Semana 1 e 2 of the Adventure!!!

Alrighty folks!  So I have been in Spokane not quite 2 weeks, but I've had all sort of fun so far!  So hold on to your hats, I've got a lot to tell ya about the lilac city and its adventures!

The first full day, Wednesday, I was here I was invited to go play ultimate frisbee at Manito Park,  (beautiful btw.  Look it up!) Thursday the ward has a weekly dinner at one of the ward leader's homes.  So we had that at the Holbrook's.

And then there was Friday.  I guess I'm not too far away from home because I went to a 

RRROOOOOO DDDDDDDEEEEEEE OOOOOOOO!  It was fun.  Here I am with Kate and my new best friend Lauriann! 

 Oh yes people, that is a Canadian flag!  I guess I am a little farther from home! :)

 So this little guy was a big factor in where I decided to move.  I wanted whatever city I lived in to have a temple and the Spokane Temple is beautiful.  It is a small temple, which means it can only fit about 40 people in a session!  I've apparently never been in a temple quite that small because it really took me aback.

 Spokane is known for its flowers.  They were beautiful!

 As I walked around the temple taking pictures I made a new friend with a man named Julio.  He was very kind to take my picture as he waited for his mama to finish her session. 

 Later that night (Saturday) New best friend (Lauriann) got a few of us together to go watch the outdoor movie at "The Shop".  They were showing the Princess Bride and we were excited!  

L-R Shane, Paul (who showed me his ultimate playlist, which included Colors of the Wind and Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus.  I think he is so sweet! :)), me, Lauriann, and Nick (who seems more like a Kyle to me...)

There it is just painted on the side of the building!  So much fun!  They raffled off couch and lazy-boy seating to raise money for a local charity. It was fun!

 Love this movie!

Okay, now for week 2 of my stay in Spokane, which happened to not really even be in Spokane.  The company that I work for (Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic) is based in Toppenish, WA and they have a lot of programs that they work with, so they send all their new employees to Toppenish to train for a few days.  Yakima is about 3 1/2 hrs southish of Spokane and Toppenish is another 20ish minutes south of Yakima.  So they got me a hotel in Yakima and I stayed Monday- Thursday.  It was a lot of fun.  I've never stayed in a hotel all by myself.  It was fun. 

 On my way down Monday afternoon I stopped at Wild Horse Point to look out over the Columbia River (by the way, I didn't realize how significant Columbia is to our country until I moved to the Northwest, but it is a "poetic name for the America's", before the statue of liberty, it was the female personification of the Americas). Anyway, It is HUGE!

 And beautiful!  See that nice, big bridge in the background.  Yes, I did drive over that.  And yes, I did scream the entire length of the bridge!  AHHHHHHHH!! :)

Yakima Valley is known for its vineyard and orchards.  There were SO many!  In fact I met some ladies that told me the Yakima school district was 50%+ ethnic minority because they need so much help picking all the fruit! 

 I drove through a lot of streets that looked like this!

 I ate out a lot.  Bruchi's was a Cheese Steak shop.  So good!

This was my very favorite restaurant that I've eaten at in Washington.  It is an authentic French restaurant called Carousel.  A-MAZ-ING   period

 Crab cakes with mustard sauce for appetizers.

Beef bourguignon and strawberry rhubarb soup (btw the cook came out to the patio where we were, but also where the fresh herbs were too and picked that little basil in my soup and went back to the kitchen!  In other words it was FRESH!)

When hiking in Moab Travis and Dolly asked me if I always talked to everyone I met :) so in other words, I have a little habit of making friends no matter where I go.  This here is Amy.  Proud Blueberry Farmer's wife.  Their farm is called Jackass Mountain Ranch!  I thought that was funny. 

 Anyway, we were best friends when she left.  I liked her a lot!

 I ate here.  Alaskan Halibut fish and chips!  So good!

 I just had to show everyone.  That little hunter on the top there rotated and it made me think of all the little red neck places I have visited in my life.  

 Alright, after my training I headed home through the Tri-cities.  After I looked at the map I realized I was only a few (45) minutes from the Oregon border.  So I had never been to Oregon and I had a little time.  So adventure here I come. 

 I stopped at the Visitor's center. This is my friend Karen.  She was so nice.  Gave me all sorts of free maps and tourist guides for Washington, Oregon and Idaho.  She also took my picture!  I liked her!

 Karen recommended that I eat lunch at Java Junkie's!  $4 lunch special was awesome!  

This sign was hung above the door.  I thought it was super cute and will hang a similar one in the shop I may own one day!

So this is me trying to take my own picture.  I guess that might be the worst part about traveling alone, the pictures aren't always exactly how you want them! :)  But you do get to stop a whole lot more to take pictures of pure randomness because you need not consult anyone else!  :)

So that, you see, is my first two weeks in the great state of Washington.  It has already brought much adventure and I've now officially been in all of the western states with the exception of New Mexico.  Things are good and seem to be working out quite nicely.  Lets just hope the housing thing works out.

Tomorrow is my first day of official work! Wish me LUCK!  

Thanks for reading!