Poetry?

I laid on the deck at Cispus today during one of our breaks in the Teaching Leadership class and watched the trees and clouds. Then I wrote this:

I watched the tall tree tops waltz with the clouds on a cobalt blue dance floor and when the wind whispered in my ear I could almost feel you in my arms.

I need to write more poetry. I used to write all the time. I wrote one a few months ago in Spokane. We were in bed--I think Marlee had a soccer game there and we spent the night. A thunderstorm rolled in.

I laid in bed last night and listened to the lightning storm tell me his life story--long periods of silence disrupted by flashes of inspiration--and I prayed my kids will forgive me for the kind of father I've been.

Seattle Trip

You can see how poorly I do at keeping my "regular" journal entries....

Earlier this week we took a quick family trip to Seattle--just an overnighter. We want to do some quick, fun family getaways before Eric reports for his mission.

If you haven't heard, Eric has been called to the Arizona Phoenix mission (English speaking). He reports to the MTC August 4 and will be in Phoenix August 25. 


Anyway, we got tickets for the Mariners game...it was an afternoon game against the Cubs. We headed out Wednesday morning after watching the USA soccer team defeat Algeria in extra time in the World Cup. They needed to win to advance to the Round of 16. At the end of 90 minutes of regulation time, it was a 0-0 tie, but the referee added 4 minutes of stoppage time. It was in that time that the US scored a goal and won.

Here's the link to the video highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7EbCSV9fHg

The drive over the mountains was fun. The plan was to go to Snohomish Falls and hike to the bottom. Unfortuantely the trail was closed so we had to settle for looking at it from the top.

Snohomish Falls ~ June 23, 2010

After the falls we drove in to Seattle and checking in to our hotel, the Grand Hyatt. It was beautiful. Our rooms were on the 20th floor looking towards Elliott Bay. We got all moved in and comfy and then headed to the piers to meet Kayla Lemley for dinner at the Crab Pot restaurant.

It was a warm sunny evening and we had an outdoor table. It was great.After dinner, we walked back to the Grand Hyatt and turned in for the night. The food, the company, the location, the weather--all combined for a memorable evening.

Eric and Kayla at the Crab Pot

Thursday morning (June 24), we checked out and headed to the hotel parking garage. As we exited the elevators into the lobby, we came face to face with Lou Piniella, the manager of the Chicago Cubs and former manager of the Mariners. As we walked by him, we made eye contact and I said, "Hey Lou." He smiled and said, "Hi." Then some fan ran up and put his arm around him and posed for a picture. Hotel security then stepped in and shut it down. Eric wanted to get a photo with him, but was told no. A few hours later at the baseball game Lou came flying out of the dugout to argue a call at third base. Quite a difference from the quiet guy in the hotel lobby that morning.

We drove to University Village for breakfast and a little shopping before heading to the game. Traffic was crazy getting to the stadium, but what else is new? Once we got it (we missed the top half of the 1st inning), the game was awesome. It was close, great pitching, strong defense, timely hitting, great weather. The game went 13 innings before the Cubs pulled out the win. 

Our view from Section 245, Row 1. Great seats!

Of course, what trip to Safeco would be complete without an order of Garlic Fries?

Garlic fries. Yum!!

After the game, we dealt with game and rush hour traffic, but once on the freeway we had a quiet drive home.

It was exactly what I hoped for--a fun, family trip before Eric heads out for his mission.