Sooo....

I know, I know. It's been way too long. I think updating this thing has been on my "to do" list for the past month or so. And theres so much to say!

First off, It has been exactly a year ago that I left Michigan to road trip out here with my Mom and start work on the Mountain. I can't believe how much has changed in those 365 days. I have seen and done so much and its been an incredible journey.

As far as updating goes, I have a job now! I worked as a temp for a little while and while working at my second assignment, they offered me the position! I am a receptionist at a reinsurance firm located downtown. I work in the heart of the city on the 20th floor with a pretty swell view from the front desk. The job has alot of downtime but I have learned how to pass the time well enough and my co-workers are all fairly nice and entertaining. I am happy for the opportunity to work and save some money, while figuring out what my future career may be. I am definitely still interested in the laboratory or healthcare field but am enjoying my current situation until I figure out my next move.

I am currently still living with my wonderful and supportive family, and enjoy riding to work with Uncle John and Aunt JoAnne during the week. Sadly, on June 1st I will be moving to a house in the Ravenna neighborhood with 2 new roomies. Although it will be hard to leave my awesome family, I am looking forward to living with people my age and exploring the area from a whole new angle.

The past few months have treated me well. In February, I was lucky enough to have one of my very best friends from school come out to visit me on my 23rd birthday. Jessie and I spent the weekend roaming around the city, venturing to the top of the space needle, staying in a modern and artsy hotel room, and had an all around amazing time. I am truly lucky to have such a great friend.

In March, I was able to take some time to travel to Augusta, Georgia, where my brother is currently living, to meet up with him and my parents for my Mom's birthday. It was great to have the family together to celebrate. We enjoyed walking around the area, along rivers and among swamp land. Of course, we couldn't be in Augusta without visiting the famous Augusta National Golf Course. Since it's heavely guarded to keep out "rif-raf" like us, we opted for a photo of the sign outside.

I have been enjoying my time out here as much as I can, especially on the weekends. I went to visit Joe Wells one weekend in Port Angeles, where we hung out with his roommate, went to the local bars and wandered around the beautful salt creek in the area the next day (see above picture) A few weekends later, Zack and I took a spur of the moment roadtrip down to Portland to check out the area we started our roadtrip at last November. We stayed at the same hostel, shopped at the local boutiques, tasted the local food and drink from the area. That night we hung out with another couple from the hostel who were also visiting from Seattle and made friends!

My most recent trip was my long weekend trip down to SanFransisco. I flew down to meet up with my friends Kaytee and Jacob that I worked at Mongolian Barbeque with a few summers ago. They picked me up from the airport and we drove straight south to Big Sur State Park, where we camped for two nights. The coast was beautiful. Zack and I had passed through the area on our roadtrip but was glad when I could spend more time exploring. We spent the first day getting the campsite set up and then rented tubes to float down the river on. Kaytee and I found a sunny spot where we hung out and chilled in the cool water. That night we brought a bottle of wine to the beach and then roasted marshmellows on the fire, before heading to bed. That night we froze our booties off! The second night I opted for the car to keep warm. We went on a hike the second day up to a tin house with a great view of the coastline. After heading back into the city we spent my last day in line for seats to see a live taping of the Conan O'Brien show. We got great seats and had a great time at the show. Definitely something different and exciting.

Its continuing to prove to be an exciting journey. The mountain has recently opened up after extensive damage from a flood in November. Zack works there permentantly so its nice to be able to go out and visit. I truley get the best of both worlds.

Hope life is going well for everyone (if anyone is even patient enough with me to keep checking this) Be sure to keep in touch and take care!

Yours, Annie