Oh No – What Have I Done

Oh no! Those were the words that ran through my mind numerous times just a few weeks ago.

Very recently I got back from a trip I had been planning for almost 6 months. It was a unique trip. One I won’t have the chance to go on again or at least do all of the things I was able to do again.

It was a very different trip compared to the ones I have taken before. As the date got closer and closer to my departure, I will admit I was getting more nervous about my successful execution of all of the logistics of the trip. Right when I needed to figure out more and more of the details of what I would be doing, reality hit me about how complicated some parts of it were going to be, especially to do alone.

This trip was a chance for me to do new things, see new things and see if I would survive. Ok, ok that makes it sound a bit more dramatic than it actually was. My survival wasn’t really at risk. But I will admit there were moments when I questioned my decision to tackle these new things and go on this adventure.

This was a trip I went on alone. Although I did cross paths with people I knew and would see them, this trip was mostly on my own. I spoke more about independence and anticipating this trip in a previous post here as I prepared to leave.

I went to the northwestern states of Oregon and Washington to watch some hockey. It was a great opportunity to watch some highly skilled amateur hockey players and also watch some top tier professional hockey players. It was really great to be able to support family and the home town team on the road.

AND I am a really big hockey fan so being able to watch a fantastic NHL game in a really great new NHL facility was really memorable. Definitely a bucket list item since I live in the only province west of New Brunswick that does not have an NHL team, so it’s tougher to get to NHL games. There are a few things about living in Saskatchewan that I’m not a fan of. This is a absolutely one of them.

The hockey part of the trip was absolutely the highlight but what I would say was a low point was the driving. Oh the driving. I spent many hours on the road going here and there because of the hockey schedule and some of the extra things I added to my trip.

What I didn’t really appreciate until I was in the middle of it, was how much I would have to drive through the mountain pass to get into and out of Seattle. And as many of you likely already know, it rains just a wee bit around Seattle. I learned how my driving and navigation skills would be put to the test driving up and down on the 5 lane interstate highway in and out of Seattle three times in my rental vehicle. All in the rain, fog and once at night.

I absolutely questioned my sanity once or twice as I white knuckled it through the Snoqualmie Pass each time. But you know what, I made it and I’m proud of myself. Maybe I need to get myself a t-shirt. I survived Snoqualmie! Hhmmmm, I’ll have to think about that.

One of the perks of this trip and the bigger reason why I went was because I was able to support and connect with some family members. I really don’t have many family members close by at home and I don’t see many of those family members often so it was really great to be able to see and spend time with some of them even for a few minutes on this little adventure. One who I haven’t seen for many, many years.

Here are some other highlights and lowlights I will quickly mention so I don’t bore you too much.

• Drove on 2 interstate highways through Seattle in the weekday rush hour while needing to go to the bathroom. Ugghh that was rough.
• Took my first red-eye flight home. Awake for 36 hours straight. DO NOT recommend.
• Accidentally found a beautiful Christmas market right beside the Space Needle and the Seattle Kraken arena. Unfortunately I had to buzz through it really quickly.
• Reconnected with a friend from a very long time ago. I am so glad that worked out.
• Talked to the Seattle Kraken store manager about WHL hockey and CFL football. I was impressed. He knew all about amateur and professional sports in Canada.
• Went to a fantastic concert which I really enjoyed.
• Learned just how independent I can be.

There were many more great experiences on this trip.

So friend, even though this post was a little bit different than my usual, I wanted to share some of this recent adventure with you and maybe encourage you. Maybe there is something in your life, whatever it may be that you can do that will stretch you, challenge you and possibly let you experience something that will leave you with unforgettable memories. Maybe you will just get the urge to watch some hockey! Something I highly recommend.

Maybe those memories will be of how you conquered something that was difficult and you came out on top. That can give you moments that you will hold on to forever.

While I might not have chosen to go on this trip had I known the challenges I would tackle, I am so proud of myself that I did do it. Although there were numerous moments of loneliness that did become pretty overwhelming and I really struggled with that. Independence and loneliness are often two sides of the same coin.

Friend, I hope you can decide to do difficult things too, even if it might be tough or will push you out of your comfortable place.

You may wonder why I tell you some of the things that I do in this post and others. Honestly I’m not always too certain myself. But I would say that it’s because I would like to honestly show you how things are. Not sugar coat anything or paint a beautiful false picture. The online lives of so many people can be completely separate from reality in so many cases. So friend my desire is to be honest with you. Sometimes that means sharing some hard things but sometimes it means sharing some really wonderful things too.

I work to choose joy every day even if the circumstances I face are working hard to remove that joy. I share with you so you can find hope in your circumstances and I encourage you to choose (there is always a choice) joy. Choose joy. It’s up to you.

I pray for you friend that you have courage to tackle something that you might be nervous about. I know you can do it.

Please enjoy a few pictures from my trip.

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