So We Went for this Hike

So Monday, Andrea and I went snowshoeing. Of course there were other reasons we were going, but Andrea didn't know that. And I couldn't let her know until just the right moment. Only one problem: when would the right moment be? I'd never been to this trail before. So here was my challenge: Find a perfect spot at a perfect time, and keep the whole thing a secret until then. Then I had to get pictures afterward. Keeping my mouth shut wasn't a problem, but how do I hide the bulge of the ring box? How do I get someone to take our picture? hmmm...

I got to her house, and we loaded the car. I had the ring in my tightly zipped coat pocket (how tightly can one get a zipper anyway?). We were headed to Government Camp to hike the Crosstown Trail. We stopped along the way in Sandy to get some snacks and some cash. On the way up, I felt for the ring, and realized that it was bulging out in a rather obvious fashion. I tried to push it behind the arm rest, but soon discovered that I had only made it worse! I thought for sure the gig was up, but Andrea never said a word about it. When we got up there, the fun began.

It was a tremendous day for a hike. Clear sky and no wind, and mild temperatures made for the perfect day, so at least that detail was taken care of. It was soon clear that the weather was too warm to wear my coat. So where do I put the ring now? And how do I transfer it without her seeing? She never seemed to turn away from the car long enough for me to get it into a pocket, so I decided to leave without it. Just as we got to the trail head, I realized I needed to use the restroom (this was no lie, I was determined not to lie in order to accomplish this mission). This provided the perfect excuse to go back to the car and transfer the ring into my sweater pocket. It still bulged out a little bit, but it was sort of hidden under the straps of my snowboard pants.


We finally set off. I was still wondering where I was going to do this, so I just prayed as I went. I knew it needed to be in a place we could find again in the future, so I at least had an idea of what I was looking for. Soon, we crossed a stream over a snow-covered bridge. That seemed like a perfect spot. However, we were both a little hungry and I figured it was too early to pick a spot, so we continued on. We eventually hiked down into town, and had lunch at the Huckleberry Inn. That is my recommendation for THE place to eat in Government Camp. I had some halibut and chips, and Andrea had a stack of huckleberry pancakes. We shared each other's meals and a huckleberry milkshake. We both felt pretty tired, and Andrea had been suggesting that we just walk through town to get to the car. After the meal however, I was able to convince her that it would be a good thing to hike back the way we came so we could walk off the rather substantial meal we had just eaten (again, no lie. We needed to work that lunch off).

Heading back, I had pretty much decided to propose at that first bridge. It would be easy to remember if we ever wanted to return to that spot. So we finaly got there, and stopped to rest, and I got down on a knee and pulled out the ring. I had barely finished my prerehearsed line when Andrea said, "Yes," and hugged me, nearly knocking me over in the process!



Not a moment later, some cross-country skiers came upon us. We asked them to take our picture. One of them happened to be a photography teacher! They were very excited to be taking our first engagement photos, and wished us well. After they left, I took the picture you see in the previous post with Andrea's cell phone. Then I sent it to her family. I will never complain about that sort of technology again. It allowed us to share that moment with a lot of people very soon after the event.

We got home very tired. But the day wasn't over. We had people to call! So we called friends and relatives, and soon the wedding planning was in full swing. Within hours of our engagement, we were already tasked with setting a date, arranging a place, and compiling a guest list! I'm wondering if an elopement isn't out of the question.

The Answer

to the question...
























































...is yes.

All the Difference

I just switched my blog to the Beta format, and was exploring it, when I ran across this post that I had saved, but never published. This was yet another step in my spiritual journey which is still ongoing. It's a good reminder, so I thought I'd post it, so I'll be reminded. I started writing this just after the One Point Three retreat in May of this year. I was pretty confused and frustrated back then. I am less so now, and reading this post motivates me even more to press forward. My goal is to begin some type of school in January.

So the Saturday of the retreat, I went for this hike. It started out that I found an easy trail in a hiking book that would take me down to a remote beach. Well, I tried to find the access road, and couldn't seem to figure out where it was. So I ended up stopping in this small little parking lot just outside Lincoln City at Cascade Head. I started up the trail only to find that it was quite overgrown with salmon berry bushes. They were really thick in places, and I'm glad I had my hat on, or my hair would have been full of brambles. This was truly the road less traveled by. The trail was 3.5 miles to the very road I had been trying to find. It turns out, that the road is closed until July, so I wouldn't have found it anyway.

Why a hike on an unknown trail by myself? Well, about a month before I became a believer, I went on a similar walk through a large park in Tacoma. At the time, I was trying to firgure out how to approach this whole Christianity thing. I knew I wanted to approach it by focussing on why I would follow Christ for myself, and not just to make certain people happy. Then, I asked God to show me the path I should follow, and it ultimately lead to my accepting Jesus as Savior.

So this time, the hike was meant to be a time of again asking God what path I should follow. I've been listening to some tapes of Howard Hendricks and he says that one of the questions he asks any prospective leader is, "Where are you going?" And that person needs to be able to answer without hesitation. He needs to have a clearly defined goal or objective. That was my first question to myself, and to God, "Where am I going?" Do I want to remain in my current career? Do I want to continue to pursue going to school? Why? The career question has been the hardest to answer, because the implications are bigger than I want to admit. In the end though, I needed to answer the question once and for all, so I could stop sitting back on my heels and start running my race. "Man makes his plans, but the Lord determines his step." The Lord may determine my steps, but I still need to make plans before He can do that. So I've determined to pursue learning how to teach. I'd like to teach Bible. The main reason, is that I've found teaching people something that I naturaly fall into whenever the need arrises.
Primary Objective: Teaching

I'm thinking that that really ought to be my primary focus. Should God tell me to head in a different direction, then so be it. It's a lot easier to stear a car when the wheels are moving then when it's standing still. I just want to be heading in some sort of direction. I'm thinking that I'll take a speech class since I'm not a very good speaker. That, or a math class to get my math skills back up to college level. God knows. That's why I'm asking Him. ;)

Hard at Work and at Play

I thought I'd give you an update on life in general. Work has gotten pretty busy in recent days. That's good, cause I don't like running out of things to do since I'm easily distracted. It's fun too. I sold a $1,000 digital piano the other day. I've never sold anything that expensive before! It was cool!!

This past weekend, I played at the Grotto for their Festival of Lights. I also helped Andrea take care of her two nephews (see 'My Turn for Cute Nephews'). Her nephews couldn't be more different. Preston is VERY strong-willed. Aidon is happy-go-lucky, and is quite satisfied as long as he has his sippy cup close by.

I have a concert with the Rose City Flute Choir tomorrow night at Westside United Methodist Church in Beaverton. It's not far from Nike. This will be last one of the season. In the spring, we'll be performing Peter and the Wolf with the HART Community Theater in Hillsboro. It's supposed to be the grand openning of their new theater building. It sounds way cool. I haven't played for a musical since high school.

What's everybody planning for Christmas? I'm headed to Tacoma to be with my parents and extended family on Dad's side. Andrea is coming with me, Lord willing. It'll be complicated to plan out, but I think we can make it work.

In the mean time, the next two Mondays for me are wide open, so Andrea and I are going snowshoeing. We went last year and had a blast. Here are some pictures:





































We went to White River last year, but that's probably not an option this time around (besides, the crowds were kind of overwhelming). I have a book of snowshoe routes, so I should be able to find something fun. Plus, we rented the snowshoes, and we weren't really impressed with the style, so we both bought our own this year in the traditional style.