At church this month and next we are learning about the Beatitudes of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew ch.5). The 8 principles found in the Beatitudes will be keys to discovering life at its best...the way God designed it. So, we are going on a spiritual road trip of discovery and adventure.
Thursday Katrina and I jumped in our friends' SUV and took off for Lincoln City, OR for our own travels. The photographs are in chronological order. We begin at Tapteal Elementary School, West Richland, WA 4:00pm Thursday.
We drove to Hillsboro, OR and and stayed the night with Sam, Jenna, Nathan and baby Isaac. We are so happy for them as they have two healthy boys and look to a possible adventure in moving south t
owards Salem for Sam's job change.
owards Salem for Sam's job change. Ice Cream! We took the scenic route Highway 26 to Tillamook, OR on HWY 101. The fresh mountain huckleberry and pistachio almond hit me just right.
Katrina enjoyed her huckleberry (she copied me) and chocolate and peanut butter flavors.
Katrina enjoyed her huckleberry (she copied me) and chocolate and peanut butter flavors. We arrived at our ocean side hotel, the Sandcastle. I jumped in the hot tub, while Katrina went to the outlet malls for a quick shop-shop. 
We caught a cat-nap Friday.
We caught a cat-nap Friday.
Friday night we met up with Jordan and Shannon for their wedding rehearsal dinner. They rented two over the top beach houses with a cottage in Lincoln City. These two homes were completely renovated with luxury. The kitchens were set up with professional gourmet appliances, each bathroom had towel warmers and bath robs for adults and kids. At the cost of $1,700 for two nights that's what you'd expect. I forgot to mention that each bedroom had a TV and gaming system. Katrina and I loved bookcase room off the back deck.
The rehearsal was fun times in the front room as two of the groomsmen, bless their hearts, were down at the local casino. So, we grabbed two guys hanging out in the front room and had them practice for their buddies. We figured out the unity sand ceremony with many advisors to the bride. Afterwards, we headed home and watched half of Raider's of the Lost Ark before falling asleep around 11:30pm.
The next morning we went out for breakfast and coffee before heading over to the beach house at 12:30pm for the wedding. I ate the strawberry crepes and Katrina ate the french toast. At Starbucks I enjoyed a honey latte while figuring out the legal documents for the bride and groom.
The wedding was to take place between 1-2pm depending on the weather. It rained nearly all day. I prayed a lot for the rain to stop. It did stop around 1:15pm, but the wedding party wasn't ready. Then, I heard we were "on" so we all walked quickly in the rain to the predetermined location on the beach. The rain was pelting my right side and wind gave us all a chattering teeth chill. 
The bride and groom had great attitudes and so did the family and friends. We all went out their with smiles and enjoyed a special, spiritual moment with Jordan and Shannon. Shannon is school teacher with Katrina. I did the short version focusing on the unity ceremony, the vows, and the exchange of rings with a prayer of blessing. Showers of joy.
