Highways and Hotels

Well, I've been wandering around for the last couple weeks - thinking, reading, working, talking to strangers. Driving a lot everyday :) This past weekend I went to the Pacific Ocean over near a town called Ocean Shores, WA. I didn't expect it to be as windy as it was, therefore, I froze but I still walked into the ocean and kept reading The Ragamuffin Gospel (which I highly recommend), it's all about God's grace - and it's so good. Please read, if don't have a copy, I can mail you mine once I'm done :)

Driving through the northwest is so different from Texas and the south...there are trees everywhere and I have a feeling that locals take them for granted, maybe not :) But I am just amazed everyday as I drive down the highway (rain or no rain - it's pure beauty, though I think everything looks better with a little sunlight shinin' down on it).

Sunday I made a trip to Seattle and visited Mars Hill Church. I was befriended by 3 random people and went to lunch with them at Gyuamas? Something like that. Afterwards we walked off the food at a trail across the street which ended up being a 3 mile loop - a fact we were not aware of beforehand. But I guess it was for the best...for my body at least. It will thank me later :)

I then decided a trip to the REI flagship store was NECESSARY. Little did I know that Seattle's roadways would try to get the best of me. I had to call my brother for directions. It was huge to say the least, and I could probably find a nice mountain man there if i wanted too, just kidding ; ) I did buy some carabiners though...i am going to try and set up a pulley system for my slackline - hmmm...we'll see how that works out.

I'm still living out of a hotel - which is getting really old, fast. I've always thought I could live without a home, you know, be a vagabond - and maybe I can, maybe when you don't stop moving, you don't really have time to notice things that you miss about a home. But since I'm rather stationary at the moment - despite my day/daily trips, I rather like the idea of have a place to come back to that's welcoming - where you can relax...and just relax. Not that being in a hotel isn't relaxing - it is. Getting to love the continental breakfasts just a little TOO much, ya know? All the free coffee/chai tea in the world, and free oranges :)(plus I don't have to clean).

On Monday I had to go to Vancouver, WA for more training. Afterwards I decided to make a short trip to Portland (only 15 min away) and am intensely jealous of the beauty they are surrounded by. I went for a run in Washington Park and goodness...I feel as though runners in Portland have some sort of advantage over runners in other places that are not as populated with trees, a person could run for hours with beauty like that spurring them on. Of course, afterwards, their roadways got the best of me, as I found out they never wanted me to turn left again in my life. They only like right turns in Portland, go figure.

I have to pack up and unpack one more time next week and then we'll see what happens from there.