Drafting the next chapter

Or alternatively titled “Shit is about to get real!” But I guess the time since Obie’s passing has been as real as it can get. I look at the calendar and ask myself how are we almost to September? Time flies when you are having fun, and yes, I am having a great summer with family and friends, the moon constantly watching over me.

I’ll pick up from my last blog which I wrote while I was in Chelan. That trip was the perfect balance of time with family and friends and alone time reflecting on Obie. I had written just as all of the family left and I was faced with a few days alone. I ate at our favorite restaurants, caught up with a dear high school friend, ran and spent a lot of time at the beach. I signed up for a yoga class and it turned out I was the only one there so it was a great experience connecting with the teacher. At the end of the class, she read this parable which felt very appropriate:

A young woman complains to her grandmother about how hard life is, and her grandmother responds by boiling three pots of water. In the first, she places carrots, in the second, eggs, and in the third, coffee beans. After some time, she removes each item. The carrots have become soft, the eggs have hardened, and the coffee beans have changed the water. The grandmother then asks the young woman to reflect on which one she is like, highlighting that adversity can either weaken, harden, or transform us.

The key takeaway for me is that it is your choice how you respond to adversity.
As much as I don’t like coffee, I hope to continue to transform through my life experiences. What choice will you make?

In early August, I spent almost two weeks in the mountains camping with friends and family. It was an amazing time filled with love and laughter. We hiked, explored ice caves, visited waterfalls, picked huckleberries, paddle boarded, did craft projects with the kids and relaxed. Similar to the last time we were at Trout Lake in June, the full moon was spectacular. The first picture is taken of Mt. Adams at night by the light of the full moon. He put on a show that night. Tim, Lana and I did a spectacular hike called Sleeping Beauty where at the top, we had a clear view of 4 mountains in the Cascade Range (Rainier, Adams, St. Helens and Hood), as well as 360 view of the forests that surround them. The last picture is the rock formation at sunset, you can see her face on the right side and her body to the left. We were standing right where here eyes would be. Washington state is so spectacular! Even though we hiked in the full sunshine, the moon was still in the sky with us the whole time. Love you babe!

My time at home has been focused on work and spending time with the grandkids. I was able to go to Seattle and have a gigi birthday party for Alex and Maya and have been swimming with Cole and Eva at our neighborhood pool. I’m getting close to wrapping up the last few projects around the house.

Now that we’re caught up on the last three weeks, back to this blog’s title. This week I submitted my retirement paperwork with PNNL. It is exciting and daunting, I’ve been there for so long, it’s hard to imagine life without the lab. My last day is not yet set but I expect it to be the last part of September. They are holding a retirement open house on the 29th and then I fly to Phoenix the next morning to meet the fifth wheel and get it all set up. I will fly home a week later, get my hair and nails done and then load up the car with the dogs and hit the road. I’ve mapped out the route I’ll take, I just need to decide on dates and make hotel reservations. It will be an epic adventure!

In the meantime, I have trips to DC, Sun Valley, Darrington, WA, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Whew! I’ve been wrapping up projects at work and joked that a presentation I helped develop this week was my senior project before I graduate. The next month will be crazy but in a good way. I hope you are having a great summer and are soaking up every ray of sunshine, both literally as well as the rays of love from those around you.