The End is Not the End

I write this post on the eve of my departing Bellingham for hopefully the next to last time.

I have been saying a lot of goodbyes in the past several days, some of which have been more difficult than others. Because I switched schools a lot in my youth, I now have a difficult time getting attached to people. When I meet new people I tend to assume that they won't be close friends for life, although I know some people will always be friends, even if I only talk to them once a year.

I believe that life does occur in "seasons," or, as a friend and I discussed last night, in "subplots." When one story begins to be wrapped up, a whole new plot line begins. So I'm not really sad about moving on, at least not yet. I have greatly enjoyed my time in Bellingham, and have met SO many amazing people. Some people I got to spend a lot of time with while others were only around for a short period, but everyone had an impact on my life, and I can only hope that I had a good impact on them. I see no point in missing anyone because I know that I am going to where I'm supposed to be, and that you all are where you should be. If our paths cross again in the future, that will wonderful, but I don't like the idea of pining away for the past. I have fond memories that I will carry with me, but I also know that I will be making new ones as well.

And while I sound strong right now, I may break down as I'm driving away tomorrow. Just like I broke down last Friday as I headed home from my last day of work. Those people set the bar really high for my next job. Thanks again to all of you if you're reading this. :)

This trip has so much in store for Hannah and I, although we have know idea what all that is. We have already learned a lot about ourselves and about each during the weekends that we've spent together and we haven't even left yet. Part of me had been worried about the disagreements we would inevitably have, but so far we've been able to "fight" (that word is too strong, but I don't feel like trying to find another one right now) and then work it out, which is a new experience for me, and one that I am really enjoying. I'm learning to stand up for myself and not feel bad for voicing my opinion, even when I know others won't like it. Typically I just avoid confrontation altogether because I want people to like me. Now I'm learning that I can voice my disagreement with people AND *gasp* they still like me. To all of you who are helping me learn that, including Hannah, thank you!!

There's probably a lot more I could say, but I'm not sure any of it is really that important. So I'll just say "Goodbye Bellingham."

I want to end this post by thanking everyone who is reading this (yup, I'm talking to YOU), whether I know you or you are some creepy stranger who randomly stumbled upon this blog. It's nice to know that there are people out there who are actually interested in my life and who are excited for us. If there is some aspect of this trip that you want to know more about that I seem to be completely lapsing on, feel free to ask about it. I'm a pretty open person most of the time, so if there is ever anything you are curious about, don't hesitate to post a comment or email me (hopefulsoul619@gmail.com).

God bless, over and out.
~Marissa

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." -- Romans 12:12

Here's the deal

With all of the fun things that have been happening lately, I've decided that the trip has officially begun. We still don't have a car, and we're still working (in two completely different cities), but the point of the trip is to have adventures, and adventures we are having!

Hannah and I's birthdays were last week (you'd think we were twins, but we're not -- hers is two days before mine) so I went down to visit her and then we went camping with a couple other friends. The night of her birthday we went to dinner at this awesome little seafood restaurant (Totem something). We noticed the place because their reader board said "God bless the world" and Hannah had been craving salmon, which didn't end up getting. When the owners found out it was Hannah's b-day, they gave her a free fish taco in addition to the meal she had already ordered, and a free milkshake. Later they also brought us both a free apple crisp-type of dessert. It was very cool to see how willing people are to give even before the trip started.

On Friday we headed out to Turlo campgrounds with a couple other people and had an amazing time relaxing in nature away from the daily grind. That night we had lots of laughs while playing card games next to a small river. It was so great sleeping with the sound of rushing waters in the background. Saturday morning Hannah and I dunked our faces in the river (which is formed from glacier runoff) to help us wake up, while Justin decided to go all the way in for a "river shower." Hannah and I decided we should too, so we went to change. The ranger was cleaning the bathrooms while we were there and his response to our plan was laughing and then asking, "You're not really going to, though, right?" LOL But we really did it. It was SO cold but such a fun experience. And we actually started feeling warmer afterwards (Justin explained that it's good for your circulation), so of course we went in for another dip before heading back to get warm. We decided to drive back into town for breakfast and ended up meeting up with Sam, a past roommate of Hannah and I.

When we got back to camp we asked out neighbors if they knew of any good hikes in the area and they recommended Lake 22 which was just up the road. It was the MOST AMAZING hike I've ever been on. Not that I've been on many hikes, but the views were incredible. We got high enough up that we were actually hiking through snow for a good while. The lake and mountains we discovered at the end made everything worth it.

After the hike we were all a bit tired, so we just sat around the fire and chatted. Sam ended up leaving early, and the rest of us got into a "discussion" about God and our differing opinions. Justin stayed pretty quiet, gracing us with some guitar playing despite a broken string, and when Becky and Hannah were starting to get too heated, God blessed us with a distraction -- a few bikers had pulled in a bit earlier and they had decided to come over and hang out with us. They brought us an offering of "Holy Water" (Vodka) which I thought was pretty ironic considering the situation they were walking in. [If anyone ever says God doesn't have a wicked sense of humor, don't believe them.] James, Jenny, and Michael ended up staying for quite a while and were kind enough to share some of their firewood with us, since we were out. We found out that James was married and had two daughters, something Justin didn't envy, and that he had apparently been to prison, although I don't think he ever fully explained why. James was hilarious, tripping multiple times over the same root, and kept pretty quiet except to make small, mocking jabs towards Michael, who was more of a talker. Michael told us that he was from Illinois and had worked at a church camp during summers until he was 19, when he was kicked out of the house. He eventually became a stripper to pay the bills, but he "never danced for dudes or did anything extra." Insert a comment from James. Michael wasn't married and didn't have kids, but he sounded like he was hoping to find the right lady sometime soon. Jenny was fairly quiet too, but very animated when she did talk. She was also married and had a step-son who recently turned 18. It sounded like he doesn't respect her a whole lot, so these little bike trips are a happy getaway for her. Jenny was describing her husband to us a bit (tall computer geek with a ponytail, but will to ride in her sidecar) and we asked how in the world they had gotten together. She then told us that she used to work at Microsoft [shock!] as a programmer [shock!]. Here's this lady who wears leather and rides a motorcycle and she used to work at Microsoft! I love people's stories!! Anyways, she said that because of the free pop they were given at work and the many hours she put in sitting at a desk, she gained a lot of weight and got really unhappy. She also developed carpal tunnel and eventually decided to leave. Now she and her husband have a farm with a variety of animals, including horses (Hannah was more than a little envious of this). Around 2 or 3 A.M. our new friends were feeling the effects of the "Holy Water" and decided it was time for them to wander back to their camp. Before passing out one of them did start up their bike to rev the engine a few times, as they had promised. We eventually made our way to our tents as well, and slept very well that night. If you want to see more pics from the week, go to here and here.

It was such a fun week, and I'm not completely excited to go back to work tomorrow. But Hannah and I are looking forward even more to when we actually leave the state. We've heard from a few new people about where we might stay as we travel -- two in Pittsburgh and one in Colorado -- so things are slowly falling into place.

As always, your positive thoughts and prayers are always needed and appreciated, so keep 'em coming! We hope you're all doing well, and having adventures of your own.

Over and out,

~Marissa

So it begins...

Hello! And welcome to our adventure! Hannah and I are super excited for this trip to commence, so we decided to start a blog a little early. We are, of course, still in planning mode right now, and our big task at the moment is to find a car. We're interested in getting some sort of wagon, probably a Subaru. We aren't sure exactly how we're going to afford it, since both of us have pretty limited budgets, but we know God will provide the right opportunity. So if anybody knows of anything, let us know! We're all about networking...

I think the big news of today is that Hannah got her old film SLR camera working. She's learning how to take rad pics with it, so we'll have at least one good photog on the trip. :) If we could get our hands on a decent video camera too, we'd be set.

I'll be honest, I am amazed at how well things have come together lately. Just two weeks ago I had no idea who, if anyone, would be sharing this trip with me, and now Hannah has committed for sure and I couldn't be happier about it! Plus finding out that my roommate and her fiance believed in my going so much that they bought me an atlas for my b-day -- simply awesome and so encouraging (thanks Abby and Jon)!!

This trip is going to be one of a kind (and hopefully the first of many more to come) and I can't wait. I know it will be really difficult at times, but those moments will be the ones that bring us closer to God and teach us more about ourselves. Thanks to everyone who will be supporting us by following our journey and wishing us well -- we're so looking forward to it all!!

Over and out,
~Meandering Marissa

If you know us at all...you know how fun we are, and how fun this trip will be.