Years ago I lived in Seattle for about a year or so… In fact, Seattle was where I joined the Air Force from. At the time I was working for TGI Fridays and just ‘surviving’ as the saying goes. I wanted to go to school, but couldn’t afford school and rent, so I decided to join the Air Force. I remember telling the recruiter that I wanted to leave as soon as possible because I didn’t want to think about it and worry that I had done the wrong thing. Committing myself for four years was such a huge commitment back then.

The weekend before I left I decided to take a drive around the Washington Peninsula. I left early enough, but got side-tracked with all the sights to see along the way and before I knew it I wasn’t even half way around when I realized it was 8p.m. I didn’t plan on making it a overnight trip – and there was no way I could afford to extend my drive to two days – back then I didn’t have the money, and I think I had to work the next day anyways. So, I high-tailed it back to Seattle as fast as I could, catching the very last ferry from Kingston into Edmonds.

During one of my stops I got out and walked the rocky beaches just as the sun was setting and thought about what it was I was about to embark on. I’m not going to lie, I was scared, but I knew that joining the Air Force was my ticket out of having to struggle all my life. On that rocky beach I prayed to God I was making the right decision… I even asked him/her to give me a sign that I was doing the right thing, and when I looked down the beach I saw a couple of twinkly things. I had no idea what it was – but I knew it was my sign and so I walked down the beach to see what was twinkling, and when I got there I realized it was a rock…. just like all the other rocks on the beach. It wasn’t even twinkling by the time I go to it – so I knew that God had given me a sign that I was doing the right thing and that I was going to be okay. I kept that rock for YEARS – and I always remembered that drive as being one of my favorite.

Flash forward to today – and I decided I really needed to get out of the house! So, I made some camping reservations, packed my tent, some snacks and my dogs and off we went to drive around the Washington Peninsula! This time I gave myself plenty of time, 3 days – but decided that two was plenty given that most everything was closed. The first day I made it to Ocean City State Park and pitched my tent. I took the dogs to the beach and we pretty much had it all to ourselves. I lit a campfire, read a book, worked on a crocheted blanket, and relaxed!

The next morning we got up, took down the tent, visited the beach again and then were on our way. I drove up the coastline for the most part, until the roads closed and I was diverted back to the 101. I really wanted to see Cape Flattery, but it sits on the Neah Bay Indian Reservation which was closed to outsiders. So, I turned around and headed home, catching the ferry while it was still day light.

The trip was exactly what I needed. It felt good to get out of the house for longer than an hour at a time. You can check out some of the photos I took here. I’m in the process of making greeting cards with them. But more to come on that later.