I am a LOT late getting this out, but I think that is okay and I will be easily forgiven seeing as I only have 5 readers anyway (and that is being generous I'm sure!)...
For those of you who don't know, David has been involved with the Free Methodist Bible Quizzing program for 12 years now! It has now turned into a ministry for the whole Hose family...David and Jonathan go as quizmasters and this year Wendell did too, and Lynette goes as the nurse each year. I go as a tag along and joke that I am David's "official" score keeper...I have to admit...I am a PRETTY GOOD scorekeeper! ha!
Bible Quizzing has really meant a lot to David over the years, and if you have ever been involved with quizzing, I'm sure you understand why. Watching these young kids and teenagers memorize God's Word almost sends chills down my spine. It is wonderful to watch them quiz over the words and know those words are in their heart for their lifetime. Even if they don't remember it word for word, they still are full of so much Scripture that will come in at just the right moments throughout their journey.
We had so many good times while we were in Washington...this was our journey...
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| This is the great group of people we spent a week and a half with! :) |
We left on a Sunday, and it was before church time so we met at the Vincennes Free Methodist Church, and had a devotion and communion together before heading towards St. Louis.
We had a direct flight out of St. Louis into Seattle...we flew Southwest! My friends, Southwest is the way to go! I REALLY enjoyed our flying experience with them, they really do their best to make it "the best flying experience you've ever had" as our pilot kept announcing! I sat between David and Jonathan both the way there and the way back...we had a good time!
Monday we didn't have any Bible Quizzing plans until the opening program later in the day, so we went to the Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center, and EMP (Experience Music Project) It was a good day! David even got to spend some extra time with his dad while they viewed the King Tut exhibit!
Then the week of Bible Quizzing got started! This year, the school that hosted BQ Nationals was Seattle Pacific University! It is a really nice campus and the Admissions Staff did a great job with events for us for the week. (I would never want to live there though, becuase you would ALWAYS have to park on a giant slanting road!) The worship leader and speaker for the week did a GREAT job! I think they were the best team we have ever had at Nationals! OH, and did I mention my husband and two other guys he quizzed with got inducted into the Free Methodist Bible Quizzing Hall of Fame! One day we took a walk to Gas Works Park! It is a park that has a great view of the city...it was a lot of fun to visit! We even went back with our whole group to get a group picture! It was on someone else's camera, so I don't have it to attach it here. :(
We had a great week getting to hang out with friends that we only see a couple times each year! This is one of the many things I look forward to about Nationals each year! :)
After Nationals, we went to Jason and Laura Colberg's house (they housed us and the Bedford team at the same time...there were 40 extra people sleeping in one house!) They had a tent set up in their adorable yard, right next to a babbling brook! We had a great time, and the Colberg's were SO kind to us, they were excellent hosts!
We went to see the locks, and watch salmon swim upstream, we ate at some fish place (I ordered a chicken sandwich with peppered bacon on it and it was DELISH!) One day we went to see the Freemont Troll which is actually under a bridge! It was neat! We ate at a neat ice cream place called Molly Moon's...earl grey tea was the best! (good pick, Jonathan!)
Some of our group went on a hike at Mt. Rainier National Park! I think it was my favorite day! It was soooo pretty, and I know my pictures don't do it justice! I felt like I was in a Twilight movie! ha! When we reached the top of our hike, we fed birds cherries out of our hands! It was so neat! We even learned how to trick them to make them stay on our hands longer for pictures! :) Sneaky, I know! It was a bit cloudy when we were up there so we didn't get a really good look at Mt. Rainier...or great pictures, but that is okay...the experience was still great!
We spent a day at Pike Place Market, went to the Aquarium, and went on an Argosy Harbor Cruise! That was a great day! I loved the market (except for how crowded it was at times!)! While we were at Pike Place, we visited the Famous Gum Wall and the original Starbucks...the line was WAY long, so we didn't go in. :(
The aquarium was fun, but definitely not my favorite...Once you've seen one aquarium, you've seen them all, right?! (Am I the only one that feels this way)
The argosy cruise was fun, except for a guy that sat close to us who was training to be a guide...he would say things and then get so excited when the guide said the exact same thing he said a few minutes earlier. Oh, and did I mention he was drinking and drinking (which made him much more annoying in my opinion!) The cruise was a neat way to see the city and learn some fun facts!
Our last day in Washington, Jason and Laura took us a couple hours away for some of our group to go white water rafting! No, I didn't go. :( I had been once before in Colorado, and I haven't mentioned that I was sick during the sight seeing days! (The not being able to breathe, sore throat, gross sneezing kind of sick! yuck.) While some of the group was rafting, the rest stayed at a neat park surrounded by beautiful scenery...and others went to a nearby town, Leavenworth! It was a cute little German town...very touristy. I went to Leavenworth, and really enjoyed the day! Probably because most of our time there we were trying to find Natalie Grant! (You heard me...NATALIE GRANT!) Unfortunately we didn't find her...it turns out she left that town about 10 minutes before we arrived. She did tweet one of the girls in our group a few times...and that's how we knew she wasn't there anymore. Sad day. We bought some tasty cashews and some really good cheese, then headed back to the park.
While we were trying to find Natalie Grant...David and some others were having an adventure!! Their raft completely flipped and they all floated down the river for a bit...David somehow ended up finding the two young boys (around 8 years old) that were on his raft and floated with them for about a mile-ish. No one was hurt (Praise the Lord!) but it was definitely a ride they will all remember! I am so thankful and proud of my husband and all that he did when the raft flipped! He says he didn't do anything, but I don't think I could have carried two young children down a river!
After a week and a half, we came back to the awful heat of Indiana...got lots of sleep...and got back to our normal routine! It was a great trip!!
I'll leave you with a few pictures from our week!
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| This is David, David, and Adam with their Hall of Fame Plaques! I am so proud of these guys! |
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| We visited the famous gum wall! It was neat to say I've been there, but it was completely gross! |
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| David and I next to a waterfall! This is one of the times I felt like I was in Twilight! |
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| On our hike at Mt. Rainier National Park. |
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| David and I with the Freemont Troll...that is actually under a bridge! |
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| David, Jonathan, and I on our hike! I was so thankful for Jonathan while hiking because anytime I stopped to rest (which was very often on the way up, because I was sick most of our trip) he was right there with me so I wouldn't get too far behind the group! Being sick on a hike is really draining! David also carried the backpack with ALL of our water the whole time! |
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| When we were finished with our hike, we drove up the mountain to see the snow! |
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| The Hose Family at the Space Needle! |
