"The wave is comin' but I ain't got no fear..."

2010 is shaping up to be a very good year and it's only March. Wait...what? March is almost over? How did that happen? We've been so busy, the months have been flying by. Sometimes I wish things would slow down (and they will soon), but for the most part I've actually been enjoying all of the activity. Last year I felt like I was in a rut. I wasn't depressed, but I just didn't feel well and spiritually I was sort of stagnant I guess. I think the two usually go hand in hand. I've made some changes recently that have greatly improved my outlook and overall health. I've realized (again) that when I let God take control, my situation and outlook improve exponentially. I'm still baffled as to why I forget that so easily. One would think that after 25 years something would sink in and stick in my little brain. One would think.

I'm just thankful that He not only provides me with life, but He allows me to experience all of the little things that I love. I'm amazed that the One who created the Universe also cares about the minute details of my life. The only reason I can even enjoy any of the sports and activities that I do is because God made me that way. That has been an amazing revelation in my life. Not that I didn't know that intellectually, but I'm realizing it in a different way. He cares enough about me to allow me to experience things I love even when they don't really seem to matter in the grand scheme of things.

I guess I'm getting a little more philosophical than I originally planned, but really. I've had some amazing opportunities lately, and a lot of them were things that I never thought I would get to do. Some were things that seemed like good ideas, but I had no real plan about how to make them happen. Some were on my "bucket list". And some were just things that I just never expected to be as enjoyable as they were.

The past three months have been so busy. We've travelled around the state more than we have in a long time. There has been maybe two weekends that we were just at home. I just want to list some of the things we have had the opportunity to do lately because I'm so thankful for the provisions God has made for our family and for the wonderful experiences I have been given.

• I participated in a book club. This was something I never thought I would do, or be interested in doing, but it was really fun. We chose some pretty good books. Our group was made up of about eight women and we all really get along well and have really good discussions. I've been blessed with some really great friends in the area.
• I have played in two all-women's hockey tournaments with teams made up of people I had never met before.
• I joined a strings group at church. I play the guitar, and we also have a mandolin, two hammer dulcimers, a bass, two auto harps, and a banjo.
• I had the opportunity to play my guitar with the strings group at church in front of actual people. I have never, ever done anything close to that and it's something I have wanted to do for as long as I have played the guitar. Which is a long time.
• I was summoned and ended up being chosen as an alternate juror on a wrongful death suit. This was such an interesting experience for me. The case was really interesting and I loved watching the whole courtroom scene unfold. It wasn't exactly like the movies, but it wasn't too far off either. It's definitely something I would like to experience again.
• One of the hockey tournaments I was invited to play in was against the EWU women's hockey team. It was amazing! I loved it! They played a really rough game (and remember, I play with all guys usually), but it was still fun. One of the girls playing on my team happened to be someone who I went to high school with and hadn't seen since maybe junior year. It was fun catching up with her. It was just an amazing experience to play against an actual college team. Especially since I've only played for about two seasons.
• I completed my second season as a hockey player with nine goals (just one shy of my goal for the year) and four assists. I basically tripled my goal amount from last season, which was exciting! I felt that I really improved some of my skills this season and I had a lot of fun getting to know all the guys who play.
• I'm teaching my fourth lifeguarding class right now in Moses Lake. I love it! It can be really stressful and exhausting, but I love teaching people and helping them succeed at something that it so challenging. It's a really fun group of people this time and I'm really enjoying it.

One of the best parts of the past three months (or even the past year) happened last weekend. I was able to go spend the weekend in Seattle with my best friend for her birthday. When I got there I was able to visit with some of the people I had met when we lived there, but hadn't seen in close to three years. The last time most of them had seen me I was about nine months pregnant. We had a great time catching up and just being silly and crazy. After that we went to see the cherry blossoms in bloom at UW. It was my first time seeing them, and it was really pretty. The whole campus is pretty, but the blossoms make it that much better. It sort of makes me wish I would have gone there for college. After we had our fill of cherry blossoms and people watching on the quad, we headed downtown to see the Bodies Exhibition. The last time this exhibit was in Seattle, I was pregnant and I wasn't sure if I would have been able to handle something like that. I'm glad it came back and that I finally decided to go! It was fascinating! We both thoroughly enjoyed it. It just really made me appreciate what God has created. Everything about us is intricate. There is no way any of it could have happened by accident.

The next day we got up early(ish) and headed to Ocean Shores with another friend to go surfing. I have wanted to go surfing for as long as I can remember. Seriously. It was definately on my "bucket list". I can't even explain how much I love the ocean and I knew I would love surfing. We had a fun time driving the two-and-a-half hours to the beach. It was like a mini road trip. When we got there it was overcast and cold (as usual), which I expected. What I didn't expect was the wind, but we were determined to surf. And that we did. I surfed until my hands went numb from the cold and then surfed a little more. It was amazing. It was even better than I expected (minus the cold). I was able to stand up on my first try and then by the end I was able to ride the waves for a little ways. When we were finished and took our gear back to the surf shack, the old, crusty surfer dude told us we were hardcore and that we probably couldn't have picked a worse day to surf. We took that as a compliment. It can only get better from there. It's definately something I would like to do again. And again.

I was just thankful for that whole weekend. First of all, I have a husband who realizes when I need a break from the day to day monotony that comes with being a stay-at-home mom. I know not everyone has someone who they can count on like that. It's really great because I've been getting overwhelmed with Audrey's "terrible twos" lately. She's usually pretty good. I've learned to handle her strong will, but lately she's been going through some really stubborn stages. I can handle it about 95 percent of the time, but the other 5 percent can really make me want to rip my hair out. I love that Justin can sense that and will stay with Audrey while I go recharge.

I'm also thankful for the time my friend and I got to spend. At a time when we could have easily grown apart, our friendship has become stronger than ever. It was nice to just go have fun and let go. It's been awhile since we've been able to do that. I've also gotten to know some other great people who she introduced me to when we lived in Seattle, and it's been great hanging out with them.