The End

Well friends, the trip is over!  I'm sitting on my bed in my parents house as I type this post.  The road trip was amazing, and it's crazy to think that it's done!

When I got back to San Antonio, my parents took me out to Buffalo Wild Wings (it was AMAZING to not even have to think about paying for my own food!!!!) and asked me what my favorite part of the trip was.  I paused for a moment and then said that it was getting to do something new and exciting every day.  I kind of felt like this was a cop out answer because it wasn't very specific, but I feel like it was merited because it actually pertains to the whole trip.  It takes a pretty loose word to cover such an extensive and varied trip!

The highlights of the trip (from each city) were:
Arizona: Meeting all of Bekah's awesome family, "horseback riding", and eating at Egee's.
San Diego: Snorkeling, working at the food pantry, blaring music while walking down the humongous hill after visiting Point Loma, and taking my first bus.
LA: Disneyland (shopping, riding, and eating), and making a million transfers with our outrageous amount of luggage (Bekah will definitely NOT agree with that last one!).
Sacramento: Swing Dancing and stealing wifi from Panera.
Portland: Surfing, swimming in Deep Creek, going on field trips with Darcy, Mike, and Mikayla.
Seattle: Taking the ferry, meeting people from all over the world, working at the mission, baking cookies, riding Kevin's Harley, and taking pictures with the troll under the Fremont bridge.
West Glacier: Meeting our Couchsurfers host, white water rafting in the rain, watching movies while cuddled up in bed, and eating warm huckleberry pie with huckleberry ice cream.
Chicago: Basically getting paid a lot of money to stay the night, and taking my first solo taxi ride.
Holland: Seeing Christine and Nate, giving Bekah the tour of campus (and accidentally showing her around the wrong dorm...yeah I won't be living that one down for a while!).

The interesting thing about that list, is that almost everything on it was caused or impacted by some sort of inconvenience.  If nothing else, this trip has taught me that sweating the small things does not pay off. This is mainly because, more often than not, those annoying little things are what you'll remember most when the trip is over and you're home again.  It's far preferable to laugh at yourself in the moment and in the future rather than to sulk in the moment and be embarrassed when you look back at how you handled things.  Besides, humorous stories of misfortune are the most entertaining stories of all!  (As I'm sure you know if you've been reading Bekah's blog and mine. ;)

On that note, thanks for tuning in and being a part of our trip!  I know that I for one wouldn't have been so diligent about posting every night if I hadn't been aware of all of you reading back home.  (That especially goes for my mom who made sure I knew that she expected to have something to read with her coffee each morning! ;)  God has done awesome things in Bekah and I in the past month, and it's been a pleasure to share those things with you.

I don't think I changed any lives during this trip, but my life has definitely been changed.  True to the title of this blog, I have experienced many people loving for real in each of the places we have visited in this past month.  I've seen people unselfishly serving in the missions we've worked at.  I've witnessed random strangers giving generously on the streets.  I've experienced people I didn't even know loving me when they didn't have to.  It's amazing.  God is everywhere, and I know without a doubt that he's working everywhere without making exceptions or showing distinctions.  GOD is loving for real, and it is our privilege to follow in his footsteps.

Rebekah

On the Train and In the Station

The final stop on our road trip isn’t really going as planned, but I guess everything s working our ok.  It makes for an interesting story though!  You’re in luck, because f you keep reading, you’ll get to hear that story ;)

On Monday morning Bekah and I boarded the train in West Glacier, Montana to begin our 36-hour trek through Chicago and on to Holland, Michigan and my college!  I was really excited for two reasons: first, I love the train and I was going to get my fix. And second, I was going to show Bekah Hope College, and all my favorite hangout places around campus!

Our train was two hours late picking us up in West Glacier, but that was ok because it meant that we could stay in our hotel and sleep for an extra hour.  (One of the perks of Bekah being able to check the schedule on her iphone!  We woke up early, checked the train’s status with bleary eyes, saw it was delayed, and promptly went back to sleep!  It was manna from Heaven!)

Once we boarded the train, we settled in for the longest ride of our trip.  Everything was going wonderfully.  We ate food from our cooler, watched movies, read, chatted, watched more movies, ate more, slept a little, woke up in the morning and did it all over again!  However we shook things up a little bit on our second day and went to the dining car for lunch.  SUCH a good decision!  I had the most amazing chipotle black bean burger… mmmmm!  I’m not a vegetarian, but it would be oh so easy for me to convert if I needed to for some reason! 

Shortly after lunch it became clear not only that our train was not going to make it to Chicago on time, but that Bekah and I would not be able to make our connection into Holland.  The train was about four hours behind schedule at this point, so the Amtrak people started calling travelers into the dining car and began writing up hotel and transfer vouchers for everyone who was missing their connection.  There were at least 50 such people. 

I was really disappointed when I talked to the lady and found out that we would have to spend the night and most of the day in Chicago because there is only one train that goes from Chicago to Holland per day, and that train leaves at 5:20pm.  What could we do though, right?

We finally got to Chicago around 7:30pm (We were originally supposed to get in at 3:20), and by 9:30 we were in our hotel room.  The good thing was that the voucher Amtrak gave us paid for our room, meals, and the shuttle that took us from the station to the hotel, and back to the station in the morning. 

Bekah and I adapted our plans so that we would explore Chicago today, take the train into Holland tonight, do a quick “midnight tour” of campus, and then take the train back to Chicago the next morning so she can catch her train to DC and I can catch my plane to Texas.  It’s kind of a mess, but it will work out!

We got to the station this morning and tried to get a locker so we could store our luggage and go explore the city, only to find out that all the lockers were full… yep they were ALL full.  After a brief discussion, I offered to stay in the station with our luggage while Bekah went and explored the city.  (Mainly because she has a huge list of things she wants to see and I can come back anytime.)

I’m trying my very hardest to look on the bright side, so here’s what I’ve got so far:

1)    Bekah was dying to explore, and she gets to.  Exploring=good thing!

2)    I love layovers, and now I get to prove it.  Proving points=good thing!

3)    We’ll get to Holland tonight and I’ll be able to give Bekah an exclusive midnight tour of campus instead of the regular tour that everyone gets! Ooh how fancy ;) Exclusive tour=good thing!

4)    When we get donuts at Good Time, we won’t be there until close to midnight (when all the students go anyway) and it will make perfect sense to get two donuts and keep one for breakfast on the train in the morning!  Breakfast=good thing!

5)    We’ll still get to stay the night with Christine, even if it’s only one night.  Staying with friends=good thing!

6)    We’ll get back to Chicago in time to make our connections this time.  Making connections=a VERY good thing.

7)    And finally, when our trip is over, Bekah and I will each be calling Amtrak customer service and will most likely be receiving vouchers for a free train ticket to use at a future date as compensation.  Free tickets=lovely, lovely good things. 

There we go!  I feel so much better after seeing it all laid out like that! 

Well that’s about all for now! I hope you enjoyed the story :)  Here are some of the pictures I took of Montana as we sped through on the train.  Enjoy!

Rebekah

Thoughts on New Experiences

So our stay in Montana is at a close, and our trip is wrapping up nicely.  It’s so hard to believe that this wonderful, insane plan that has been at the back of my mind for two years has become beautiful memories of the most fantastic people and places.  It’s sad to think that it’s almost over, but I wouldn’t trade a moment of it for anything.  

I’ve noticed that time seems to go faster and faster the older I get.

I remember when I was a little girl and my family would go to visit my grandparents.  Whether it was for a weekend or several weeks, I remember thinking of all the time we would have to spend together and all the wonderful things we had planned.  We would have adventures, eat delicious food, and make memories.  I would go to sleep each night so happy and ready for the next day.  Then one day I would wake up and it would be time to go home. 

I used to wish that time would stand still, and that I would be able to stay in those moments forever.  It didn’t take me long to realize that if I were to stay in those moments, I would never experience any of the moments to come. 

Every moment we live is so fleeting.  Every opportunity comes once, and then is gone forever leaving only a memory of what was, or what could have been.  I’ve learned that it’s so important to seize each moment, and live with no regrets.  A life filled with regrets is no life at all.  (No surprise, my mom was the one who taught me that!)  At least if you try something and look silly, you will have lived that moment. 

I’m still working on the execution of this idea.  As I posted a few days ago, in hindsight I notice a lot of missed opportunities, but my eyes are open and I’m not walking around in a daze.  I know I want to live life to the fullest, and I know how to do that. 

Jesus knew the secret of living life to the fullest, and that’s what he showed us through his example.  He taught in John 10 that he came so we might have life, and have it to the full.  Real life, life that is fulfilling and meaningful, is life that is lived to the glory of God. 

The kids ministry at my church has this idea down.  Their ministry is called RAFT and it stands for:

Risking everything (taking chances even when you’re not sure of the outcome)

Asking questions (being fully engaged and aware of what’s going on in people’s lives)

(something that starts with an ‘F’ that I can’t quite remember) and

Telling others (Sharing the hope and good news that we have in Jesus!)

That’s what living for God is, and that’s an adventure that will go on as long as I live!  It’s the only adventure that restarts every moment, and that’s awesome.

Rebekah

Adventures on the Water Front!

Bekah and I woke up this morning to the sound of thunderstorms.  On this, the very first rainy day of our trip, what was on our itinerary?  Oh, you know, just white water rafting ;) There’s no way the rain was going to keep us inside though! 

First things first though, we walked down to a little restaurant and got huckleberry pancakes for breakfast.  They were DELICIOUS!  To bad huckleberries only grow in this area.  I would totally get Hope to plant some huckleberry bushes on campus.  I think they would become an overnight sensation!

It was time to walk over the rafting place shortly after breakfast, and by this time the rain had lessoned from a torrential downpour to a… I don’t know a slightly less aggressive monsoon.  ;)

We got down there and the rafts were still running (because there had only been thunder and no lightning, of course!) 

We got suited up and hopped on the bus that took us to the drop site.  I was pretty excited by this point because I’ve gone rafting once before and loved it.  Last time was in Colorado though and the rapids were only class 1 with one class 3, so needless to say, I was excited for something just a tad more intense!  These rapids were mostly class 3 so I was like ok, this should be pretty good!

It helped that our guide, Mitch, was super outgoing and the other people in our boat were a family vacationing from Connecticut.  It was so easy to get comfortable with everyone and just be silly. 

I was continually surprised by how few strokes we had to take before each rest though.  We would hear “All forward!” and after two strokes I would be totally ready to dig in and Mitch would call for us to rest.  I was like, I would rest but I haven’t started working yet!  It was nice that everyone was going all out though!  It gave us more time to joke around :D

As we got close to the rapids by the photographer, we decided to go Rock Band for the photo.  Unfortunately we all chose to turn our paddles into an electric guitars and then we pretty much failed at the presentation haha the picture ended up looking like we were all totally confused as to how we were supposed to hold the paddles in order to navigate the rapids, and we looked like we were about to go flying in a million different directions.  I would definitely give us an “A” for effort though!

There was a lot of calm water between the rapids where they would normally let people jump out of the raft and swim, but the water was way to cold for volunteers today!  It also didn’t help that it was still drizzling, so we decided to let fate decide who would take the plunge.  For this game, one person had to stand on the rim at the front of the boat, and the other person (me!) stood on the rim at the rear of the boat.  Then our crew would paddle and make the boat spin in fast circles and whoever lost their balance first would (theoretically) tumble off the boat and into the water.  Sounds simple enough, right?   I thought so, but apparently I can find the exception to every rule! I (of course) lost my balance first, but instead of falling backward into the water, I face planted into the middle of the boat.  I totally squashed Mitch’s supply bag, but I saved him the trouble of heaving me back into the raft, so I assume he accepted the tradeoff. ;)

We rode a few more rapids, got splashed with gallons of 48ish degree water, and made it to the next calm spot.  This time almost everyone decided that they were going to jump in the water—including Bekah!  I was surprised, but glad that she did it.  She was so funny because before she jumped ship she said, “Ohhhh it’s going to be so cold!” half a second later she plunged into the water, and a second after that she bobbed to the surface and all she said was, “yep…”  haha that was enough to say it all!

So there you have it, today was quite the adventure!  I think next time I want to go on class 4 or 5 rapids!  Let’s up the intensity!

Speaking of intense experiences, when Bekah and I got back to our hotel room we decided to wrap up in blankets, eat pizza, and watch the Lion King 1½!  Talk about intense huh? ;) 

Rebekah

A Lesson in Flexibility

Picture this:

*15 hours on the train

*1 hour of waiting at the West Glacier station

*getting to our hosts house and discovering that she had been robbed that morning.

Can you say awkward timing???  Pam was super sweet, but it just wasn’t a good time to be crashing on her couch.  SO! What could we do besides offer to stay at a hotel instead?

Hence, a few hours later, we arrived at our hotel in downtown West Glacier.  It had a lovely lactation right next to a white water rafting place (where we’re going tomorrow!) and Glacier National Park.  It’s not quite what we were expecting during our stay in Montana, but we’ll take it! 

After we checked into our hotel, Bekah and I decided to walk around downtown and do some shopping.  What you have to understand about downtown West Glacier is that it consists of a general store, a rafting place, a bar, two restaurants, a Canadian welcome center, and about three gift shops.  We honestly did walk all over town!  We had a lot of fun, even though Bekah would argue that I took way to long to shop! ;)

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a little café in order to sample a local favorite dessert—their warm huckleberry pie with huckleberry ice cream on top!  Apparently huckleberries are VERY popular here in Montana.  It’s not hard to see why, because the pie was absolutely delicious, and that's says a lot because I usually don’t like pie!

Even though this stop hasn’t gone exactly as we expected, I’m really excited about all the things we’re going to get to do here!  Bekah and I are spending tonight relaxing in our room.  We decided to watch ‘Did You Hear About the Morgans?’  a comedy that I thought took place in Montana, but apparently it is actually set in Wyoming…. Oops? ;)

One of my friends from Sacramento really inspired me tonight.  He shared something that happened today, and I was so moved by it that I’d like to share it with you.

Today he was approached by a homeless man, Lancet, who asked him for spare change.  Instead of just absently handing the man some change and walking away, my friend asked him share his story.  He found out that Lancet was begging for money in order to pay his rent.  My friend then shared with Lancet how he has had to rely on God as he moved to a new city and looked for a place to live and work, and how God has come through again and again and provided for him in amazing ways. 

Lancet asked if my friend would remember him in prayer, and my friend said that he would do him one better and pray with him right then, and continue to pray for him in the future.  Then he did just that, received a hug from Lancet, gave him some money, and walked away.

My friend did what we are all called to do.  He reached out to one of God’s children and he loved him.  He pointed him towards God’s love and gave him hope.  That hope is something that is so precious, and it’s something that we all take for granted and keep to ourselves. 

When I asked my friend if he had been afraid to talk to Lancet he said, “No.  What’s there to be scared of? To live in Christ and to die is gain.  If he is for [us] then who can be against us.  We do not [have] a spirit of fear, but of power. That’s what I tell myself.” 

What if we all took hold of that spirit of power and remembered that the God we serve is the God of perfect love, and perfect love drives out fear.  We have nothing to be afraid of, and if we all loved fearlessly and let God be known in and through us, what miracles God would work in our lives and in the lives of those around us! 

Before Bekah and I started this trip, I prayed that it wouldn’t just be a fun trip.  I prayed that God would show me how to love, and that I would learn how to be fearless and intentional in loving others.  That’s why we’ve been working at all of these missions.  

However, I’m ashamed to say that I’ve strayed from that prayer.  I let so many other things take priority, and I neglected my Bible study and prayer time.  As a result, there have been several instances where I have considered sharing something with someone, whether that was money or a kind word, and haven’t acted on that desire.  

It’s been difficult because as we travelled through city after city, we saw the same homelessness represented everywhere.  I knew that I couldn’t give to everyone so I just got into the habit of smiling and nodding my head as I walked passed, or even just looking away and walking past as if I were ashamed to have seen them.  I was overwhelmed and I decided to ignore what I couldn’t change instead of looking for ways I could help.

I wouldn’t trade the experiences and memories of this trip for anything, but I’m determined that the last week will not have any regrets as far as it depends on me.  I pray that God would use the remainder of the trip for his glory, and I thank him for using my friend to snap me out of this passivity and to remind me of what the goal for not just this trip but for life really is— to be intentional and to love fearlessly. 

Rebekah

The Amtrak Station in West Glacier, Montana!

Some of the GORGEOUS view

Bekah with ALL of our luggage.... 

Proof that I was in this gorgeous place!

I absolutely love this picture of Bekah :D

There were so many mountains in Montana!  And they all had
this pretty, mysterious-looking haze surrounding them :)

This has got to be the coolest mailbox I've ever seen :D

This is  why I shouldn't make faces at Bekah while she's taking pictures of me....
they never come out looking the same as I picture them in my head :/ haha

On the Road Again

This morning was our last ride on the ferry!  I really liked taking the ferry twice a day because it was super relaxing.  Bekah and I decided that the hour in the morning was perfect for doing hair, makeup, and Bible studies, and the hour ride back was perfect for unwinding from the day and reading a book.  I would love to set aside two hours a day for relaxing purposes, but I really don’t think that’s practical… especially while I’m at school!

It makes me wonder though, what would society be like if people actually took time to relax and rejuvenate after a stressful day?   Everyone is always so crazy busy that it’s become the norm for people to be stressed, but it isn’t supposed to be normal!  God rested when he needed it, and as we are made in his image, shouldn’t we make it a priority to follow his example?  I think the answer is yes, but I doubt I’ll be able to follow my own advice when classes get in full swing this fall! 

Anyway, Bekah and I definitely relaxed on our last day in Seattle!  We went to the theater with a fellow couchsurfer and watched Ice Age Continental Drift.  It was really good, not as good as previous ones, but I enjoyed it very much :D

We decided that we were in the mood for pizza after the movie, so we found this super cute pizza parlor where you could create your own custom pizza (for like $6!), and it was so good!  My pizza had pepperoni and artichokes and some other random stuff on it, and I thought it was scrumptious.  The guy tried to get me to try anchovies, but I wasn’t feeling quite that adventurous! 

Instead of lugging our suitcases up the mercilous hills for the next 30 minutes, Bekah convinced me to spring for a taxi, and I’m very happy that we did!  Now we’re sitting here waiting for our train, which should get here in about two hours…. If it isn’t delayed again ;) 

I’m posting the pictures of us actually sitting on Kevin’s motorcycle, enjoy!

Rebekah

Bad to the Bone!

Nananananaaaaa!

Girls Day in Seattle!

Bekah and I got up super early today in order to make it to our third and final food pantry of the trip!  It was Baby Day at the shelter, so only people with kids 5 and under came and we gave them food, toilet paper, diapers, and formula.  I loved seeing all the kids come in!  They were all so happy and giggly :D

Even though the kids were super cute, my favorite thing to do was bag the food and diapers.  This is simply because the shelter had this awesome devises that would tape the bag shut for you!  All you had to do was twist the bag, slide it into the clicker part of the machine, press down, and VOLA!  The bag was taped shut perfectly!  We saved so much time by not having to tie each bag!  (Shout out to my church family: we need to get one of these for WAC!)

After the food pantry, we decided to get Indian food and then get our nails done.  Ready for a funny story?  Ok so Bekah and I decided to pick colors that we would never choose normally, which meant that I chose this greeny blue color for my toes.  We got on the ferry later, and I took my shoes off and put my feet on the seat.  Low and behold my toes were the EXACT same color as the seats on the boat.    Like the same shade and everything.  I, the girl who would change my outfit 17 times before I would leave the house matching one of my sisters (or Bekah), matched the upholstery on a ferry.  Yep, irony rocks.

Once we got back to our hosts house Bekah and I made dinner for everybody, and may I just say, it was delicious!  We made these grilled chicken wraps with Ms. Kimminau's recipe.... yum.  (Thanks Mrs. K!)

Wanna know what one of the most fun parts of my day was??  Ok, I'll tell you: I got to ride a Harley!!! Kevin, our host, found out I was dying to get (or at least ride) a motorcycle, and he offered to take me for a ride :D It was so awesome!  (Don't worry dad, I had every bit of safety gear on possible... besides gloves :)  I was wearing leather chaps, a leather jacket, and a helmet with a visor.... I'm a fan of this look for me!  Except maybe without the chaps ;)

I loved this ride because it felt so natural.  I could totally picture myself riding around on my motorcycle in a leather jacket!  I loved the breeze, leaning into the turns, and just... riding.

We got back to the house and Sarah, our hosts wife, had just finished giving Bekah a Henna (a temp tattoo).  She looked at me and asked, and what would you like?!   I was so excited!  At first I was thinking about getting some sort of viny thing around my ankle, but then I saw it.  I saw the dragon and I knew it was "the one" haha It's totally girly but super cool at the same time.  Needless to say, I LOVE IT!

Before I had decided on the dragon, Sarah's daughter suggested that I get a butterfly.  The challenge then became how to incorporate a butterfly into the dragon's design without taking away from the dragon..... Good thing Sarah is a wizard with the henna!  She ended up making a miniature butterfly getting toasted by the dragon's flames!  haha it's awesome :D  (Don't worry, I have pictures for you guys!)

That was pretty much today!  We leave Seattle tomorrow afternoon, and then it's off to our second to last stop: West Glacier, Montana!  Goodnight :D

Rebekah

I just noticed that there are a lot of foot pictures in this post.... Don't worry!  I did get a pedicure earlier today so my feet are all pretty ;)  Enjoy!

This blue thing with orange tape is the magic bag taper!
I LOVE this thing, and I want one for WAC :D

Bagging Diapers at the shelter

Feet on the ferry!  

Rocking the chaps... just not the pose ;)

Leather jacket, a must for any girls wardrobe!

Overview of my henna dragon!

                                              And yes, I am the girl with the dragon tattoo! ;)

Butterfly a la fried

With the glitter!  To quote a friend: Boomtown!   I love it :D

Walking, Walking Everywhere!

I can honestly say that I saw Seattle today!  Bekah, four other couch surfers, and I took the ferry into the city this morning and we totally conquered it!  We started in Pike's Place Market, and ended at the troll under the Fremont bridge.... Gotta love the diversity that Seattle has to offer!  (I also love how we can just do things with the other surfers!  That's got to be the best part about there being so many of us staying with the same hosts because we're like a makeshift family.  I mean seriously, I met these people last night, and we're just spending the day together in the city.  It's awesome!  It's almost like hanging out with siblings. :)

Pike's Place was awesome just because it was so huge!  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly was not the open air market/bazar/food court that we discovered!  The very first thing we saw was a 'Fresh Fish' sign that did not lie!  Some of the shrimp was literally still flopping around!  i wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to do with that, so I took a picture and moved on to the next booth.

This one had chocolate flavored pasta!  I mean, what are you supposed to do with that stuff?!!  I ended up buying some sweet red onion flavored pasta, and Bekah and I are going to cook it for Christine and Nate once we get to Holland :D  I'm super excited for that!

We spent several hours at Pike's Market, and then we went to the home of the 'best macaroni in the world.'  Haha honestly, I prefer Kraft, but hey not everyone can appreciate fine cheese preservatives as well as me.  I have to be sensitive of those who don't have quite as fine a palate ;)

The restaurant was really cool though because as we sat and ate our pasta, we could watch the people making the cheese curds!  They were slicing it and stacking it.... basically making a fortress out of cheese!  Only in America right??

After we ate, a few people left our group and the rest of us went on this Underground Tour.  I had absolutely no idea what to expect, but I was kind of picturing a bus tour around an underground Atlantis or something.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  It turned out to be a walking tour of Seattle that contained brief exertions underneath the city to see the old buildings.  It was pretty weird, but apparently Seattle was built right at sea level so they had so many issues (especially with sewage) that they had to rebuild the city on top of the other buildings just so things didn't get backed up as much.  It was a very interesting tour, but I wouldn't pay to go on it again. (Even though the tour guide told some really great jokes!)

Our group shrank again after the tour, and it was me and two other suffers.  We had one thing left on our itinerary, and that was seeing the troll under the Fremont Bridge.  Yes, there is an artist district just outside of Seattle, and they built a troll underneath one of their bridges.  Again, I had absolutely no clue what to expect, and again I was delighted by what I found!  The troll was HUGE and we got to climb up on him and take pictures and be goofy.  It was wonderful!  I'm so excited to share those pictures with you :D

It's really late and Bekah and I have to leave super early in order to make it to the food pantry on time tomorrow, so that's going to be all for now :D  Goodnight!

Rebekah

The SUPER fresh shrimp

CHEESE CURDS
*not from Wisconsin*

Our tour guide standing underneath a "skylight" in old Seattle which was
technically part of the sidewalk in modern Seattle!  So weird!

Speaking of weird... here's the troll under the Fremont Bridge!

Next Up.... SEATTLE!

Bekah and I were up at 4am this morning in order to make it to our train from Eugene to Portland.  Darcy and Mike saw us off, and I thought it was totally awesome that they said I could come back anytime!  I would be surprised if I didn't take them up on that at some point.  Oregon was fabulous, and I'm sure that has everything to do with their hospitality :D

Once we got into Portland we went to this donut shop that my friend told us about called Voodoo Donuts, and omg if you're ever in Eugene or Portland you HAVE GOT to check it out!  They have donuts with literally every type of toppings possible!  I got the maple glaze donut with bacon on top, and it was awesome!  I kind of enjoyed the sweet/smokey flavor  :D

We spent the rest of our layover exploring basically every single coffee shop and record store in all of Portland.  (I think Bekah might have finally gotten tired of drinking chai tea lattes ;)

Our next stop was Seattle!  We got in and had an interesting trek through the city with all our luggage (I swear we're both going to pack SO MUCH lighter next time we travel!  I'll totally pack what I need, and not one thing more!)

After about a mile, we hopped on the ferry, which we made literally moments before it left, and headed off.  Our hosts picked us up about an hour after our boat landed, and they brought us back to their house.  These are the most dedicated CouchSurfer hosts we've stayed with yet!  Today, counting Bekah and I, they have 12 couchsurfers staying with them, and from at least four different countries!

It's a full house, but you know, I totally love how there's constant laughter.  There are so many conversations going, so many people meeting each other, so many stories being shared, and so many jokes being told.... it's a great way to live!  I definitely want to open my house up like this... you know, once I get a house.  Kind of an important step there I think ;)

So that's going to be all for tonight.  I'm going to go be a social butterfly now :D

Rebekah

To Oregon and the North!

Ok so we didn’t have wifi in Oregon, so this post consists of several days worth of blogging.  Feel free to read it all at once, or at intervals, just know that you have been duly warned!

Well, for the first time since I started blogging, this post is NOT being sent from California.  Woah, let me repeat that:  I am no longer in California.  We have officially moved on to stage two of our road trip!  That is super exciting, but kind of bittersweet because I have totally fallen in love with California!  I think it’s my favorite state that I’ve ever been to.  (I think I’ve been to over 40 of them!)

Bekah and I boarded the train in Sacramento at 2:45am on July 6, and began the 17 hour journey to her aunt’s house in Oregon.  We were on the train until 2:30pm, and then were picked up by Bekah’s Aunt at the train station.  Next up was the 4½ hour drive from Eugene to Gold Beach. 

We slept REALLY well that night!

First full day in Oregon- July 7.

Our first day in Oregon was crammed full of exploring the beach, zip lining, and swimming in Deep Creek.  (and yes, it is exactly what it’s name implies!  I tell you, the people up here don’t waste words! ;)

Let’s start with the beach.  Bekah’s Aunt Darcy and Uncle Mike took us out there, and her uncle showed us how to open mollusks with a pocketknife—very handy stuff if you’re ever stranded on an island like Tom Hanks was in Castaway.  If he had known this skill he would have had another use for that ice skate blade besides impromptu dentistry…. Yeah anyway…  back to the beach!

The little girl that Darcy babysits, Makayla, came to the beach with us.  I loved to see her get so excited about each thing that we found.  Her favorite, and mine, was definitely the starfish.  We found two purple ones, and an orange one.  They were so cool!  Bekah put some wet seaweed on the orange starfishes little sucker things and we saw the tentacles come out and attach to the seaweed!  I tell ya, it doesn’t take much for this city girl to be impressed! 

After the beach, we went to their friend’s house and guess what?  They had a 500ft zip line in their back yard!  It was the most elaborate zip line in the history of zip lines!  Let me explain: first, they would strap you into a harness and strap that harness to the zip line.  Second, they would give you a running push and send you flying through the air.  Sounds pretty straight forward, but never fear!  The complicated part is coming oh so soon.

The third step is when things start to get complicated.  See, the mighty swing they would use to get you started didn’t generate quite enough momentum to get you all 500ft across the zip line, but it did a marvelous job at getting you through the first 300ft or so.  Then you’d find yourself dangling 30ish feet in the air just kind of taking in the scenery —which was gorgeous don’t get me wrong!  You could see cows, mountains, trees… let’s just say I could see the better part of Oregon from up there!

Just as you started to think, “Gorgeous view but umm…. I’m dangling 30 feet in the air here!”  You would hear an engine roar into life, glance down at the earth oh so very far away, and see a miniature four-wheeler zooming towards you with two men sitting on it. 

As they got under you, you would drop the towrope to them, which they would tie to the back of the four-wheeler and proceed to tow you up the hill to a tree.

Step four:  After you unhooked the towrope from your harness, one of the guys would SWING you out from under the tree, and you would be soaring through the air!!!!

The fifth and final step required the third guy to slow down your momentum once you’d reached the end of the zip line using a well-placed wooden block.  There you go.  The world’s most epically complicated zip line! ‘Twas awesome :D I got to go twice, and I took my camera with me the second time!  I have some amazing pictures for you guys!

You’d think that we’d be all done for they day after that adventure, but not so!  We headed straight for the Deep Creek and we all plunged into the 50 degree fresh water.  It was an interesting sensation to be outside in water, and not feel all salty.  I believe I could easily get used to it!!! 

We had these awesome inner tubes that we used to float down the little rapids by the creek…. Again, we’re so smart!  The only problem was that it was really shallow so I got all bruised from bumping over the rocks, but it was still totally worth it!  Did you know that if you lay on your stomach and use your arms and legs to climb up the rapids it totally feels like you’re climbing up a waterfall?!! I can totally check ‘climbing up a waterfall’ off my bucket list now! Score!

You know what I’ve learned about myself on this trip?  I absolutely LOVE being outside!  I love being active and having fun, and I think it took me so long to figure this out because I grew up mostly in the south and I certainly do not like being hot and feeling sticky.  But hey, better late than never right?! ;)

Second day in Oregon- July 8.

We woke up early this Sunday morning to head to the beach to go surfing!  I’ve never ever gone surfing in my entire life, but I’ve wanted to learn how to surf for at least the past year.   I was really excited, but thankfully not nervous at all.  I LOVE the ocean, and I was excited to get out there and catch some waves!

We met up with a 4H group and they had wetsuits, booties, and boards for us.  That wetsuit became my best friend in like half a second of being in the water!  It was 50 degrees at best!

We waded in until we were about waist deep, and then we turned our boards to the shore and waited for the opportune moment… We never had to wait long!  The waves were coming hard and fast for almost the entire four hours or so that we were out there so we had ample opportunity to get a feel for the board and the waves.  It didn’t take me long to figure out when I was to far up on the board, or when I had tried to catch a wave that was just a little bit out of my league. 

I frequently overestimated my surfing capability and found myself swirling underwater more often than actually riding the waves towards shore!  All that trial and error paid off though!  Before to long I started to pick up on how to balance (Hooray for gymnastics core training!) on the board and guide it in whatever direction I wanted to go.  That’s when things started to get interesting!  The coach told me that it was time to get off my knees and actually ride the waves in.  I was like, “Oh yeah, I’m all over it!”

Now I’m not going to say that I was an instant pro and soon had everyone gasping at my amazing skills, nor am I saying that it was super easy and I started doing flips and stuff.  It was tough, and I certainly didn’t get that fluid belly to feet motion down, but I did actually get all the way up a few times—if only for a few seconds!  I was satisfied, for now.  ;)

Once, while I was heading back out to the waves after I had ridden one in, I saw Bekah getting ready to catch a wave.  She was paddling frantically in front of this huge wave and for a few moments it didn’t seem like she was going anywhere, than it seemed like she was being sucked into the wave, and then the next thing I knew, she was on top of it riding ecstatically towards the beach.  It was awe-inspiring to witness the power of the waves, and to think that Jesus controlled them with just a word!  Woah.  I can’t ever hope to control the waves, no matter how good I get at surfing.  Realistically, I’ll always be at their mercy.  Like I said, awe-inspiring, and humbling!

Third day in Oregon-

I got to see Redwoods for the first time today!!! Aunt Darcy took Bekah and I to northern California so we could go to this park and see them.  It was awesome!!! The trees were (of course) absolutely ginormous!!!!  I took a ton of pictures and never even cared that I looked like a tourist!  Come on, like my Disneyland sweatshirt wasn’t enough of a clue ;)

It was fun to get out and marvel at God’s creation and hike around a little bit.  Bekah and I had a bit of a misadventure while we were hiking.  It involved an unmarked trail, me eating a bug, and us walking through so many plants that it was a blessing neither of us ended up with ticks or poison ivy!  But it was fun, and it ended in a gorgeous view! 

Now we’re in a hotel near the train station ready to take off way too bright and early tomorrow morning!  Seattle, here we come!

Rebekah