Seattle Inspired

My very first trip to Seattle sent me home inspired to begin this blog. It motivated me to refocus on my fitness. The first trip convinced me I could overcome obstacles that had been persuading me things were never going to change. The adventure was a way for God to breath new life, hope and confidence into my life, and sent me on the journey I have been intently taking for the past eighteen months. This second trip has brought me home inspired and motivated, yet again. It has reinforced the trajectory God has this life going, and I have to tell you, I am stoked!

We arrived Thursday around noon. With the 50 5ks in 50 Days challenge, we “b-lined” it to a trail I had already scoped out for running – Big Gulch trail, to be exact. After traveling for nearly six hours, it felt wonderful to move our bodies and run. My husband and I ran through a gulch surrounded by some of the furriest green trees I have ever seen. Hills, stairs, and narrow paths made the trek seem like it flew by. From there we made our way down to the port to watch the sun set, and let me tell you, it is absolutely stunning to watch the sun set behind the foreground of water, trees and mountains!

​​Friday, my husband headed out to spend some time snowboarding at Steven’s Pass.

I stayed behind to get my urban walk in, do some prepping for the current LES45 Challenge, and then head out to my friend’s house to meet with some other gals for dinner. Wouldn’t you know, I began to have a titch of anxiety. First anxious thoughts about being alone in the city. Then about doing my 5k by myself. Then about driving to my friend’s house. I nearly had myself worked into a frenzy, but I reminded myself it was different. That, and I ate a good meal. My sugar was low from all my recent activity, and it was certainly compounding (if not creating) the anxious feeling I was beginning to have. The 5k was amazing, even though walking on a bridge over an eight lane highway is something I didn’t prepare for. Getting groceries at Whole Foods was a treat. Driving was fine. Dinner was a blessing. Hanging out at my mentor’s house with a few other gals deep into fitness, was awesome. We shared our stories, stuffed our faces with delicious, whole foods, and laughed – a lot.

​After leaving inspiring conversation at my friend’s house, we headed to our cabin of solitude. The drive out was ok, not too bad. It became interesting once we turned onto an unmarked road from the high way. I guess it wasn’t really a road. It was more of a gravel path, with room for one vehicle. No lights, to speak of for a good five minutes, just winding and turning in the middle of the night. When we finally did see some form of human habitation, it was in the 

form of a travel trailer. ​​Several of these homes were sprinkled along the way. We finally arrived to our destination after about fifteen minutes. And it was a cabin. Not a luxury cabin you might be envisioning (I sort of was), but a cabin with creaky wood floors, a wood stove, a river as the back yard, and no cell phone service (although it did have WiFi, which was a bit perplexing). Now, if I were the panicky type, I would have asked my husband to get us out of there, but I’ve stayed in worse. Much worse. God reminded me of this, and I was then ready to see the blessing that would come of the situation.

Saturday, the sun was out and we were ready to head east for a day in Leavenworth. This place was amazing. With a Bavarian theme, the entire area was cute, quaint and cozy. A warm fuzzy feel came over me, despite the forty degree weather and snow on the ground. There was another trail here, we had already scoped out for the day’s 5k. Snow covered, but fun to walk on without hiking shoes. Yummy food, laughter, and conversation with my husband, perfect for our anniversary trip together.

​Sunday we woke up to head to Steven’s Pass for some skiing. Now, I am not much of a skier. ​In fact, several years ago I had quite the dramatic experience with skiing and swore I would never 

try it again. That all changed when my youngest daughter took up skiing, and I decided I wanted to be able to share the experience with her. I’m not that good. I prefer to stay on the green, easier grade hills, rather than go down the life-threatening black diamond runs. I’m a weenie really. It decided to snow the entire day we were there. Remember that dramatic experience I mentioned? It ALSO involved all day snow.  I grew quite comfy on one of the easier slopes, and was fine hanging out there. However, my hubby kept saying, “If you go on the other trail… If you make it to this trail… If you choose to go from this to the next…” You see what he was doing there? He wasn’t saying “get off the bunny hill already!”, but he was certainly attempting to use his power of suggestion to do so. Again, back to the dramatic experience, there was a degree of coercion by him as well…

In the spirit of challenging myself and hopefully helping my husband to have a better time, I decided to go up the next level to the blue run. The lift was longer. Much longer than I had thought. I exit the lift and slide, all the way until I stop. Flashback. You guessed it, to the dramatic experience I mentioned earlier. Nerves begin to kick in. I stand and look out. Oh. My. Word. What. Have. I. Done? My stomach an instant knot. My legs begin trembling. I want to puke. Crazy physiological response to the situation, I did not anticipate. Then I’m taken back to the hike a year and a half earlier. The Spartan Sprint. The Spartan Super. All physical feats I took on, to challenge myself and overcome barriers, both mentally and physically. This was no different. Ok it was a little. I could catapult myself off the path into a tree due to my lack of experience and inability to control my speed, but who was thinking about that?! I needed a positive vision…

Pizza slice. Stop. Slide. Pizza slice. Stop. Slide. Fly. Don’t pee your pants. I’m down. I get up. Take a pic now, I’m not coming back up here. Why won’t my legs stop shaking? Don’t cry. Don’t get mad. Don’t kick your skis off and march down this VERY LOOOOONG mountain. Your best bet is to just ski it. Fly. Oh dear. This is it. OH. Now I’m back on the green. Ok. Alright. Time for a break. Don’t cry. That was my self-dialogue (some parts edited for your sake) the entire way down. I told you I’m not a skier. At least I tried, and I didn’t let my mental chatter get the best of me. Yay!

​Monday we headed back towards the city. It was supposed to be a cloudy dreary day. I said a prayer, “Lord, please clear the weather up, at least for our 5k”. And He did. The sun was shining, we made it to Discovery park, and had a very intense run. Woods. Beach. Light house. A break for some yoga. Stairs. Hills. Nice people. It was fantastic. Twenty minutes later we’re in downtown Seattle, checking out Pike’s Place, the Farmer’s Market, the original Starbucks and eating food at a Mexican restaurant in an alley. One of the most adventurous vacations yet. And we loved it.

​We closed our trip by having dinner with my lovely mentor, great conversation, more laughter and inspiration – the perfect ending to a fantastic trip. And now here I am. Snuggled at home with my kiddos, fur babies, and feeling so grateful God has blessed my life in such magnificent ways. Completely overwhelmed by His faithfulness and how far He has brought me in the past eighteen 

months. ​Appreciative of the healing He has provided in my mind, body, marriage, and home. Blown away by the number of people He has caused me to cross paths with, and I now have an opportunity to support and encourage – all because on some level we have something in common. Excited to live a life I don’t feel I need a break from, but wake up excited to take on every single day. Hopeful He will continue to move through my life and reach others. Inspired to give everyone and everything my very best, knowing God will multiply and bless what little I feel I have to give.
​
Now I have to get back to work, plan some meals, get my 5k in, make dinner, run the kiddo to basketball, and get groceries. This is my life. A daily adventure. And I love it. Have a wonderful day!