Surprise, Surprise.

Driving home from a long 8 hour day at work, Cameron and I sat quietly in the car while one of my favorite songs played in the background. A few seconds later, his cell phone rang and he shot me a quizzical look. "It's your family." he replied. That's odd. I kept driving. He then turned to me and asked if I would like to go to Olalla. I screamed. Loudly I might add. For a rather lenghthy amount of time. Cameron's only remark was that he shouldn't have told me while I was driving in traffic. Fifteen minutes later, I was on the road...again. Surprise, Surprise.

Excited and nervous all at once, I attempted to keep my travels a secret from a certain someone. However, my secretive attempt to avoid such detailed questions, that he continued to ask,  failed me. He had somehow figured out that I was in town. For how long, he did not know. Nevertheless, I was still bummed that he had figured it out. Later I asked him what gave me away and he told me it was my lack of texting for four hours. Well, whatever. I was proud of myself. I answered all of his questions without telling a single lie. Surprise, Surprise.

The soul purpose of that entire trip was to attend a funeral for a man I had only met once. My great uncle. The funeral went as follows: Opening remarks by my Uncle Bob, opening prayer provided by Uncle Bob, opening song Time by Pink Floyd, brief comments by Uncle Bob, Cosmos theme, a few scriptures read by Uncle Bob, a musical number provided by Rogers 3 grandsons (no, not my Uncle Bob..haha.) a few more remarks, a video slide show, a closing song, (which happened to be one of those gospel, clap your hands, sing in the choir, hallelujah songs.) then the closing prayer given by...you guessed it, Uncle Bob! Following the closing prayer we were ushered outside to watch the "releasing of the doves." This was a first for me. As Rogers wife released the "spirit dove," we watched as it almost flew straight into my Grandpas face, and then proceeded to poop on the newly polished Chevy. Twelve more doves were released and we watched as they circled over our heads. (Amy and I used the handout as an umbrella.) I can honestly say it was an interesting experience. Surprise, Surprise.

Saturday, New Years Eve, Ashley and I planned on joining the youth at the Bremerton YMCA for fun and games. Before we even entered the YMCA however, we went ice skating. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I am a natural born skater who, if asked, can carve figure eights into the ice while also managing to look "graceful." HAH! If I were to pull one truth out of that entire statement, it would be that I "managed" to look graceful as I plummeted to the ground. Lesson learned. I will never dance to "Take on me" and attempt to skate at the same time.
After a few games at the YMCA, we all shuffled our way into the dance hall. We spent almost the rest of the night in that area. We counted down the last seconds until midnight, we shared some laughs, exchanged smiles, and wished each other a happy new year. Surprise, Surprise.

I dream about Olalla you know. I dream about the friends I grew up with, the ones I've made, and the family that welcomes us with open arms. I would dream about the forests, the rain, the smell, everything. It seemed that for a time Olalla was the only place I felt free. But when I saw you last night, ignoring me as if I were a ghost, my feelings for Olalla were somewhat altered. To throw away a perfectly good friendship because of a boy hardly seems fair. Never saying hello, never allowing me that chance to become your friend, hearing about what you think of me now, well....that is not the Olalla I grew up with. I guess times have changed, and so shall I. Happy New Year.

Surprise, Surprise.