Baby's In The Mountains

There is something about this mountain that stirs my soul.

Perhaps it is because it is so elusive - rare are the days when it is fully visible in and around the Seattle suburb where my cousin resides and where I most recently enjoyed a weeklong visit.  And yet, there it was day after sunny day just urging me to come for a close-up look.  Lisa and I drove up 5,000 or so feet to a mini-summit (called Paradise no less) for a short hike on a glimmering, snowy trail where we admired the views and felt just a little bit closer to Heaven.

I'd been to Mt. Rainier before, during a long-ago summertime visit when the landscape was green and snow only covered the upper most elevations (14,417 feet for those who enjoy their geography facts).  I fell in love with the mountain back then and every visit to Seattle since has included me scanning the skies for a glimpse of its majesty.  I do believe I have successfully viewed it at least once per visit.  Of course this is probably due to the fact that IT DOES NOT RAIN when I go to Seattle - for some reason, the skies remain relatively clear when I'm there.  Call it one of God's little gifts to me.

This visit wasn't only about Rainier - there was plenty of family time (dinners, board games, meeting my little cousin-nieces Sarah, Bella, Mia and Leanne); a road trip to beautiful and historic Victoria, BC with Lisa and Aunt Barbara (where "I'm HUNGRY!" took on new meaning for us and became a rallying cry for the week); an opportunity to catch up with my high school/college friend Laurie, whose friendship is a true source of happiness in my life - and not just because she helps me remember events that I've forgotten (Mick Jagger's car!) but also because we share more than just glory days memories with each other, we share the joys and challenges of our lives today; and even a boozy, raucous night out where Lisa and I prevailed in a barroom trivia contest (2nd place counts, right?) and yes, had ONE too many drinks (c'mon, how could I resist a drink called the Raindrop in Seattle??).

I came to the mountains and the mountains came to me - mountains of fun, mountains of food, mountains of memories (old and new), and mountains of love.  Now if that's not enough to stir your soul, I don't know what is.

(Note:  A break in this post for a shout-out to Taryn, who interrupted me as I was writing and demanded a mention - that's my Princess!)

Back to it - tomorrow is follow-up PET Scan day.  Results in a couple of weeks when I see my onc.  In the meantime, it's Holiday Party season - 4 of them in the next 10 days.  It's also the beginning of Advent season (probably should've noted that before the whole party thing) and in 23 days the second most celebrated birthday in the world (after mine of course).  O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

Blessings and Love to All.