Thursday, February 20, 2014

A lot of fun in a little time!

     This past weekend Kelli and I headed over to the big city of Seattle to visit some friends of ours the Ralstons.  We went over on Saturday morning and they wasted no time at all in showing us a good time!  As soon as we got there we jumped in their car and drove about a half hour north of town to get on the ferry to go have lunch on Woodbey island.  This is one of the many islands in the Puget Sound and such a neat place to visit!  These islands have such a slower pace of life to them it's always a treat to take in.
   
     After we had lunch we walked around in the rain a little bit shopping in some of the quaint little stores downtown then headed back across the water to the mainland.  Our next fun event was an improv comedy competition down in the Pikes Place market!  On the way down to the comedy we had a couple hours to kill so we checked out the Montana bar, which was supposedly owned by a native Montanan and set up like a authentic Big Sky bar but the only thin resembling MT inside the place was a bunch of bumper stickers and road signs.  We were glad we checked it out but none of us authentic Montanans were too impressed!  Next we stopped at an Irish pub in the same neighborhood as the market that was called Kells and had live Irish music playing.  This place was pretty neat and just made me want to go to Ireland and take in more of that fun loving culture!  The improv was everything we expected it to be and then some!  It was a competition between two teams of four and when nothin is scripted it can get pretty funny!  

     The next morning I got up early and went for a run around Green lake which felt like I was in a 5k there were so many other runners out enjoying the rain free morning!  It was awesome though and a great way to start my day!  We then went out for some more sightseeing and they took us to the giant troll under the bridge!  I know this sounds wierd but there's a concrete statue of a troll eating a VW bug underneath an over pass in one of the neighborhoods!  This troll makes an appearance in the move Love Happens with Jennifer Aniston and it's quite the site!  I have no idea why it's there or what it's suppose to signify but that city is full of interesting stuff like that!
     Green Lake just after sunrise
           Giant hungry troll

     That night we stayed in and cooked a Ralston family recipe of baked spaghetti and watched a movie.  The next morning we got ready to head home and Hailey needed to get her computer looked at so we spet a little time at microsofts campus in Redmond.  This was pretty cool as they have an area set up that is kind of like a museum of technology through the years.  While we were there I got a call from Jill giving us a heads up that she'd heard the pass was pretty bad so to be careful on the way home.  Kelli tried gettig me to leave right then but of course I talked her into staying for lunch, which turned out to be a big mistake!  When we finally did get out of town we only made it about 40 miles and we were stuck on the highway as they had shut the pass down due to slippery conditions!  

     We were stuck there for 2 1/2 hours!! So long that the kids in the car next to us decided to get out and do a little sledding!  Eventually though we started working our way over the pass and made it home, 4 hours later than expected!:). Over all it was a great trip, we packed a bunch of fun stuff into a short amount of time!  We always have fun when we visit the Ralstons over there and I'm sure we will go back sooner than later!!

Remember, patience is highly underestimated and greatly appreciated, especially when the highway is shut down:)

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Reason #43

     It's been a while since I posted another reason I love Kelli and I can't think of a better time to do it than just after Vallentines day.  So here is reason #43 why I love this girl, she accepts me for me!  I know that may sound pretty simple but far too often I don't pay enough attention to just how much she loves me for who I am now and not who she hopes I will be someday.  I often tell people that I don't look good on paper, which is very true, but Kelli looks past all of my issues from the past and see's me for who I am today.

    So when I expressed a desire to volunteer on these habitat projects for the month of February, instead of complaining that they will take up valuable time on the weekends she accepted my desire and understood why I wanted to do it.  Even yesterday, when she had the day off work on Vallentines day, she didn't complain that I had to work on the Habitat project. Instead she patiently waited for me to get home and we had the entire evening to enjoy each other's company.

     So I encourage each of you to take a minute and think about all that your significant other does for you on a daily basis.  I know it's easy to get caught up in the pace of life and take much of these little things for granted, but we all need to make the time to think about it and then express our appreciation to our loved ones for what they do.  It doesn't matter if it's your spouse, who your dating, best friend, sibling, parents, or anyone else, we all have at least one person in our lives who supports our every move and that person needs to know we appreciate them for their support as much as we need it!

Remember, one day you will look back and realize that the little things in life were actually the big things!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

A good days work!


     This past weekend was easily one of the more special weekends in recent memory for me.  I answered the call to volunteer on behalf of our church to a Habitat for Humanity project in Deer Park!  As soon as I saw the announcement in the bulletin I knew I had to help out!  Our church has picked every Friday and Saturday in the month of February to send a group out to the project and this past Saturday was the first one.  There was about 20 of us there ranging in skill level all the way from never picked up a hammer before, to the do it yourself handyman.  On the way up there I didn't know what to expect, other than the obvious which was that it was going to be cold!  The thermometer in my truck on the drive up just solidified that thought.

     Once I got there they held a pre construction meeting where the CEO of Habitat told us a little about the oganization, just one of the many fascinating facts she shared was that the Spokane branch of Habitat is the fourth largest giving branch in the world, having given away over a million dollars a year to other build projects in the world!  We then had a moment of prayer for safety and warmth and we were off.  I volunteered to go outside and help put up soffit and facia which actually turned out to be a really good idea as then sun started warming things up very quickly!  Then I came inside and utilized my learned skills as a plumber to cut in roof vents for exhaust fans and run some duct work.  One of the coolest things was that the families who receive these homes are required to put in 500 hours of time on the projects so all day we got to know them as they were working right along side of us!

     Throughout the day as I worked I couldn't help but notice how joyful everyone seemed.  Even though the daytime high never rose very far above 20 everyone was scurrying around the site with smiles on their face!  As I noticed this I realized I had the same smile on my face, it was just then that I figured out why we were all there, especially me.  I have often told Kelli and others that I thoroughly enjoy working on projects around our house, or at a friends house way more than I ever did while collecting a paycheck for my work.  I think I finally figured out why that is, I am utilizing the skills God has given me to put a smile on someone else's face!  And there's really no better feeling than that!

     So this Friday when the temperatures are supposed to be around the same, and I am having trouble getting up the energy to make the 45 minute drive up to the project, I will remember those smiles on my fellow volunteers faces and the tears of happiness that some of the homeowners shared as they watch their very own home being built with love.  Thoughts like that should easily keep me motivated to keep on driving!


Remember, the greatest joys in life are often the reward for a kind action!