Due to the hectic events of the past month the blog has taken a backseat. So
much has been going on since the triathlon that I don’t even know where to
begin. I guess I’ll start with the most pressing issue, our current employment
status.
Since completing our contract here in western Washington, we have applied
for two positions in Alaska. Unfortunately we haven’t heard back from either of
them, so we are stuck in limbo. There is the possibility more jobs will open
up, but as of right now we just have to play the waiting game until a something
comes through. Once it does, we will let everyone know where we are headed
before we pack up shop and make our way to Alaska. While it is nice to have
some time off to enjoy the now beautiful weather here in Aberdeen, WA, we are
itching to start the next leg of our journey. Please say a prayer, keep your
fingers crossed, put on your lucky socks, or do whatever it is you do when you
need good news so that a job opens up for us soon!
While we wait though, let me recap all the craziness that has been going on
recently. For the sake of your time reading it and my fingers typing it, I’ll
try to condense it as best as I can, but I must warn you, this will end up
being lengthy. Since you’ll be here for a while, it might not be a bad idea to
use the bathroom before reading further.
We spent the weekend after the triathlon taking in more of the Seattle area.
First, our supervisor at work organized a get together at the Seattle Mariners
game. Fun fact, Safeco Field (where the Mariners play) is built on top of a
fault line and was constructed as 7 different pieces that all move
independently to prevent it from crumbling during an earthquake. One of these
pieces is a retractable roof. However, the roof doesn’t completely enclose the
stands, so even though the field is covered, some fans can still get rained on
if the wind is blowing hard. As fate would have it, we were those fans getting
rained on. We still had a great time though, and the Mariners won!
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| Despite the rain, still a god looking crew |
The next day, we met up with Nate and Kayla for a trip to Deception Pass, an
hour and a half north of Seattle, for some hiking. Shockingly, it was raining.
So we geared up and headed out anyway. A little rain didn’t stop us from
enjoying our hike. This is the most visited state park in Washington, as well
as home to an amazing 976’ long bridge. Just admit it, bridges are cool. You
know they are.
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| Isn't she a beaut? |
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| Yes. These are our friends. |
After a day of hiking we went out for a night on the town in Seattle,
including a dueling piano bar. The next morning we said our goodbyes, but do hope
to see Nate and Kayla again on our way out of Washington. They have been great
friends and we are fortunate to have met them and been able to spend time going
on various adventures with them.
The following week was our last week of work. It was definitely bittersweet.
While we were excited to be finishing up, heading home, and then preparing for
Alaska, we know we will miss the friends we made, the people we worked with,
and the patients we treated. Also, being here for five months, instead of our
normal three, made it even harder to say goodbye.
My birthday occurred during the last week of work and Amanda organized a
surprise party for me which my fellow triathlete, Larry, hosted. I was
completely shocked, as I had no idea this was in the works. It was awesome to
have everyone together outside of the work environment. Larry even played some
tunes on his guitar for us to close out the night.
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| The cake says it all. |
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| Larry's rocking out. |
In addition to setting up this party, Amanda also got me the perfect
present, making this one of the most memorable birthdays I’ve ever had. Little
did I know she had more tricks up here sleeve. We’ll get to that later…
Before we could fly home, we had to complete the ridiculous amount of
paperwork that had accumulated at our job.
Only then were we able bid Pacific Care and Rehab Center a fond
farewell, hop on our plane, and make our way back to PA. What would follow was
a 12 day whirlwind of activity.
First was the wedding of Lindsay (Gimp) and Brad Kunkle. We had an awesome
time and were so happy for the both of them because this wedding had been in
the works for some time. Amanda was a bridesmaid, and looked stunning in her
custom fit dress.
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| Congrats Lindsay and Brad! |
Following the wedding weekend, we hit the road to see more people than we
can count. Our trips included, but were not limited to:
- Our respective parents in West Chester and Ephrata, PA (with actual beds to sleep on!)
- The Funk/Lucadamo family in Gettysburg, PA
- We also did the Gettysburg battlefield tour in this, the 150th anniversary of the battle. Excellent tour, even when rushed.
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| Beautiful scenery steeped in Civil War history |
- The Morris family in Drums, PA, which was the most relaxing portion of our trip.
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| Here we are with all those Morris girls |
- My sister’s family in Oreland, PA where a day at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ was clearly the highlight.
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| Kiera's not so sure about petting a shark |
- Some quality time with our grandparents.
- Dinners and BBQs with aunts, uncles, and cousins from both of our families.
Thank you to all of our gracious hosts.
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| Hannah, Aunt Jody, and Amanda after dinner |
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| BBQ with the cousins |
- A Phillies game, courtesy of Dave Brown, which they found a way to lose, BOOOO!
- Gatherings with friends from Ephrata, to Philly, to Princeton, and everywhere in between.
- Amanda managed to surprise me again by organizing a huge get together with my friends from work, PT school, college, and high school at the Ugly Moose in Manayunk for trivia night. Again, I was floored. That Amanda is a tricky one. Just when I think I have her figured out she pulls a fast one on me.
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| The quizzo team reunited |
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| As promised Des, you made the blog! |
Thank you to everyone who made our time at home so enjoyable. It is always
great to see people and spend some time catching up. No matter how much time we
have at home, we always want more. Don’t worry, we will be back soon!
Before we knew it, our 12 days at home passed and it was time to head back
to Washington. At this point we felt about 10 pounds heavier from all the
partying and dinners out with friends/family. Now bloated and back in Aberdeen,
we have devised a plan to get back to being active and continuing to explore
western Washington while we wait for an Alaskan job to come through. This past
weekend we returned to Olympic National Park for hiking in the Hoh rain forest
and Ruby Beach, which are areas we had not previously been through. Even after
5 months here, we are still finding new places to see and experience.
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| Tom's Creek Falls |
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| Killing time at Ruby Beach |
The Spring weather is such a contrast from what we got used to over the past
5 months. It is now 70-80 degrees and sunny every day. So at least we have that
to enjoy while we wait. Hopefully we won’t be waiting that long and we can
leave for Alaska sometime this week. Until then though, we wait…
