A Day in the Life...: Whirlwind

Spokane: just one more stop on the itinerary. And probably my favorite so far!

I mean, Aspen, Vegas, Vermont, you all were pretty cool, but I'm sorry, you can't compete with home...or the LAKE!

Parker and I on the boat! Finally made it to the lake :)

I arrived home from Columbus on Sunday night, slept a little, and then hopped on the motorcycle with my brother Ben and jetted out to lake Coeur d'Alene. What a life! There, we were greeted by Granny and we spent the day talking and catching up. The weather wasn't great at first, so we just hung out inside chatting, then decided to boat to lunch at Shooters. We all shared a Derailer, (probably the best giant mixed drink ever), and then headed back to the cabin. Later the sky cleared up, the sun came out, and I was able to enjoy the water for the first time all year. It was fabulous.

Ben and I went wakeboarding for a few short rides. It was rewarding knowing that I can still land my 180, even after a year!

Pure happiness

I was so thankful that I was able to see both Ben and Granny. I haven't seen Granny in quite a while, and this is the last time I will see Ben until Christmas. One of the bummers of growing up and getting into the real world I guess...you don't get to see your family as often.

I also had the pleasure of seeing my oldest brother Jeff and his fiancé, Jess. They just bought their first house, and it looks incredible!! It really was a weird feeling walking into their home...I mean, MY brother has his own HOUSE...What the heck!?! Where has the time gone?? That being said, it's perfect. They are still in the process of decorating and moving in, and so I can't wait to see what it will look like when it is all finished. So proud of my big brother!

So good to see Granny and my mom!

The next few days were filled with errands, all of them actually really fun! I was able to get my hair cut and highlighted (this was extremely necessary...had you seen my roots lately??), and I had the opportunity to go car shopping!!! Yes, my beloved 4Runner Henry died a few months ago, and so I need a new ride. I had been looking into the Honda CR-V and the Subaru Forrester, but I just can't stray from Toyota. And so, I will be the new owner of a Toyota Rav4 very soon!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!! Now, I just need a new name for this new ride....any suggestions?

Look at this beauty!

I have got to say that car salesmen are extremely pushy. I understand they work on commission, but come on, it's a little ridiculous. Our car salesman wasn't getting anywhere with my mom and I as we were only coming to test drive and gather information for purchasing. Our plan was to research the cars, figure out the one that worked the best, and then buy the car in Austin so we didn't have to lug it around for 2,000 miles on the back of a U-Haul trailer. Well, the manager decides to come over and reason with us.

Man, they are good. They got us to test drive it for the night.

We decided that it was the right car, but we couldn't buy it now, so I was given the lovely task of returning the car to the dealership the next day. I walked in and asked where to drop the keys. I explained that our salesman was great, but it just wasn't the right time to buy. (I was telling this all to the secretary. What exactly she was going to do with this information, I'm not quite sure, but I tend to ramble when I'm nervous or about to do something epic). Another manager sees me and I can see him make a beeline for me with my peripherals.

Nice ride!

He starts asking what was wrong with the car, how we can make it work, how we can make the price work, yatta yatta yatta. I explained to him our situation and he kept trying to make a sale, so I just reached my hand out to shake his and said very politely, "Thank you very much for your help, but it's just not going to work today." I was very proud of myself! I don't think he expected that...

After that triumph, I met my mom for lunch at my favorite restaurant, Wave, where we grabbed some sushi. Delicious!! That night, we decided to stay in town, and I was able to spend the entire night with my mom and dad. It was great. I was able to give my dad his gifts from Father's Day and for his birthday, drink some huckleberry lemonade, talk, laugh, and our favorite, get some ice cream. Dad and I rode into town on the bike and ate ice cream like little kids. Delicious.

Thursday was another great day. I slept in, took the pup for a run, and then headed out to the lake. And guess who met me there?

Nick had met up with a friend who was driving across the country, and they ended up driving from Columbus to Spokane in about four days. They both came to the lake for the day, and we all were able to hang out. My good friend Kelsey came and met us, and it was a perfect end to my week off.

So much fun!

And so, my week at home was quite a whirlwind. I didn't really do as much catching up on sleep as I planned to, and I actually left with a bit of a head cold, but let me tell you, it was definitely one for the books. I had a blast with my family and friends, and I can't wait to go back. Thanks Spokane for a great visit, once again.