Summer Excursions

This summer I have been busy working two jobs and have not kept up much at all with the blog. I leave in a short few days for my return to Spain and plan on keeping up much better and hope that everyone will enjoy following the second year of my journey. Along with working at the YMCA and teaching Math, I have reflected upon my experience thus far in Spain and feel so excited for this next step. Here are some pictures of this beautiful summer in Seattle and more.

My mother was able to visit twice over the summer. It was nice to spend some quality time with her.

 I heard about the scenic Mt. Rainier railroad and Dad said he would love to take the trip with me. It was quite the trek to get to the railroad but it was well worth the journey!

 This old fashioned steam engine is like every little boy's dream! 

 The inside of the train was really neat with the park bench seats. We packed our own lunch and enjoyed it during the ride.

 Here is the view of Mt. Rainier from the train.

 There were different types of cars. We decided to go with a closed top but open windows.

 Dad also took me for a ride on the steam powered paddle wheel on Lake Union. It is the largest west of the Mississippi! It was the most beautiful sunny day!

 On the boat we sat on the top deck outdoors. They provided a lot of interesting information as well as entertainment!

 I loved looking at all the different house boats and learning more Seattle history.

 Finally, I was able to visit my favorite little ladies in which I used to spend much more time. I only was able to have a short visit but it was great to see them and how much they have grown.

 I cannot believe these beautiful ladies in this wonderful family were only one and three years old when we first met!

 I went camping in Oregon to see my little sister for the first time in TWO YEARS!! I got to meet her boyfriend as well which was great!! It was sooooo wonderful to spend time with them. We only went on a short two night camping trip but it really nice.

 These were my sleeping quarters for the two nights haha just enough to keep our the bugs.

 Here was there sleeping quarters.

 Although I brought plenty of wood, we needed more for all of our fires. It took some practice to build the right one!

 FINALLY

 I missed her and hope we can keep in better contact.

 This summer I met with many friends to catch up. I also was able to go to the magnificent Puyallup Fair!! AHHHH I loved it! Of course I had to see the giant pumpkins. The one on the right holds the new record. Something like 1248 pounds.

And lastly, I attended a Husky football game!! Go Dawgs!