trailbikes = fun

So, today Dad showed me how to ride the Phantoms, and we took a little jaunt to the park, through the Dark Forest, and around South Beach. They were alot easier to handle than I expected. I can't do wheelies like Dad can, but I still had alot of fun. :) I got a little nervous coming around a few of the sharper corners, although by the end of the ride I had gotten the hang of it. Dad's comment to Mom when we got back was, "She felt the need for speed." :)



There was one small problem - and I'm actually embarassed to admit this - I can't start them. They have a pull start (like a lawnmower), but I wasn't able to start the bigger 7hp engine: Dad had to do it for me. I'll have to work on that. 

the best (last) Sunday

What does it take to make my last Sunday here this summer into one of the best days I've had? A combination of God, friends, fun, and food, that's what.

This morning at church, I had the privelege of being shown how God took care of my recent roommate situation in a way that surpassed all of my expectations. Here's the short story: we lost one of our housemates because she transferred to another school, and we needed to find another roommate or we'd have to pay for an extra room in the Spring. I immediately thought of a girl I know who was in need of housing, but I wasn't sure if I should ask her to live with us in the theme house or not. I talked to my remaining housemates and prayed about it, but never did feel sure as to what to do. Then, the other day, Jessie called me and said she'd found some other girl for our house... she had been set up with a single room in Arend (a dorm), but would rather live with us at the house. I said it sounded good, and assumed that the roommate situation was wrapped up and done with.

But God had something more up his sleeve. At church I talked to the other girl's mom and asked if her daughter had found housing. And she had: just a couple days ago she was able to get a single room in Arend, right as she was deciding whether or not to return to school. Coincidence? I think not. But wait, there's more: singles cost more than doubles, and that same day a man that she barely knows (and who knew nothing about the situation!) gave this girl a gift of money for school, in the exact amound she needed. God clearly had his hand in this one... what an incredible blessing.


This afternoon, Greg, Beth, and Nate came over to my house (G&B for the first time!) and we had a delicious meal of fruit (lots of fruit) and Mom and Dad's amazing hamburgers. They got to see the house, the motorhome, and the trailbikes. Beth took this picture when we were standing out on the road... how she managed to perfectly frame it and get her head in there I'll never know. She's amazing.


Nate rode the Honda Passport over when he came, and he and I went on a ride all around the island. It was really fun - I love going fast with the wind in my face (although Nate is ahead of the game - the goggles are really helpful). I think I may have done some damage to his intestines, though, when we passed an ATV and a scooter while going down a huge hill. I can't wait to practice riding around on the Phantoms... it's really too bad that they're not street legal, or I'd want to take one to work.


And here are Greg and Beth. I really don't have words for this picture... I've got a grin on my face looking at it.

We left on the 5 to go to youth gruop... Nate gave me a ride there (grin) and we played some foosball as we waited for G&B. Nate slaughtered me... really slaughtered me. I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason I was so incredibly bad is that I was laughing so dang hard, but I guess I'll never know.

At youth group we played some Extreme Duck-Duck-Goose (if you've never played, it's pretty darn funny) and then watched a DVD of Louie Giglio speaking on the Indescribable tour. He spoke about how God's glory is displayed in the cosmos, and emphasized how very, very, very, very small we are in the scheme of things. I remembered alot of stuff from when I took Astronomy (it's always been something I've been interested in), but it was really thought-provoking to realize, once again, how impossible it is to wrap your head around the numbers and distances involved. And that's only the known universe. God created all of that, he knows each star by name... and yet he loves us so much that he came here and let us forsake, mock, and murder him, all in order to save us from the sin-and-death mess that we'd gotten ourselves into.

Two things really struck me during the video: the first is the completeness of forgiveness. After considering the (literally) astronomical distances involved in the cosmos, it's mind-blowing to know that "as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us" (Ps. 103:11-12). When I find myself trapped in the same sins that I've been struggling with for awhile, I get discouraged and think, how can you take me seriously, Lord, and keep forgiving me when I keep screwing up!? It's just so hard for the idea of a completely blank slate to permeate my heart. But it's right there in scripture: my sins are gone, as far away as the east is from the west.

The second thing (which is closely related to and inseparable from the first thing) is the idea that God loves me. I know, I know: this is old hat, right? I've been singing "Jesus loves me" since preschool; you'd think I'd have the concept down pat by now. But I don't. Every time I quiet myself and really think about the fact that God (who created both the ridiculously enormous universe and each bacteria that grows on an ant's antenna) loves me (who sins and fails to measure up to God's standards on a daily basis), I do a huge mental double-take. And not only does he love me, but he delights in me. It's beyond my comprehension... what a beautiful God.

As usual, there's a song that has come to mind that describes what I'm thinking: "Beautiful", from Shawn McDonald's album Simply Nothing.

I guess I'll leave you with some of Psalm 18, which I've been working (slowly) on memorizing.

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call up on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

note to self

When you're working at the store and there's nobody else inside, be careful about lip synching and dancing to the radio - it's kind of awkward when you realize that there's some old guy out on the sidewalk window shopping.

Back from California...

After 8 days, hundreds of miles, some foggy coastal highway and our fair share of engine trouble, I am back in Anacortes. It was a fun trip... and it took place in an RV that Dad bought two days before we left.

First we beelined it down to Sacramento. Dad bought some Powell Phantom trailbikes off of eBay from some guy that has a tire shop there, so we picked the bikes up first. As we pulled up to the tiny little tire shop, we had no idea that we were about to stumble into a gold mine. The whole back two rooms of this guy's shop were filled with bikes of all shapes and sizes - most of them beautifully restored. Amogst the collection were no less than SIX other Powells, in addition to the ones we had bought - Three P81s, a P87, and a Challenger. (I'll correct this later if I'm not remembering right... the pictures from that day are on Dad's camera.) Dad was so excited... he has been looking for a P81 for a long time. To be able to see three of them, along with the other bikes, was really awesome for him. I'll have to post pictures of the bikes when I get them from Dad. After Sacramento, we went through Santa Rosa and Sebastopol (where I lived until I was 7) and then came up the coast and through the redwoods.

Unfortunately, the good ol' Chevy Van RV had a few... issues. Meaning that about halfway through the trip (as we're still in central-northern California) the engine started missing... especially at speeds above 60mph. Dad bought a new fuel filter at a Napa and installed it (which in itself was an ordeal, seeing as we had few tools with us), and that seemed to fix the problem. Until it started happening again on the way home, right outside of Portland.

The fuel filters in these vans are puny little things, so Dad just assumed that it had clogged up fast. We bought another filter (and a wrench) in Chehalis and Dad installed it (it was much easier with a wrench), and pretty soon we were back on I-5, feeling good about life. Until the engine started missing again, after about 3 minutes. At this point Dad didn't know what was wrong, and we didn't exactly have any other vehicles to drive... so we pressed on and drove the last 200 miles home as the engine started to miss at lower and lower speeds. I slept a little, but most of the time I was up in the loft above the cab, praying that Jesus would help us get back home under our own steam instead of a tow truck's. By the time we lurched back onto Fidalgo, we were maxing out at 40-55 mph and having a hard time recovering from stoplights. But we made it safe and sound, and that's what counts... and had a grand adventure along the way.

Oh, and we got to stop at In-N-Out on the way down (my first!). This is the "out" picture (we have an "in" one, too).



Now I'm dogsitting at the Stalsbrotens' house, sitting in The Chair with my laptop and a glass of ice water, waiting for my load of laundry to get done. It's really relaxing, actually, to just sit here and type with Nisa (the dog) snoring away happily in the background. It's a blessing to be able to retreat to an empty house after going for a week without any serious alone time. I even took some time to swing on the swing and look at the stars while Nisa was nosing around the backyard. What a great way to unwind after a fun week of roadtrip.

reeling

The end of July was a blur. First I went on the rock climbing trip with the high school girls, then there was a week in which I worked alot and went to Birch Bay waterpark. The next week was CreationFest NW, and after that was a week in which I finally had a little time to breathe. There was alot of input in those 3 weeks, and alot of stuff that I'm still thinking through and processing. I'll try to post a little summary-with-pictures of both the Friction trip and Creation over the next week.

For now, I'll just say that I've been thinking alot about two different things over the past week or so. The first is the importance of being honest. I don't just mean the difference between truth and lie - I'm talking about being open, actually talking to someone about what's going on in your life. How can a friend step in, pray for you, and support you as you struggle with issues when they don't know the issues are there? They can't. It's important to have allies in this life - allies that know you well enough to be able to laugh with you during the good times, encourage you thorugh the tough ones, and let you know when you're just plain being foolish.

And that brings me to my next thought: the reality of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6: we don't fight against merely physical evil, but against spiritual forces of evil). I gotta admit, personally, I tend to ignore it or forget that it's going on. And when I do that, the battle is already half lost. I get discouraged when I find myself being lazy, struggling with sinful/unbelieving thoughts, or losing my patience with my family. I pull a Romans 7: I think to myself, I shouldn't have done/thought that. I don't want to be doing/thinking things like that. But I just keep doing it anyway! What a failure I am! But I'm more motivated to fight it when I realize that, along with my own part that I contribute to the sin, there is also something more sinister going on. Satan is there, actively trying to corrupt my relationship to the Father, and quite frankly that ticks me off. I must remember that Romans 7 is followed by Romans 8: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." Satan may be actively and persuasively tempting me to fall into sin, but I don't have to give in: I can fight back, because I have the Holy Spirit in me.

There's a quick summary of what's been on my mind. That, and the bittersweet fact that I leave for school in less than a month. Bitter because I'm going to be moving 7 hours away from some really close friends, my family, free time, and the ocean... yet sweet because I'm moving into a HOUSE with friends I love, and launching into a fresh semester of knowledge that's just waiting to be learnt. Why can't Whitworth be in Anacortes? :)