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? :)

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.

the truth about forever

I just finished an amazing book by Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever. It's funny: when we first got it in at the store, I immediately dismissed it. It gave me a foreboding, pit-of-your-stomach feeling, because from the cover and the title I could tell that it dealt with a subject that, at the time, I was putting a heck of a lot of subconscious energy into avoiding. In a word: romantic relationships. More specifically: the permanence (or lack thereof) of romantic relationships. Every time I saw the cover I felt drawn to it, and at the same time, incredibly repulsed by the shallowness and teeniebopperishness of it all. I think there was also some terror involved - terror that if I read it, I might have to come to terms with a truth that I’d been repressing and denying for some time, but that I knew was true in that deep place that’s beyond smiles and reasonable explanations. Most people call it your gut.

Now, one-and-a-half years later, I am surprised by how right I was. Not about the subject matter of the book – I was actually way off in my suppositions about that – but about how completely and congruently it applied to my life. It actually wasn’t about boys or romance: it was about truth. Transparency. Being true to the person God made you to be. Being upfront with people about what is going on in your life. Not hiding behind the “fine” mask (as in, “how are you?” “fine.”). Taking the risk of letting someone see who you really are, and banking everything on the chance that they will accept you anyway.

I had one such revelatory moment during Sunday School a week back. We were talking about consciences and knowing how God directs us, and all of a sudden I knew that I had a story to tell. Oh no, you don’t, that voice said. You tell that story and you’re done for. Who on earth will take you seriously after that?. But I took a deep breath, and I told a story about a pen. To Greg and a bunch of high schoolers. Partway through Greg started laughing; I shot him a look, and he responded with, “No, no… I’m laughing because I know exactly what you mean.” Then he proceeded to tell a story about a rock. And as I sat there listening, it slowly sunk in: I wasn’t crazy. I hadn’t been judged or made fun of. I had been accepted, affirmed. And this was only one tiny piece of my shell that I had offered up for examination.

Thanks to a handful of friends, I have made great strides in the last year. I’ve gotten less and less afraid of being myself when I’m with other people. But I’m fast approaching a cliff, and strides just won’t cut it anymore. I’m going to have to jump: to leave the safe, familiar ground, and (very literally) pray to God that He will protect me, give me courage, and guide me. I’m not big on hyperbole, and I know this all sounds rather dramatic, but trust me: when your mouth has been shut and your heart has been closed, it feels like a great leap to open it even a crack.

Which is why I "clicked" so well with this book: that's exactly the sort of fear that Macy (the main character) had to overcome. She had to realize how important it is to be the person that you were created to be instead of hiding behind a mask for fear of rejection. And with the help of some very colorful, likeable characters and some rather humorous situations, she succeeded. Definitely one worth reading.