News Trend Standing Firm|Actual

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firmdanquot;. -Abraham Lincoln

A seagull, a girl, and the glory of the beach.

To have my very own lighthouse is a luxury that always takes me by surprise.

Posts where the dock floats during the summer, and water made of liquid gold.

The ferry comes and the ferry goes, but the land and sea and sky are happy to stay in place.

Massive Mount Baker towers above the rest of the Cascade Range.

Sand and stones and rivulets where the water once ran down to the sea.

Travelers on their way to San Francisco or LAX surely look out their windows

and wonder what it must be like to live in paradise.

* * * * *

This is where I live. This place is what I stand for.

The endless beauty of the elements.

Harmony between humans and nature.

The simple joy of stepping out on a cold winter's day and letting the beach have its way with you.

You know what else I stand for?

I stand for the self-evident truths that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I stand for the huddled masses, yearning to be free

I stand for truth, justice and the American way

I stand for a nation where people will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

And I stand for a government of the people, by the people, for the people

My feet are most definitely in the right place, and I am standing firm.

News Trend Year of the Rooster|Actual

The words electrified me.

Fascinated me.

Boggled my mind.

And to be honest, scared me more than a little bit.

Pacific Rim.

I was in elementary school when I first heard the term. Matter-of-factly, my teacher informed my classmates and me that someday, Asia would become a major force in the world and along with the west coast of the United States, goods and people would ebb and flow across the Pacific Ocean as this new economic center gained power.

To a little girl living in Michigan, in a mid-twentieth century world centered around Europe, this was quite a bombshell.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined my life today.

• After living here for decades, I feel at home on the west coast, within eyesight of Pacific waters.

• My friends and neighbors are Asian Americans; their shiny black hair, soothing mother tongues and savory cooking aromas tickle my senses every day

• I've traveled around the Pacific Rim four times, visiting true friends along the way.

• My very own third-born daughter has lived across the waters for three years, and will soon travel back to begin a fourth.

Asia no longer feels so strange or far away to me.

Certainly I haven't learned all her secrets just yet, but we're comfortable together and I feel at home in her customs.

So when the Lunar New Year rolls around, like most Americans, I check out the new Animal of the Year and read up on the horoscopes and predictions for the the new year.

But I also celebrate the way that Asia has charmed her way into my life.

Happy Lunar New Year!

News Trend Self-Development|Actual

"I'm an adventurer. I like invention, I like discovery." -Karlheinz Stockhausen

^ My self-developing portraits from the beach.

Click Whirrrrrr. Bzzzt.

These magical sounds from my childhood set my heart to racing.

What they meant was that my grandfather had just taken a photo with his Polaroid camera; the blank film had popped out of the camera and the image was about to appear before my very eyes.

Carl Alan Rex Lewis was a gadget guy, and an early adapter at that. Much to my grandmother's disdain and his modest bank balance's detriment, he loved to indulge his curiosity in the latest inventions of the day: electric shavers, cassette tape players, and an ongoing assortment of ice crushing devices. Many of these gizmos came and went without a lot of practical application but Grandpa's Polaroid camera was always close at hand.

Now had he lived to this age, I'm sure my grandfather would be loaded down with digital technology. No doubt he would wait in line for the latest iPhone releases and I'm sure he'd invest in a nice DSLR camera with a selection of fine, innovative lenses.

If my grandma didn't hide his debit card first.

But I would like to think that Grandpa would be tickled to see my new Instax Mini and its tiny self-developing photos, and I bet he would immediately sneak off and buy one for himself.

^ Grandpa at the drug store, taking the latest Polaroid contoh on a test run. December 1960

* * * * *

More stories about my Instax photos:

Surprising Pjoe And Amy

Self-Development

Missing Mexican Memories

Keeping Score

Less Than Perfect

News Trend Girls Gone Wild|Actual

I have flown long distances alone with four tiny children.

I've driven back and forth across the continental United States more times than I can count.

I've taught little girls in India how to read and swam in Malaysian waterfalls and driven a motorbike through the crowded streets of Vietnam.

But I have never in my whole life taken a girls' weekend.

Well. Until this weekend, that is. My girlfriend, Anya, and I slipped out of town for two lovely nights and three days in Vancouver, British Columbia.

^ Anya ordered the latte, sandwich and soup, I chose the quiche, baby derkins, ginger raspberry, and the food was as delicious as it was pretty.

^ We didn't eat any macarons but I admired them from afar.

Thankfully, we were very much of one mind about how to spend out time. Priority Number One: Eating. Anya came prepared with a long list of recommendations and tried-and-true favorites, and somehow we managed to walk the line between delicious indulgence and pure gluttony. Thierry Bakery made the short list for our first day's breakfast.

^ Big blue buildings stand shoulder to shoulder, set off perfectly by puffy Canadian clouds.

^ Vancouver Harbor and the mountains to the north.

^ This building bears a cryptic message:

"lying on top of a building...Lying on top of a building...Lying on top of a building/the clouds looked no nearer than when i was lying on the street"

Once we ate, walking around became our priority. (I mean, we needed to digest each meal as quickly as possible to make room for the next.) We wandered through a few gorgeous boutiques and upscale salons, but we did not come to shop. Fresh air and good conversation as we explored the city was a much better fit for our dispositions.

^ Canadian flowers speak their universal language of love in both English and Fran?Ais.

^ Effortlessly chic, the markets displayed not only typical cut bouquets but also on-ekspresi dominan succulents, cacti and lush green urban jungle plants.

The city streets feel friendly and familiar. Though we wandered through the heart of a major world-group city, small markets, open bakeries, and lots of dogs and their humans punctuated our path.

^ The bar at España was an OCD delight.

Our journeys led us forward, time and again, to the next meal and the next delightful restaurant.

And thus I spent forty-eight self-indulgent hours in a blissful cycle of eating, walking, and talking, interrupted only by long hours of reading and soul-satisfying sleep.

This may have been my first girls' weekend but it is most definitely not my last.

News Trend Peace At The Pass|Actual

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." -Buddha

Two surgeries,

One season of meager snow,

A tired old car,

And a sweet dog who needed my company.

These are the reasons why I haven't skied since 2013.

I've missed the physical sensation of skiing.

I've missed the magical snow.

I've missed my friendly and familiar mountain.

But most of all, I've missed the beautiful sense of peace that always fills my soul when I'm at Stevens Pass.

So it was with much excitement and anticipation that my dry spell finally came to an end this week when two daughters and I enjoyed a lovely bluebird Friday.

^ Dudes in blue.

^Riders at top of Skyline look like they're about to drop off a cliff

but there's a whole mountain down there.

^ When a busted board threatened to ruin our outing, we just bought a new one.

^ Looking north from Hogsback...

^ and looking south from Tye Mill, these are the views I drink in as my snowboarding daughters take a minute to strap in at the top of each run.

^ Sunset over Cowboy Ridge. Giddy up.

^ If I squint just right, I don't see the power lines cutting through this insane view.

^ Pretty sure the mountain is wearing a halo.

^ This golden peekaboo view of the sunset is pretty, but when viewed through my amber-colored goggles, this scene was off the charts.

^ Pink clouds soften the sky over Highway dua as it winds east to Wenatchee.

^ Skyline at sunset still steals my heart.

I was not disappointed.

My muscles ached from blissful hours spent careening down icy fast runs.

My eyes feasted on the glorious white snow that sparkled in the sunlight.

My heart filled with happy memories from every corner of the mountain.

But I was a little bit surprised to find that the anticipated rush of peace didn't take my breath away as it used to.

At first, that made me sad.

But then I realized what's changed in the past four years.

I don't need Stevens Pass to calm my heart; I've learned much better how to make my own peace and now I carry it within me every day of my life.

News Trend A Reason For Tears|Actual

"Crying is cleansing. There's a reason for tears, happiness or sadness." -Dionne Warwick

^ Last November, after three and a half years of living and teaching English in Vietnam,

my daughter flew away from that life and headed back to the USA for a break.

Along the way, she stopped to visit her new home-away-from-home, Seoul

"You don't have to cry, Mom."

I took my third-born to the airport today.

She flew away to Seoul, South Korea, where she has signed a year-long contract to teach English.

She already has some friends in Seoul - a nice family she knows from Vietnam, an American family friend, a pair of Korean twenty-somethings she met on an airplane, just to name a few.

She will certainly make more.

^ In Seoul, she saw a few of the sights, including Gwanghwamun gate,

and got to know her way around the city a bit.

"You don't have to cry, Mom."

Her merk new suitcases were packed with almost everything she owns, and labeled with the address of her new school.

Her freshly laundered baby blanket was safely strapped into her carry-on.

Her bags weighed more than she does.

^ South Korea is a land of four seasons, and experiencing cold again

will be a major part of the adjustment.

"You don't have to cry, Mom."

Seoul seems much closer to home than Vietnam.

Seoul has Starbucks and subways and reliable postal service.

Seoul is a direct flight from Seattle and I can fly there for just a few hundred dollars more than a ticket back to my mom's house.

^ This is David. My daughter taught him English for several years in Danang;

now they have all relocated to Seoul and their friendship carries on.

"You don't have to cry, Mom."

But when I say goodbye to her

Her half smile makes her look just like her baby self

She rubs her thumb on her lip just as she did when she was learning to drive

I realize that life is flashing by far faster than any of us can comprehend.

And that is the moment when I do indeed have to cry.

News Trend Singing In The Rain|Actual

"I'm laughing at clouds s o dark up above

The sun's in my heart a nd I'm ready for love" -Arthur Freed

I've been after myself for years to make the trip.

All I needed, I told myself, was one day of sparkling sunshine, and I'd zip down to the Seattle Center to take in the masterpiece of glass + color + light that is Chihuly Garden and Glass.

But the conflicts and delays piled up far faster than the clear blue skies and I kept waiting for that perfect sunny day to make the trip. Finally, when my third-born daughter added this destination to her things-I-want-to-do-when-I'm-home list, the urgency overcame the need for perfect weather conditions.

Despite the gloomy winter skies and classic Pacific Northwest rain, we drove down, determined to make the best of what I assumed was a less-than-ideal situation.

Holy hand-blown glass, I couldn't have been more wrong!

This amazing greenhouse full of rapturous red flowers doesn't need sunshine; its glory is set off best by

the overcast sky,

the colorless landscape, and

the rivulets of rain pouring down the side of the greenhouse

that make the building fairly quiver with light and life.

No doubt this space is beautiful in any weather, but it truly sings in the rain.

News Trend Last Night And This Morning|Actual

Together.

Sometimes, in this life, the people we love hurt our feelings.

They disappoint us.

They break our hearts.

They make us cry white hot tears into our pillows at night and wish we could take a knife and cut every memory of them out of our hearts and forget we ever knew them.

And even when they apologize from the bottom of their hearts for causing us all this pain, and we promise to forgive them, we can scarcely begin to imagine how this relationship is ever going to feel alright again.

This happens, I think, to all of us sooner or later as we travel through life.

Maybe it has happened to you.

Last night, it happened to me.

Apart.

When I woke up this morning, with the crushing weight of that sadness rushing back into my heart, something else happened.

A friend of mine -  who knows nothing about my pain - sent me a message. And in that message, he offered me some general words of encouragement:

Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

And in that moment, as those words entered my mind, touched my heart, and began to soothe my troubled soul, I knew that I was going to be alright..

Now you may call this coincidence or good luck or even random thoughts from a friend. But I see these words as the handiwork of a God who loves me with all his heart and knows exactly what I need to keep going. The One who makes me who I am walks through life right next to me and finds ingenious ways to sweetly, tenderly comfort me when I am falling apart.

Together again.

This happens, I think, to all of us when we are open to the idea that God is love.

Maybe this has happened to you too.

This morning, it happened to me.

News Trend Sisters|Actual

One day when I was maybe twelve, I tearfully told my mother, "I wish I had a sister."

"No, you don't," she replied, the younger of two sisters herself. "All you would do is fight."

And I knew that to a certain extent she was right. But what I was really trying to say is that I wanted someone to know me, inside and out, and to walk out into the world with me and have my back.

I never did get my own sister but now I'm a mother of four sisters, so I've become a bit of an expert on the subject.

And my mom was right. Sisters do fight a lot. But they also know each other, inside and out, and I know for a fact that they watch out for each other in the great big world.

News Trend We Still Have Daffodils|Actual

I am writing tonight to tell you that we still have daffodils.

Oh, I know. Some days, it doesn't feel like it.

Lately, I've been finding it difficult to believe that daffodils still have the courage to push out of their dry bulbs resting deep in the dark winter earth, to grow upwards toward the sun, to unfold their yellow blossoms, cheerful and strong, in the spring winds.

We have death in this world. And grief. And a culture that has forgotten how to mourn.

We have broken relationships and betrayals and lies. People fall into darkness and do unspeakable things to the people they love. There is so much pain.

We have stress and anxiety and world full of people who resort to anger without stopping to think what's making them feel so bad, or figuring out how to fix it.

We have hungry children and financially strapped elders and a world full of refugees that need and deserve a fresh start. Veterans and mentally ill and people who have been phased out of work struggle to find their place in a changing world that they don't fully understand.

We have millions of human beings shut away in prisons on the theory that we are safer without them. Or that somehow this will solve the problems that led to their crimes. Or that this is justice. But we do not talk to them, or listen to them. From them, we learn nothing.

We have prideful hypocrites who hijack Christianity and turn it into something selfish, judgmental and mean. People who walk in the light and love of God are swept aside in this ugly torrent of false religion, and struggle to show the world the true face of Jesus Christ.

We have a president who has turned our country upside down and insulted every principle for which America stands. Every day, he injures the people he has sworn to protect, degrades our way of life, and casts doubt upon our collective future.

We have a world where sweet red dogs get sick and die, and their lives slip away right through the very fingers of the people who love them best. And there are a thousand different ways every day to miss them.

All these things are true. I won't deny them.

But I won't give up or give in.

Against all logic, I will push on.

I will do what I can to make a difference in my little corner of the world.

I will love the people that God puts in my path.

I will let the darkness and the indifference and the outright hate flow right past me.

I will hope.

And I will write to you, now and again, to remind you that we still have daffodils.

News Trend Walla Walla Weekend|Actual

"'Tis the most tender part of love, each other to forgive." -John Sheffield

This photo is a pathetic imitation of the real thing. But at least you get the idea.

Here is what I learned this weekend on my first visit to the state penitentiary at Walla Walla:

As I anticipated, there is much ugliness at a prison.

Barbed wire and fences and gunned watch towers.

Pat searches and strip searches and endless preoccupation over what one might be attempting to smuggle in.

Corrections officers with grim faces and handcuffs dangling from their belts.

Countless rules and regulations about dress code, bathroom visits, and how one may and may not touch the person you love.

Heavy metal doors that clank open and shut, as you walk down the corridor, trapping you over and over again.

But at the same time, I was caught off-guard by endless beauty.

Surprising numbers of peaceful, patient, devoted visitors.

Incarcerated men who came in profound humility and unmistakable thankfulness for their guests.

Children squealing with delight as their dads came into the room.

Loved ones patrolling vending machines full of cheap, unappetizing food, trying to pull together a special meal to feed their hungry men.

Reunited families sitting together around tables, laughing and smiling in the simple delight of being together.

The overall experience was profoundly moving and unexpectedly touching.

* * * * *

Late in the afternoon, as I finished my visit and stepped outside, the setting sun stopped me in my tracks. Spread out along the long, low horizon of  rolling hills, dark billowing storm clouds growled above a golden sliver of sunset. But sadly, no matter where I stood to soak up this spectacular scene, my vantage point was marred by the mash-up of lamp posts, security fences, and staff members' cars cluttering up the foreground. At first, I felt like the whole experience was ruined.

But as I watched and waited, something else happened. The dreary features of the foreground seemed to fade away as the majesty of the sunset overcame their ugliness.

And I knew without a doubt that I was watching God's grace, mercy, and protection over this place shine down from the skies. And I was overwhelmed by His indescribable tenderness.

News Trend Making Do|Actual

"Use plants to bring life." -Douglas Wilson

It's not just that I miss my good dog, Ranger.

Of course, I miss him.

But the larger problem is that, now that I don't have to spend hours every day looking after him and nursing him as I did during the last weeks and months of his life, I've got a lot of free time on my hands.

All that untapped nurturing and care-giving energy bumps around inside of me and causes considerable heartache. At least, it did until I found a suitable outlet.

Houseplants.

I'm telling you, in the past six weeks, my green friends have been treated to five-star luxury living. They've had nothing but the best in:

hydration treatments

species-specific fertilization

upgrades to living quarters

and endless appreciation and love.

And while I will be the first one to tell you that a plant - even a small army of plants, as I currently own - does not begin to compare to the affectionate companionship of my sweet Irish Setter, for now, my green, leafy friends and I are happily making do.

News Trend Bread And Butter|Actual

There are few things in this life that cheer me up as much as a bite of fresh-baked bread and butter.

My fourth-born has been on a bit of a baking spree lately, and has produced some of the most beautiful loaves of bread imaginable.

Sweet yeasty fragrance.

Thick chunks sliced from a still-steaming loaf.

Warm butter dripping into every nook and cranny.

These sensations take me back to the bread my grandmother baked during my childhood; memories which only add to the simple joys of every bite.

And while the rest of the people up here in our dark, soggy Pacific Northwest celebrated this first day of spring by exploding outside and breathing deep of the suddenly sunlit air, I sat inside with a bad case of the sniffles and ate my bread and butter.

Which was totally fine with me.

* * * * *

This is the recipe my daughter's been using for these mind-blowing batches of bread. Try it.

And definitely opt for the coconut oil - I promise you the loaf of a lifetime.

News Trend Superlatives|Actual

Superlative:(adjective)

of the highest kind, quality, or order; surpassing all else or others; supreme, extreme.

I love geography.

I am fascinated with landmarks.

I am always down for a good day trip.

And among the many extraordinary features of my little corner of the planet is that I live just a few hours drive from the Northwestern-most point of the continental United States.

These four facts came together in a perfect storm of superlatives last weekend when my fourth-born and I set off on a mission to revisit Cape Flattery, the upper left corner of this land.

^ Greyest Start to the Day:

Our eight a.M. Ferry crossing was a monochromatic masterpiece in tones of grey on grey on grey. We snapped a few photos from our parking spot on the boat and otherwise snoozed through the crossing.

^ Springiest Seasonal Sighting:

These sweet harbingers of spring showed their pretty faces to us in Neah Bay, the small town near the Cape. Warm marine air from the Pacific washes over the land and teases out the first blooms of the season.

^ Friendliest Fish

Surprisingly, but also satisfyingly, the land on which the Northwestern-most Point stands is owned by Native Americans. The Makah Tribe - whose name means "people generous with food" - have lived in this area for as long as anyone has ever known. The town of Neah Bay, Cape Flattery, the trails and viewing areas are all maintained by these friendly, hard-working people. And they also love a good whale hunt.

^ Lushest Pathway and Loveliest Boardwalk:

Mmm, Few feats satisfy the nature lover in me as trudging through an Ewok Forest on a series of delightfully primitive planks.

^ Soggiest Trail:

Thank goodness for those boardwalks.The forest floor was fully flooded but my day-glo Nikes stayed almost perfectly dry.

^ Gorgiest Sea Stacks:

Just the south of the Northwestern-most Point, darling heaps of stone sport trees up top, and emerald waters swirl about their feet. Bald eagles perch here and there as they contemplate the hunt for dinner. And we took a whole lot of pictures.

^ Windiest Lookout:

Here we are on the absolute corner of the continent. On the raw edge of this rocky cliff, or more safely settled on the sturdy viewing platform, we hold our breath as the rugged beauty of this corner of the country unfolds in every direction.

^ Rockiest Technicality

Named for an old Makah chief, Tatoosh Island stands straight off Cape Flattery and serves most specifically though less accessibly as the Northwestern-most Point. The tallest bit on the island is an inactive lighthouse, Cape Flattery Light, which used to guard the nearby entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca,

^  Most Perfect Playground:

Just to the north of the Northwestern-most Point, a series of inlets and caves undulate along the coastline. Waves crash against the rocks willy-nilly, creating a cacophony of sound and spray. This is where the Makah Tribe watched for whales, first sighted European intruders, and no doubt explored every inch of this wonderland.

And just when I thought our lovely day trip to the extreme corner of the country could not be topped, we stopped to stretch our legs on the way home, and encountered yet one more superlative sight.

^ Cutest Ducks Ever.