Last Day of Winter 2014

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring!  I realized the other day that I am really looking forward to summer here, to it staying light out until nearly 10 PM so that we have lots of time for fun in the evenings.  When it gets warm enough, we'll be frequenting some beaches nearby, especially Lake Wilderness!  I am planning to take the kids back up to Mt. Rainier this weekend for one final sledding adventure though.

Another milestone is coming up.  March 29th will mark our one year anniversary of buying our home in Maple Valley.  I am as in love with this place today as I was a year ago.  I do still miss my friends back in Illinois.  Perhaps in the years to come I'll have successfully persuaded a few to move west ... but for the near future, in a few short weeks we'll be heading to Illinois for a SUPER visit.  I call it that because not only will we be seeing lots of Illinoisan friends, but the many family members also heading there for my brother's wedding!

I'm a bit picture crazy ... Spring is upon us!  This was taken in the parking lot at Kent Station where the AMC Theatre closest to us is.

And these were taken at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum.

And here are a few other recent photos, from Cougar Mountain about 35 minutes north of us.

Lastly, I have lost seven lbs since January!