Take You Away...to the National Parks

(Carine, please appreciate the title. And everyone else, go listen to the song Take You Away by the National Parks.  It is our favorite.)

We decided it was time for a much needed trip to the mountains and this weekend could not have been more perfect.  Hannah, Carine, and I left right after classes on Friday afternoon and headed north.  We made a couple of essential stops, such as Costco and Target to purchase food, our own camping chairs, and roasting sticks.  Can I just say, I am irrationally excited to now own my own sleeping bag, sleeping mat, camping chair, and roasting stick.  I feel prepared for anything.  We drove about two hours to the North Cascades and picked out the perfect camp spot in Goodell campground.  Ah it was so beautiful!!  As we drove up the canyon to get to Goodell, all Carine and I could think of was home and driving through the canyons in Utah.  It was amazing.  It felt so good to be in the mountains.  The other car (Callen, Quinn, Jacob, Tina, and Steven) had to leave later, so Carine, Hannah, and I got camp all set up while they were driving.  We set up the tents, put up the canopy, started the fire, and got dinner all ready to go.  The others arrived and we stayed up all night roasting hot dogs and marshmallow, playing guitar, and just talking around the fire.  It was perfect.  We didn't go to sleep until the fire finally died out and we were out of wood.

The next morning, Carine and I woke up before everyone else, so we decided to walk around the campsite and explore a bit.  I loved this walk with Carine.  If given the time, we could have just walked and talked for hours together.  The trees towered over us and moss covered absolutely everything.  This is when you really realize how much of a difference the Washington rain makes...everything is even greener than I could imagine.  As we got back to our tents, everyone else began waking up.  We all hung out and ate breakfast before deciding to hike around a nearby lake.  The drive took us over an incredible dam and since no other cars were around, we stopped in the middle of the bridge to take pictures and look around.  Our hike turned out to be much longer than anticipated...and we had left the food and water in the car (yes, it is because of the times like these that they call young adults idiotic), so we drank the fresh river water and rationed out the chocolate bar that someone found in their pocket haha.  Despite our airheadedness, we all survived the hike and spent quite a while at the end.  Steven and Quinn jumped into the lake, Jacob and Callen skipped rocks, Carine took pictures...ah it was just perfect.  I know, I know, I keep saying that about the whole trip, but it really was such a nice break from school and so nice to be able to spend a weekend in the mountains with some of my best friends.

That night none of us wanted to leave to go back home...we contemplated staying another night, but decided if we did it would be very unlikely that we would be able to wake up early enough to all make it to church on time.  Instead, we decided to have one more campfire and we would stay until it died out and just drive back very late.  I am so glad we decided to stay because I was no where ready to have to go back home yet!  One car ran to the nearest gas station to buy more firewood and hot dogs, while the rest of us packed up the tents and the cars so we would be all ready to go.  I don't know what it is about campfires...but they are just so mesmerizing.  We spent several more hours around the campfire talking and hanging out all together.  If I haven't said it enough, I'll say it again...the weekend was perfect.  Everything went without a hitch.  The Cascades are absolutely beautiful.

I WILL be back as soon as possible <3

Jacob and Callen kept pretending to throw themselves over the dam and I could not take it.

Sooooo windy at the dam.

Mindtwin (TM).

Carine, Hannah, Jacob, Tina, me, Callen, Steven, Quinn.

CHAMPIONS!!!!

Final Score: 21 - 11 for the Huskies.

We beat University of Oregon in the regional championship and it was incredible.  We are now #1 in the league and getting ready to head to Nationals in North Carolina!!! WE DID IT WE DID IT I AM SO HAPPY

I absolutely love my team and the heart and hard work they put in to every game.  Although the score does not reflect it, the beginning of the game was a fight.  But my team fights harder than any team I have every known or played with and we were able to come out on top.  I cannot wait to play with them in just a couple more weeks at the National Tournament!

But want to know what the best part of the whole day was?  MY FAMILY SURPRISED ME AT MY GAME.  Every single one of them.  I was standing behind the restraining line while the ball was on attack and glanced out towards the fence to enter the field...and there they were..my entire family lined up along the fence looking and waving.  I was so excited, I literally almost began crying on the field and had to hurry and compose myself because, after all, I was in the middle of playing a lacrosse game.  Marty, Christopher, and my dad had to go after we all ate dinner (crab anyone??) to get back to school, but Nicholas had a break, so my mom and Nicholas stayed an extra day!  We ate at Thaiger Room, canoed at the WAC, wen to Molly Moon's and just loved being with each other.  It was perfect.

Tulip Town

Spring has sprung at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival...it's only taken me three years to finally get up here.  And man, was it INCREDIBLE!!

Spring Quarter Begins

Don't you love it when all of your classes assign homework due on Fridays and don't give homework the first week of school so you pretty much have two free weeks?  I do too.

I hope you are as excited about this Hymn book tower as I was...

Hahahah oh Steven. 

Farmers Market flowers!! Huge bouquets for $10.  Beautiful, right? Be jealous.