Seattle-Camano Island Camping & Mt. Rainier

 After two-and-a-half years, I finally visited Seattle!!  A much anticipated trip with a list full of amazing people to see and things to do, I was thrilled to be in the PNW again for a whole week. This place feels as much like home as Colorado does; I just LOVE it!

To get things started off right, Laura and I decided to go camping on Camano Island! We had a little bit of an adventure securing the camp sight which may or may not have involved driving the wrong way around the campground loop, but we got the VERY LAST SPOT. Brilliant!

 We made the most amazing dinner over the camp stove and spent the next morning hiking all around and walking along the beach. The ocean is so soothing!

Sunday, I had the opportunity to hike beautiful Mt. Rainier! Some friends who I used to hike/camp with all the time had a day trip planned. :) The weather was perfect and we soaked in all the wildflowers and sunshine!

This is the view from inside Glacier Basin!

Look at that breathtaking mountain!!

Such a perfect start to the trip!

hit-and-run.

its one of those things that you never think will happen to you...hit-and-run.

a week and a half ago, i was driving to Red Rocks on Friday morning to meet my coworker for a stairs workout. it was a busy Friday morning and there was lots of traffic. i was cruising along, listening to my music and BAM...before i even really could process what was about to happen, the front passenger corner of my car was crushed in by a pickup, cutting across traffic.

from a logistical standpoint alone, traffic accidents are just a nightmare; insurances, repairs, rental cars, etc... the guy in the pickup backed up out of my car and into a parking lot. i pulled in right behind him, got out of my car and walked over to talk to him. he chatted with me for a few minutes and i turned around to get my phone for recording his information; by the time i turned back to face him, i was looking at the back of his pickup driving off...COULD. NOT. BELIEVE. IT.

God was so gracious...i only had a small bruise on my shoulder and a killer headache for about 2 days. my airbags didn't even deploy. 2 cops were sent out right away and they both were incredibly kind. i was able to drive the car just over a mile back to my apartment complex to get it somewhere safe. my insurance was absolutely incredible too! they had me walked through the entire claims process in the matter of an hour and set up with a rental car within 2 hrs. so great.

anyway, the last week and a half has been filled with getting bodywork estimates to see if a repair was worth it?? nope. my blessed old Forester was laid to rest. she had over 204,000 miles so i think she did her job. :) i loved that car.

then the 'new' car-hunt began! i hate car shopping. it's really stressful and it's hard to know if you're getting a good car and negotiating anything isn't my favorite activity, much less negotiating car prices.

but God is good! i found a used Subaru Legacy Outback that should last me a good while. :) the dealership knocked a chunk off the price so it would fit in my budget after hearing about my hit-and-run. they also agreed to fix a lot of things for no additional cost that an outside mechanic had found when i took it for a 3rd party inspection.

it's officially mine and i'm so thankful! i don't know if they'll ever track down the guy but God was so present and provided despite the circumstances.

my sad little subie :(

my new subie :) so thankful for God's provision!

onward and upward!

Design Center Makeover!

Last night was our Design Center Makeover at Room and Board! For the last few months, we've been completely immersed in training for the launch of our new Custom Windows Program. Admittedly, there were days when we all thought, "I can't absorb any more information about drapery and shades!" But the day has come.

Sunday night was the big makeover. We started at 6pm when the store closed and worked until a little after 11pm to get everything in place for business the next day. It couldn't have gone better! We planned and prepared for everything ahead of time and we were blessed to have Paul, my visual boss, there with us too!


Room and Board is a modern furniture company; but within that 'modern' classification, there are still more 'classic ' (i.e. traditional) looks and more modern looks. Our company is moving more modern each year and our old Design Center was very reflective of the 'classic' side of our assortment. Time for an update! Every other showroom made plans to integrate the two new Windows fixtures into their current Design Centers, with the rest of the project expected to implement in October.

Denver is unique though. We have very limited square footage and in order to keep everything as-is, simply adding in the two Windows fixtures, we would have to lose a living room setting to accommodate for the new pieces. No can do. We weren't willing to give up the potential dollar loss of that space. So....we worked to get early approval for the complete makeover. It was a bit nerve racking because as all the other showrooms were preparing for this addition, we were preparing for an entire switchout. New fixtures were still in design re-development until the week before (ACK), and parts/pieces were coming from all different locations.

But everything came together! God was gracious to allow us to have our most experienced resources from the Distribution Center helping and everything went smoothly! We are waiting on some minor additions but they really have no visual impact on the space.

Before

 After

 

 It feels so clean and bright and modern! The buzz around the showroom today was amazing. The staff was so excited and especially loved the laptops. :)  

This was my first big project to spearhead and I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow in my role!

food for thought.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
-Oswald Chambers

 "If I were dealing with a man's promise, I should carefully consider the ability and the character of the man who had covenanted with me. So with the promise of God; my eye must not be so much fixed upon the greatness of the mercy-that may stagger me; as upon the greatness of the promiser-that will cheer me. My soul, it is God, even thy God, God that cannot lie, who speaks to thee. This word of His that thou art now considering is as true as His own existence. He is the God unchangeable, He has not altered the thing that has gone out of His mouth, nor called back one single consolatory sentence. Nor doth He lack any power; it is the God that made the heavens and the earth who has spoken thus. Nor can He fail in wisdom as to the time when He will bestow the favors, for He knoweth when it is best to give and when better to withhold. Therefore, seeing that it is the word of a God so true, so immutable, so powerful, so wise, I will and must believe the promise." -Charles Spurgeon

 

Meeting Leena!

 I had the opportunity last weekend to meet Joanna's baby, Leena! It's hard to be far away from friends having babies but sweet Leena was just as darling as I imagined her to be! :)

We hung out at Callie's house so Leena, Clara and Emery were all together for the first time! 

Babies everywhere!

Taylor can sure make that sweet girl giggle!

 Clara love the new kittens...cuddle time!

Girls day...just missing Sarah!

 Love that we have Clara, Leena and Emery added to the mix in the last couple years!

Callie and her girls. :)

Joanna and Leena!

Out for some frozen yogurt...yum.

So thankful for these meaningful, lasting friendships and honored to witness these families growing!

Weekend with Sister!

 Sister came up to Denver this weekend and we had so much fun!

Friday night, we went to a Rockies game and they actually won. :) It was a lot of fun (I love baseball!) and we got to see an amazing sunset over the Rockies from the stadium! The Coors Field sign isn't lit up but you can sort of make it out in the background.

Saturday morning we went hiking in Matthews/Winters Park. It's in the foothills and a just a quick 25 minutes from my house. :) This is a great 4.8 mile hike with some vista views and great valley shaded areas. I think I'll go back to trail run!

After spending the morning outdoors, we of course felt the need to visit REI! There was a yummy food truck outside; perfect timing for lunch!

REI in Denver is right at Confluence Park and this is an incredibly fun spot to spend a summer day. People are out with tubes, rafts, etc...the water was the perfect temperature and boy, did we need to cool off!

 Such a wonderful weekend. I am so thankful for my sister! We had a great time. :)

4th of July Fun!

Coming off such a fun weekend with Robyn, I was inspired to participate in more activities around Denver for 4th of July! It is America's birthday after all...we must celebrate!

My favorite thing was the Independence Eve concert in Civic Center on Tuesday night, July 3rd. It was free to the public and the amazing Colorado Symphony graced us with incredible music while we sat in lounge chairs watching a lights/fireworks display going on in the background. There were some pretty rockin' French Horn parts bringing me back to my band days...ha.

 

This fireworks show was really magical. 

The morning of July 4th, I ran a 4 mile race in Wash Park! This is my favorite park in Denver so far; it reminds me so much of Greenlake in Seattle and there are ALWAYS people there-walking, running, biking, volleyball, tennis, paddleboating, etc.. It was great to race again!

 
After relaxing during the day, I headed out to the Colorado Rapids game that night! I have never been to a professional soccer game before and it was fun. Pardon the glistening brow in my the picture below...it was hot and muggy! So fun to be out amidst other fans. :)

After the game, they let everyone come down onto the field for the fireworks show.

Pretty awesome all around and after a moving video of America's history, on the big screen, I proudly sang our national anthem at the top of my lungs with tears in my eyes. There has been a big price paid by many, many people that has allowed us the incredible freedoms we enjoy. I am so thankful!