Lots of Washington

I cannot believe I did not tell you all about last night! Mom, Dad, and I went to go and eat dinner last night at the Space Needle!!! It was an incredible experience for sure, definitely not something you do often but it was really fun and a cool thing to see. That was pretty late though so after that we went home. Today was quite eventful as well, however. Started out with an early practice at 9:30, we had another two hours of ice time, this time we didn't get a break in between to get the ice redone by the zamboni. We did a lot more skating today but our head coach was still not able to be there, he'll be there on tuesday I've been told. I also have been told that we will be doing a lot more skating once he gets here. I have three days completely off for the weekend, they are redoing the ice at our practice rink so we literally cannot skate, nice break huh? It'll be interesting to see how practice goes once our head coach gets here. After practice we went straight up to our game rink, Dad hadn't seen it yet. There we ran into the rink manager and he automatically guessed that I was one of the players. He introduced himself and showed us around the rink and the locker rooms and explained that we generally have two locker rooms for the size team that we have. After we left the rink we headed to the Seattle Ferry. We took the ferry across to downtown Seattle, one of the coolest things I've done out here so far. We then walked around and got ourselves to the Market up there it was incredible!!!!! There was so much amazingly good looking food there! Everything was so so fresh and so perfect I had never seen such amazing fresh and perfect produce before it was unbelievable. There were tons of huge fresh fish and huge fresh fruit! The best part though, it was so so cool, THE ORIGINAL STARBUCKS!!!! hahaha it really wasn't too too different but just the idea of being in the very first starbucks ever was really cool. So of course we got a drink from there, it was necessary for sure. It was so so cool.

This morning we started the day off with an early practice at nine thirty. Two hours of ice just like last time, only this time we didn't get any break in the middle for them to Zam the ice. Bummer. We did quite a bit more skating today than yesterday and I still was able to keep up, I'm not nearly in shape enough but I was able to keep up. Our head coach still hasn't made it back yet he will be back on Tuesday I am told. I've also been told that he runs practices a little bit harder. So I guess I have a little bit......a.k.a a ton..... more skating to do haha. We'll see how that goes.

We then headed up to show Dad the game rink, in Bremerton! It worked out perfectly because as we walked in the rink manager met us and immediately guessed that I was a Tomahawk player. He very nicely showed us around and talked about the rink so that was very nice. It worked out great he made us all feel very welcome to his facilities.

Then we got to take the Seattle Ferry! It was sweet! It was cold, but it was really cool. There was food onboard there were tons of seats for everyone, you could stand out on the front and watch the water and the boats and feel the wind. The sea gulls loved to ride the draft winds from the boat. They just kind of glided along over our boat chasing each other talking to everyone haha. "Mine!" haha.

When we got to Seattle we went to the Pike Avenue Market. It's this huge huge farmer's type market where all these fantastic farmers and fishermen and just all sorts of produce come out. There were beautiful flowers, huge and just perfect looking fruit, wonderful looking fish and shrimp! It was spectacular. Just wonderful to see, I had never seen a grocery store with that many varieties of just fantastic things to buy, let alone a farmer's market. At the end of the market, however, was the best part. THE ORIGINAL STARBUCKS!!!!!!!! It was so so cool, well I guess honestly it wasn't really all that different from the normal starbucks but just the knowledge of it being the very first starbucks was such a cool experience. We had to get a drink there haha, it was for sure necessary.

Tonight I am spending the night with Mom and Dad in the hotel. It is their last night here so I thought that it would be nice to be able to spend as much time as possible with them before I had to go and live out here with no chance of getting back for a weekend or just a day to say hi. Wish I was closer so that that was an option. Oh well, the Lord took me here for a reason. That's why I'm here, to find out what that reason was haha, then I'm going home haha just kidding I'm going to do my best out here promise you all that, I'll do you proud.

I made that realization actually the other day, I no longer am out here just for me. I represent so much more that the way I act, play and present myself will reflect on so much more than just myself. I now represent my Family, Jason, Aaron, Jessica, Mom, Dad, Kellie, All the extended family too! I represent my state, people will look at me and expect a lot of how I act and present myself and play to be how a lot of Colorado will be. I represent a lot, a lot more than I listed or that I can comprehend even haha. No pressure though right?? haha

I'm now going to be looking into getting at least one college course done this semester too which is rather exciting. I have to try and work that our this weekend before hockey gets too intense and I forget about it.

Em and I are again just fabulous. It's been so great and such a blessing everything that has gone so well for us. God truly seems to be on our side, and we have always promised ourselves to pray that if it isn't his plan or that we don't keep him at the center of our relationship that he allows us to fail, or to show us how to fix it. And so far he seems to be very pleased with us, which seems to make every part about this experience to be so much easier. We just got off of a call on Skype, which is such a great invention haha. She was so so adorable. She was exhausted. She had had a long but sounded like such a fun and amazing night. She was so tired at one part near the end of or conversation that her neck apparently decided it was time to sleep. It just wouldn't hold her up anymore haha her head flopped off the screen on one side then she got it back up, only for it to flop off to the other side and off the screen again haha. I kept trying to get her to go to bed but refused of course, she said, "my day wasn't complete yet." :) hmmm I love you so so much Sweetheart!!! We talked a little bit longer, after she configured her computer to show her in the screen even with her head flopped haha. She was so so adorable, as always.

Love you all thanks again for checkin in on me. If you have any questions let me know, you can also always text of call me, I'd love that. And for those of you on Facebook I'm trying to take as many pictures and put them up as I can so y'all can see. I'm working on figuring out how to get this set up so you can all see these pictures that I take, so if anyone has any suggestions on how to do that please let me know on that as well.

33...... Oh I guess it is officially now 32 Days!!!!!