Things Accomplished in the Last Two Days

• Made the big driver's license change - Illinois to Michigan for only $25.00. Why so expensive?!
• Bought flipflops that I will likely return.
• Ate an early lunch at Marie Catrib's with Anna.
• Gave Anna a pair of flipflops. Honestly, it was $1.50 more to get her a pair. A girl can't have too many pairs of flipflops.
• Turned a 5 1/2 hour drive to Indiana into an 8 hour drive. Ridiculous. I think my body is tired. I had to stop 4 times for power naps. Better than crashing.
• Ate Chipotle with Hannah.
• Did some school work. So much more to do for 7th grade!
• Fell asleep reading "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt.
• Ate the blueberry pancakes that Hannah made for me.
• Addressed prayer letter envelopes.
• Made the "User's Guide for 7th Grade Language Arts."
• Went with Hannah to the eye doctor to find new eyeglasses. Lucky her. She got a big discount.
• Came to the Pourhouse coffee shop to steal their internet, eat their hearty chili, and drink their yummy sweet tea.

All in all, a very good Indiana visit thus far.

So so busy.

I wrote a very boring blog entry and just erased the entire thing. What I wrote wasn't terribly interesting. My last three weeks can pretty much be summed up by a couple words - busy and busy. Camping, Chicago, prayer letter, prayer card, Chicago, meetings, visiting. That's about the extent of my three weeks here in Grand Rapids. It's been good but, as always, I just wish that there was more time. Sayang. That's life. Here's some pictures to keep you amused for a while until unbelievably exciting things happen in my life.

Sunset over Lake Michigan.

Grampa and Gramma walking the pier.

Agh! It's going to hit you!

Grampa and Gramma at sunset.

Gramma making a fry-pie.

Pulling Great-Grampa in the wagon with a little help from Great-Gramma.

Anna and I in Grand Haven.

Most amazing Michigan sunset yet.

Grampa at the beach.

Becca, Yes Thai, and Cashew Nut with Chicken meet again.

We love blue men, especially this one! Tim, you were amazing!

Watching the Whitecaps with Anna and Carla.

Enjoying the pool.

Love the eyebrows in this picture!

A goofy smile.

Cousins and 2nd cousin.

Hooray Real Food with Erica and Carol.

Rachel - that's a perfect bridge!

I'm in Michigan!

It has been a really busy week. I've covered a lot of country this past week.

Saturday - Wrapped up my time in Lynden with a wonderful barbecue with the VW family. Everyone came over to Aaron and Becky's house. We had yummy grilled halibut that my uncle had caught in Alaska. I rode back to Seattle with Uncle Dennis and Aunt Jane. I am so thankful for their support of me, especially when it comes to rides between Seattle and Lynden.
Sunday - I spoke at Bellevue CRC in the morning. Powerpoint ran well. In the evening, we went to one of the Celebration rallies for the "Sea to Sea" bike ride. What an incredible experience! I must say a little bit about it.

The tagline for the "Sea to Sea" bike ride is "Ending the cycle of poverty." There are 220 cyclists who are riding from the Pacific to the Atlantic to raise funds and awareness for poverty initiatives in the US and around the world. When we went to the Celebration rally last Sunday, it was their first. They started the ride the next day. You've got to check out the website (www.seatosea.org) and some of the blogs! My words can't do justice but they have been in my thoughts and prayers this week...and on my wrist.
Monday and Tuesday - I hung out in Seattle with two of my friends from my high school dorm. It was rather low-key and that was perfectly fine with me. Good food, good friends, good conversations.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - Flew to Minneapolis, rented a car and drove down to Winona, MN, to visit my good good friend from Hope. Amanda works for the Great River Shakespeare Festival during the summer which means no time off while I am here in the US. I had a wonderful time with her! More down time, good coffee, and three nights of Shakespeare. I watched "Taming of the Shrew" twice and "Merchant of Venice" once. The two directors had two very different takes on the shows but they were both so well done! We also made a trip back into Lanesboro, a little town near Winona. Last year when we went there, we camped and kayaked. This year we went for a nice lunch along the river and the most wonderful ice cream known to man - Zanzibar chocolate ice cream.

Saturday - After a little bit of breakfast and some good coffee, I was on my way again. I drove back up to Minneapolis to catch my flight to Grand Rapids. I had a nice conversation with the lady I sat next to on the airplane. She seemed interested in what I am doing and asked many questions. Grampa, Gramma, and Rachel picked me up from the airport. We went up to Starbucks to see Anna then to Mike and Les' house to see all of my little shnookies before they went to bed. I can't believe how big they have all gotten!

Today - I spoke at Covenant CRC. People were so welcoming and asked lots of questions. Everyone came over for family lunch. Much too much food. Hung out with my sisters this evening.

Tomorrow - WE'RE GOING CAMPING! I'm very excited to spend some time with Gramma. We're praying for some seriously good weather and a spot at our favorite campground.