Summing up Mt. Baker/Vancouver trip

Since moving in together in the beginning of September, Andrea, Amy and I have all been home together for about one week. Amy and I are home now from our travels (for now), but we're waiting for Andrea to return to us from Mexico. We'll be reunited on Friday, just in time for our salsa party on Saturday.

For now, here is a bit of a summary of my trip out West:
I traveled for an orientation with Pioneers, in which we had 10 people applying or looking at going with us overseas. It was a great group, and so neat to get to know them a bit and hear about how God is leading and working in their lives.


Washington State (Seattle and Mt. Baker)

Three of us met up in Seattle and spent the afternoon looking around the city while we waited for our fourth to arrive. We went to the Pike Place Market which was quite interesting, except that I didn't get to see anyone throwing fish, much to my disappointment.

Lots of seafood though. We enjoyed some nice fish and chips, and later on some Starbucks.The orientation was held in a chalet partway up Mt. Baker. Beautiful surroundings. I didn't even realize beforehand what it was going to be like. It was great, and the most inexpensive option to run an offsite orientation. The rental car was in my name, so I had the responsibility of driving the whole time. I enjoyed it, Washington is such a beautiful state... I just think I scared some of my co-workers with my driving. :) One of them, after some hair-pin turns on the side of the mountain going up casually said, "you know, this really is the kind of place where you need to stick to the recommended speed limit". I wonder how long it took him to think up such a gracious way of asking me to slow down. :) It didn't feel that fast to me, but maybe his life was flashing before his eyes and he was worrying he would never see his wife and kids again. I'm guessing that next time the rental car won't be in my name. :) I took several walks around the chalet and lake. It was so beautiful.Mountains... so beautiful. Something indescribably incredible about them.A rear shot of the chalet during one of my solo walks. This was right before I got kind of lost. I basically knew where the chalet was, but I lost the path. So I tried to cut through in a place that seemed to make sense, but didn't really. I was laughing at myself as I fumbled through the thick and wet brush that was over my head, falling and tripping over the uneven ground, getting caught in the brush and getting completely and utterly soaked as the light faded and I barely found my way back. It was kind of fun, and would have been hilarious for any of the others in the chalet to watch from the upper windows. I found my way back, and into the chalet, dripping water and squishing my shoes, to find them all engrossed in a movie, oblivious to my absence.

VancouverI spent a day in Vancouver after the orienation, just for fun. I got to show a friend from Texas around a bit, her first time in Canada. As I've said before... I love this city-province-part of the world. Someone remind me what I am doing in mountain-less, ocean-less Ontario?

Me with an Inukshuk. I love those things. "Now the people will know we were here" How many of you remember that?