[New] Home.

I am no longer a California resident.  Alan and I have been here for...a week and a half now.  The trip up was uneventful [besides a little "can't back up with the trailer" incident in an In N' Out parking lot...yes, we were still in California].  Thus far we have been applying for jobs, spending time with family and most of all, exploring.  While this city is so different from what I have grown up in and around, I am really enjoying the beauty of it all.  It has started to really set in that this is not just an extended trip, but a real life change.  Wow, I am a Washingtonian...a Washingtanger...a Washingtan? I live in Washington and, this will surprise you, I love it.

Perhaps my favorite part of this entire experience has been being able to spend time with my family. I have never lived near any extended family, so being able to just stop by for a visit on my way home each day has been incredible.  I absolutely love having them so close, and cannot wait for big family holidays, birthdays, etc.

Speaking of birthdays, Alan turned 23 on Saturday.  My grandparents decided that, rather than give him a "thing," they would give him a memory.  So, on Monday, Granny drove Alan and I to Montana [which is only a two and a half, three hour trip], rented us bikes and waited while we biked The Hiawatha Trail.  This 15 mile ride starts in Montana and continues through the Bitterroot Mountains into Idaho along the route of the Milwaukee Railroad.  Dude, it was incredible.  We got to ride across trestles and through pitch black tunnels using only a little light on the handlebars [the longest was 1.7 miles]. Seriously, if you ever get the chance - do this!  The ride was not difficult, the scenery was breathtaking and the memory is priceless.  Come visit and we'll do it together.

Today Keenan, Alan and I went to Pig Out in the Park, one of Spokane's festival type things.  Although it was overcast, we got to eat some yummy food [I had a chicken artichoke crepe] and enjoy Riverside Park [I chased some geese].  

Overall, we like it here and have been really enjoying our "time off." Oh hey, if you need more incentive to come visit, this area is home to the infamous lingerie espresso bars.  Seriously. They even have drive-thrus.  And here I thought I was moving to a more conservative part of the country...

Mushrooms and Garlic

Well, the BIG day is drawing near.  Alan and I have been in a constant state of "pack" this past week, but are far from done.   As we get closer to our moving day, I am surprised to admit that with each passing day, the idea of leaving my home is becoming easier to swallow.  Perhaps it's the tying of loose ends that allows me to start looking forward to our new adventure or, maybe it's the increasing desire to just "be done" with the process.  Either way, I am starting to get truly excited about this move.

Last Monday was my last night at Real2Real, the youth group that I have been volunteering with for the last year.  Unexpectedly, leaving this group has been the single greatest hurdle with this move.  My last night with them was all about me.  No joke. Me. After a few worship songs [Which, I'll admit, were not, in fact, about me], I was able to tell the students more about the move, why we felt that God was asking us to go to Washington, as well as the step of faith this is taking [Ever read Joshua 2, when the Israelites had to step into the river before God would part the Jordan for them? Yeah, it's a bit like that].  I struggled to not tear up while looking around The Warehouse, realizing that I had indeed fallen in love with these high schoolers.  When I had wrapped up, they all gathered around me and prayed for our upcoming roller coaster of a move.  And then, now this is the really emotional part, we had a time [I promise, this was not my idea] in which the students could come up to the mic and tell a story about me, tell me what I meant to them or how I impacted their lives.  Some tears, some [very loud] laughter and a lot of hugs later, I had been able to get a glimpse of why God had placed me in that group.  It was such a blessing to have that last night with those students, but it has made it that much harder to leave them.  Would you believe that some of them even gave me gifts [Including, but not limited to, garlic and mushrooms, so that I can remember this incredible area that I was able to call home...not to mention the lovely aroma]?!  Oh boy, I love those crazy high schoolers.

As of Friday, Alan is unemployed.  Although I know that his leaving his students and coworkers was incredibly difficult and emotional, I really can't speak to his experience.  I do know that he brought home  some adorable gifts, cards and notes, and has not really grasped the fact that he does not have to drive to Fremont tomorrow.  Wow, we really are leaving.

Anyway, I should probably get back to that whole "packing" thing, even though the thought of staring at brown cardboard boxes all night is not my idea of a party.  I mean, really, why do we not have glittery leopard print packing material yet?  Home Depot really needs to embrace it's inner diva.