Rock Star

OK, so this is an older picture (by older, I mean like exactly one month old) but I still wanted to show you:


I'm a cello rock star. And that's all there is to it.

Wallace Falls Hike

On Saturday, Andrew and I went on a great hike to Wallace Falls. It was so beautiful and was a very great hike.



All the trees in the mountains are hairy (really it's moss). Crazy!



This is the Lower Falls. At the top, you can see the Middle Falls.



Middle Falls from a much closer vantage point. These are the most beautiful of the set. There was so much mist coming from the big drop. To the right of the Fall, the black rock had been worn smooth. So lovely.



Upper Falls were pretty, and it was a great place to stop and have some lunch!



This is what the rest of the world looked like from the Upper Falls. It was so misty and we were almost in the clouds!

Andrew and I then decided to follow another trail to Wallace Lake. There was no one on the trail. It was so silent and beautiful. I couldn't believe all the ferns! During this part of the hike, we actually were in the clouds!



That is what a lodge pole pine forest looks like. Just like a forest of aspens, only pine.



We reached Wallace Lake! It was pristine, and totally silent cuz no one else was there.



My handsome Andrew looking at the lake and fervently wanting to go fly fishing in it. He would love to fly fish here because the rivers are wider and there was no one at this lake. Those two things combined mean he was sad he couldn't fish.



After we reached Wallace Lake, we decided to go a little further to Jay Lake. We reached the Lake and it began to rain. We turned around and headed back.

We figured we hiked about 12 miles. We got soaked and my hands were frozen. We had so much fun together and I am glad we could go on such a great hike! It was fun to just say, "Hey, let's go a little further." Good times. My new hiking shoes served me well!

Driving In Washington

Compared to driving in Oregon (where everyone drives 10 mph below the speed limit, such that I felt like I was speeding even though I was driving 5 mph below the limit), driving in Washington is great. Andrew and I have discussed how every place has a driving culture. It's true! In Logan, people drive slow, do right turns without pulling to the side, and need HUGE gaps to turn left. In Utah Valley, they are mean, cut you off all the time, and drive really fast. In the Salt Lake Valley, they drive like normal sane people (this is where both of us learned to drive).

Washington also has its own driving culture.

• Weaving Traffic - Here in WA, it seems like the city planners said one day, "Oh, I think we need an interstate. Oh no! There is no room for one. I guess we will have to make a lot of round entrances and exits. In fact, we will have to make them in the same places." This means you drive in a circle to get off the freeway, and then you have to quickly merge to avoid getting back on AND avoid the cars that are trying to get onto the freeway. It ends up being kind of like a dance where the dancers make an X and just take turns. This ultimately results in people who are actually willing to let you merge, and don't get angry and think you are being a jerk who cuts them off.
• The roads make no sense. Yes, there are numbers that go in order, so that helps, but there are a lot of word streets. This isn't too bad, until you consider that all the roads are curvy. None of them are straight, so you end up not knowing what direction you are driving. Thank goodness we have a little compass in our mirror! It is also hard to navigate because the roads are not connected. I grew up in grid-street-land, and every street can get you to the other street, even if you miss it. In Washington, if you miss the turnoff, you should just turn around and try it again, cuz you are not getting to it any other way. It is ultra annoying when you are in one spot, and you know your destination is only a little ways off, but you can't get to it cuz the road does not connect with it.
• So many highways! One thing is for sure, I will be very good at merging and reading signs after living here. The map I have included doesn't even include all the state highways. Every exit off of the interstate goes onto a highways. It is so weird! One thing for sure, the interstates are lovely with so many trees growing along both sides. However, the roads are so loud! I think they all need to be re-done. They are going to wear our tires down as if I were driving on rocks at 60 mph all day long.
• Sometimes I wonder about the intelligence of Washington drivers. One of the most common signs I have seen on the sides of the interstates, highways, and entrances is a sign that reads: "No Parking: Tow Away Zone." This makes me wonder... How many people stop on the freeway, lock their cars, hop the fence, and go shopping? If they have signs for it, it must have happened.

I hope these things prepare you for driving in Washington. We are having a good time here. Andrew really likes his job at Boeing so far! Hopefully, we'll be able to go hiking this weekend. :)

Last Week I Graduated

...and it was great. I don't really have my diploma yet, but I checked my grades online and I passed the two classes that I actually had to take. So I am officially a college graduate! I can now proudly say that I have my Bachelor or Arts degree in History.

Me walking and giving Andrew a 'thumbs-up'.

Me waving to my adoring fans.

Dr. McInerney and I.

I tried to meet the challenge, but I can't jump high enough and my arms are too week to hang onto the horns for longer than about three seconds.

In front of Old Main, my favorite building.

Me and my lover man on the A.

The Mom and The Dad and I (aka, me with Andrew's parents). I was very glad that they could come up!

My parents and I. Of course, I was glad they could come. I am their first child who has graduated from college. I am also the oldest child and the only one capable of graduating at my current age, unless they had a super genius child, like the kid who graduated with me who is 13.

Andrew and I are so cute! He looked so handsome that day.

No diploma, so sad.

Diploma, so glad! Still no job opportunities, though. That doesn't matter. In the description of the college of HASS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences), they said that we are the intellectuals of the University. Isn't being amazingly brilliant better than having a job and eating?

Maybe that's why I married an engineer.
So I don't have to worry about it.

The Mighty Columbia River

I can not believe how BIG the Columbia River is! When we drove through Idaho, I thought the Snake was big, but the Columbia River is even bigger!

This is the Columbia River at night from our hotel room. It was so beautiful! I just sat in our windowsill and watched the river.

More river watching from the window sill. The trains were cool to watch go on the edge of the riverbank. That bridge is called Bridge of the Gods. I don't know why.

Another thing that is amazing is how green Oregon is!

More river watching. I must be waiting for Lewis and Clark or a sturgeon to pop out of the river.

Andrew and I in front of the Columbia River. Romantic.

Long Time, No See, Lots of Busy Changes

Hello hello hello! It has been a very busy two weeks since I last posted. There are many changes in the loco life of Sarah and Andrew.

• Moving to Washington (the state!) - Andrew got a summer internship with Boeing, and he will be working in the aeronautical engineering division with the team working on the Boeing 787. The new and awesome one. Below is the video of its first flight. He is so excited! I can't help but brag. There were over 800 applicants for this internship position and he got it! I keep telling him it is cuz he is smart, personable, and a diligent worker. He refused to believe it. So then I tell him that Heavenly Father is blessing him, and he can't argue against His love!
  

• Graduating from Utah State University with my BA in History on Saturday! Hooray. I'm very excited, even though little will change in the Fall, when I begin my MA program in History at USU.
• Creating a software code by learning to embed html codes in my blog posts.
• Scrubbing down my apartment in preparation for the move.
• Filling out a passport application cuz we are SO GOING TO CANADA!!!
• Watching a movie called 9 to 5, which was very funny. It is about these three secretaries who do not like their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss. They think they poisoned him with rat poison and it just becomes a mess. Andrew said, "I can't believe you made me watch that feminist movie." Maybe so, but it was great! By the way, feminism is not bad. Extremism in any sector of society is. But feminists don't have to be extreme. I enjoyed it, parts were cheesy, and I think that it was a good Thursday afternoon flick. Here is a funny clip from the movie about one option for getting back at their boss.
  

Have a lovely first week of May!

As a side note: something that is not new about this week is that it is finals week and it is snowing. Typical Logan. Love it.