Stateside

Well, here I am, back in the USA, on vacation after six months in Costa Rica. As someone recently brought to my attention, I VACATION in the U.S. but I LIVE in Costa Rica. Yep. There is so much to be seen/discovered and experienced when surrounded by loved ones.

How is it, being back in the States? Well, it's not like I've been holed up under a rock without any contact to the outside world in the last several months. But I do miss speaking Spanish, as the lady at the Tacoma Narrows toll booth could attest to. (My "Hola, buenas" greeting as I pulled up to pay the $4 toll was received with a look of confusion the other day.) But really, it's just wonderful to be seeing friends and familiar faces as I'm visiting and having time to relax and hang out! And, might I add, it is simply glorious to be enjoying the wonders of the Pacific Northwest and its summer (cool and sunless as it may be, at times), as the looming rainy season was beginning to encroach on our Central American sun beams.

The fam, in an awkward photo captured at Audrey's graduation.

Sisters before the '11 SHS grad ceremony.

The goodbye-Costa Rica (for a bit) sunset I witnessed last week.

Joey, Agape, and I hike the upper Dungeness trail to Camp Handy. 

The Upper Dungeness

Moses Lake. Farmland. Potatoes.

Bike ride in Spokane; I was of the understanding that this
day was the first real day of spring/summer weather
that Spokanites experienced.

More photos and such to be posted in the coming weeks during my summer stateside. Perhaps stay tuned to the Facebook album links as well, if a "summer vacation" album pops up sometime in the near future... (when I get around to updating things and being on the computer, which I prefer not to be spending my time doing when I'm on vacation and spending time doing fun things with quality people!)

Many people have asked, so I am giving details as to the plan for the next couple months (well, sort of... as I am really just tentatively going off of a timeline as for when I'll be in what general locations... the definitive who/where is to be decided):

June

14-15: travel and Seattle area

15-19: Sequim, for Audrey's high school graduation, Father's Day, doctors appointments, etc.

19-20: Moses Lake

20-26: Spokane (mostly around the Whitworth North campus!)

26-July 1: Bellingham

July

1-3: Seattle area

3-6 or 7: Olypic Peninsula/Sequim area

7-13ish: Spokane/Coeur d'Alene

14-15ish: Seattle area

16-21: Sequim? To be decided... time unclaimed!

22-August 1: East coast (Delaware, with possible trips to Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, etc.)

August

1-4: Tacoma area

5-6: Tri-Cities!

(7-10ish: unclaimed/unplanned)

9-17: Portland area

17: Fly back to Costa Rica!

{It's going to be a summer of travel and fun!  ...not to mention spending at least half of my hard-earned stipend money from the last 6 months in Costa Rica to paying for gas!}