how time flies

So much has gone on in the last several days that it's been impossible to keep up with! It seems like I've had hardly any time at home to sit and breathe, let alone write here.

Let's see... I'll start with July. The new ferry schedule started on the 1st, which means that I have a new weekday curfew of 10pm instead of 6pm (praise the Lord!!). That didn't stop me from staying off-island for several nights last week, though. On the 4th Nate and I drove down to Seattle to pick up Greg & Beth at the airport. Nate had this great idea to dress up all fancy and be waiting for them at baggage claim with a sign that said "BATTEN." They loved it, it was tons of fun. Greg had a cold and had taken meds on the flight, so he was out of it the whole ride home - it was kind of funny, but we felt bad for him at the same time. We're glad he's back to his normal alert self.

Later on the 4th Nate came over to the Powell house and we experimented on the beach with various forms of combustible materials, then we went back to the mainland on the 10 to watch the Anacortes fireworks display. We went right down by the warehouses, and it was so cool. The reports were echoing off the metal siding, and the fireworks were huge and loud (I've never watched them from that close before!). One of the buildings caught on fire (I think it was one of the Sun Systems buildings?), which was alarming/exciting. Funny how a burning building can draw much more attention than the fireworks that are carrying on up above.

It was too cold to swim home, so I stayed in the Stalsbrotens' basement. I "helped Nate pressure-wash the deck" on the 5th (apparently the pressure-washer works better if it's occasionally cleaned out IN MY FACE), and ended up staying over there for dinner. Greg & Beth rejoined us, fully awake this time. It was awesome.

Thursday I went out to Bellingham to visit Rose W. after work. It was great to see her and catch up - we went to downtown Bellingham, made dinner, played a fun game called Guillotine, and watched a Firefly episode (Katie, Jessie, Stacy - you'll appreciate that!) I left with plenty of time to catch the 10 back, and even though I got a little lost on the way to the freeway I got to the on-ramp in time. Too bad I got onto I-5 North instead of I-5 South. By the time I realized my mistake and turned around, I was at the Fairhaven exits with only about a half-hour until the ferry. Since there was no way I was going to make it in time, I just stayed with Grandma at the lake. Sometimes I'm amused by the dumb things I do: this was one of those times.

The last few days have consisted of work, both at RMAS and at home. Erickson and I have made a pretty big dent in the berry bushes around the septic tank in our backyard, and we have another huge batch of bushes to take down next week. It's hard work but it's fun and rewarding... it's such an accomplishment to sever a huge blackberry bush from its roots, heave it over your shoulder, and yank the whole thing out of the way. Erickson went kind of crazy with the machete too, hacking his way through some of the drier stuff. I know it's boring to read about, you'll just have to trust me: it was fun when we were out there doing it. :)

Hmmm, let's see... Friday night we watched Improv with Greg & Beth, Stalsbrotens, my family, the Morrows, and about a million other people I know. It was hilarious, as usual. On Saturday my family, Greg & Beth, and the Andrew S's (Snook and Stalsbroten) all watched Pirates of the Caribbean II. The AC was broken, so the theater was distractingly hot and muggy (appropriate, isn't it?). I have to admit, I didn't think this one was near as good as the first one. Davy Jones and his crew were just a bit too much for me, and I felt like the plot-to-action ratio was slightly (or maybe excessively) overbalanced. It didn't help that, after nearly three hours, there was no ending. But I'm being too hard on it. I think that once I see the third one, I'll be less harsh on the second. I hope.

Sunday was Church, a brief stint at work, some chill time with Greg & Beth, and Youth Group (a bonfire out at Washington Park, complete with s'mores). Today was Mom's birthday, so I got up and made her blueberry pancakes for breakfast. This evening we went to the Lake and had a birthday dinner at Grandma's house.

Now I'm going to pack, because tomorrow we leave on the youth group Friction trip. For those who have no idea what that is (which I'm guessing is nearly all of you), it's a small-group rock climbing trip, put on by YD Adventures. I've actually never been rock climbing before, so I'm really excited. PLUS, on the last day we get to go rafting, which is hands-down one of my favorite things to do. I'm also really excited about the opportunity to spend some solid time with Beth and the girls (Micah, Erika, and Dawn). I'm praying that through this trip God will draw all of us closer to each other and, most importantly, closer to Him. The guys (Greg, Nate, Erickson, and Sergio) are going, too, but we'll break off into separate groups once we get up there. If you're reading this while I'm gone, send up a prayer for the safety of everyone involved and for our hearts to be open to what God has to tell us. We get back Friday night - I'll post an update next weekend.

Alright, after that excessively long and unnecessarily detailed account of my last week or so, I bid thee goodnight.