Seattle Adventures!

This past weekend I had an AMAZING time! Not only was it a break as role of "wife" & "mommy" (which every wife & mommy needs), but I got to hang out with some really cool kids & unexpectedly became totally inspired.

First, meet the kids in our group...

BACK ROW: Jaachim, Ekelemchi, Nikki (me!), Tazina & Ali.

FRONT ROW: Mechi & Jaclyn

These kids are part of an organization called Skills Development Center in Kennewick WA.
A few kids in our group are refugees from Sudan & Sierra Leone.

The purpose of the trip was to attend the NW Fine Arts Festival. The kids performed 3 dramas in front of a small gathering of people & were critiqued by 3 judges. Though their scores were not enough to advance them to the National Level, the main goal was achieved: to give the kids an eXpErIeNcE!!

Being able to attend the Fine Arts Festival was an extraordinary experience indeed! I was surrounded by a LOT of talented & gifted people & I was forced to look inward at the talents that I know God has given me. I keep a lot of myself hidden. I know it might not seem like that, but I do. I think it's a lack of confidence or an overly critical view of myself that has caused me to keep these things private.

When I saw all these artsy-type people wandering around & felt the energy there, I was overcome with a sense of wanting to be a part of that same creative energy. And THEN when I saw some of them perform in the songwriting categories, the human videos, the dramas, skits & singing, I felt this even MORE so. I vowed that I would step out & stop hiding. I'm not saying I'm some secret great hidden talent. Because, I'm not. NOT AT ALL. But when something inside of you makes you SO happy & alive, you want it to become a part of who you are.









After an inspiring afternoon, our group went to the Seattle Center for a Space Needle adventure! While eating dinner, we heard the booming sounds of the World Rhythm Festival. Seriously, all through dinner we heard over 100+ musicians playing rhythms on their bongos, congos, African drums & Jambe drums, maracas, shakers, wooden claves & all other sorts of instruments that could keep a beat. They played NON-STOP! Boom Da-Da Boom Da-Da Boom Boom Boom. It was really cool. (And loud.) And as I ate my Subway sandwich, I couldn't help but wiggle & move.

Then, it was a walk to the Space Needle, where I took way too many pics.

Look! I even got a picture of that red blinking light on top of the Space Needle! I remember a book when I was a kid called Wheedle on the Needle about that blinking light.

This is the best fortune from a Fortune Cookie EVERS!

From the view atop the Space Needle I saw a large beam of sunlight shining through the clouds.

The group gave in to my jumpy shot request. I captured them jumping on the Space Needle! How many people can say they've done that??? And just for giggles, a few of us ran around & around the Space Needle.

(Yes, they were sick of the jumping.)

This was part of the structure outside the Science Fiction Museum at the Seattle Center.

This was my view every morning. I got the bottom bunk. We stayed in houses at Cedar Springs Camp in Everett, WA.

One of the highlights of the trip, for me, was being able to attend Mt. Calvary Christian Center in Seattle, where the kids performed a skit for the congregation. They were met with an overwhelming supportive response. Afterwards, the kids were beaming! I loved the singing, the clapping, the joyful shouting, the spontaneous dancing, & especially the old ladies in their fancy hats.

It was a super trip & I'm so glad I was asked to be a part of it! It really felt like a life-changing experience. I'm ready to be unhindered, unhinged, uninhibited. From the INside out.