Since things are starting to get serious between Parker and I Amy reminded me that she, “must meet this guy!” Since Parker is in northern, British Columbia now, he gets rotation for 5 straight days off in a row every 3 weeks. All the other weeks, he works 14 hour days, with only Sundays off, like a crazy man. So, he took his first rotation to Spokane. We got to do Bible study at the Rocket (the first of like 5 times we went there for coffee and raspberry oat bars) and then go for a leisurely walk around the campus of Whitworth.
We sat in the fieldhouse for a while and I told him my salvation story, since it happened on this very campus back in the summer of 2000. He was such a good listener and so sweet. I also showed him the court and banners of my pirate volleyball days.
We saw the tennis bubble and took a picture for Morgan, since she’ll be attending and playing tennis at Whitworth in the fall!
When we got to the football practice field, Parker turned into a trumpet marching band player like he was for ISU. He paced off his march to see if he still had his 10 yard stride/steps. He was only off by 3 inches…very impressive.
Clara loved “Big Parker” as she affectionately called him. We got ice cream, made several dinners with the Hooks, and cheered Jonathan on at Hoopfest. Who knew 7,000 3-on-3 teams could fit in downtown Spokane for 3 days?!?
It was so much fun! Amy’s family came to meet Parker at the Rocket for breakfast one morning. Dad V. did his job and affectionately interrogated Parker about his faith and his intentions with me :) Parker also took me to World Market Cost Plus for my first time. It was such a fun date! I quizzed him on what stuff he would pick out. We are pretty similar with our tastes. We also ran to Lowes to get an outlet to replace the Hook’s dining room light, to which they thought he was amazing. A $6.00 project and Parker is now a hero in their eyes too. We finished off date night with a walk at Manito Park and dinner at Europa. Parker gets a gold star for the thoughtful and intentional questions he asked at dinner. I really like this guy!
It was hard to send him off on Monday morning, though the transition was made easier since I got to stay with Amy for the rest of the week. We had play dates at the park, swam in her parents pool, bought our August to August planners, and had lots of quality girl talking time and coffee. Her mom met us for lunch at a cute health store on the South Hill called Huckleberries. We also went to the library, a play date at the park, and met my dear friend from small group in college for coffee. Amy, Jonathan, and the Vaughns all also approve of Big Parker who currently lives in Panada…according to little miss Clara.
