Five Days

Is it really only five days until I'm in Austin? How are things moving so fast? These past few days have been complete madness. All of my things were packed and shipped this past Thursday, leaving me with a largely empty room and very little to do at the house except read one of the few books I left behind, watch TV, or stare at the wall (all of which have already been done at some point). And with no car, I've had to ask (beg?) people to ferry me around. It's like I'm fourteen years old all over again. Luckily, friends and family have helped me stay occupied and forget that my entire life is about to change in less than a week.

Friday, my best friend Amanda and I went on a hike in Olympia at Ellis Cove. I googled the hike to see how long/treacherous the hike was, and it said the hike was considered 'easy.' Google lied. SO many hills, along with side trails that left us hopelessly confused and wishing we had a map.

Enjoying the view from above and conveniently forgetting that we'd have
to trek back up these stairs at the end of the hike.

Conquerer of the dirt mound.

View from the cove. Hello, beautiful Olympia.

In the middle of one of our 'where are we?' side trials when Amanda found
out I had food in my backpack. Quickly followed by "Are you kidding me,
Allison? I am starving!"

So. Tired.

That evening, on exhausted post-hike legs, my dad and I went to watch the Mariners lose yet again at Safeco Field. But, we're so used to this outcome that it had no impact on our enjoyment of the game. And, as usual, my favorite player Justin Smoak did a big fat nothing on all four of his at bats. Way to go, Justin. Way to go. We sat in the 'King's Court,' which only happens when 'King' Felix Hernandez is pitching. By sitting in this section, we got shirts and a giant 'K' sign to wave around whenever a strike-out was imminent. Best section ever.

Dad and I in our King's Court shirts. Notice the random man photo-bombing
us in the background.

Felix Hernandez. Notice the PACKED stadium...oh wait.

Standing and waving around my 'K' sign. This is the most cardio I've ever
gotten at a baseball game, as we stood whenever Felix had 2 strikes against
a batter - which happened a lot.

I found this gem of a photo-op when getting food.

Oh Dad. Your face in this gets me every time.

Last but not least, yesterday we lost a very special man. One of my former high school teachers (and beloved OHS baseball/football coach) lost his battle with brain cancer. Rest in peace Mr. McDougall. I imagine that in heaven, you'll have the best view of all the baseball and football games you could ever wish to watch.

We all love and miss you McDougs.

My Car is Moving to Texas Before Me

Today marked the first movement of my things to Texas. My Honda Fit (affectionately called The Blueberry) began it's journey today, and I was sad to see it go. Partly because it means I'm stranded for a week and a half at home now. Tomorrow, all of the rest of my things go! At 8am no less, as if losing everything for two weeks wasn't already bad enough.

The Fit beginning it's long journey to Austin. Hopefully it doesn't mind the
heat.

So, to make myself feel better, I went to one of my favorite places in Olympia (Tumwater Falls) with my good friend, Abbie. It felt hot out at 84 degrees, so I already know I'm in for a rude awakening when August 2nd rolls around.

Tumwater Falls

The totem pole looked like it was missing something. I'm thinking they should make a carving of me into the pole to commemorate my time in Olympia. It would fit right in.

I am the totem pole.

On a final note, how gorgeous is Olympia? I took this a couple days ago from the ferris wheel at Lakefair. Feast your eyes on Capitol lake with the capitol building in the background.

Capitol Lake

Born and Raised

I can think of no better way to say goodbye to my final days in Washington than to go to a John Mayer concert with one of my closest friends, Amanda. The official tour name, 'Born and Raised,' felt completely appropriate for this time in my life...how did John know?! With all the changes getting ready to happen, the lyrics "One of these days I'll be/Born and raised and it/All comes on without warning" were perfect.

Amanda and I with my fancy (not really) John Mayer tote bag. It's pretty
much paper-thin, so it's going to end up getting framed instead of used.

The show started at 7:30pm, and we rolled into the parking lot at around 7:20pm...so close! Thank goodness for reserved seats! Phillip Phillips started the show, and while I may not have watched American Idol for a few years now, I understand why he won. He was great! He has got to be so sick of singing that song "Home" though, no matter how much we all love it. Then John Mayer took the stage with one of the more stunning stage set-ups that I've seen. Fake mountains with a starry night background? Yes please, it was so relaxing to look at.

John Mayer and his crazy wonderful background set.

Thank you Amanda, Phillip Phillips, and John Mayer for giving me such an amazing Washington memory right before moving. And even though we got hopelessly lost for half an hour trying to find the highway after the show (oops), the night couldn't have been more perfect.

Let's Move

Two weeks from Friday, I'll be making the big move from Washington to Texas. Starting the first day I'm in the Lone Star state (August 2nd), I'll be making regular updates to this blog. Let the next stage of life begin, grad school here I come!