multi-hyphenated-me

the hyphens that define my life

Working Girl June 26, 2013

Filed under: Life,Work — multihyphenatedme @ 10:59 pm
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There are three things you must do if you really want to experience a cross-section of humanity in your town:  buy or sell something on Craigslist, go yard sale shopping, and visit your local Wal-Mart.  Hitting up yard sales is on my must-do list but with only being in Spokane 5 full days, I’ve managed to buy something on Craigslist and visited Wal-Mart (only because it’s closer than Target and I was lazy…I mean busy).  Yowza, Spokane has some fascinating people.  Trader Joe’s alone draws them in across the Inland Northwest, Canada, Idaho and Montana.  Wal-Mart, wherever you are, never disappoints as it attracts the most incredibly bizarre people ever.

I had to buy a vacuum.  I don’t move vacuums or brooms or mops.  I don’t want my old dirt in my new house.  Insert Vince’s eye roll here.  Chalk up new cleaning tools as a moving expense.  I went to Wal-Mart to buy a vacuum.  Being the freak magnet that I am, a random man started talking to me as I was reading all the mind-boggling vacuum marketing buzz words. Nothing major, just idle conversation about vacuums and house cleaning.  Then he asked me what my husband did for a living to allow me to stay at home all day.

I paused.  I gave my response some thought before saying a word.  I weighed my options, do I really want to get into it with this guy?  No. Why is he asking?  What a random question.  I decided I didn’t want to get deeper into conversation with the guy so I told him to have a nice day and quickly walked away with vacuum in tow.

On this day when the Supreme Court grants equal rights,  racism is still inexcusably in the nation’s spotlight, I was stunned that the assumption was made that I don’t work and I am dependent on my husband.

Let’s clear this up here and now.  I’m dependent on my husband for car repairs, taking out the trash, tying knots, driving all trailers, building all things, dealing with the animals,  explaining all things technical and teaching our boys how to be boys.  I love him, I need him, but dependency is a strong word. This isn’t about him.  The Wal-Mart guy’s comment made me think why does this guy think I’m not employed.  Perhaps my workout outfit, no make up and shopping at Wal-Mart at noon on a Wednesday had something to do with it.  All valid points to be sure. Even in my yoga pants I could work somewhere.  Why would this guy say that?

My feathers were easily ruffled today as I am a working girl.  Daily I am working myself ragged every day, unpacking, cleaning, entertaining kids, feeding the family three meals a day (why do we eat so much?) and working full days too!  I work!  I work hard too!

I have worked since I was twelve.  I had a paper route for the Sandusky Register.  I rolled, rubber banded and stuffed my cloth messenger bag full of papers, then jumped on my hot pink bike complete with gold glitter banana seat and rode my route delivering papers in rain, snow or shine.  Monthly, I went door to door and collected payments and tips.   My next job was selling t-shirts on Venice Beach with a friend who’s parents had an airbrushed t-shirt business.  Once I turned 16 I was a union worker as a box girl/grocery bagger at Lucky Market in Westchester.  Then I worked as a hostess then waitress in many restaurants.  And so on and so on. I have always worked. Thirty-three years later, still working.

Granted, I am incredibly fortunate to have a job that allows me to work from home.  Have you tried working from home?  It isn’t easy.  Working from home may not require fancy work clothes and make up but it does take strong focus and discipline.  Not everyone has the opportunity to work from home, but in today’s virtual world, working remotely is becoming more available and more common.

In the end I decided the Wal-Mart guy was just wack-o.  Just in case my image is sending the wrong message, I scheduled a hair appointment tomorrow night.  It is never wise to judge a book by its cover (or a girl in her yoga pants), but sometimes the book needs to spruce up the cover.  A good haircut is the answer to everything.

 

The Calm After the Storm June 25, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 10:57 pm
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Today was the rainbow day as the result of yesterday’s storm.  Only it rained today too. In spite of and in the midst of the rain, we unloaded a third of our boxes off the trailer that arrived via Amtrak last night. Progress!  Still a lot of unpacking and “where are we going to put this?”, cleaning and working toward getting our lives back in order.

The United States Postal Service is functioning well and forwarding our mail as pre-arranged. Tuesday is trash pick up day, a big life adjustment from our previous Thursday pick up.

Trace is feeling much better and enjoyed his first practice with FC Spokane.  Meeting the coach and putting a face with the voice, emails and texts for the first time was great.  Trace met a couple of kids that he will attend middle school with so things are looking up for him tremendously from yesterday.  He managed to get invited to a birthday party tomorrow where he’ll meet more middle school kids.  Thank you kind soccer mom for the invite and for understanding the pressures 12-year-olds face with a big move.

Andre met some kids at the school playground who are playing in Hoopfest this weekend.  Andre is more basketball obsessed than usual.  He wants to join a league and start planning his own 3-man for next year. Yes!

Niko is mellow as usual.  Just cruising wherever life takes him, checking the sights, jumping around like a loon.  All is well.

Vince played nice and work went smoothly.

Tonight we decided to see if Spokane could offer up good Mexican food.  Thanks to a little Yelp help, we found Hacienda Las Flores. Don’t let the exterior fool you, this dive offered fantastic meals that rivaled some of the best Mexican food we’ve ever had in Southern California.  Check that box, we have found a go-to Mexican restaurant!  Woo! Could there be others?

The icing on my cupcake of a day was when I received a compliment on an old outfit I wore today.  I’ll quote my friend Lita who said when she started a new job “my old clothes are new to them”!

Kid happiness is mom happiness.  What a difference a day makes.  Today was the calm after yesterday’s storm. Perhaps we just treaded more softly around each other, helping without complaining, or just being aware of each other’s needs.

I didn’t get the Summer Fun schedule planned today but we all contributed some great ideas.

With a little time and patience things come together nicely. Good thing.  These blow-by-blow accounts of my days is not why I’m writing these blog posts.  Trust that this move will sometime end (sooner than later I hope) so the writing, the stories, and adventures will improve.

Thanks for subscribing, following and reading.  I really appreciate your support…and tolerance.

 

Through Our Children’s Eyes June 24, 2013

Filed under: Gardening — multihyphenatedme @ 10:26 pm
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This summer is no fun, at least through our children’s eyes.

First,  we rip them away from everything and everyone they know.  We force them to participate in the arduous task of moving.  We strap them in the car for 20+ hours, sitting next to each other, looking at each other, torturing each other, and, yes, torturing us. As soon as we arrive, we spend the entire weekend working to unload the trailer, clean the house and garage and begin getting settled. Their only hope for fun was for internet hookup on Monday to distract their misery with Minecraft.

Trace was looking forward to his first day at soccer academy today with FC Spokane, his new soccer team.  With the preceding week filled with so much hard work, hotel germs, poor diet and emotional damage, he started playing strong and lasted about 45 minutes before his stomach gave way and he got sick. He was really impressed with the Indoor Soccer Center and trainer and hopes he’s well enough for regular practice tomorrow on the field and academy again on Wednesday.  A rough start with his new team.

Niko and Andre are bored senseless.  They are not inspired or motivated to play in the rain.  They haven’t seen one kid in the neighborhood that isn’t a baby (the memory of playing soccer with some kids on Saturday is completely erased from their minds).  Andre said and I quote, “there is probably no chance I’ll ever make any friends here”.

Today, Vince and I  had to work as we would any Monday.   This was our first “real” Monday of summer.  The kids are bored and whiney and we’re losing our minds.  Yeah, summer! Ugh.  Vince and I are also temporarily sharing an office for about a week until he’s finished modifying his space to his grandiose specifications.  Read this correctly, I’m low maintenance, he is high maintenance.  We survived Monday.

Tonight at dinner, along with a great meal of homemade chicken and rice stew to heal the ailing and provide comfort in rainy weather, I served french bread and strawberry jam.  Trace sighed, “oh, it’s not homemade bread”.  Niko looked at the jam and said, “it’s not homemade strawberry jam either”.  I nearly fell off my chair. Did they not see me busting my butt all weekend?  Did they not see me working all day today? Do they not realize I have a skillet, a pot and a grand total of three cooking utensils?  I held it together while Vince calmly reminded them that we are still in transition mode.  We’re still getting settled, he told them, while he looked at me to concur that store bought bread and jam are temporary.  Spoiled brats every one of them and I’m outnumbered.  I’m convinced they only keep me around so they are well fed.

Well fed they are and will be.  Fun will be had. Where Vince and I have already found Spokane to be great with every experience, Spokane has nothing to offer the kids, at least through their eyes and gathered from their comments. Woe is them.

Patience and planning is all that’s needed.  I only planned up to the move.  Now the kids are staring at us for entertainment and I’ve got nothing to offer.   What was I thinking? The kids lack of patience definitely comes from me.  I, too, want my oompah loompah now.  Tomorrow we are planning our Summer Fun schedule.   Our family day camp will be open for business and fully operational soon.  Advertures await!

Correction:  Reading the Inlander, Spokane’s weekly rag, today, I realized I made a mistake in an earlier post that Hoopfest was scheduled for the weekend we moved to Spokane 6/20 & 6/21.  Wrong!  Phew, we didn’t miss a thing.  Hoopfest is scheduled for this upcoming weekend June 29 & 30.

Feel free to fact check me and correct my errors.

 

Your Junk is Someone Else’s Treasure June 23, 2013

Filed under: Gardening — multihyphenatedme @ 10:34 pm
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We’re still in moving mode.  On Saturday we managed to unload the trailer and unpack all of the boxes.  We had two casualties, a broken vase, a broken dinner plate. We were spent by the end of the day.  None of our boxes have arrived via Amtrak yet so we today we took on the project of going through all the stuff the previous owner left in the basement storage, the attic and garage.  We knew she was leaving things behind, stuff specific to the house and stuff she didn’t feel like dealing with and today we learned why.

I truly believe that someone’s elses junk is another person’s treasure.  I love some of the treasures we found today.  Franciscan ware china, McCoy pottery, vintage tablecloths and a bunch of other awesome stuff.  Our youngest has given up eating meals with a fork, opting instead to eat with the sword serving picks.  He hasn’t stabbed himself in the back of the throat, yet.  On the flip side, a lot of someone else’s treasures were left too, things that didn’t suit our taste, style or need.  We spent out Sunday loading the trailer with trash and debris.  The car was completely filled from passenger seat to trunk with reusable treasures to Goodwill.

On Saturday we did take a break and went to Manito Park.  The park is beautiful and we just rode bikes around and checked out the sights.  One thing we have never seen in ALL of Southern California that we saw yesterday was a group of at least twenty people, dressed in medieval/martial art attire playing some sort of sword fight. The swords and shields were fake but they were whacking each other.  There seemed to be some sort of structure to the game but I couldn’t decipher the play.  Fascinating none the less.  The sword fight added to our son’s eating with swords.  We avoided swords and opted for watching hockey and eating burgers at Waddell’s, which we found thanks to Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, for dinner.

No breaks for the weary today which is why my post is so late.  I have visited my local Trader Joe’s twice this weekend and staked my claim as a regular.  Each visit, the cashier asked what I’ve done this weekend.  My reply was honest, “My family and I just moved from Southern California on Friday” which spurred big welcomes and lengthy conversation about the weather, the great city of Spokane and convincing declarations that we’ll love it here.  Trader Joe’s wins Spokane Ambassador awards for being so welcoming and friendly.  Here’s something interesting to ponder, in Orange County Trader Joe’s will give kids a lollipop if they find the hidden Angels Baseball Rally Monkey.  In Spokane, a stuffed Sasquatch is hidden.  Kids tell the cashier they found the stuffed beast and the cashier yells “Sassy!”, which spurs all of the cashiers to yell out “Sasquatch”!  The Trader Joe’s mostly have the same foodstuffs available, with the only really noticeable difference was the bread section.  No more sprouted sesame bagels, 8 plus 2 bread or buttermilk bread.  As if I need any of it, but I was fascinated by the new bread options.  Hawaiian bagels, sour rye, local baked breads and pastries.  YUM!

Tonight, with the help of Trader Joe’s, we had our first home cooked meal.  A simple, chicken-veggie-pasta creation that was somewhat of a challenge to cook since my breakables have arrived but our unbreakables – like my pans and cooking utensils – have note arrived.  Thanks to the good fortune of some camping pots and cast iron pans left behind, I was able to pull together a meal.  We ate on dinner plates with plastic utensils.  Classy it was not, but the meal, thanks to our hard work and other’s cast-offs, was delicious.

No boxes yet today, but internet is installed tomorrow…progress!

 

We Made It! June 22, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 9:22 am
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Yes, we made it. We are home.

We passed the best sign in Oregon, “crossing the 45th parallel. You are halfway between the equator and the North Pole.” Awesome.

We honked as we crossed the Columbia River and entered Washington.

Then we drove into the driveway of our new home.

At our final goodbye at the park, one of my friends asked what was our plan for the coming week. Not able to see past 1237 miles to cover in three days, I didn’t have an answer.
The radio provided the answer:

Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone
I’m going to make this house your home.

Settle down, it will all be clear
Don’t pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost you can always be found.

Just know you’re not alone
I’m going to make this house your home.

-Home lyrics, Philip Phillips

My work is cut out for me.

 

Oregon! June 21, 2013

Filed under: Gardening — multihyphenatedme @ 9:09 am
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We have officially left California after what was truly the longest day of the year.  There is nothing like driving with a 7-year-old (and his whole package of emotions, nonsense and hilarity) at 60 mph (who knew I could drive so slow?) looking at the back of a trailer for roughly 600 miles.  The tire issue with the trailer offset our schedule along with stopping for a sit down Mexican food lunch in Williows, and an ice cream break and gas fill up in Redding.

Though this wasn’t our first trip to Lake Shasta/Mount Shasta area, the natural beauty never ceases to amaze.  Andre, our 7-year-old, had to call his friend to tell him about all the beautiful trees and lakes and the otherwise “totally long and boring” all day car ride. If Andre is inspired to discuss anything than video games, pay attention.

We missed the chance to take a photo of Weed, next 3 exits and at the Oregon border.  At those points it wasn’t about the journey, it was about covering as much ground in daylight as possible.

Oregon is beautiful.  We drove the 97 from Weed, CA to Bend, OR.  Nothing but trees, lakes, rivers, truckers, campers and us on the road. We had another slight glitch last night.  The gas gauge on the suburban broke.  One minute it read 1/2 tank, the next it was screaming E.  It wouldn’t have been any big deal if we were anywhere near civilization, or near anywhere that stayed open past 8 PM.  It also wouldn’t have been a big deal if my darling husband remembered, or wrote down, his mileage when he filled up last. With none of these boxes checked, Vince did the next best thing.  He pulled into the first mom & pop RV campground/general store/gas station we saw and knocked on the door of their residence and asked them to open up so he could get some gas.  Are you surprised?  Me, just another day in the life . The best part was that the wife had to come out, open up and pump the gas.  Vince didn’t know that in Oregon there is no self-service at the gas pump, only full service, after hours included.  The suburban, it turned out, had plenty of gas to get us to Bend, but we felt much better knowing.  Be proud of me, I did not once say any unkind, are you freaking kidding me, what the hell comments to Vince like…hello…we’re on a road trip…monitoring gas levels is essential. Nor did I call him a dumbass (out loud).

We woke to 50 degrees and rain in the forecast from here to Spokane.  A perfect welcome to the Inland Northwest.  We are definitely not in Southern California anymore.  I wish I would have packed shoes other than my flip-flops.  All is fair in love and war…dumbasses unite.  Yes, Vince and I are a pair.

Today is the day we arrive at our new home.  We can’t wait.  In fact, the others are yelling at me to think and type faster so we can get on the road. Gotta roll…

 

Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’ June 20, 2013

Filed under: Life — multihyphenatedme @ 10:44 am
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A road trip or moving isn’t complete without a flat tire. Check that requirement off our list, the rubber off one of the four trailer tires shredded right off. A 10 mile detour to Les Schwab Tires in Los Banos, conveniently located next to a Starbucks serving La Boulange pastries, provides a deliciously fantastic opportunity to post my daily blog update.

The first leg of our journey moving to Spokane was tough after an emotional departure. Thank you to our friends for a few final hours of play at the park. Los Angeles traffic was kind to us and we made it through the city easily. I had our youngest in the car with me along with the dog, 2 small corn snakes and a crested gecko. Plenty of 7 year old chatter going on. After one stop in Buttonwillow, we arrived at the Best Western Apricot Inn just before midnight. Exhausted. A bed, any bed has never felt so good.

Now, through the orchards and aqueduct crossings, we sit in Los Banos replacing all 4 trailer tires that were supposed to be “new” when we bought it. You never can tell and we’re not going to take our chances (again).

The boys would rather hang with dad in a tire shop than drinking coffee and watching me type. Yes, in the midst of chaos, there is a zen moment of peace and quiet for me in Los Banos.

Today is our last day in California as we head to Oregon. Happy trails to you, we’re rollin’, rollin’, rollin’…..

 

Blast off! June 19, 2013

Filed under: Gardening — multihyphenatedme @ 10:36 am
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My husband had to run to Home Depot for who-knows-what so I’m taking a break, enjoying my coffee and posting this blog.  Thank you for the opportunity to sit down.

Here we are.  The countdown is done.  Today is the day.  3-2-1-Blast Off.  If only moving was as simple as the countdown.  Today is cleaning day.  The final push to get everything that wasn’t shipped yesterday loaded onto the trailer and get the house cleaned.  The carpet cleaner arrives at 1 PM, the landlord will do his final inspection at 2 PM, then we’re hitting the road just in time for LA traffic.

C’mon we’re smarter (just) than that!  Instead of sitting in traffic we’ve organized one last final hurrah, a BYO-Picnic a the park for some playtime and fun before we hit the road.  I’m going to lie down and take a nap.

Did I mention I was feeling 90 years old yesterday?  Today I’m 110.  I ache, I’m bruised and I think I have inhaled too much 409 while cleaning.  Can you get a contact high off of 409?  What about lung cancer?  I have never looked so forward to sitting in a car, or anywhere, for 20 hours.  We haven’t moved yet and you have all been replaced, Advil is my new best friend.

All jokes and exaggerations aside, no real complaints (not out loud, just publicly broadcasted through my blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts, just like a secret). Our move is going smoothly. Shipping our boxes with Amtrak was truly a genius find by my husband.  The story of how he discovered this option was the result of taking the train from Fullerton, CA to downtown LA for his project at LA Trade Tech.  He spoke with the shipping managers at the Fullerton CA station and LA Union Station.  He really connected with the LA Union Station manager (remember, my husband isn’t socially motivated).  When I met her yesterday I understood why.  Marissia is personable, thorough, efficient and interacted well with her peers and staff.  Turns out that Marissia recently celebrated her 30 year anniversary with Amtrak and is a 4th generation railroad employee.  What started as a summer job thanks to her dad, she found her niche career.  You know I love a good human interest story.  I hope Amtrak appreciates her as much as her customers!  Though we did a test run and sent 3 boxes from Fullerton to Spokane in May (giving me the opportunity to connect with the Spokane shipping manager), we felt good leaving our boxes with Marissia yesterday.  Our boxes are on their way.  Plus we saved $1500 from the U-Haul quote received, not including gas and having to tow or ship our second vehicle.  I highly recommend using Amtrak for shipping if there are any long distance moves in your future.  I’ll follow-up with this once our boxes arrive.

After the BYO-Picnic party at the park this afternoon we will drive 4 hours north on I-5 to get us out of LA.  We’ll end up somewhere between Fresno and Stockton.  Tomorrow we’ll continue northward leaving California and the I-5 for the 97 toward sunny skies in Bend, Oregon.  On Friday we’ll arrive in the rain to our new home in Spokane.

Goodbyes have never been easy for me. This afternoon will be tearful but I can not wait to get on the road.

 

Coundown to our move to Spokane T-1: She Ain’t What She Used To Be June 18, 2013

Filed under: Gardening — multihyphenatedme @ 8:43 am
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Do you know this children’s song?

Oh, the old gray mare
She ain’t what she used to be
Ain’t what she used to be
The old gray mare
She ain’t what she used to be
Many long years ago.

Right here, right now, this is the story of my life.  I am the old gray mare.  I ain’t what I used to be, ain’t what I used to be, many long years ago.

Don’t say, “you’re only as old as you feel.”  That phrase doesn’t help me at all.  If this phrase is true, I feel about 90 years old right now.  I’m sore, I’m tired, and my back is going to snap in half.

In case you’re wondering, moving sucks.  Moving has always sucked.  It hasn’t gotten better with age.  Clearly I haven’t either.

I asked my husband last night, “why do we have to be cheap ass DIY-ers? Why are we doing all this work?” Ok, ok, frugal would have been a better word choice but it doesn’t convey the heartfelt message. I’ll work on my word choices AFTER I stop hobbling along like an old woman.

This could be my last move.  I don’t think I have another one in me just for the energy required to make the shift.

Then again, you know with my track record I can’t honestly say that.  Let’s look at what I would do differently with my next move…

  • Hire movers
  • Have the kids around to help – work and social outings should not be allowed during crunch time.
  • Be in top physical condition, focusing on biceps, core and quads
  • Schedule daily massage and chiropractic visits
  • Get physical clearance from my doctor
  • Get more sleep
  • Ease up on the drinking and partying the weekend prior to the move.
  • Eat healthy (the whole not cooking thing backfired on me this week.  Restaurant food, whether gourmet or fast food, makes me feel bloated and stodgy.
  • Don’t sell your washer and dryer earlier than planned.  I’m typing this post from the laundromat.  I’m bringing my closet full of skeletons with me to Spokane, but I will not travel with dirty laundry.

A good list but it would be easier to just stay put than to do all this just to move.  Then again….

We’ve covered old, gray, nag – oh no, I’m the mare in this song, not a nag, I’m the nag at home I forgot.

Here’s the real bummer.  We’re just getting started.  I’m whining about loading boxes into a truck.  137 boxes.  That’s it.  We sold our furniture.  I’m not even doing any heavy big furniture moving.  We drop the boxes at Amtrak today to be shipped to Spokane.  I did say we’re cheap right?  My husband researched and discovered that shipping our boxes with Amtrak was far less expensive than any other shipping method.  fascinating.  We are driving 30 miles to Union Station to drop off the boxes, 30 miles home and then….we’re going to Disneyland!

My husband and I agree that we should rent wheelchairs and make the kids push us around all day.  This old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be.

 

My Daily Blog: T-2 Family Ties June 17, 2013

Filed under: Gardening — multihyphenatedme @ 7:50 am
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My husband’s family is from Bellingham Washington.  I don’t know all of the details, forgive me if I unintentionally misrepresent the family, this is the story I’ve been told, or at least what I can remember this morning:

Back in…, I don’t know when, long ago in a land far, far away, two Ivecivic-Bakulic brothers left Croatia for America, one was my husband’s great-grandfather. They landed in Bellingham Washington.  Croatians are natural fisherman as the Dalmatian Islands in the Adriatic Sea off the Croatian coast provide stunning scenery and incredible fishing. Bellingham Washington is at the very tippy top of the U.S. providing access to bountiful fishing in U.S. and Canadian waters.

After the two brothers land in Bellingham, one stayed, and shortened and Americanized the last name to Bakulich.  The other brother takes the Ivecivic last name, then and changes it to Ivich and moves to Ciudad Obregon Mexico. Eventually parts of the Washington contingent moved to San Pedro California, for the temperate climate, great fishing and similar landscape to Croatia.  The Bakulich family now extends from Washington to Mexico.

My husband grew up in San Pedro and always wanted a fishing boat.  My husband remembers his father pulling him aside and telling him, ‘I have a surprise’.  My husband responded, ‘You bought a fishing boat?’ ‘No,’ his father replied, ‘I bought a bowling alley.’  What?  Needless to say my husband is a really good bowler!

Now the third and fourth Bakulich generation moves to Washington.  Not moving to Bellingham, though we did visit there once and considered moving there years ago, the timing and the vibe weren’t right for us.  Fishing is on our to-do list in Spokane.

My husband grew up fishing on the Pacific Ocean. My childhood summers were spent fishing in lakes in Ohio and Michigan. Between the two of us, we will – well, we should – be able to teach our kids something about fishing.  We have taken then kids fishing in California with no luck, except for that one time at the trout farm but that doesn’t really count.

One definite rule once they actually do catch some fish,  they have to clean what they catch. Nothing like chopping of fish heads, managing fish guts and scraping scales to appreciate fishing.   Eating what they catch will be fun too. The older boys will eat what they are given, our youngest is very picky…yet he ate a raw oyster not long ago…so there is hope.  We have hope there is fish to catch, clean and eat in Washington.

In addition to my husband’s family history, my family has migrated to Seattle in recent years.  My mom and stepdad transplanted from California almost 10 years ago.  My  sister moved from Michigan to Seattle 2-3 years ago.  Though Seattle is a 4.5 hour drive from Spokane (or a 50 minute flight my husband likes to point out), Seattle is a closer commute than what we currently have in California.

Washington knows our families that have come before us.  Washington has treated them well.  Though Spokane is new to us, we have Washington in our blood, like family.

Editor’s note:  I’m no longer aloud to go out drinking then write a blog post.  I forgot to hashtag!  I love hashtags and thought about my missing hashtags all day.