The Greatest Sound
"An empty vessel makes the greatest sound"

The adventure begins...


February 3rd, 2010 starts out like any other day... after three failed attempts, my alarm clock finally forces my eyes awake. I turn my head, Steve's already up out of bed and, I think, whistling some tune.  I wiggle my leg free of the lump at the foot of the bed.  The lump groans.  Winston takes after his mother, he's not a morning dog.  After a last minute check to make sure I've packed - literally everything I own - its off to the airport.  The day is filled with moments fit for an episode of Punked.  First there's the fact that my ticket won't print out and I watch for 45 minutes as the brilliant personnel at the Delta counter act as though they are trying to solve a nuclear physics equation, then there was the unpacking and re-packing of my 57 pound bag to avoid a $90 charge, followed by a  bottle of saline solution erupting all over my stuff in my suitcase and then the moment that caps off the day - the zipper on my suitcase breaks, literally, the moment I wheel it into my hotel, spilling all of its contents onto the lobby floor.  That one made me laugh.   Actually all of it paled in comparison to the heavy weight on my heart knowing that I was leaving Atlanta, and everyone and everything that I love for 25 days.  I can honestly say I've never had a harder time saying good-bye in my life. 

My first stop was Seattle - six hours with a broken television turned out to be quite entertaining as an entire fleet of Marines was aboard.  They were loud, they were drinking heavily and they took up more than their fair share of the 18 inches across that is alloted per seat, but I really didn't mind.  Here I was - devastated at the idea of leaving my beloved for  just a few weeks - and they were talking about leaving behind wives and babies for some ungodly amount of time that they hadn't even yet determined.  I was glad they were their to remind my of how fortunate I really am.   

Before leaving the Seattle airport, I pondered the notion that if the Emerald City airport can have both of these establishments, why can't we all just get along?


12 hours and 2,200 miles later, I touch down in what is potentially the most beautiful city I have ever seen or ever will see.  From my prop plane perched thousands of feet in the air, I see majestic, snow-capped mountains jutting out of the Earth.  A colorful, bustling metropolis of gleaming modern buildings mixed with detailed, ancient-looking architecture.  All framed by a sparkling body of water littered with fancy boats and harbors alive with the new construction - all signs that the world is about to be at its doorstep.  Despite my traveling woes, my heavy heart and my letdown the first time I took a look at my new digs at the Best Western... one look at this amazing city was all it took for me to realize that the next 25 days is going to be to one of the most memorable events of my life.  I really wish I'd been able to capture this moment on film, but honestly every picture I've seen - even professional ones on the internet - don't do it justice.  This was the best I could find...







Posted by Nikki at 10:00 PM
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About Me

Shakespeare voices this phrase through the title character in Henry V, but it is believed to have originated from a similar Plato quote, "As empty vessels make the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest blabbers." In religion, one is often told to be a vessel - a willing mind ready to receive. Many religious philosophers encouraged followers to "be empty". In pop culture, however, the same term is considered an insult. The "empty vessel approach" in philosophy shows stupidity or a lack of motivation... Like the phrase, my blog is a little tongue-in-cheek, neither great, nor a sound. But then again, I'm just an empty vessel.