Not What I Had in Mind

Memorial Day Weekend brings to mind images of trips to the lake, camping, hiking, playing croquet on a nice velvet green lawn while waiting for the BBQ to heat up, toasting marshmallows over an open fire, laughing deep into the night, and spending time with family and friends. It's the welcoming of warmer weather, the celebration of the beginning of summer. At least, it is for some people.

This Memorial Weekend, I took work off early on Friday and headed down to Portland to play in a soccer tournament all weekend long. We had games scheduled for Saturday thru Monday. Nobody goes home early in this tournament. The drive down was fairly uneventful. There was traffic, of course, but nothing too depressing. We made pretty good time and checked into our hotel around 5:30pm. Not too bad for a 2pm departure. After settling into our room, Carrie, Kara, and I headed out to get some dinner. We wandered across an abandoned parking lot/hotel, passed under I-5, and crawled through hole in the fence to make our way safely to the shopping area. Sound creepy? It was. I'm pretty sure drug deals happen in the shadows here late at night.

Saturday morning came and we played two games, losing 2-0 both times. I actually played sweeper both games...can't believe that one, as I've always been outside mid or forward. Surprisingly, I enjoyed myself and would even play back there again. After our games were done for the day, we headed to Downtown Portland to watch the Portland Timbers take on the Vancouver soccer team (honestly don't know their team name).

About 10 minutes after the second half started, I received a phone call from home. I answered, assuming my mom just had some random update to share. I only wish. Instead I heard this, "Laura's been in an accident." Immediately my eyes got big and my heart started racing.

Apparently, she and her boyfriend had been on their way back to his grandparent's cabin on his quad when the accident happened. When he tried to slow down to maneuver the curve in the road, the quad fish-tailed throwing them both off of it. Laura landed hard on her left side and later learned that her pelvis had been broken in the fall. Beau walked away with just a bruise (although it's pretty swollen and painful), but she was airlifted to Harborview. Being the thrill-seeker that she is, she requested to be awake for take-off, so she'd at least remember her first helicopter ride.

Broken pelvis? No big deal for my sis!

I'm sad that she's hurt. :(


Mom decided her hair needed attention.


She has to wear these air-casts on her calves to keep circulation in her legs.

She's doing well, but is getting frustrated with waiting for so long. Originally, her surgery was supposed to happen Sunday morning, but she keeps getting bumped since she's not considered critical (i.e. doesn't have a tube down her throat). Plus, she's an ortho case, so they figure they can always re-break her bone if they need to in order to perform her surgery. Sad day! :(

Definitely not the way I wanted to spend the 3-day weekend. I know it's not what she had in mind.

Of course, in my family, the drama doesn't end with just one sibling. I had driven home Sunday morning from my weekend of soccer to be there for my baby sis in the hospital. So that night, I decided to spend the evening at my parent's home in Snohomish. My mom and I enjoyed a nice long respite in the hot tub and then settled into the basement with some coconut cream pie and a Billy Crystal movie. We were about halfway done with our pies, when the phone rang. Assuming it was Laura, my mom got up and answered it while my dad and I continued watching the movie. There was no one on the other line, so my mom hung up. Seconds later the phone rang again and still no one was on the receiving end. The phone rang a third time and finally someone was there. And it wasn't Laura like we all thought. Nope. This time it was D. And she was hysterical.

She had decided to cook hash browns at 10:30 at night. Don't ask me why, this is just D's way. She left the pan of oil on the burner and walked into her bedroom to change & check her e-mail. A few minutes passed and she started hearing a popping sound. She exited her bedroom to investigate and saw flames curling out from under the lid of her pan and licking the top of her stove. She attempted to pour salt on the increasing blaze, but to no avail. Unfortunately, she made the mistake of lifting the lid on the pan. The flames leaped out of the pan of burnt oil and climbed their way up her microwave & cabinets. She called for help and a nearby neighbor rushed to her aid with a fire extinguisher, but it was too late. The sprinklers came on and began flooding her kitchen and the tenants below her. In the end, 3 fire trucks arrived, a fire & rescue truck, and she displaced the people living below her on the 2nd and 1st floor.

The remains of her kitchen.


All in all, it could have been a lot worse. It just needs a little TLC and she'll be back in there whipping up cookies to thank her neighbors for being so understanding. ;)

But then again...they may want her to stay away from the stove for the time being.

My only thought, "I'm sure glad the weekend is over!"

Rest for the Weary

Yesterday, I came home exhausted. I didn't fall asleep until 1AM the night before & was awoken throughout the night by my obnoxious kitties, which didn't help my REM sleep at all.

Consequently, when I arrived home yesterday at 4:30, I decided a quick nap was in order to re-energize my body so I would be able to function for the rest of the night. I curled up on my ridiculously soft L-couch and immediately melded into the cushions. With my down blanket pulled tightly around my shoulders and face, I quickly fell into a deep slumber. When I awoke, I thought maybe an hour had passed, but was horrified to see the clock mocking me with a blinking 7:58. I had already missed more than half of my bible study, so going to that was officially out. Now, I was left with the question "What to do?" as all my plans had been thrown into upheaval.

So I decided to continue resting. I relaxed by reading and watching Grey's Anatomy & The Office. Not how I originally envisioned my night, but definitely what I needed.

This of course got me thinking. Why is our society so against rest?

In today's world, it's so easy to get caught up in the go-go-go of things and neglect the fact that our bodies need rest. I mean, geez! God even made a day specifically devoted to rest, yet we still can't sit still. We are always dialed in. Be it on the phone, text messaging, emailing, surfing the net (i.e. facebook/myspace), playing video games, or watching our favorite shows...it seems like technology follows us everywhere. I was at the movies a few weeks ago and sitting next to me was a couple in their mid-forties having a night out. However, what saddened me was that neither one of them was acknowledging the other. There were no entertaining slides up on the movie screen, so instead of engaging in conversation, they were both on their I-phones; checking email or reading the news. Whatever they were doing, it was solitary...with the illusion of being social. Because, hey! We like to think that e-mail keeps us connected or facebook & myspace friends are "real", but it really takes a lot away from relationships...making them simply impersonal.

Anyway, these were just my thoughts last night. And it's something I try not to become to consumed with. I enjoy talking face to face so much more than over the phone or the web. I love going out in nature & being active with my friends. And I try to leave my cell phone behind whenever I get a chance. Because I don't want to be dependant on it. In fact, I loathe the idea of becoming one of those people who feels naked when their phone is more than ten feet from their side. Or who can't go on vacation anywhere that doesn't have a television or cell service.

So please, embrace rest! Make time to just be still. To talk to God. To venture outside without your cell phone, iPod, or laptop. To have coffee with a friend. Or even, simply to catch up on much needed sleep. Most importantly, rest in the Lord.