Five Simple Rules

I re-pinned (a word that wasn't even part of my vocabulary 2 years ago) this from a friend on Pinterest. Unfortunately life is never as easy as "5 Simple Rules," but as principles for happiness I definitely see their merit.  

I believe everyone is entitled to happiness, but not as a result of getting everything they want. That would mean I attach happiness only to certain conditions - the right job, the right body, the right spouse, the right family... I deserve it all, don't I? As I'm learning, our happiness shouldn't be about what we feel we deserve or what we wish we deserved; sometimes it’s about what actually happens in spite of our best efforts. That’s reality. Don’t say it’s not fair. Maybe it’s not. But life rarely is for most people. And still, life can be fulfilling and joyful and good and all those things I'm trying to remind myself of these days. 

I'm trying to concentrate more on what's within my control. And even if I can't control everything in my little world at any given moment, at least I can control what I do with it. Action over reaction. 

Maybe I'll start with this list. 

Day 5: Country roads, take me home...

Wednesday, June 12th... We made a very early start, bidding our hospitable hosts farewell. SERIOUSLY. If you want the Martha Stewart treatment on your next trip, might I recommend the Beach residence? They were so good to us! We were sad to go… Thanks, Beaches!

Our drive got off to a fairly good start… We wanted to stop for breakfast at a Denny’s in Centralia, but ended up at a much cuter restaurant called Country Cousins that shared the same parking lot. I think their food was about 10 times better, too. 

Our only non-essential stop during the rest of our drive was at Multnomah Falls in Oregon. We stayed just long enough to walk up to the falls and take a few pictures… Walk walk walk… Marvel marvel marvel… Then it was back to the car and the open road. Drive drive drive… I think the longest, ugliest part of the journey was driving through Northwest Oregon and parts of Idaho. Brown, dry hills for miles and miles. And traffic cops… 

Yes. Traffic cops. Somewhere in Oregon (where the highway speed limit is only 65 and enforced to the LETTER) Lauren was pulled over for speeding. I was distracted by my GPS and wasn't aware our car was picking up lots of speed as we drove down the canyon. I glanced up from the GPS just long enough to spot a highway patrolman sitting in his car off to the side of the road. My eyes darted from his car to my speedometer - we were quickly approaching 90 mph. I shouted a 4-letter word and slowed immediately, checking my rearview mirror to see if I was as busted as I felt. Sure enough, our highway man came driving... With a flash of his lights, we pulled over and waited for the price tag of our road trip to skyrocket. Apologies were made as I handed over all my information. What annoyed me most was that I’d been on cruise control for most of our drive so I would avoid speeding. Minutes later our officer returned to my window and explained that driving even 15 mph passed the speed limit is as hefty a fine as $180. He clocked me in at 89 MPH – a fine of $500…

… But our friendly officer, with his little highway patrol hat and a big dimple in his chin, just smiled and told us to slow down. No fine, not even a written warning. Just a reminder that the speed limit in Oregon is about 10 miles slower than everywhere else. I almost kissed that dimpled chin of his.

I couldn't tell you much about the rest of our drive. It was pretty long and boring and awful. So awful it almost cured me of my fear of flying. Almost... But tedious as our coming and going was and despite Alisa and I getting on each others' very last nerve in our final hours, the trip was a huge success and totally worth it. Hooray! 

Country Cousins Family Restaurant / Holy Cow... Alisa / Multnomah Falls / Pancakes / Alisa at the falls / Our welcome to Washington... We were sad to go! / Multnomah Lodge / More water falling / Bottom of the falls / BACON and other side dishes / Multnomah Falls / Lauren & Alisa... hiding our naked faces...

THE END

Day 4: Let's go fly a kite...

Tuesday, June 11th... Since we’d taken Paige from her baby for 2 days straight, we gave her the morning off from being our tour guide extraordinaire. 

After sleeping in a bit, Alisa and I drove to the very picturesque Lake Sylvia in Montesano (mahn-tuh-say-no), but Lauren was like, Montesa-YES! I loved this little town. And it was so close to the lake! We hiked around for a little while and then relaxed lakeside among the trees – Alisa’s foot wouldn't allow for much more than that. As we headed down one lonely trail, we kept psyching each other out by saying things like “What was that?” or “Do you think they have a lot of bears up here?” The path was pretty isolated and the only other person we saw was a man and his dog as they passed us and disappeared further down the trail. We saw him again a few minutes later coming back up. “Do you think he knows something we don’t?” 

When I heard something moments later that sounded an awful lot like a bear grunting behind some bushes, I stopped dead in my tracks. Without a word, I turned around and walked as calmly and as quickly as possible back out of the forest with Alisa hobbling behind me. Don’t run… Don’t turn around… Just be natural… Alisa will be the first to go if you’re chased… She’s not going anywhere with that bad toe… Happily, no bears gobbled us up and Alisa’s broken toe didn't impede her escape. But I definitely heard something in there.

We found another trail across that damn Lake Sylvia Dam that seemed less ominous and bear-inhabited. There we marveled a bit more at the trees (so tall!) and moss (so soft!) and ferns (so green!). After we had our fill of exploring we drove back into Montesano for lunch at a cute café/bakery/wine shop called Savory Faire. Delicious.

A leaf bigger than my face / Boardwalk at Lake Sylvia /  The Lake / Flora / Damn Dam / Again, the Damn Dam / Lauren & Alisa / Savory Faire / Hiking / Beautiful Canopy / River from Lake Sylvia / Port Angeles Root Beer / Bridging the Damn Dam / Make way for ducklings / Tiny Daisies

After lunch we headed back to the Beach’s house for Paige and cute lil' Cooper. We bought a couple kites at Walmart  - Ninja Turtles and Barbie, if you must know - and met Paige’s husband at a beach in Grays Harbor. Beaches and Waters sharing an evening at the seaside… How appropriate! The beach itself was stunning – we walked a sandy pathway through dunes topped with tall grasses and beautiful bushes covered in yellow flowers.  The wind was in full force and it wasn't long before our kites were airborne. 

We collected more stones and shells, strolled a little in the freezing water, and lounged in the sand with our kites anchored to our shoes. Cooper even ate some sand. Yum... When we finally left, my poor Barbie kite flew out of my hands and got caught in some bushes. There it flies to this day… I was sorry to leave it behind.

After the beach, we took a couple pictures of a nearby lighthouse and then headed to a favorite restaurant of the Beach’s called Bennett's Fish Shack where I finally ate some Fish N Chips. They were delicious and the food coma I slipped into afterward was particularly comfortable. Later that evening we watched a movie and then fell right to sleep. Blessed sleep… How precious you would be to us for our long journey home...

Lauren's new beachside condo? / Beautiful day... / Dunes / Lauren & her kite / Airborne! / A pagan idol...? Crafted by the natives, no doubt... / Our path to the beach / Leeser and her kite / Lighthouse / Cooper, my lil' backseat buddy / Sand Dollar / The Beaches on the Beach! / Twin kites... / Fish N Chips / Bennett's Fish Shack

To Be Continued... Just once more... I PROMISE.

Disclaimer

So this summer's been a bit of a busy one for Lauren. And she's going to post a lot more about it. So if it all seems a bit excessive, I'm sorry. Just trying to preserve some memories over here.

Day 3: Vampires and other creatures...

Monday, June 10th... We spent a lot of time in the car, but I didn't mind too much. We drove through Olympic National Park and up the coast, whizzing past dense rain forests of the greenest green I've ever seen. Our first stop was Ruby Beach where we explored their tide pools and beaches. We made an early start that morning due to the tide schedule. Arrive too early or too late and the tide would have completely submerged the pools and their marine inhabitants. I was in raptures over how beautiful it all was. Here’s a little of what we saw...

Coast / Rocks / Rainbow / Lauren / Olympic National Forest / Tide Pools / Starfish & Urchins / All that driftwood! /  Down on the Beach / Patrck Star's bum... / Ocean

We shared the beach with a bus of elementary school students who were probably there to actually learn... stuff. Meanwhile, we adults opted for a more hands-on approach, treating the beach like our own personal playground. We climbed up and down muscle encrusted rocks and squeamishly touched prickly starfish and slimy sea urchins that recoiled with every poke. Touch it... No, YOU touch it... I did find one star fish (see above) that looked like Patrick Star caught mid-noogie with his pants down. Such a cute bum!

After our exploring, we scoured the beach for rocks and shells. I picked up a few smooth white stones and a cool piece of driftwood. Then we just sat on the beach for a while. Lauren read Warm Bodies while Alisa and Paige relaxed on a blanket in the sunshine. 

Because we were in Twilight country, you best believe our next stop was Forks, WA. Why, you may ask? Why not?? 

Guys, this town is small. Their Chamber of Commerce was this tiny building plastered ceiling to floor in Twilight memorabilia. The Forks Timber Museum next door was closed, which really was a shame... I guess they've moved on from timber to vampires. The lady inside the Chamber of Commerce gave us the lowdown on all the Twilight landmarks - places they've actually designated within Forks as sites from the book. We signed their ridiculously huge guestbook, picked up some maps, took a picture with Bella’s truck, then sat down for a picnic lunch. We later drove through town with our trusty maps, finding Bella’s house, Fork’s High School, and Dr. Carlisle Cullen’s parking spot at the local hospital… Oh, yes. When in Forks… Sadly, no vampire sightings. But it was rather sunny.

In true Bella fashion, we then journeyed from Forks to Port Angeles. There we walked along the pier, visited a wildlife exploration center, and glimpsed Canada across the Salish Sea. Still no vampires or werewolves. I did see a couple dogs, but they were Golden Labs. And neither of them responded when I yelled, "Jacob!!" 

Driving home we stopped by Lake Quinault Lodge. Well, we tried... We were on the wrong side of the lake and the more we drove, the wilder the forest became. We thought maybe Paige was driving to a secluded location where she could leave us for dead. But we eventually found the lodge and Paige did not kill us. 

The 87-year-old lodge is where President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill first establishing the Olympic National Park. It was a very charming old building inside and out. Sadly our many hours driving caught up to me by the time we reached the lodge and I became very acquainted with their nice ladies' restroom. TMI? But the rest of the lodge was lovely, too. 

Barbie Edward / Lake Quinault Lodge backside... / Lake Quinault Lodge frontside... / On the green by the lake... / Paige's take on Bella / A pin for every visitor... / Hello, Canada! / Inside the Lodge / Welcome to Forks / Forks Population / The Lodge / Barbie Jacob / Lounging / Lauren's take on Edward / Bella's Truck

To Be Continued... AGAIN...

Days 1 & 2: What a day to visit Seattle...

So... Back to my spontaneous road trip with my sister. Oh, you'd forgotten?? So did I. 

If you're planning a road trip to Washington, do yourself and your travel buddies a favor and divide the drive between 2 days. Alisa and I had a 14 hour drive to and from our destination - NOT including pit stops - and foolishly decided we could muscle across 4 states in one day with ease. Staring at the open road for that long does strange things to a person, both body and mind... In the days following our trip, I felt mildly panicked at the thought of even climbing into an automobile again. Blind optimism carried us to Washington - We’re going on vacation! - and nothing but defeated desperation and bitter tears - Road, why you so long?? - got us home.

Moving right along...

Saturday, June 8th... We departed Salt Lake at 7:30ish am MST and arrived in Aberdeen at 9:30ish pm PST. One highlight of our drive, maybe the only highlight, was stopping at Cancun Mexican Restaurant for lunch in Boise. I hadn't been there in years and nothing perks Lauren up like some delicious Mexican cuisine. 

The only pictures I have from our drive are a couple shots of Mt. Hood towering over the remaining landscape. It freaked us out a little bit. Enjoy. 

Sunday, June 9th... Our first official day in Washington. No church for Lauren & Alisa! Dearest Paige had an itinerary for our stay and Sunday’s attractions included Olympia and Seattle. 

In Olympia we visited the state capitol and ate a picnic lunch (lovingly packed by Paige) down at the pier. We checked out a little 100 year old tugboat (toot toot!) and considered commandeering several other vessels docked at the marina. We settled for strolling on the mainland instead. The morning was a bit overcast, but the rest of the day was clear and beautiful as can be. We even saw a group of locals gather on a splash pad for some dancing to live music. One homeless-looking man was twirling around this little old lady, but she seemed to be enjoying herself. He had some pretty good moves.

Percival Landing / Paige & Alisa / Cool mural /  Aboard the tugboat / Lauren & Alisa... ding, ding! / The Sand Man / Dancing locals / Diet Coke / Olympia's capitol /  Lauren / War Memorial / Tugboat / Roses / Percival Landing 

In beautiful Seattle we walked around downtown and headed over to Pike’s Market. We didn't see any vendors performing fish acrobatics, but the market itself was an experience. Lots of booths full of fresh produce, flowers, fish, poultry… and people. And smells. Good smells and bad smells. Then there were booths for vendors selling homemade wares - jewelry, crafts, clothing… Not surprisingly, Seattle markets on a sunny Sunday are very crowded. So crowded we even rubbed elbows with some drag queens dressed as nuns with winged habits. Like The Flying Nun but with deeper voices and heavy, HEAVY makeup. I was simultaneously fascinated - Should we ask for a picture? - and terrified. Come on, Lauren... Drag queens are people, too. 

After the market we hobbled back to our car and drove to the Space Needle. Alisa's healing broken toe (line drive to the foot while playing softball... OUCH!) didn't make for a very comfortable walk, but she was a good little soldier. As we looked for parking near the Space Needle, a very nice lady stopped us right in the middle of a lot and gave us her parking spot. Turns out she paid for several hours worth of parking when she only needed a couple. She told us she was a believer in karma and offered us her parking slip which was good until 11 pm. Thanks, nice lady! 

The Space Needle itself was little more than a glorified elevator ride at $20 a pop, but it is a Seattle landmark and something I've always wanted to see. The weather held up beautifully - we had clear views of the city and the surrounding landscape from every angle. No regrets there. And I loved seeing the sailboats in the harbor. 

After the Space Needle and Lauren’s customary purchase of a thimble memorializing her visit, we headed to a restaurant called Red Mill Burgers where Oprah herself once dined. I had the Bleu Cheese Bacon Burger and sang Oprah's praises as I ate. That was one tasty burger. The restaurant accepted cash and check ONLY (first non-tithing check I've written in a while) and you had to sort your own trash into garbage, recycling, AND compost. Sorry, I’m new here. Maybe I'll go all granola and live in Seattle with their cool markets and tasty burgers.

Pike's Market / Lauren and a Piggy Bank / Pretty striped umbrellas / Flowers / Alisa & Lauren at the Space Needle / Seattle Art Museum / Seattle from the Needle / Smelling roses / Space Needle / Sailboats / Produce / Alisa and her burger / Inside the market / Red Mill Burgers

To Be Continued...