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:)

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!

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!

Finally, winter!

     For about the past 3 weeks our area has been under what the weather man is calling an inversion, I call it the wackiest winter weather I've ever seen, and this morning we finally woke up to a change for the good!  SNOW!!  

     I know it doesn't look like a lot, but it's still coming down and at about three inches it's nearly more than we've had any other time this year!  We still have the inversion but for some reason it's easier to cope with if there's fluffy white snow falling out of it!  Now if it will just break the chain we've had so far this winter and not warm up to 40 tomorrow turning all this beautiful snow into messy slush!  So as I joyfully watch the snow to continue to pile up I can't help but sing to myself, "I'm dreaming of a white Super Bowl!"

Remember, when life gets you down focus on transcending the BS to find the positives in every situation!

Part of a bigger plan

     As most of you who follow me on this blog already know I have been sober since my fateful day way back on December 6th 2002.  What you may not know is that I have maintained this sobriety largely on my own resources of my personal support group and not through Alcoholic's Anonymous.  As a matter of fact if you take away the meetings I attended while I was completing my outpatient treatment in Billings, I could probably count the number I've made it to on both hands.  I have always told everyone that my AA meeting is held every morning when I shave and run cross the Frankenstein looking scar on my neck, and when I go duck hunting and my neck gets sore from peering into the cold winter sky.  

     My dad has since become sober himself and he has been successful in his sobriety in a very large part due to his regular attendance of meetings.  He almost has it down to a science, having to travel a fair amount for work he has meetings all over the country that he goes to when he's in the area.  As happy as I am that he is sober, and that the AA system works for him, I still didn't feel like it was necessarily for me.  

     Part of the reason I think I felt this way was AA affiliates themselves with reconnecting ourselves with our maker and like many things they have adapted to modern culture and most of the meetings I have been to have replaced God with "a higher power".  What this meant was some of the meetings I've been to have people who attribute their sobriety not to turning their problems over to God, but to their wife, kids, motorcycle, dog, or any other "higher power".  Now I'm not saying this makes these peoples sobriety any less significant, I believe whatever works for you to stay healthy you should stick with it, but sitting in these meetings was hard for me as I firmly believe that I am living proof that our higher power is none other than God.

     So for the past 11 years I have mostly stayed away from these meetings, only going to an occasional one here and there with dad.  I had a real hard time talking myself into going to one on my own simply because I didn't really feel like I needed them.  Well about three weeks ago I had another series of events happen that once again proved to me that I am on a laid out path in this life and am being watched over by God.

     Kelli and I rented a movie called Thanks For Sharing which is a show about a group of addicts who all struggle with maintaining their sobriety.  This show really opened my eyes to my addiction because one of the characters has been sober for 15 years and a series of events caused him to come dangerously close to drinking.  The very next day at church there was an announcement in the bulletin for women suffering from abuse support groups at the church so I decided to check and see if they held an AA meeting.  They do have one every Thursday night and the best part is they follow AA's 12 steps, as well as the new testament and their entire meeting is centered around Christ!  The whole purpose of the meeting is the same as AA with the added benefit of strengthening your relationship with God!

     So I've went the last two weeks now and my time there has done nothing but prove that God has led me to that meeting for so many reasons!  I shared some stuff each night that guys have said has helped them and they needed to hear, and I've heard some stories that have helped me as well.  I have spent the past 11 years asking God why he chose me to get this second chance and I am starting to think part of the reason is little things like this meeting and using my story and life's experiences to help others find Him!  

Remember, all of us are on a set course in life, we just have to stop trying to find the shortcut and enjoy the ride! 

Oh the weather outside is.....

     Well it took getting on a plane, flying to southwest oregon, renting a car and driving over the Crater Lake pass, but I finally found where they were hiding all of the snow!  We have had a very abnormal winter in our neck of the woods, every time it has snowed it's immediately followed with temperatures in the mid to high 30's which just melts all the snow leaving us in a constant state of wet, slushy, frozen conditions.  The one thing I've figured out this winter so far is that the colder temperatures are always a little more acceptable when there's some snow on the ground for you to go out and frolic in!  

     Besides preventing us from enjoying the joys of winter like sledding and snow angels, the severe lacke of snow is beginning to be a major concern for the area farmers as no one seems to be able to predict how their crops are going to do with no moisture in the ground.  Even though I found some snow in the higher elevations of southern Oregon, the experts will tell you there is no where near the amount that there needs to be.

     I never used to pay so much attention to our water needs before I was in the crop insurance business, now I seem to spend more time reading weather related articles then I do Golf Digest!  Some would say that's just what happens when you get older but given my admission to desires of making snow angels I don't think that's the case for me:). 

     So all we can do is continue to pray for snow as it is needed in many areas throughout the country, and know that with an awesome God who can create such a beautiful place as this in control one way or another he will provide!  Don't be fooled by this picture, that's not a lake, it's an eerie layer of fog that I was about to drive into!  Kind of cool:)

Remember, the next time it snows go make a snow angel, we're NEVER too old to have fun in the snow!:)

Right here, right now!

     Well here we are having successfully survived yet another holiday season.  It's been a while since my last post simply because I had to take a couple days off last week to let my waist line lower back down to a movable status!  I swear each year about the second week of December I tell myself that I'm not going to eat so much over the holidays, then by about the 24th I convince myself that I'm not doing too bad when in reality I've already gone overboard, and finally sometime shortly after each Christmas I just completely give up and vow to try harder next year!  Sound familiar?  My biggest crutch is the majority of the teeth in my head are of the sweet variety, I could literally eat an entire days worth of meals consisting of nothing more than holiday pie!  Luckily for me though I am no different than every other American in the country and I get the glorious opportunity to start with a clean slate every 365 days!
     
     I don't know why we feel like January 1st is any different than any other day, yet somehow this day carries the mystical power to give us all the feeling of hope.  So naturally as the clock neared midnight on the 31st last week Kelli and I had made it up to see the new year for the first time in a few years so we took the chance to share our hopes and aspirations for the upcoming year with each other.  Every year most of us make resolutions that are next to impossible to achieve, you know what I'm talking about, the ones that don't usually make it to the very next 1 on the calender!  So this year Kelli and I did things a little different and made resolutions that in our heads were going to be a little easier to keep.  We both talked about improving in certain areas of our lives but our resolutions could easily be summed up in one sentence.  The only person you have to be better than is the person you were yesterday.  I know I've used this quote on here before but I truly feel like it is about the best one I've ever came across!  Too many of us, me included, get caught up in whats going to happen and we tend to not pay enough attention to what has already happened or what is happening.  I'm not saying it's not a good idea to set goals or make plans, what I'm saying is once those plans for the family vacation are made, or once you've laid out your goals for career development, put a little more focus into whats going on in the now.  Trust me I know it's going to be difficult, after last weeks collapse by my beloved Cowboys that ended our season early I have struggled every single day to not tell anyone who will listen about how things will be different next season!  So this year I encourage you all to spend a little more time simply trying to be better than you were one day ago.  This is something that a recovering addict like myself has to focus on in order to stay healthy, taking things one day at a time, but I feel like even those who aren't struggling with addiction could become better people from it.  Give it a shot and see how your life changes:)

Remember, just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day!