Oktoberfest: Leavenworth, WA

As I mentioned in one of my last postings some small towns in Washington have themes to them and Leavenworth is one of them. Leavenworth history begins with the two Native American tribes that first lived there. The Chinook & Wenatchi tribes lived there and then pioneers came in search of gold.

With the arrival of new settlers came the rail road as well as the logging industry. The towns economy thrived but then the railway moved and with the decline of the logging industry the once flourishing town was at the brink of extinction. In the 1960's the towns leaders in hopes of bringing tourist to revive the economy decided to change the appearance of the town. Leavenworth was given a Bavarian look. Their bright idea worked for them.

Oktoberfest was so much fun, people were very nice and the town really goes all out for the festival. There are several festivals throughout the year but Oktoberfest is one of their biggest ones. Although it was raining that did not stop us from having fun.

So with Oktoberfest I welcome the Fall.

Ended the Summer in Style

I love baseball. I'm personally a Yankee fan but I have to admit that Mariners fans make going to the ball games such an enjoyable experience. My brother is a Martinez Foundation Fellow. The foundation gives scholarships to minorities who are seeking a teaching career. My brother is one of the lucky recipients of their generous gift for higher education. What does this have to do with baseball you ask?

Well it has everything to do with baseball. The founder of the Martinez Foundation is none other then Mr. Edgar Martinez, former Mariners 3rd Baseman. Not only does my brother get a scholarship but he also gets sweet perks and this brings us to "Ending our Summer in Style". I had the opportunity to watch the last game for the Mariners in a Suite Box.

It was AMAZING!! We had so much fun enjoying the game and having fun with friends. So here are a few of the pictures from the game.

Summer Reads

As many of my friends know I LOVE to read. With that said I just don't read anything, I like to stick more to the Classics like Dickens, Austen, and Shakespeare. All that changed after my friend April convinced me to read Twilight. Whether you are a fan or not I have become more open to other books. I have also noticed how now a days anyone can call themselves an author.

Seattle is ranked as one of the top most literate cities in the nation, and with that comes amazing book finds at your local Goodwill Stores. Most of the books are priced between 99 cents to $1.99. We also have Half-off Books which is another amazing store. So in cleaning my room the other day I found all these books I have read so I'm attaching a picture of them because I really enjoyed reading them. In total I read 12 books but two of them were just painful to finish.

Some of them made me think, others reminded me of my amazing girlfriends and the bond that we have, and others made me realize how I wasted my time on such an awful book. So thank you April for forcing me to read Twilight and asking me to open my mind to other authors that although they may not be Dickens they still can make their mark in the literary world.

Camp Zarahemla

I have gone camping more during my few months here in Washington than I have in my whole time in California. This Summer I went camping with my sister-in-law's family to Camp Zarahemla. I was very excited because I was able to check off one thing off my "Bucket List".

I have always wanted to go canoeing, it just looks so much fun. Well let me tell you it was even better then I had imagined. I have made the drive through Mt. Rainer and it never gets old. I am amazed and in awe of its beauty. I always feel closer to my Heavenly Father during those drives because one can't help but see His hand in the creation of such beauty.

Yakima Valley

Here are some pictures of the Yakima Valley at it's best.

Summer Days

The Summer of 2010 was a great one for me. The interesting thing about it was that I was without a job but to be honest I was so happy. Everything I had planned went completely wrong but yet again I was so content with what I had & was able to enjoy the time off.

When I really thought about it this Summer was the 1st Summer in over 10 years that I actually had off. It reminded me of being a kid and how we would count down for Summer to get here. There was this sense of freedom and adventure that comes with it.

One of our road trips took us to the small towns of the Yakima Valley. The first time I saw the Valley it was during the Winter and it did not make a good impression on me. It was so dead and gray compared to the lush green of Seattle.

It is during the Summer that the Yakima Valley is at its best. The hills are covered with green and the vineyards are flourishing. As you drive towards the Tri-Cities the view reminded me of Tuscany.

Some of the small towns have themes to it, which I find interesting. Toppenish is known for it's murals but there are other towns that missed the target, like Granger. They decided to make their theme dinosaurs, yes I'm serious dinosaurs. I have no idea why they thought this was a great idea but I guess if you want people to talk about your town the goal was accomplished. So here are some of the pictures from my Summer.

Family, Friends, & Life

So these past few weeks have been interesting for me mainly because I've had people just over share about things. I think it all started with my Branch Presidents wife telling me how she was constipated for almost two days right before Sacrament meeting. Then my co-worker somehow finds the need to tell me very personal matters everyday.

I guess I have always considered myself a private person. I have always felt that people should be on a need to know basis. Maybe thats a little strange but that seems to work for me. My close friends pretty much know everything about me & they could really tell you some stories & I know everything about them. Having people over share things made me realize how much I miss my friends. I wish they could all live near & we could hang out & have tons of fun but we are all chasing our own dreams & living our lives where the Lord needs us to be.

Although I miss them tons I'm very excited when I get a call with an announcement of a new baby or engagement or just to catch-up. But having these random people tell me their crazy stories has also made me realize how much we all just want to be listened to and need that human connection. I'm all about texting, updating my status on facebook or writting on my blog but as much as I love technology I have to admit that it cuts out good old fashion communication.

I've been here in Seattle for almost 7 months (yikes already?) and the thing that I have enjoyed the most is being near my family. I feel like I have a sleepover with my sister-in-law everynight because we can be silly, vent, go shopping or have a girls night out and I get to hang out with one of the men I admire most, my brother. I know I have family & friends although scattered that love me and that makes life good.

Well thats it for me, we'll see what new crazy stories people have for me this upcomming week.