So, practically as soon as I got back, we went to Spokane for the weekend--and it was so fun. I loved getting to see a few friends there, and to feel like I was in a place a little more like home for a bit. I got to see Emily again (super yay!) and that got us pumped up for our next adventure at school again here in a week.
After that quick trip, we went to California, and the sun treated us well! We stayed in the Sacramento area with my aunt, Amanda. But, fun stuff, we spent a day in San Francisco! And as my first time there, I LOVED it! Seriously one of the coolest cities ever! I took about 200 pictures, but I'll only humor you with a few, since the whole world probably doesn't need that many pictures all in one place. I'll just put up some of my favorites.
Let me tell you about that tasty food that I ate there. Oh my goodness was it good! I had the New England Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Oh yum! And, better yet, I could eat it without getting sick (side note, I found out while in Brazil that I don't do too well with gluten). So, good news is that sourdough actually kills the gluten in the wheat, so gluten free people like me can eat it! Seriously, it's like the most dangerous trick ever to know. Especially when you're in San Francisco with heavenly sourdough bread. It was a great treat for me and then some.
And of course, we had to see Lombard street, and I loved it. Like not just loved it, but freakin' loved it. Crookedest street in the world is just amazing, and definitely a site to see! It has the most quaint houses, well, not exactly quaint because some are actually quite large, but they are all gorgeous.
And that was truly just the first part of our trip. Wowie zowie! And I've got more than enough photos to prove it. While we were in California, I ate at In-n-Out for the first time. My dad has been a fan for years and brought my brothers into it as soon as possible. All those years, they would go to In-n-Out and the girls would go to Chick-fil-a whenever we did that on our travels (which was about once every two years). So, finally it was my time to try. When I was in Brazil, my mom and sisters had their first taste of In-n-Out, so that left just me. This time couldn't wait. I went, and had my protein style, animal style In-n-Out burger with fries. And it was good. I won't kill myself to get another, but since that first I have had two more, so I guess I like it. And you can't help but love the prices and fun atmosphere. It's definitely a win all the way around.
So I guess that tops of the second travel--California. After that, we went right back up so Oregon (my new home). While there, we did a little "stay-cation" over at the Oregon Coast for an evening with my mom and sisters. And I made some fun rookie beach-goer mistakes in the water. It was so fun though.
That's haystack rock behind us, I guess it's pretty well known, so we got a picture with it. It really was a fun day at the beach, and sorry that most of the rest of the pictures are just of my feet, but it actually shows my rookie mistake pretty darn well.
So, I have loved my new Birkenstocks, and it was so good to be back at the beach in sandals, and then to take them off and feel that sand between my toes. It was so good to feel that, and I just loved it.
The water was a little cold, but it wasn't bad enough that I couldn't stand to be in it. I played in the little waves all the time we were there. My feet got plenty of water time, which led to my rookie beach-goer mistake.
Luckily because I was taking pictures, I got my mistake on camera at the perfect moment. I was naive enough to not realize that the waves can get you wet and they don't always just lap at your feet like cute little lake waves. This next pic was truly seconds after the previous, and shows that I learned my lesson pretty fast.
Oops! I got a little bit wet! Needless to say, my sisters were laughing and I was a little bit more careful after that. It was still fun though, and worth being a little cold for the rest of the night. And the yummy fish and chips on the coast was so fun too. And sadly, it took me years to want to go to the coast. I had another opportunity, but I threw a fit and didn't think it would be cool, but I appreciate it now. It was really fun to be there in the evening on the beach with the girls.
Loved it! After that, I just had an itty-bitty little bit of time to get ready to go off to school. We packed everything up, and headed to Utah (through Boise), and now up to Wyoming to finish up seeing family before I get busy with my studies again. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with blog when I am studying here. Love you all, and we'll see you soon!
