Time Warp

Evidently I've been so busy living life that I haven't written here in forever. Just being back in the US has made it infinitely easier to communicate with most of you. I get to make phone calls and sometimes even see people. Even though both of those don't seem to happen often enough, it sure happens a whole lot more than it did last year when I was in Austria. It makes me so happy. I just love being closer to most of my friends and family. I've also started sending out a newsletter for my ministry with YD Adventures. If you haven't been getting that and would like to, please let me know.

So what has happened since I last wrote on here in Sept?

I moved to little Plain, Washington, between Leavenworth and Stevens Pass on Highway 2 in the middle of the mountains of WA.

I started a year long internship with YD Adventures, an adventure-based youth ministry.

I made plans to learn how to ski and got a mid-week seasons pass to Stevens Pass as an early Christmas present from my parents.

I met/re-met a boy at Plain Community Church (of all places to meet a guy, I find one in the middle of nowhere when I least expect it) who I had met at church in Bellingham and who I had a German class or two with at some point. We started hanging out.

I biked a lot to get to work (7 miles) since I didn't have a car. Beautiful ride but it started getting colder and darker every day.

Stacy and Mike got married and I had the honor of a front row seat as a bride's maid. It was so great getting to hang out with the ladies again. And we danced like crazy. Yay.

I bought my first car on my own, a 2000 Subaru Forester.

The boy asked me out for real. I said yes. His name is MJ (stands for Michael John).

It finally started snowing for real. Started making plans for winter training at work. Did a recon on Blewitt pass, went moonlight snowshoeing with MJ. The pass finally opened just before Christmas and I got to go ride. MJ started teaching me how to ski. Having your manfriend teach you to ski is a lot cheaper than paying for lessons--that worked out well : ) He's pretty skilled at it too since he's been teaching skiing since he was about 15 and is now in charge of the ski school (for kids) at Stevens.

Got to see Mom, Dad, and Jared as well as the Nelson extended family at Christmas which was great.

MJ started a Bible Study/Fellowship group up at the pass. Lindsay, Steve, and Katy were our most faithful attendees with other folks dropping in from time to time. We would eat dinner together, talk and learn a bit about Jesus, and then go night skiing together every Friday.

At YDA we got to work with several groups of students in the winter on single day snowshoe and ski trips which was sweet.

I rode a raft down a sledding hill.

I almost became a snow machine guide in my spare time, but then I didn't. Jared is really bitter that I passed up such an opportunity. Sorry, it smells bad, is loud, and I'd rather be snowboarding, skate skiing, or skiing.

In Feb. I finished my certification to be the head guide on YDA's climbing trips. I'm now officially a "Rock Senior".

I convinced some friends to come skiing with me. Julie, Sean, some of their friends, Deb, and Brent all came at certain point to play in the snow and stay up at the pass at MJ's cabin. Some YD friends also came up for a day of skiing, dinner and game playing. A huge quantity of snow came in March after a big dry spell. We had 3 or 4 days of 1-2 feet of new pow in March!

I got older. A quarter of a century old. Got to celebrate with some friends coming to visit in plain, then MJ took me to Seattle for a fun couple of days, we had sushi, went to Owajimayas, walked he streets, lingered in a coffee shop, went to an Irish pub for a delish dinner and beer, then went to a play set in Ireland, "The Seafarers".

Spring training with our volunteer staff started at the beginning of March. Spring actually came pretty late though; the first weekend of raft training we had snow falling hard and several inches piling up on our boats. Oh so freezing cold. We did a lot of character building the first few weeks of training.

I rode a horse. I saw a horse poo in the Chalet at the ranch.

Miranda and I sang Karaoke.

I guided my first class 4 rapid, Boulder Drop, on the Skykomish river!

I completed my taxes. Yes! It was remarkably difficult because I had foreign earned income form Austria. Don't ever earn income in a foreign country, or have someone do your taxes. Or make friends with sweet Dani so she will help you.

I totalled my car on Easter Sunday after a sunrise service MJ planned up on the pass. The slushy snow overcame my car and I had an intimate moment with the guardrail. This was a week after getting my snow tires off.

MJ and I drove down to Portland for Beth and Danny's wedding. We got to hang out with my Ladies and some of their men. it was such a fun time, and so good to be with some of the people I love the most!

I flew up to Alaska last weekend to see my Brother graduate from UAA with his bachelors in Justice. It was awesome since him for the first time since Christmas. The weather up there was way better than in Plain. It was 70 and sunny all weekend! We also got to hang out with some old family friends which was great.

This weekend MJ and I are coordinating our first multi-family holiday day, heading to Everett to have lunch with the Nelson's and then south to North Bend to make dinner with his fam.

In a week and a half I will move on site to the ranch for the busy summer season an the week after that summer staff training starts. Then it's go, go, go until the end of August pretty much.

It's been a great, unique, and at times challenging year, but a really a good one. I've learned a lot and made lots of new memories that I won't soon forget.

Sorry for the binge blogging. Hope you enjoy though.