EVERYBODY FEARS BEARS

While hiking around Mt Hood I faced a fear that I didn't realize was a big deal.

I'm afraid of heights.

 
Not terribly.  I can frolic in trees, ride ski lifts, go up the Space Needle in Seattle but apparently, if I'm not tethered or in the safety of some mechanical structure, I get spooked.  I was chatting with my mom as we climbed and came to a steep spot on the trail.  (steep cliff to my right, drop off to my left  ...and the trail is about 18 inches wide)  Keeping my eyes on my mom's feet in front of me I marveled at how relaxed she was.  After a couple comments she just breezily states, 'Oh, I just don't have a fear of heights'.

What???

 I came back saying 'THAT'S LIKE BEING CONFRONTED BY A BEAR, SHRUGGING YOUR SHOULDERS, AND SAYING- WELL, I JUST DON'T HAVE A FEAR OF BEARS'.

WHAT????

 I believe I have a perfectly rational reaction to heights but compared to the fine folks I was hiking with I am a baby.  (Nobody called me that.  They're way too nice)  But as I pep-talk myself along the steep spots, knowing I HAVE TO continue on or just die on the mountain, I'm thinking LOOK AT THIS DEATH-DROP OFF AND JOIN ME IN MY "IRRATIONAL" FEAR WHY DON'T YOU PEOPLE????  

Obviously, as I sit here at my computer, I MADE IT.

 I did something REALLY HARD.

9+ miles per day.  35 lbs on my back.  No bears.  Thousands of feet of elevation ups and downs each day.   28+ miles total for me.  (I just had 3 days while the group was going to complete the trail in 5, so I had left my car at an access point.)

My legs and feet and back ached.  Sleeping on the ground was a sad reward each night...  But GOSH DARN IT I LOVED IT.

 There's something indescribable about the reward that comes from hard work.  ...a reward that has no shortcuts.  (maybe a helicopter?)

It was deliciously difficult and I'd only do it again if my mommy and daddy come again to help me.

The end.



p.s.  For an overall better account of the 3 days visit my mom's blog HERE.

Ron and Elaine

So my favorite FIL has fallen in love and remarried.  It all came like a flash and the family rolled with it like ninjas.  The ceremony was simple and sweet.  The food was YUMMY.  The guests were fun and the pictures are FAR TOO FEW.  (Who asked me to do photos?  Really, they owe the rest of us an explanation...)

But here are a few highlights...

It's the photographer's job to not let the happy couple eat.

Brenda felt glamorous in her purple dress.

I felt glamorous too...

Irony, accident and coincidence led to an Oregon Ducks decor theme.  ...Ron HATES the Ducks, Elaine loves them.

Hey Meggy-poo.

New relatives!  And they're GREAT!

SIL and her Dale.  That's right.  He's her Dale.  (I just made an inside joke.  Huh Anna?  Like it???)

Good day.

I can't think of much to add except I just love this family I married into.  It keeps growing like the weeds in my yard.  ...Except they're weeds that you don't want to kill.  You know like, good weeds.  Beautiful weeds!  This family is one big WONDERFUL weed patch. 

OK good enough.

Love you guys.

keeping up with Garret

One of the things I don't like about the beach is the afterwards.  ...Grit in special places is troubling and inevitable.  But Garret, the texture-obsessor, doesn't seem to mind.

staying safe with grandpa

That kid could have dirt in the eye, water in the ear, sand in the underworld and even blood on the toes and he caaaaan't stop, and he woooon't stop.

OH SNAP I JUST REFERENCED MILEY CYRUS.  

...IT'S LIKE THOSE MONKEYS THAT ARE SO UGLY, YOU JUST CAN'T LOOK AWAY.  ........Wait.  Miley isn't ugly.  Her music tends to be.  ...and I mean that with the utmost respect...




anywho.

But it's the textures!  Garret lives for textures like we live for youtube cat videos. 

I like the videos where the cats jump and miss their target, resulting in a dive...

HOLY WAFFLES THIS KID IS GORGEOUS

But yeah, Garret loves the beach.  The great outdoors with sand AND water?  In the SAME PLACE???  It's stimuli heaven.  I'd like to be able to let Garret run untethered at the beach.  No being watched, chased, held down, held back, ...held.  ...all while blasting Queen's "Break Free" of course.  I think that might be Garret's reward in the next life.

A Queen concert on a personal beach.  Yup.

This post is going strange places.



In closing, I'd like to brag about my beautiful son and our close proximity to the ocean.  But no worries.  Garret likes people so you're all invited to his beach party in heaven.  

Fingers crossed I make it there with him.  I did just reference AND insult the lovely Ms Cyrus in the same post...
 

all about me and my flippant folly

There was a lesson at church today about compassion, bearing one another's burdens, comforting those who need comfort...  I sat there feeling a bit guilty.  Not too guilty, mind you.  I'm far too aloof to really get down.  But yeah, guilty because I have this personality (dang personality of which I have no power over...) where I am somewhat oblivious to the needs of others until they are directly in front of me.  Even then I tend to avoid acknowledgement...

I see it as a bitter sweet quality.  I don't like meddling in other people's business (good thing) to the point of seemingly not caring (bad thing).  I'd like to have this silent agreement with everybody-  I won't throw my junk at you, you don't throw yours ...and then we'll go to TacoBell.

That's a glorious friendship, right there.

I mean, I'm not totally unreceptive to other's needs.  I would just like to deal with it, move on, and pretend like nothing was ever ever wrong and we're all happy and nobody is bad and netflix is a good use of time and TacoBell is just down the street.

But I like living in oblivion.  It's easy to like people when I don't get ruffled easily.  My power of everything-is-fine-therefore-I-can-be-lazy works well to keep me on the sidelines of drama.

But really, this is not what the lesson was about.  Was it?  Yes, I'm laid back and that's nice but how many times have I neglected people that need me?  How can I serve when I have NO IDEA what/who needs serving???

...Have my kids had baths today?

Can I be compassionate when avoidance is something I do so well?  Do I really understand what it means to mourn with those who mourn? 

When I'm sitting in church and the teacher is talking about the beauty of loving service I'm nodding and thinking "wait, someone is in need of a homecooked meal???"

Good grief.  Here I am, talking about serious, christian values, and I have to counter it with things that make me snort. 

Avoiding a real serious talk, are we Lindsay?

I'm sorry, I was thinking about that lesson, and how I can do better, maybe.  How I should pay more attention to things outside of my bubble and do some good once in a while...  Then I thought about IT Crowd, and what a funny show it is.