Lazy Saturday Afternoon

One more trip to Rainier while the weather is holding. There are no guarantees after October. It was pretty dark in the old growth, so forgive the graininess of the pics.

It wasn't terribly photogenic today, but this is one of our favorite places in The Park - Bench Lake, near more well-known Snow Lake. This was our fourth or fifth sunset we've seen from there, and we've never seen anyone else at the lake itself. Being only 0.7 miles from the road, it's a nice final destination after a trip to another locale. On a clear day, Rainier would be perfectly centered in the background. . .but there is a certain cozy beauty to cloudcover also.

Here are a few lines we heard on the way home from Chris Rice, in his song Final Move:

It was love that set this fragile planet rolling
Tilting at our perfect twenty-three
Molecules and men infused with holy
Finding our way around the galaxy
And Paradise has up and flown away for now
But hope still breathes and truth is always true
And just when we think it's almost over
Love has the final move
Love has the final move

Summit Lake 2009

After church Sunday we finally hit the road (as quickly as a herd of turtles). This became a favorite of ours last year after a tip from Mike E. Abee was happy to be back to the same meadow that she 'perfected' the art of standing, 13 short months ago.

It's only a 5 mile hike (round trip), with extra distance optional if you want to hike around the lake for better views. And the views of Rainier didn't disappoint.But the weather was being a bit peculiar. Just as we crested the ridge and dropped down towards the lake, we were socked in by thick fog. Abigail found that funny. Obligatory group shot.

Matanuska didn't mind the fog. The water was wet & the sticks kept flying back into the water. . . but the tadpoles unnerved her a little.

Here she says: 'uh, guys, I don't think I want to mess with that tadpole.'
Abee Joy had her ups and downs, but she proved to be a great hiker.
We had an immersion baptism of a few ~6 year old girls in our church yesterday. It went great. But Melis, in a conversation with one of them beforehand, was asked 'Will I still be alive after I come back up from under the water?' While a cute comment (with deeper spiritual implications than this young girl probably understood), I couldn't help but think that my understanding of the fullness of our Sovereign God is still growing, too. Lately I've been pondering how God woo's us, allowing us to 'taste and see' Him. Sure, it seems like a simple concept, but so profound. While so much of me wants to physically 'taste and see' with my own five senses, in the words of John Piper:

'The soul tastes truth like the lips taste food. Spiritual hunger cries out for rich, substantial nourishment. It is remarkable how much meat these daily portions contain.'

I suppose life will be too short a time to learn to enjoy fully the rich tastes God wants so much to share with us. But I'm trying.

Labor Day Tri

I'll let the video do the talking.

Full Circle

It was a mere two years ago when we introduced Matanuska to Abigail Joy. Since then Matty has been forbidden to go into her crib.

Today, Abee invited The Sioux Bear into her 'big girl bed.'

She did take a nap here today. When she woke up an hour later, she walked down the stairs wide-eyed, saying 'I went nigh-nigh in my bed!', quite proud of herself.

We'll see how much sleep we get tonight. . .