Way too much to catch up on...

I know it has been almost a month since my last post so this may be quite the cram session...I will try and recall everything that has been going on. Not sure where to start but I guess a good place is with a 'work' update.

It has been almost 2 months now and things are going well...taking a little longer to get comfortable with all the tasks at hand but everyday is a step closer to being where I want to be. It is tough trying to explain the expectations I have for myself...I value being good at stuff and when I am not I feel discouraged. It doesn't last long but it is like competition, I don't go into things competing against the other guy...I compete with what I know I am capable of. Not sure if that makes sense but it is the way I feel at times.

I almost forgot, our AmeriCorp group went on a team building and it was a lot more fun than I ever thought it would be. We went to a spot near Bastyr College and had a sort of leadership training which included tasks that tested our communication and teamwork.

After climbing the wall we went to play WhirlyBall...this is a game that everyone should play at some point in their life. Friggin awesome. It is a mix between bumper cars, lacrosse, and basketball. Of course...my teams were 5-0 (I was the only person on an undefeated team).

Anywhoo...our crew split sites since we last spoke. There is a group of 6 (including myself) who are in Renton and another group of 4 who are working at the Issaquah site. It is kind of sad we had to split because I enjoy spending time with everyone in the group...it is an awesome group of individuals. We split before Habitat's Build a Thon but have managed to get together outside of work. Speaking of Build-A-Thon...I know that many of you reading this had received emails asking for donations and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you. It is hard to express the gratitude and appreciation of myself and other whom you have helped so thanks again.

Like I said earlier...I have been able to spend time with co-workers outside of the workplace. There has been a couple hikes, a concert/show (one member is in a band), tide-pooling at Carkeek Park and this weekend we are going camping. The following pictures will be a smorgasborg of these events.

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

AmeriCorp Hike to Lake 22

Finally...just over a month since arriving in Seattle and I was finally able to go on a hike. My AmeriCorp group set it up and it was a perfect opportunity to get acquianted with my co-volunteers and get out to see more of the beautiful scenery that Washington has to offer. It was a little over an hour drive from Seattle but felt like it was days away from any civilization...a very welcome change of pace. It was a Sunday but I was very glad I made the choice to forego my football viewing in favor of a hike through the mountains. Here are some of the pics:

This is Jordan, and yes, he is hugging a tree.

He and I spent plenty of quality time on this hike and it was refreshing to see his youthful exuberance when it comes to nature.

A view from a little over halfway up.



The group at Lake 22.

All in all it was a great day, time spent with new friends and enjoying the great outdoors...any my fantasy football team pulled off a win. I haven't been one who has partaken in much outdoor activities but I am hoping to change all that...I definitely appreciate all that mother nature has to offer and would like to see more of it. Hopefully this is the first step of many towards that goal.

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

A quiet Monday in Seattle...

I figured I would just take this opportunity to post some pics of our trip to Pike's Place Market and down at the pier.

This is from the original Starbucks across the street from the market.

I saw the sign.

No fish tossing but here is the spot.



Down by the pier after the market and lunch.



This was Josh's last day in town and I was definitely sad to see him go. It is amazing the connection you can have with family even though you haven't had the opportunity to spend time with them previously. We had similar experiences and outlooks on life and it was great to have the time to get to know him and build on a relationship that I will continue to value. Good talk(s).

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

Taking in a game...



It obviously didn't take long before I decided it was time to take in a ball game and check out a new stadium in the process. I wasn't super excited to go to a Mariners game (due to them being terrible) but they were playing the Yankees, I got to see a stadium I had never seen, and I got to spend some more quality time with Uncle Josh. We headed down and decided to get a ticket from a scalper...this sales ninja had us hooked from the start. He had a seating chart in hand and of course he had the tickets to boot. The seats were located in the 14th row and a little bit down the first base line...we were informed that they went for $70 each and he was going to let us have them for $35 each, sold. It wasn't until we were walking in that we realized the tickets actually sold for $40...well played sir.

The stadium was a quality one but nothing compares to Target Field...does any stadium? The place was far from sold out and it didn't take long to realize that Seattle sports fans don't really attend the games to cheer for their team but rather to just see a game...to each their own I guess. I am not a Yankees fan nor will I ever be a Seattle sports fan but the experience was well worth it.

The game was 3-2 (Yankees) going into the 9th inning and I was amazed to see fans streaming out of the complex, guess they have seen this too many times before. Seattle went quietly in the 9th and we were able to see Mariano Rivera's 600th career save...although it was interesting that there was no mention or fanfare for this achievement. Oh well, I was able to get it out of the way and enjoy a night out...thanks Josh.

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

The Wedding

This past week I attended my Aunt Deliverance's wedding in Seattle and what an event it was. As you can see from above, all the tables were set up as a different destination...our invitation's were boarding passes and our itineraries were included with 3 destinations set up to provide time to mingle with other guests. It was awesome getting to meet people from her life and family that I hadn't seen in over 20 years or so.  Being in Minnesota I haven't had much of an opportunity to see or spend time with extended family so it was great getting the opportunity to catch up and see where everyone's paths have led them.

I can only imagine the work that was put into this thing to pull it off...there were servings of 5 different courses throughout the night, dance sequences performed by belly dancers among many other different groups of entertainers, not to mention the table setting and itineraries. It definitely all came together in the end and I was happy to be able to provide some of my assistance where it was needed.

In the end I am happy that Deliverance was able to have the wedding she had always dreamed of and has a awesome husband that she gets to look forward to spending the rest of her life with.

I am also happy for myself having the opportunity to be a part of it all and reconnect with family that I wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity to spend time with. After the wedding, the next couple days were spent doing more family activities and it is fan-friggin-tastic seeing all the personalities that make us who we are...one, big, awesome family.

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

Together We Build

Last week marked the 10th anniversary of Together We Build which is an Interfaith Coalition of Christians, Jews, and Muslims seeking to find common ground and learning from one another as they work together to build low-income families of East King County. I was lucky enough to participate and meet numerous fascinating people...and finally get out to learn, get my hands dirty, and build. There are numerous builds with people from the community but I have been told that this is always one of the favorites. The lunches were provided and they were amazing...and having the opportunity to interact with so many people was a great experience. One of my favorite parts was actually stepping out of my comfort zone and interacting with people I typically wouldn't have the opportunity, or even the desire to. I started to learn how to frame, do tie-plates, and do some blocking...if any of you are every asked to volunteer and blocking is an option, opt for something else. It isn't that bad and I want to learn it all, but it is frustrating when you don't get to see the progress and it is slow tedious work. Either way, I am sure there will be plenty more opportunity to wrap my head around it and the rest of the building process...let's do this thing!!

That is all for now, I did get one pic from lunchtime but none of the actual site...maybe down the road I guess.

Everyone say hi to Ted.

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

Now where was I?

Ahhh, I finally got to work...after all the fun and excitement I guess it was time to get to what I came here for.

This is the site in Renton where we had our official first day.  It started like any normal first day of work (or school for that matter), everyone introduces themselves and says a little something about themselves.  We were asked to come up with 3 questions to ask and mingle around using said questions to get to know people better.  It is interesting to hear some of the backgrounds and I was a little skeptical that I wouldn't fit in all that well...but who am I kidding, how could you not love me.  There are volunteers from all over and even a couple from Minnesota...and females at that (woo-hoo).  Anyways, we spent a few hours doing that and then paired off into groups to get some actual work done. I spent the first day doing scaffolding which is probably the lamest task but it was cool working with someone I had never met and hearing her story. Twas a warm day that day and it was funny to hear Seattleites complain about the heat when they get 8 months of cloud cover and rain.  All in all it was a good day, excited to get more comfortable with people and get to know them better. Friday was a training day, not much to talk about there.  Typical information and fighting to stay awake for 8 hours...just get me out on the site please.  After work on Friday a couple people wanted to meet up and they decided to go to Gasworks in Seattle...I decided to change and meet up with them.  The problem with that was they were gone by the time I showed up...after walking around and snapping some pics I did see a couple volunteers that showed up so I got to spend some time with them and get to know them better and learn more about Habitat.  Here are some of the pics I got...

Not bad huh?

The weekend was kind of low key which was perfectly fine by me.  Helping my Aunt and Uncle get ready for incoming family members for my Aunt Deliverance's wedding seemed like the right thing to do.  I did manage to get out a couple times and head down to the beach to get some light reading in...so awesome to get out, enjoy some weather, and see beautiful scenery.

The following week started out the with more of the same training but the comfort level with everyone is much improved and that makes the experience that much better.  We will be starting our 'Together We Build' project later this week... this build was started after 9/11 to get people of different religious backgrounds together and working toward a common goal.  I am really looking forward to meeting and talking with volunteers and getting out there and building something....should be fun.

I believe that should catch you up on the latest happenings out here...I am sure I will go back and edit and fill you in more on other happenings.  Patience my friends...seem to be getting a little overwhelmed but I am sure it will pass.

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

Slowing down...

After a non-stop first week things are starting to calm down a little.  After the soccer game and houseboat on Saturday I participated as a 'support team' for swimmers crossing the lake...I was on a canoe with my uncle Stephen and cousin Christian.  I had to wake up at 5:45 so we could get out on the lake...it was kind of chilly and really early(duh).  Our job was to guide the swimmers to the other side and step in if we saw anyone struggling to make it, I am happy to report that all the swimmers made it safely with no incident.  It was a little foggy that morning but it looked really cool crossing the lake and seeing the fog roll across in front of you...after getting into the canoe and rocking side-to-side I realized it wasn't the best idea to have brought my camera. I envisioned ending up wet at some point but that didn't happen...phew.

I figured I would go home and take a nap after that...but that didn't happen.  Did some running around and then finally met up with my aunt Life and her 2 daughters, Promise and Destiny. Grabbed a bit to eat and then went with them as they went school shopping.  Actually, Life and I sat and caught up on everything while the girls went off and modeled clothes for each other.  It is awesome to have the opportunity to be around so much family and get to know them...my immediate family is in Minnesota but there is an abundance of extended family in Seattle that I haven't had the opportunity to get to know.  Life's kids are great kids, tough for me to keep up as the have tons....and tons of energy but it is fun to hang out with them all the same.  Life snapped this pic of Destiny and myself.

After Sunday it was all about the R&R...I almost feel bad but I barely set foot outside the house on Monday.  Oh well, after all the events leading up to Monday I needed a day to catch up and relax. 

I thought it would be fun to hang out with the kids on Tuesday and do some exploring...Promise thought it would be fun to go to Snoqualmie Falls and I had to agree.  If I had done some research I might have realized that the trails were closed due to construction, but we don't plan that far ahead.  We were still able to view the falls, just not able to walk the trails down to them...kind of disappointing but that's how it goes sometimes.  Still got to spend some quality time with the kids and it is always interesting learning peoples personalities....and these kids have personality.

Slightly disappointed it was time to head home, stopped in and treated the kids to Subway and then called it a day. Oh well, there is plenty of time to see what Washington has to offer...I just have to remember to do it. 

BTW...found out today that my very close friends the Biegler's welcomed their little bundle of joy to the world today.  Congrats guys, I am proud and excited for the both of you to start this chapter in your lives....best of luck.  Have fun with those diaper changes Biegs.....MUAHAHAHA!!

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

Okay, now I am getting spoiled...

Today I was fortunate enough to spend the day with my cousin Chris and his family...we went to the Seattle Sounders soccer game and then it was onto the houseboat for a bbq for Chris' birthday.

I must admit that I am one of those bandwagon soccer fans, I will watch a little when it is time for the World Cup...but other than that I am not really into it.  I was hoping that it would be along the same lines as hockey, fun to watch in person but kind of lame on television...that was a pretty accurate assumption.  The game was at Centurylink and I must admit, that is an awesome stadium for sporting events.

We actually dropped off Chris' oldest Derivan in a suite with some kids from his select soccer team.  These suites are pretty nice and the walls are lined with handprints and signatures from people who attend the games...I thought it was pretty cool that I found this on the wall of the suite they were in.

Anyways, back to the game.  Chris kept me well informed of the rules and also the down-low on some of the players...still not sure I will be following too closely but there isn't much in the way of quality professional sports teams in Seattle.  Ha, burn!! The game was actually a lot of fun, the atmosphere is fantastic...fans jumping and screaming all game long.  The Sounders scored 3 goals in the first 20 minutes and that meant free haircuts for everyone in attendance...not sure how that helps me but it was still kind of cool.  They went on to win 6-2, I can't imagine that another game would have that much scoring but I am glad there was for the game that I attended...kept my interest. 

After the game it was off to the houseboat for a birthday celebration and bbq, I am lucky to have been out here at the same time 2 years in a row and get to spend time in a place with such a fantastic view.

Yeah...awesome.  I have been excited to get out there since I knew I was coming to Seattle and you can all see why...the bonus was being able to spend time with my cousin, his family, and his friends.  Meghan and the kids are awesome and it is nice to see what a great life Chris has made for himself...not sure when or where but apparently I had some positive influence on him.  Only kidding, but it is always refreshing to see people who have their stuff together and have such a loving family. Proud of you Chris...and Happy Birthday. I know I have said it before but I am really looking forward to spending time with family and Chris and Meghan's family is a perfect example of why...genuinely good people.

The only down side to the day was having to go home...I would have loved to spend more time out there but another busy day is on the horizon.  Support team for swimmers in the a.m...I will be on a canoe with my Uncle Stephen and cousin Christian, guiding swimmers and being there if anyone needs assistance.  Hopefully we won't be needed but it should be fun to get out on the lake and paddle around.

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

Santana concert at White River Amphitheater

I am fortunate enough to have one of the best Aunt's/God-Mother's in the world...she had been planning to go to the Santana concert and due to unforeseen circumstances, ended up having an extra ticket.  Guess who was offered the ticket and swooped up on that opportunity?  You got it....this guy. I haven't been to too many concerts in my life but appreciate good music, and when you have the option to see someone as talented as Santana...you take it.  I went with my Aunt Drusilla, Aunt Carol and Drusilla's friend Wendy...that's right, myself and 3 ladies. The concert was actually in close proximity to Mt. Rainier and I was constantly trying to get a good pic of it...this was about the best one I could muster.

Not bad but I am hoping to get a better one soon. The closer we got to the amphitheather the closer we got to the mountain...I had anticipated getting a fantastic shot and ended up getting this.

That was pretty much the theme of the night...everytime there was a photo op there was a tree, some kind of pole, or a cop in the way. After being foiled so many times to get a award-winning pic, I focused on Santana where the theme continued.  I got about 3-4 pics at the exact moment that one of the singers would walk right in front of Carlos....what the?!?! I did manage to get this one...my favorite one of the night.

Guess I can't complain, although while I was getting these pics I went into the setting on my camera phone and realized I wasn't using it to it's full potential.  I realized I can take panoramic pics and adjust the settings to accomodate landscape, lighting, and action...among other things.  I am thinking I need to retrace my drive out here and get proper pics...maybe later.

Anyways, the concert was awesome.  You can really appreciate the talent that Santana possesses and all of the instruments he incorporates in his concerts.  He did take some time to speak his mind and address a few things politically, he is pretty idealistic...I don't see anything wrong with that, I just wish that some of the things he had to say had a legitimate shot of coming to fruition. All in all he was on stage for about 2 hours or so and I am grateful for the opportunity to go and see it on such a gorgeous night. 

This first week has been full of excitement and will continue through the weekend...I hope that the good times keep a coming and that I am open and willing enough to partake in all of it.  Part of the reason I came was to experience new things and I have to be open to try new things to fully realize this. Well...that should be good for now.

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

Seattle...my home away from home.

I made it into Seattle on August 23rd and arrived at my Aunt Drusilla's house around 8:30 that night. I hope that I am able to show her how appreciative I am as she finally sent her kids off to school but was kind enough to open her doors provide me with a room. It was great to spend a few hours talking about things and catching up and I look forward to the time I will have with Robert and Drusilla in the coming months, hopefully mix in some camping, hiking, and other outdoor adventures. Within 2.5 minutes she asked if I wanted a beer....it's like she has known me this whole time.

I spent quite a bit of time catching up on emails and loading pictures of the trip...I didn't get to bed until 2 or so. The next morning I still managed to wake up at 7:30 and thought it would be a good idea to find my way and visit with Gram-Gram. On the way I stopped at Juanita Beach which is about 1.2 miles from my new home.  It recently re-opened and it was an awesome place to spend the morning.

I spent 2 hours with Grandma, it is always fun to get her take on things and listen to her stories...especially when it involves her being related to the Queen of England (how cool is that?). And it was awesome for her because she got to see her 'little manny' and catch up on everything that I have been up to. The visits never seem long enough but there is plenty of time to continue where we left off.

Then it was time for my good deed for the day...I went to McDonalds with the gift card that Becky and Kelvin provided me, upon leaving I decided to give the remaining $12 on the card to a homeless guy.  I know that there are many people who don't think that it is the best thing to give $$ to homeless people, but in all honesty...who needed it more? Something somewhere went wrong for this individual and I figured I could pitch in just a little.

Back home and it was time to relax...I think everything was starting to catch up.  I did manage a mini-walk before dinner, I didn't make it to the lake but was still able to check out a pretty cool sight.

It is so nice when everywhere you turn has an awesome view.  Hopefully there will be tons more stories and pics to come in the following months. That was pretty much it for my first day in Washington...I spent the first night starting this blog.

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.

Roadtrip

I left my (sweet, kind, wonderful) brothers house in Ramsey on Mon. August 22nd at 7:30 on course for Seattle and a 10.5 month commitment to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.  It was a bittersweet departure leaving family and friends behind but distance is a minor inconvenience when you have such close relationships with people.  I actually spent a couple days last week burning a 'roadtrip soundtrack' and it definitely came in handy...I wish I hadn't started with the country category with all it's slow, thought provoking tracks as it envoked a few tears.  That was to be expected I suppose, and it is always nice to have time to reminisce about good times with good people....and I had plenty of time to reminisce (2 days worth of time).

To be honest it was a real boring drive through Minnesota and 90% of North Dakota...really nothing to see until you reach the Badlands.  We had taken this trip to Seattle when I was a kid but I was too young to remember, so it was like seeing everything for the first time. It was well worth the stop and a real impressive sight...with all the pictures I took I must say that they never really do it justice.

I mentioned to a few of you that if Montana had another 40 miles to the east that North Dakota would be worthless...and I mean that, from a scenery viewpoint anyways.  Sorry No-Dak but it's the truth, unless I missed something. After the Badlands you start into Montana, although it may be a little brown you start to get into some terrain.  It might not be the most interesting thing to see some hills and cliffs but it gradually gets better and you continue to look forward to what is around the next corner.

I was able to get a hold of my Mom's cousin Linda in Billings, Montana for a place to crash on night 1...840 miles and 13 hours into it.  I admit that I don't really know Linda that well seeing as I hadn't seen her in nearly 25 years but she was an awesome lady.  Extremely nice, welcoming, and accomodating.  I spent the night talking to her about family and each other...it was great getting to know her and look forward to seeing her again.  Hopped in the shower because I smelled like a trucker, watched some tv and called it a night.  I arose the next day around 6:30 and spent an hour conversing with Linda and getting more acquainted, I am so happy I decided to stay there and not at some random hotel.  It took me a while to find my way out of Billings but was on the road again soon enough.

Going from central Montana going westward just gets better with each passing mile....there is something new and beautiful around every corner.  That is good because when you are on a 1700 mile trip you need something that will help pass the time. I wish I had gotten more pics going through the mountains but I will have the sights with me always.  Once I got through Montana and into Idaho it was more of the same.  Amazing views but at a slightly increased speed....directly over the border you start going down the mountain.  It gets a little sketchy at times but I managed to make it through...I was unable to get pics of Idaho because of the increased rate of speed, I figured it was a good idea to keep my eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. I did sneak one picture of Coure D'Alene but it comes no where near how amazing a sight it actually was.

As you are going through the mountains you come to this huge lake...it was a awesome sight, I only wish I would've stopped to take it in.  Hopefully I will be back through there and able to more fully appreciate it.  Idaho was about 72 miles wide so there wasn't too much time to snap pics...and into Eastern Washington it was.  My thought is that you should give the Badlands to Montana and give Eastern Washington to North Dakota...what a waste.  It started out pretty flat until you come up to the Columbia River...which brings us to my next stop.

The Gorge was awesome...there was also a blonde chick who had stopped to check it out but she showed no interest in talking to me, her loss.  Over the river and on the road to Seattle I went. From here it was up and down with some nice scenery but nothing compared to what I saw going through Snoqualmie Pass.  I was actually on the phone with Kelli Thompson at this point so I didn't get any pics...that's okay though Kelli, the Pass will always be there but time spent talking with good friends precious.  How sweet is that? Ha!! Anyways, I am sure that I will be back that way soon seeing as it is only 1.5 or so hours away...I will make sure to take pics the next time through.

That pretty much took me into Seattle...there will be tons of pics of that to come.  So all in all it took around 26 hours to go 1700 miles and it was totally worth it.  I know that I have said this to many of you but I think that everyone should try to make a drive out West at some point in their lives.  I know that it is easier said than done but you won't regret it if you can make it happen...the world has some amazing views and landscapes and I have only started to touch the surface. Really gives you a greater appreciation for everything....

Until next time all...take care, god bless, and much love.