Let me first start by saying I love my life. No matter how sad or depressed or down I get about things, in the end I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's. I know that sometimes the grass does look greener on the other side but the truth is no one's life is perfect and we all have our struggles and challenges that we all must face. A good friend once told me that if everyone threw their challenges into a big pool and were told they could pick out what challenges they wanted to face, in the end we'd all end up grabbing our own back after realizing what other people are having to suffer with silently. I really believe that to be true. Yes, my struggles are really hard at times, but I know there are people out there that have it a lot harder than I do.
Summer semester ending earlier this month! I am so happy to finally have my Associates in Business after getting over 100 credit hours (sad, I know, but it took me awhile to decide my major). I am sad that my GPA didn't get where I needed it to be. I got an A in the class but it wasn't enough to pull my 3.89 GPA any higher--I had hoped to graduate with a 3.9. I have made it a goal to have a 3.9 when I graduate with my Bachelors.
My family took a trip to Oregon and Washington. It was amazing and a much needed vacation! We rented wave-runners and went out on Loon Lake in Oregon. It was a blast! We rented 2 and we all switched off driving it. I found it more fun to be on the back though because my brothers are seriously insane on them and I loved the thrill of trying to hold on. It was a ton of fun but I unfortunately wasn't able to handle it for very long and had to sit on the sidelines--I am very tired of not being able to have fun and do things because of my neck. Lately it seems that everything I do hurts my neck. I try not to get too discouraged--I know I need to have faith that the blessing I received the night of my accident will be fulfilled and I will be healed. We stayed that night in a hotel close to the lake and the next day made a 5 hour trip up the Oregon coast to our awesome condo--nice and spacious for the 8 of us (the whole family came except Chris of course). On the way up the coast we stopped and saw the Heceta Head Lighthouse--the lighthouses in Maine are nicer looking but the scenery around this one was breathtaking--such vivid colors! There were sea lions swimming around and laying on the rocks below--such odd looking creatures.
The next day we went to Cannon Beach--less than a minute away from our condo. Unfortunately it was overcast and raining so we didn't get in the water but my brothers and dad threw a baseball around while Kim, Nikki, and I built a "sandcastle"-more like a mound of dirt with a stick in it but considering our lack of resources it wasn't too shabby :). We then headed to an outdoor mall and spent a few hours there.
The next day it was on to Seaside. We went another outdoor mall--they seem to be popular in Oregon--that was close to the ocean. We goofed around in a hat shop and took tons of pictures--my family is easily amused sometimes ha ha. We then spent most of the day weaving in and out of shops. I really enjoyed spending time with my brothers because I hardly get to see either of them anymore, plus I love Aaron's wife Nikki--we're very close (It helps that I'm only 8 months older than her). It was raining that day too so we went back to our condo relatively early and had a barbeque and played games.
And then it was on to Washington! We packed up the car and made yet another long car ride up to Seatac, Washington. We unpacked and went and got dinner at Jack-in-the-Box and I was reminded why I don't eat fast food very often. To please Kim we then went to a huge mall that was nearby. We then spent the next few hours shopping--my sister is most definitely a shop-a-holic.
The next day was one of my favorite days--we were able to go meet my great aunt Marvel, who I have never met before and my dad hasn't seen since he was about 10. Marvel is my late grandma's sister who has lived in Seattle since my dad was little. My grandparent's and dad used to make the trip up to Seattle to see her a lot when my dad was growing up, but after my grandparent's accident my grandma didn't feel up to being the one to drive to Seattle so her and her sister never got to see each other anymore but would still talk on the phone all the time. We didn't tell my aunt we were coming and just surprised her. Her reaction was amazing when my dad announced at the door that he was Virgina's son. It was beyond amazing being able to sit and talk with her. She is almost 92 and her memory is amazingly sharp and she was able to tell us stories about my grandma. One of the reasons I enjoyed the afternoon so much is my great aunt Marvel is so much like how my grandma was before she passed away (that is before she became very sick and was not a pleasant person). It brought up so many memories for me (my grandma passed away when I was 11 so my memories of her had become blurry) and reminded me of how my grandma was before she got very sick--her and her sister have the exact same sense of humor. It was almost like being with my grandma and it was the highlight of my trip.
That night we went to a Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees game at Safeco Stadium. I cannot tell you how much I love watching MLB live! This one was great and suspenseful--the two teams were tied til about the bottom of the 7th inning. The Yankees ended up winning 4 to 2. I was excited to see Ken Griffey Jr. play but sad he didn't get any homeruns. During the 7th inning stretch a fan ran out onto the field and was chased down by security--I guess she wanted her 10 seconds of fame at the cost of at least $1000.
The next day we drove into Seattle and went to the Fish Market--Pike's Place I believe it's called. I can't stand the taste or smell of fish but it was fun watching the guys throw the fish around, plus I need to get used to it because I'm sure I'll be eating a lot of fish in New Caledonia. While driving around Seattle my lawyer called me and told me Coca Cola had made an offer for my settlement. After a few phone calls and more negotiating we finally settled on an amount (when I got home I signed the paperwork and sent it to my lawyer and should have the money soon and then this whole thing will be over with!)
The rest of my trip I don't remember as well--I should have blogged about it sooner. We did some more shopping and tried to go see Mt St Helens but didn't realize that the actual site is about an hour and a half away from the Visitors' Center and we didn't have the time to go further because we had to start heading home. RR (my car) has another 2500 miles on him thanks to the trip but luckily had low miles to begin with and having Pierce (my GPS) was amazing--we never got lost.
I love family vacations and it was hard to come back to the real world but now I can look forward to my next big trip! Bring on Fiji!
