Military Jets Trigger Sonic Boom in Western Washington

I thought we were being bombed...a little startling:

Military Jets Trigger Sonic Boom in Western Washington

A Green Victorian House Next to a Park

I got an apartment!!! I mean, I still have to decide exactly which unit I want, sign the paperwork, and put down a deposit, but I got official confirmation over the phone today. It was a bit of a nerve-racking day. I'd like to say I gave my anxiety over to God and trusted that it would all work out, but really I was tied in knots all day. For a while I didn't think my application would go through--apparently I look pretty bad on paper because 1. I have no job, technically, nor have I since 2009; 2. I have no renting history (oh, except for the year I lived off under-the-table work-trade in a hippie town on Maui, ha); 3. I haven't lived in one place longer than a year since I was 17. I squeezed all the responsibleness I could into my conversation with the property manager when Natalie and I checked out the apartment on Monday, and they're going to let me have it :) with a few conditions--a co-signer, and 2 or 3 months of rent up front.

The apartment is really wonderful, in a well-maintained green Victorian house in "Historic Browne's Addition", right across the street from a huge park...good neighbors, a murphy bed, grocery and coffee shop and pub and bus stop and downtown and the river within walking distance. Slightly higher rent than I had hoped for, but after visiting several places under $400 a month, I quickly realized that I would probably be anxious and disturbed if I lived in any of them...think haunted houses and/or cigarette smoke and incense.

I have a home!

Furaha and Baraka: 1400 miles later

OK, it may sound a little cheesy, but I named the Focus--after officially signing the title!--Baraka, blessing in Swahili. I figured it was good luck for him to have a name before we went on our long drive together. And no, his name has nothing to do with our president. It might actually have more to do with a Ken I named Baraka a long, long time ago. Maybe.

And we made it to Spokane! It took three days of driving--7 hours, 9 hours, and 5 hours--and was actually quite enjoyable. This is everything I fit in the car:

-well...basically everything I own, besides several boxes in my parents' attic and a couple full bookshelves. It fit with lots of room to spare.

-tent, camping stove, lots of snacks

-mixes my friends made, Where Men Win Glory on CD, and a short story that Isaac read out loud and recorded onto a CD (I KNOW, isn't he sweet?)

-my bike attached to the back of the car (which unfortunately really cut down on my MPG)

First two days were extremely uninteresting, totally flat and straight. North Dakota is the flattest, hugest, most boring chunk of land probably in the whole world. Eastern Montana is not much better. The third day was better; I had to be on my toes more driving through the mountains (and I'm such a Midwestern girl--I was going under the speed limit a lot of the time because hills scare me).

I got to town early afternoon yesterday. Cathie and I took Grandma to Didier's for frozen yogurt and then she drove me all over Spokane to get a feel for the neighborhoods. It's a very manageable city and has some fantastically beautiful parts, especially along the river. I fell in love with Browne's Addition, a neighborhood west of downtown where a lot of EWU students live (though the campus I'll be attending is on the east side). It's the oldest part of the city and has a lot of amazing victorian houses mixed in with apartment complexes and condos. Today I'm looking at a place a couple blocks from the river and right next to a huge park. I am SO excited to live here!!

And I'm not too stressed (right now). The move to Hawaii really helped me have confidence to know that everything will get done and that I am a fairly capable person :)

I'm starting another facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2050399&id=110900370&l=75130d0118