HOLIDAY REFLECTIONS

Memorial Day Weekend. Melinda and I enjoyed some time in Eastern Washington. Saturday morning I spoke at the Ellensburg Rodeo. I want to give a big shout out to all the Washington State High School Rodeo Contestants, Melinda and I enjoyed meeting many of you and taking in some of the events. Saturday night I went to the Northwest Tour race in Yakima and hung out in the pits meeting some new people and reconnecting with some familiar faces like Bob and Kathy Butcher who are the Motor Racing Outreach chaplains for the West Coast. Sunday morning we headed back toward the west side and spent some time looking at the developing areas like Suncadia, Cle Ellum, Roslyn and other places. I can't believe the growth in that part of the state. Sunday night we hung out at the W Hotel in Seattle which has fun atmosphere. We ate room service, and watched a couple movies. It was a blast to hang with Melinda. She is absolutely the funnest person to be with! Sometimes we just crack up for no reason.

I think holiday weekends put things in perspective! Sometimes when we do the same thing week in and week out we lose the perspective that life is meant for living, not working. Living in Washington can be one of the best ways to keep a healthy perspective. In our green state a person can drive two hours from Seattle and be in a completely different climate-- on Saturday it was 80 all day! Just like our state has two different climates our schedules can also benefit from two different climates: Work and Rest. I hope each of you rested at least a little this weekend.