Bike Trip Part V

When Hans and I woke up the next morning our assumption was that since we had already had all the flats we would be able to make it to either Astoria, Oregon or Cannon Beach, Oregon. We really wanted to stay in Cannon Beach because we wanted to spend time with my grandparents. On our way we rode along a really pretty road. We wanted to get to this ferry at a convenient time but unfortunately we did not know what time the ferry would leave so we just had to guess. We guessed and ended up being a little late and waiting about an hour. It wasn't bad though because then we got a chance to hang out on an island that was about 3 miles long. It was a pretty cool place. It's called Puget Island and is really small and full of fields and horses. I am not sure if I would live there of not. The two ways off are a ferry and a bridge towards the Washington side. The town seemed like it was not exactly thriving but I only biked through the town so perhaps that was just it's off season. Who knows. ANY WAYS. I am glad that Hans and I were able to see that area. I had never seen that area before.
We kept riding and I had like 3 flats in a row. That was not so fun. Hans and I were pretty bummed and started hitch hiking. We got picked up by this big truck. The guy didn't get out of his truck and at first I wasn't sure what to think. But then I prayed about it and felt fine. Hans and I loaded our bikes into the back of his truck then went and hoped in the truck. We met the man driving the truck whose name was Toni. He told us that he just got off work and that we were lucky because he wanted to take his motor cycle to work today but then changed his mind at the last second. We told Toni about our bike troubles so he asked us if we knew what slime is. I DID NOT. I thought he was asking me if I knew what WD-40 is... HERE is what slime is:

So that is what slime is. Toni suggested that we get some slime so that our bike tires would stop popping. Then he asked us if we liked tacos and were over 21. To both we answered YES and then Toni took us to Tacos and beer in a bar. It was VERY nice of him. Also the Tacos ROCKED!

I am going to have to talk more about Toni soon. He was such a cool guy... VERY Gracious. 

Bike Trip Part IV

I hope that I did not forget too much about the bike trip in the time that I have been away... So here is my attempt at continuing in sharing about Hans and my bike trip. The next day when Hans and I woke up and Hans changed one of my bike tires from me. It had gone flat in the night. I don't think I really shared this but the day before when we had all those wrong turns and everything THEN we went through this strange area where it seemed that there was a lot of sharp metal. I got some in my tire and then after Hans and I changed the tire we were SO convinced that everything would be fast and that we would make excellent time that day. Unfortunately where Hans changed the tire we hadn't seen some broken glass. We dropped off some unnecessary items at the post office and sent them to ourselves. From there we headed out and stopped part way into the foggy day so that we could buy some coffee/chai tea at a cute little coffee stand in Centralia. I ended up getting around 2 flat tires that day and it was so nuts because we had already changed it that morning. Because of all the flats we got a ride for about 7 miles from a really cool dad and son. They were on their way to help their father in law and grandfather fix his jeep. They were so nice. It was very helpful for Hans and I to be able to get the extra 7 miles. We just needed that extra boost to help us emotionally get through a day with that many flats.
We finally got to Kelso after meeting a guy who travels about as many miles a day to work and back as Hans and I would do on one of our little adventures. We were in a town when it started to get dark.  Hans wanted so badly to eat pizza so that night we went to a pizza place and both ordered a pizza we in no way finished the pizza but we had a good time and stayed in a little hotel that night. Hans and I hadn't had a shower in our journey yet so we found a cheap hotel room just to be able to get a shower. IT WAS SO WORTH IT. I think I took around three showers in the time that we stayed there. That night I slept so well.

Bike Trip Part II

Hans and I woke up nice and early on the morning that we were planning to leave. Unfortunately we had stayed up until like 2am chatting with cousins. Unfortunate because of the time NOT because of the cousins. It was great to see his cousins. One of them actually got engaged recently. I'll have to post on that sometime soon. BACK TO THE SUBJECT THOUGH... Hans and I woke up bright and early and had a super yummi turkey bacon breakfast. Then we rushed down to catch a train that we thought we were running late for. Silly us. In our rush we forgot the back lights to our bikes. We opted not to go back and get them because we thought we were late for a train... Then we got to the station and the train was running late. We sat there for quite some time and took some beginning the adventure pictures... we thoughts we were tired then.

So here are me and my fantastically wonderful husband. Anyways on the train ride down to Tacoma Hans and I met some really neat people. We had planned to spend that time sleeping but obviously that didn't work out. From there getting out of Tacoma was painful! It was SO hot. SO many hills. SO many stop lights. SO MANY BUMPS! Anyways I would night highly recommend going through Tacoma on a bike trip if it is in any way avoidable.
We took so long to get out of Tacoma but once we were finally out I was a pretty happy girl. We biked for what seemed like forever in one direction and then realized that we had hit something on the GPS and had gone about ten miles in the wrong direction. AH! Okay so that might not seem like a lot but try to consider that it takes 20 miles to get going the right direction again. Also we had a HUGE hill that we had to go up because of going the wrong direction. It also meant that we had bike/hiked up one very large unnecessary hill. LAME. I was so exhausted... I kept reminding myself, "You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength." I had so much time for self reflection on this ride. I kept praying and sweating and working my muscles over and over and over again. I almost cried when I realized we'd gone the wrong way. Hans suggested as we went up a steep hill that we try hitch hiking. I don't think either of us thought that anything would come of it but then one really nice looking truck pulled over helped us load our bikes and took us back to where we had gone the wrong direction. WHAT A BLESSING! Praise God! Also, I had really wanted to try hitch hiking someday. I thought it would be a fun thing. Anyways. The guy who picked us up just so happened to be the Senior VP of a store that Hans and I very much like. The guy never went to college he was just a REALLY hard worker. I was so impressed by his story that I heard. He was about to retire but in his life he had worked a farm, named an impressive company, rode bulls, drove race cars, raised some kids that really, really loved him.... I mean that is the kinda thing that you want to be able to say you've done. I so appreciated that man's help. Hans did too. From there we kept riding but I'll have to continue explaining day one in my next post.
There was a lot more going on 

Save Money: Adventures in Cutting My Own Hair

Hello Lovelies!
I hope you are enjoying the summer! I don't know about where all of you are but where I am at it has been hot. Being a newly wed I am not used to sharing my bed with someone else and so this summer has seemed extra hot in more ways than one. I have been wanting to cut my hair short for quiet some time and just haven't had the guts to do it. You may have noticed my hair length in my catch up post Sorry it's been so long... Anyways if you don't want to go to that picture, no worries here is a picture of me with my fantastic husband just a few days before our wedding.

Photography by Ondriana Deluca

Anyways so that was the length of my hair before I cut it. I was going to grow it out but summer has been so hot I just had to crop it off. Anyways. I was going to cut it semi short like Kherington Payne's hair in the movie Fame. I did that but then Hans brought up the fact that I have been REALLY wanting to cut it to be actually short...  I cut my hair REALLY short. When I was in high school I had long hair and when I was little I had to get a mullet because well the story is debated but either me or my brother took a scissor to my hair and the results were not the most favorable. SO... Since this time of cutting my hair went better than my mullet moments here is the big reveal [I haven't even told my mother yet!]

Take a look- 

How'd I do?

My new haircut 7/8/2011

Anyways I am still deciding what I think but for now it is fun. 

Tomorrow Hans and I have a family reunion to go to and I am excited to hear what my Mom has to say about my new do. We'll be camping and hopefully I'll get the chance to take some pictures. Have a weekend that is as beautiful as you are! -Au Revoir

Lessons from a Seventeen Year Old.

I am looking back at some of my old prayer journals and I have been feeling so convicted. I am impressed by how awesome God is and how odd it is that I let myself get in the ways of His great and AWESOME plans. I mean seriously who am I to get in the way of what God wants to do. Unfortunately I seem to find myself getting in the way a lot. I look at some of the things in my life and sometimes I wonder, what in th world am I thinking now. I am in the process of working towards a BA in English at a "secular" University but who am I to say or assume that God doesn't have something awesome planned for me in this part of the adventure of my life. I have to admit, I have not been spending the time in the Word [aka the Bible] that I need to. Unfortunately I have not only done that but I have been beating myself up for doing this and I haven't been spending more time with God because of it. WHAT AM I THINKING? I am such a fool sometimes. Spending time with God is so precious and I have not been loving God the way that I need to. I go to read my bible and get distracted with Plants VS Zombies. I mean really as far as things of eternal worth are concerned I would def say that time with God beats fighting Dr. Zombtness. Part of why I started this blog is because I really need some form of verbal processing and at the same time admitting when I have done wrong. That is so hard for me. Today I just wanted to say that I have been so so Wrong. But I would like to start being right again. Spending that time with God that I need so deeply within the core of my being.

Young and will be Married Soon :S :]

This Spring I will be marrying my best friend Hans. We'll both be twenty-one and are looking forward to this very much! Hans is hilarious and so much fun. For as long as I can remember knowing him we have some of our best talks when we go on walks. When we first met our freshman year of college we both looked like little babies and sometimes acted the same. We were in a bible study together and sometimes we would get into arguments about what certain points in the bible meant. Some from our group thought we were flirting but we were legitimately duking it out. I find it pretty funny now. On our walks sometimes we talk about theology, evaluate our lives, share memories or just fall on the ground laughing. One of my favorite things about Hans is that He continually challenges me, in my faith, my understandings, my cultural expectations. In Christ there is always adventure and I am so glad that Hans seeks to go through that adventure with God and me too! Hans is such a blessing to my life and love that I get to spend the rest of my life with him!

Hans and I want a relationship that lasts till death parts us... I would hate for a spiritual death to part us... I need to be spending more time focusing on my adventures with God so that I can truly be alive.

Wooot Woot!