guest lecturer, speaking on the Wisdom psalms. I thought his talk was great - all about finding the message in the author's words, that rest and restoration where only found in God - nothing else will do. It was awesome to be in such an ancient place of worship and hear someone speak God's Word as Truth.
Third, the Royal Crescent - I went walking in search of this stately row of homes, generally considered to be the upper echelon of high society in Bath during Austen's times. I only got turned around once before giddily walking up to the long crescent and imagining myself in the 1800s. My favorite movie scene from Persuasion was filmed here - where Anne, on finding through a letter that Fredrick really does love her, runs after him along the crescent and tells him she is persuaded once and for all that she wants nothing in the world but him. Ah, the beauty of a love long waited for.

That was the end of my time in England - I joined the now crowded freeway and headed to Wales. The B&B I stayed at was quite cute - run by a younger couple with two kids, and their grandmother. The dad pointed me in the direction of their long abandoned castle when I asked for a tip about taking a walk - it was a beautiful place to explore and watch the day come to an end. I love castle ruins with no boundaries - ducking through entrances, climbing walls to get better views, and generally having a blast.



Saturday, July 10
Coasteering!! This is the original reason I came to Wales - to visit the Pembrokeshire coast and rock scramble/cliff jump to my heart's content. I accomplished all that and so much more.
Getting there proved to be a challenge (the GPS took me on a crazy route that included a one-way, unpaved, wagon-track road through the countryside, as well as having to deal with the narrow roads near the coast), but once I got there everything was great. The first people I met turned out to be the family I spent the day with - Peter, Carrie, Ella, and Joe. The kids were 14 and 11, so right up my ally - the whole family was just a joy to be around. They were celebrating Peter's 50th birthday, and welcomed me with open arms. They even told our 2nd guide that they had adopted me. :)

We went sea kayaking first, which was beautiful. We wove in and out of huge rocks along with the tide, explored caves and inlets, and skimmed across the open water with ease. Joe was really uncomfortable, so we kept waiting for him, but that was fine and just gave me a chance to soak it all in. The blue of the water, the variations of the cliffs, the peacefulness of the day...it was all so amazing.
After a break for lunch we met a new guide (named Llyi in Welsh but he had us call him Tom), who turned out to be a lot of fun. He was great about both helping the family push their comfort zone, and letting them take things at their own pace. He also was pretty smart and was great about pointing out little science things (having to do with rocks and seaweed and the quarry) that I would never have known otherwise. I think he's coming to the US next year to study biology. Anyway, he was fun to talk to and had the best six pack I have ever seen. :)
Coasteering is basically a mix of rock scrambling, traversing, and cliff jumping, all rolled into one activity. We swam to different areas of the cliffsides, scrambed around, jumped in, traversed if necessary, fell in, swam some more, repeat. It was awesome! Joe was so impressive - he wanted to do everything. A couple of times when he wanted to, but was afraid (before a "slab run" and before the 20ft jump) he would look at me & say, "Let Michelle go first." It was really cute, and he had so much fun. Towards the end of our time, there was an option to jump off a 35ft cliff - Joe wanted to but they had an age limit of 16. Tom asked if I wanted to, and of course I said yes. He had already told me that he had only had one girl do it the previous summer, and none this one - but thought that I would. I had to rise to the challenge. I felt like I was representing all Lake Powell alumni, and especially Ryan since he got me to overcome my fear. Plus it was just fun! But scary for the split second when I looked over the edge.
Later on, in an old blown out quarry known as the Blue Lagoon, we jumped off a 30ft cliff a couple of times. That one you could run and jump off, which was pretty cool. Joe had his chance - after he went, Tom told the rest of the older guys standing around debating about doing it that Joe was only 11. As you can imagine, they all got in line to jump.
I exchanged email info with the McDerrmott family, and have since discovered that they are Christians! Such an amazing, beautiful, small, Spirit-filled world. I'm so thankful I was placed with them.


Sunday, July 11
I drove back to the St. David's area with the intent to hang out at Whitesands beach before camping on the other side of the peninsula at Porth Clais. It turned out to be a nice, though breezy, day, and the beach was fairly crowded. Also, there was almost zero waves, but I didn't come all the way to Wales NOT to play in the water. So I rented a surfboard for an hour and had fun in the whitewater. I rode maybe 4 waves in that whole time. But I did meet a nice Welsh guy, there on vacation with a bunch of friends, who invited me to watch the World Cup final with them that night. Later I went on a hike down the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, which was gorgeous - around every bend a new cliff, new views of the sea, new rock formations to gaze on. I could have hiked a lot longer than I did, but wanted to set up my tent in the daylight.


Camping in the UK is so different than camping in the US. Your "site" is anywhere in the field that you want, so long as you stay six meters away from everyone else. It was an amazing location, though - overlooking the sea, with the coastal path going right by, and an inlet full of boats right below. I found out later that I had, without knowing it, set up right next to Rhys and his friends. I met them that night at a pub in town and had a blast hanging out - they were so funny! It was a large group of married couples, a few with kids, and he was the only one still single. Poor guy - I know what that's like. :) They were so welcoming, and I had a great time just laughing with them all night.

Monday, July 12
Rhys is on the left - we were watching his friends shoot water bottles sky-high


I hung out with Rhys and his friends for a while before heading out to walk the path once more. I found a rock to climb down, and jumped in one last time. Then it was back on the road, headed to London to try to catch a West End show. I lucked out and got into London in time to ditch the car (with some help from the GPS), take the train from Heathrow, get a ticket from the Les Mis box office, take the tube station to my hostel, and get back to the theatre before they closed the doors. Stressful but worth it! It was such an amazing performance! The songs, the story, the characters....it was all breathtaking. I had "Bring Him Home" and "On My Own" stuck in my head for days. The story of redemption and forgiveness was incredibly powerful. Interesting sidenote: Nick Jonas happened to be playing one of the lead characters while I was there. For all my dislike of teenage pop stars, he did an A+ job - he was excellent. I have newfound respect for him (and for his brothers by extension).
:)


Tuesday, July 13
Up early to make it to the airport in time for my flight to Germany. Not much to be said. Most of the tea I brought home for my sisters was purchased in the airport - Aimers & Leeners, I hope that doesn't cheapen it for you. I kind of just ran out of time for shopping. :)

Track Team Fun

Since I haven't posted anything since December, here's a recap of all that's happened this spring.

Small Group Baby Shower for Gwen & Winter ("Bubba Sherbet")

Team Picture at Westmont

Last night of Spring Fling

Ultimate Ninja

Conference Runners Up

First Day of Willamette Heptathlon

May Term Hanging Out

Nationals - Beth and John winning the West Region Awards