Random Recollections - An Afternoon with Esther

I had a very busy fun-filled Summer with many adventures worth blogging about.
And since I can't remember everything in perfect order, I figured the best way to share would be to just recall things at random when inspiration hits. :)

 Today I'm remembering an Sunday afternoon with my dear friend, Esther Dodd. She's fun, cheerful, mischievous. My favorite kind. ;)
After church we headed out to eat a scrumptious lunch at Olive Garden. SO good! We both got the soup and salad meal and enjoyed it immensely. She told me all about her trip to Africa (which you can read about here) and then we caught up on everything with each other.

After we finished eating we got the bill and with a pretty smile she said, "My treat!" I argued for a bit but then decided I could settle score with buying us something sweet later on.

We headed to a park to chill in the wonderful weather and continue our chatting. The day was seriously epic and I could have sat in that beautiful sunshiny mountain air for decades. We talked and talked then laid back to just enjoy the nature around us. I had really dressed up and the afternoon sun was reminding me more and more as each minutes went on. However, all my clothes were in the states and it wasn't really worth crossing the border and back for a shirt. Esther and I had just decided to go to her place to change when we sat up and behold! Someone we knew? Ah HA! It turns out more young people had decided to come to the park to hang out and play some volleyball. We said hello and then Esther and I went We stopped at the

Weirdest/coolest store ever. I guess like a Super Target - Canadian style? Anyways we had no trouble finding something modest, cute, and affordable. We got matching shirts and wore them proudly. :) Hehe.

We went back to the park and hung out for a while. Then we decided to head to the states. Beautiful weather, windows down, music on, singing. It was a blast. To finish the day off Sis Joy said Esther could stay the night with me. Ah, the fun continued.

I seriously had an amazing time with her. She's so fun and sweet and AH! I love her to pieces. 

Can't wait to see her in a couple of months! <3

Philip and Melissa

I woke up super early on July 4th, 2013. The house was silent and the light out my window was that soft sleepy light the sun gives as it's just peeking over the horizon. I remember laying my head back into those epic feather pillows, smiling up at the white ceiling and thinking about how stunning Melissa would look in her wedding dress. How handsome Phil would be. They were the most amazing couple ever and I had never been more excited about a wedding before. I just knew the day would be perfection.

I cleared away the dreamy, sleepy mood and jumped out of bed to checked on my dress hanging in the closet. Eeek! I had forgotten to iron it. I ironed it quickly then remembered Sis Joy had B&B guests! I finished getting ready then went out to see if I could help. She had everything under control of course. She's simply wonderful, that's what.

I waited for Charity to come over, for we had made plans that I'd go with her to the wedding then then out to the camp afterwards. While I waited I went over my things to make sure I had packed enough for everything. I was just finishing and she showed up and we headed out. Arriving at the church I began to get all giggly. I was SO excited. We had to take our seats quickly cause we were a bit late. Sitting and waiting for the ceremony to start took forever. I kept wishing time would hurry to when the beautiful Melissa would come down the aisle and when it finally happened I couldn't keep from crying. She was stunning and I loved her SO much. But Phil....his expression as he played the guitar. I got chills. It was the most amazing beautiful thing to see. They were so in love and so happy. I could have just jumped up and down with excitement. I want that same happiness to surround me on MY wedding day. <3

The wedding was perfectly amazing. Tiffany was the maid of honor and she did great! I knew she was about to cry a couple of times but she hid it well. Her big beautiful smile and sparkling eyes. She was almost as pretty as the bride. It was a magical day in all and I was dreamy about it for weeks afterwards.

Settling In

July 2, 2013 (cont.)

After I got off the plane it was quite the adventure finding my luggage. It seemed everyone was in a rush to get to the baggage claim area and there were times I wondered if I was gonna get trampled. I made it safely though and stood in a crowd of people watching various bags come spinning past.

I have never seen such a fast moving baggage belt before though. People were seriously putting their lives on the line just to grab their belongings. One old man came trotting around to the side I was on, pointing at a rather large suitcase. "That one! That one's mine!!" We all kind of looked at him a second then one brave woman jumped onto the moving belt and tackled the bag. She was victorious and actually jumped to safety just in time before being knocked over to a probable death. ;) A few onlookers clapped a bit. I sighed and continued waiting for my belongings to show up, praying that when it was my turn, I wouldn't have to take such risks.

I waited and waited until there were only two bags left circling around and around. They were quite ugly actually. One was white hard case, with a with Canadian leaf on the front. It looked like it'd had gone through a terrible abusive past - all smudged with dirt and dented. The other was black material bag that looked as if it had had a few run ins with a mad cat or two. I wasn't feeling very sympathetic at the moment and after I gave them both an evil glare I marched off to see where on earth my things had gone.

There were about ten other people marching with the same determined step as myself. I followed them to another belt. We all stood around and more people showed up. Little by little that belt also became empty. I was about ready to have a cow at this point but I hid it well. The others around me.....eh, not so much. We all marched back over to the first belt and waited. More bags came. I stared each one down as they passed. Pink, black, red, white, tan, patterned. NONE OF THEM HAD MY DISTINCT OWL RIBBONS!!!

I was about ready to give up and go demand a free trip to the Bahama's from the airline for losing my bags but then I saw one of them. The once fast moving belt seemed to slow down to a crawl in my mind. I waited and waited and when my long lost luggage finally passed in front of me, I snatched it up and set it down on the ground with a sigh of relief. One down, one to go.

Ten minutes later, I was reunited with BOTH my suitcases and suddenly I had need of the washroom. Oh great. Tiny airport stalls and two gigantic suitcases. What was I to do? Thankfully there was an empty handicap one available and I managed to fit everything inside. After my long morning I kind of wanted to hide in there a while and I almost did after seeing myself in the mirror. I had one word.

Whoa.

Whoa as in....What-Happened-To-You-Whoa. Yeah, it was kinda scary. At least I knew I wouldn't have to worry about anyone wanting to talk to me. I only hoped Sis Joy Hayes wouldn't be terrified at my appearance. OH! Yes, I realized she was due any second and I must get out of the airport and be waiting for her.

Out the big sliding doors I went and immediately was greeted by the beautiful Washington air. I found a place to stand and wait and then just closed my eyes do drink in a deep breath of the air. Cool and refreshing. I opened my eyes and Sis Joy came pulling up. After a quick greeting, to we loaded up and headed north. I was very talkative I'm afraid but she didn't seem to mind. We had a wonderful visit and stopped for some lunch a little bit up the road at Olive Garden. It was great to just sit and relax over a good meal.

We stopped at a shopping outlet and looked around a bit. So many cute things at amazing prices but I wouldn't allow myself anything. Haha, I'd done enough shopping a few days before for this trip and I didn't need any more clothes! After we were done there, we headed home and on the way I almost fell asleep. I probably would have if not for my eyes being glued to the beautiful distant mountains.

We pulled into the drive and Jingo, my buddy, came running out to meet us. In the garage I opened my door and he attacked me. Trying to jump into my lap and kiss me. In his scramble he managed to knock my phone out of my lap and onto the floor. It scattered into three pieces. Front. Back. Battery.
Silly dog! I got out of the car and knelt to the ground so he wouldn't have to jump anymore. He practically sat in my lap and it was quite the job trying to stand up again. :p

Now the Hayes have one of the most beautiful houses I've ever been too. Sis Joy actually runs a Bed and Breakfast there and if any of my viewers are wanting a beautiful place to stay then I HIGHLY recommend Blackberry Trails. Check the website out, eh? Sis Joy is an amazing hostess and will make you feel more than welcome anytime. :)

This is the everyday view from all the front windows of the house. <3

So after I got my stuff in my room, I took a shower then crashed for a few hours before church. It was a wonderful sleep. The bed was big and fluffy and I was surrounded by feather pillows and a feather comforter. Ah, it was SO comfy that I didn't hear my phone trying to wake me up and when I finally did come to, it was almost time for church!! AHHH! I made it in time......ok, it was like three minutes after Sis Joy was ready but still. For the little bit of time I had, I did pretty good. Hair done, clothes pressed, bible, purse, passport. Yes, very good.

I was super shy and nervous about seeing everyone. At the border line-up I was thinking how all my friends didn't even know me anymore and I'd have to try to and talk to them and they wouldn't want to talk to me.
I got to church and we went right into the sanctuary. I walked in and went to my usual seat, with the Frey family. (Well, actually only with Sis Kim and Caleb since Nicole was gone) Shyness left me for a moment. Caleb gave me a nod of greeting then when I smiled at him he rolled his eyes. I felt like I'd never left. Sis Kim smiled at me and I could have done a happy dance right then and there. Then I looked over to my left and saw The Beautiful Tiffany Grunert. I'll never forget her smile that moment. She looked like she was going to burst with excitement and I wished I could run over that very second and give her a big hug! I sighed and opened my bible to try to settle my thoughts.

Bro John Andes preached a wonderful message about Love. It was great but I'll admit, I had a hard time concentrating the entire time. Hahaha! When we were dismissed, I felt the shyness coming over me again - I was suddenly terrified at the thought of facing all my buddies.

HA! I never should have thought twice about reuniting with my friends. We all squealed and hugged and then talked and talked then hugged and squealed some more. :) Well, my GIRL friends did that. The guys just came said "hello", shook hands and smiled cordially. It was great to catch up with everyone.

Sis Joy and I got home late and I went straight to bed and slept amazingly, dreaming of fun times and the Hayes' chickens.

Flyin'

July 2nd, 2013.

Just a few hours of sleep and then mom knocked on my door to wake me. I remember waking up and noting the fact it was still dark out. What's going on....?! OH! YEAH! It all came back to me. Melissa's wedding invite, ticket buying, wardrobe restocking, packing, planning. Yes, today was the day I flew out to West. I smiled and quickly finished any last minute things before we headed to the airport.

I remember puzzling on the way and wondering why I wasn't going crazy with excitement. It seemed like a dream and maybe I wasn't willing to believe it quite yet.

Arriving at the airport, I checked in and then after saying goodbye to my parents, I headed across the shuttle to security - always something I dread. My turn came and I took a deep breath before walking into the scanner. I did the "Frozen Jumping Jacks Pose" and whoosh! The scanner swung around me and it was over, I had passed and I was free to go find my gate and a bite to eat. I sighed my usual relief and set out to find my plane.

It wasn't hard to find, seeing as it was the gate closest to security. I had almost an hour to kill so I went to the bathroom to check my hair, then wandered about debating breakfast options. After much thought and pondering I decided on a delicious looking parfait. It was even better than it looked. Creamy vanilla yogurt topped with a fabulous assortment of berries, including raspberries.

I found a seat and settled down to eat my breakfast and read until they called me to board. We all filed on and I found an exceptionally good seat - second row back on the aisle. The middle seat beside me stayed unoccupied and the windows seat was taken by a jolly elderly lady. We ended up having a great conversation on and off the entire flight. She'd laugh and chat then doze off. She snored in the most adorable way, she'd wake herself up with it and then be ready for another five minute exchange. She had grown up on a ranch and used to ride horses and cut cattle with her father. She was very open about her old fashioned beliefs and had a very good outlook on today's world. I really enjoyed sitting with her.

So I had a lay over in Las Vegas and boy, oh boy was that........interesting. Sparkling slot machines, rich 50-60 year olds trying to look 20. Bleck. They were trying hard but failing completely. I pity them actually....cause they seemed so confident about themselves. I felt extremely out of place and so I found a empty hallway, hid behind an electronic charging station and called up my niece for a little chat. We talked for an hour or so then I said farewell. 

I got on my plane and even though I didn't get as nice of a seat as last time it really wasn't too bad. A sweet Asian couple maybe in their early 60's. Only the man spoke English but the woman gave me plenty of smiles and friendly nods. I read an classic Louisa May Alcott book on the Kindle to pass time and before I knew it the captain announced we would be circling down into Seattle.

Taking off and landing have always been my favorite part of flying. It's so fun to wait for the moment you either leave the ground or touch it. This time was no different.

Waiting.... 

Everything that was once tiny became normal sized.

Waiting....

The ground became almost level out the window.

Waiting....

There. Was that it? The airplane's roar confirmed it. We had landed.

Then it hit me. Oh my goodness! I'm actually here? It had to real because I was about to walk into land and wait.....I looked out the window once more and the beautiful mountains in the distance confirmed what seemed to be unreal.

It was true, after a year of waiting I was finally back in Washington State.