Hello?

"Where are you? Hello? Where did you go? Is anyone here? Hello?!!!!"

Have you ever been in your yard, house or anywhere, for that matter, only to turn around and find the people you thought were with you are...gone? Simply nowhere to be found?

You search for them in obvious places, like the bathroom, or under a pile of blankets...you know, in case they are hiding in the pile, waiting to jump out and scare you. But they're not. Nor are they in the kitchen making you sandwich. They've just seemingly disappeared.

Fortunately, in most cases, the missing person isn't missing at all. They've usually just stepped out the back door for a sec, popped behind some shrubbery to relocate a sprinkler, stepped into the closet to get something buried deep within or ran down to the basement when your back was turned.

No matter where they've run off to, the person left behind (haha, no pun intended) suffers a few moments of sheer terror, thinking thoughts such as this:

"The rapture has happened and I didn't make it!! Ohhhh no!!"

But oh, what sweet relief washes over you as soon as you find the missing someone, right?

I have a very distinct memory of this happening to me as a child. Mom and I had been outside. She then told me she was going inside. I went in a few minutes later but could not find mother anywhere. Not even in the
basement!

...Panic. Stress. Fear. Sweaty armpits. What should I gather to keep safe, fed and warm? Where is the big box of matches? I should find them immediately and put them in a waterproof bag...

Oh. She was just STILL OUTSIDE. Behind some shrubbery, relocating a sprinkler. THE NERVE!

Something similar happens in my own home more frequently now that we live in a house with more than one level. Well, really, now that we live in a space where you can't see in every room by simply walking through the front door.

We've lived in some small spaces...including an RV. But I digress...

A few months ago, I went outside to put on our new license plates. I yelled my intention upstairs and then headed out. Ten or so minutes later I see Justin stick his head outside, then throw his hands up in relieved exasperation. "I thought for sure the rapture happened, I've been looking for you all over the house!"

Apparently he hadn't heard me declare my aforementioned intention.

Then there's last night. As I headed upstairs, I asked Justin to bring Rolin up in five minutes. Instead of getting ready to feed Rolin, I started looking for something in the back of our closet, so when Justin looked in our room he didn't see me. (This makes our closet sound big...it's not.) I wasn't in Rolin's room, the bathroom or the guest room. I'd seemingly disappeared!


...Panic. Stress. Fear. Sweaty armpits. What should I gather to keep safe, fed and warm? Where is the big box of matches? I should find them immediately and put them in a waterproof bag...

He checked all the rooms again and thankfully spotted me in our room just as he started to tell Rolin he thought the two of them had been left behind.

Sweet relief!

Is the rapture anyone else's first assumption? I think it's hysterical that it's the first conclusion Justin and I jump to when we can't find each other in our own home.

Adios, amigo!

We parted with a good friend last month.

A friend that had seen Team Thompson through many adventures, countless movies, laughs, tears, good news, late night snacks, lazy weekends and panic attacks. This friend was also hospitable to strangers and friends alike, and stuck by our side through the five times we've moved in the last five years.

Though strings of insults were thrown its way, particularly around tax-return season or any time we moved, this friend remained a constant in our lives.

You could say this friend has been there through sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer.

This friend was our couch.

Our OLD couch, that is.

Old Couchy in San Jose

WE GOT A NEW COUCH!

The crew loading a few of the boxes into Justin's work rig. 

Old Couchy was a truly heavy beast, complete with a hide-a-bed. We have reason to believe it had invisible lead bricks sewn into its cushions. Justin absolutely despised that couch, but, really, only when we had to move it.

I inherited Old Couchy from friends Sarah and Eric when I lived with Tara & Ami in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Eric and Justin moved it into my old apartment, destroying only one and a half exit signs and scraping the stairway walls along the way. Upon setting it down, Justin proclaimed, "When you move out, this thing is staying here!"

Luckily Joe was in town when we decided to get the new couch.

Then Justin and I got married a while later and, upon reviewing our finances, decided to move the couch into our new apartment in Lake Forest Park. My dad and bro Joe helped with that move. Upon setting it down in the new place, Justin proclaimed, "When we move out, this thing is staying here!"

OK, one of the main reasons we got the new couch was because Joe was in town.

Then we learned we were moving to California. Old Couchy stayed in LFP while we lived in my parents' RV in CA while waiting out our LFP lease to be up and trying to save money for a new place in CA. After getting all our ducks in a row and finding an apartment in Mountain View, CA, we reviewed our finances and decided to bring Old Couchy to CA. My bro Joe also helped with that move, both out of the apartment in WA and into our new home in CA. Old Couchy smashed only one finger along the way. Upon setting the couch down in CA, Justin proclaimed, "When we move out, this thing is staying here!"

It takes a lot of muscle and stamina to move Old Couchy.

From Mountain View we moved to San Jose where our rent was a bit higher. Upon reviewing our finances, we decided to bring Old Couchy with us to the South Bay. We had a crew of friends help with that move, but still, upon setting down the couch, Justin proclaimed, "When we move out, this thing is staying here!"

Not exactly sure what to do with the old while bringing in the new, we moved the beast out on to the porch.

Soon after we got settled into our place in San Jose, we received our tax return. Upon reviewing our finances, we decided to see about getting a new couch. It was also the weekend Justin's brother came to visit. We spent the better part of Saturday testing out new couches....leather couches, microfiber couches, couches with ottomans, couches in the shape of an L.

We came home with new TV instead.

In no time at all, the neighbors expressed interest, and Old Couchy had a new home. 

As you know, we recently moved again...this time back to WA. A professional crew of movers packed up and transported our belongings this time, so while Old Couchy skirted ridicule during this latest move, Justin still looked at the couch with hatred that burns with the heat of a thousand suns. When it came time to arrange the living room, Justin proclaimed, "This is the last time I want to move this couch!"

So he began plotting. Plotting ways to convince me it was time to part with Old Couchy. "We'll have more visitors now so we'll need more places to sit." "See how it dips down in the middle?" "See how it slides so easily on the wood floor?" "Don't you think a darker colored couch with a different fabric would make for easier baby barf clean up?" "You hate this couch, too, don't you? DON'T YOU?!"

The weekend Joe my bro came to town, and after MUCH discussion as to whether or not it was the right time, we went to Coscto and purchased a new couch.

New couch!

We weren't sure what we'd do with Old Couchy, but as Joe and Justin moved the beast out to the porch -- not without much moaning, groaning and calling of names -- the neighbors walked by.

The neighbors are now the proud new owners of Old Couchy.

I'll miss Old Couchy. As I said, it's seen Team Thompson through a lot of adventures, but change is good.
And so is a new place to rest our weary rears.

The Bucket List email

There is an email, a chain letter of sorts, going around in my family titled, "The Bucket List." It's a list of adventurous activities you are to place an X next to, acknowledging your participation in such activities.

As I went through the list, I found myself inserting comments and short stories about my experiences. I stopped half way, realizing that the email was to be kept to the point, and that if I had a hankering to elaborate, I should do so on a blog. Well, I have a blog because I get these so-called hankerings from time to time. So, here we go:

Have you ever:

(my commentary is after the --- )

This is for your Entire Life!!.......

x	Shot a gun -- several. BB guns, rifles, dart guns, pellet guns
	Gone on a blind date
X	Skipped school -- a few of us in high school skipped our 0-hr class to go get lattes instead. Rebels. College, however, is a different story. I was known to take the occasional "personal day."
	Watched someone die. --- Dying, yes. Die, no.
X	Been to Canada -- band trips, baby.
	Been to Alaska -- I hear you can see Russia from there
	Been to Cuba --- I hear there was a missile crisis. Opt out.
X	Been to Europe/Asia --- I've been to London and Ireland. I went with my friend Jen!
	Been to South America
	Been to Las Vegas --- surprisingly, no. My friend Jeff lives and teaches there now so I'm sure I'll go at some point, but I've never gone to party or walk the strip. I guess I'm not in the cool club.
	Been to Mexico --- no, but I want to. I think it'd be a fun girls' trip.
	Been to Florida --- I don't care for sharks and I feel the same about alligators.
X	Been on a plane --- a time or two
	Served on a Jury
X	Been lost --- ha!
x	Been on the opposite side of the country --- If you count the Atlanta airport and Ft. Benning in Georgia as the other side, then yes.
	Gone to Washington , DC --- however, I'm still proud to be an American.
X	Swam in the Ocean --- yes, I've even been snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. I couldn't breath most of the time because I was terrified. I wasn't one to go any deeper than the length of my snorkel. That's a funny sentence to read out of context, btw.
x	Swam in the Ocean with Dolphins --- There were dolphins outside of the supposed "secure" snorkeling area on the reef. So...by association, yes. There was also a dumb woman who ventured outside the roped off area to get closer to the dolphins. Thank goodness I was back on the boat, with a beer, so I was safe inside in case sharks attacked. In my head I was screaming, "WOMAN! WE ARE IN AUSTRALIA. YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO DIE OUT THERE," but I didn't...I just watched from the window, too scared to actually say anything, so I just drank my beer. I drank a lot of beer in Australia. There, I said it.
x	Cried yourself to sleep --- it wasn't pretty. It never is. I'm an ugly crier. (That's for you, Heather B.)
X	Played Cops and Robbers
X	Played Cowboys and Indians --- I think we played more of this than cops and robbers
?	Recently colored with crayons (within the last 2 years) The answer here is possibly. I've colored with glitter markers, but I can't say absolutely yes to crayons.
X	Sang Karaoke --- the folks I worked with at my old gig in Seattle were big time Karaoke fans. We hit the Little Red Hen and some creepy places in Chinatown more than I'd like to admit.
	Sang in a band --- I was asked to be in a band that never formed, but that doesn't count. However, I was in an acapella group in middle school and chamber choir in high school... not necessarily bands, but groups singing together.
X	Paid for a meal with coins only --- If you count food from vending machines that have to act in place of a meal, then yes.
X	Made prank phone calls --- Heather P. and I got to be pretty awesome prank callers back in the day. Sorry, boys.
x	Laughed until some beverage came out of your nose --- it stings.
X	Caught a snowflake on your tongue
	Danced in the rain --- I do not care for the rain. I will not dance in it or for it.
X	Written a letter to Santa Claus --- he's never written back.
X	Been kissed under the mistletoe --- I like mistletoe.
	Watched the sunrise with someone --- Not intentionally, anyway. I've been places with other people when the sun rose, but I've never gone out of my way to take someone somewhere to watch it. I like the idea of it. We even talked about getting up to go watch one on our Honeymoon in Hawaii, but it didn't happen. I'm more of a sunset person.
X	Blown bubbles --- duh
x	Gone ice skating
X	Gone skiing --- don't want to ever again. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I don't give up often, but when I went skiing (more like human snowball rolling down a hill) I sat down half way down a hill and waited for someone to come get me. I was also more sore the next day than I've ever been in my life. Horrible. Sledding, however, is fun.
X	Camped out under the stars --- a few times as a kid in our treehouse or on the patio to watch a meteor shower. Justin and I do enjoy camping, though we don't get to it that often in California. And here is a reason why.
	Took a vacation alone --- I'd feel bad leaving JT behind
X	Seen something so beautiful that it took your breath away --- I find it's hard to breathe when I look in the mirror. JUST KIDDING. Totally kidding. I have seen some beautiful sunsets, though.
X	Are or have been married --- Team Thompson, baby!
	Have children --- someday
X	Have or had a pet --- Yes. Here is a list, in case you were wondering. Goldie (cat), Jessica (dog), Playful (cat), Wilber (fish), tadpoles (I caught them in a pond in Pomeroy...some grew to be small frogs, but it's hard to catch flies to feed to baby frogs so they didn't make it too long), Willy (killer dog), Kirby (dumb dog), mice (yes, I found and kept field mice in a box, but threw them outside after I discovered one had died and the others were eating it. Sick.), Flopsy & Mopsy (Matt's gerbils, Pete (devil cat. A cat that I will never actually claim to be a pet, though my parents fed it and it lived on our back porch for more than 5 years).
X	Been fishing --- for small fish in the pond in Pomeroy, as well as in the irrigation pond at the Olmstead's house.
X	Been boating
x	Been Water Skiing --- more like water crashing. I'm not good at it at all. I can hardly get up. It's pathetic.
X	Been Hiking --- lots of fun hiking areas around us in CA
X	Been camping in a trailer/RV --- And I'm thankful for the time I spent there.
X	Flown in a small 4-seater airplane --- It was piloted by none other than my cousin Andrew!
	Flown in a biplane --- well, maybe, if the plane flown by Andrew had 2 seats instead of 4.
	Flown in a plane doing acrobatics
	Flown in a glider --- no thank you
	Been flying in a helicopter --- would like to
	Been flying in a hot air balloon --- not sure I want to, but my in-laws have!
	Been bungee-jumping --- I just can't see how that's good for your skeleton
X	Gone to a drive-in movie --- we had a good time with the Coxes!
X	Done something that should have killed you --- Yes, I drive in 24+ miles of California traffic 5+ days a week.
X	Done something that you will regret (feel sad about) for the rest of your life. --- yes, and I try very hard to forget about such things. They make my tummy flip and my face turn red. I'm not going to write about them, either.
	Been to Africa --- I'd like to see Egypt sometime
x	Ever ride an elephant --- at the circus!
X	Ever eaten just cookies for dinner --- C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me. Oh. Ehem. What?
X	Ever been on T.V. --- in the background of news reports, but never in a show or something in which I've been an ac-tor (please say this aloud as if you are Jenna Maroney from 30 Rock)
X	Ever steal any traffic signs --- I've attempted to, but chickened out. They're screwed on pretty well, I might add.
X	Ever been in a car accident --- In a 4 car fender-bender in 2008 while driving south on I-5 in Seattle. I also backed into someone in the parking lot in high school. My cars, however, have been in more accidents by themselves.
	Bailed out of Helicopter/Plane --- I've always wanted to skydive, but it's expensive and I'm a bit of a tightwad.

Have a nickname?	Queen Latifah, Lady Aberlin, Sister Hazel (these three were assigned by my brothers...the first two are for reasons unbeknownst to me), Chris, Chrissy-K, K-Rabe (long story)
Body piercings?	currently: 2 Previously: 6 (2 in right ear, 3 in left ear, 1 in belly button)
Do you drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle?	4
Favorite NUMBER?	5
Favorite movie?	Love Actually, Goonies
Favorite dessert?	ice cream
Where do you see yourself in 10 years	I've tried to stop planning ahead -- someone else is in control :) however, if it's an evening such as this, I'd like to be snuggled up with my hoosband and some kiddos, eating popcorn and watching a movie
Furthest place you will send this message?	Better yet, reply to this with a comment to let us know where you're reading from
Mother’s name	Ginger (Virginia)
Favorite Drink	coffee

Team Thompson Cooks

I subscribe to a few foodie magazines: Every Day with Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food and Sunset...I've limited myself to three, well two and a half...I count Sunset as the half, because I like to keep the magazine around for ages, no matter if I've torn out all the recipes I want to try -- even if I've torn out so many that I'm left with only a front and back cover! I get the other, more hardcore, foodie publications, such as Bon Appetit, as bonuses at work. I rip those, too, to shreds.

Special thanks goes out to my MIL Karen for renewing my subscriptions for my birthday!

I tear out the recipes and then tape them in different spiral notebooks. The notebooks are then filed, according to different categories (main course, appetizer, drinks, party themes, desserts, etc.) in a fun filing box I got at Target last year while unemployed and living in an RV.

Slowly but surely we're making our way through the spirals. A few weeks ago we finally made Rachael Ray's Winter White Burger when I magically found all the necessary ingredients had made it to my kitchen. Unless you're one of my adult family members who have regular get-togethers where one of the entertaining staples is jalapeno jelly, cream cheese and crackers, jalapeno jelly isn't something you usually keep around. However, knowing it was featured in one of my spiral recipes, I picked some up at the store a few months back.

Justin and I LOVED this recipe. We loved it so much that I have "pear" written on the back of my left hand so I remember to pick one up before I head home tonight because we're having them again! I recommend you try them out, too!

Winter White Burger
From Every Day with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground turkey breast
• 4 scallions, white parts only, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 ripe Bartlett pear, cut lengthwise into 8 slices
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese (I used an Irish cheddar from Kerrygold)
  
• 4 tablespoons hot pepper jelly or jalapeño jelly
• 4 extra-large English muffins, split and toasted

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, scallions, mustard, lemon peel and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Shape into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.

2. In a small nonstick skillet, add the pear slices, wine, lemon juice and enough water to just cover the pear. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the pear is softened, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pear slices to a plate.

3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the turkey patties and cook, turning once, for 12 minutes. Top with the cheese and pear slices, tent the pan with foil and cook until the cheese is melted, 2 minutes.

4. Spread 1 tablespoon hot pepper jelly on each English muffin bottom; top with a patty and an English muffin top.

Tabbity Tab Tabs

Unless you have an extra thousand bucks laying around, or you just love paying your state money...just because...do not, and I repeat, do not move to California and say to yourself, "oh, we'll take care of the registration when it's time to get new tabs."

Last Monday morning, Justin and I were punched in the face by the DMV.

As a favor, I'll say this now so you can save your breath: This is our fault. Completely ours. However, I'm still going to blog about it. For your reading pleasure, of course.

We finally went to take care of our registration last Monday as the tabs on one of our rides is about to expire. We knew there would be some fees involved because we put it off, BUT we didn't know they'd make us pay two years of fees because we moved to California A YEAR ago. Yes, two years of fees for two cars. Ouch.

Here's the kicker. The woman at the DMV asked me at least four times, in the most monotone voice ever, if I did in fact move into an apartment in the state of California on April 1. I thought she was trying to get me to say, "well, we signed a lease on March 12 and my parents moved the RV back to WA on the 18th and then a week later our stuff came."

No, she was trying to get me to lie so I wouldn't receive two years worth of fines. Thanks for being so obvious, lady.

Justin was at a separate window and finished updating the other registration before me. He had gone through the same thing. In the end, both of us agreed we'd feel better if we just did the right thing. I'm not a fan of guilty conscience, even to save $500 - seriously - and Justin busts liars and thieves for a living. We knew we brought this upon ourselves...

...and really did think the DMV would do a little fact checking. You know, like asking for a copy of your lease or first pay stub...

No wonder the state is broke. The DMV encourages people to lie so they don't have to pay fines. I thought government entities loved taking people's money?! It was nice of the lady to "offer." We've decided we have to stay in California for at least a year now, you know, to get our money's worth.

(@&^$(!^(%)@(*!*(&^~)*(_$(_%*&)&

Belated

Wow! I had no idea so many of you were waiting for a real post! We have quite a bit of information for a proper update, and I will do one before the new year!

In the wake of a crazy fall and fast start to December, I’ve managed to skip over posts for 2, nearly 3, very important birthdays. That doesn’t mean, however, I forgot them outside of the blogosphere!

Here we go:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

December 5

We couldn’t have made it through this last year without you, dad! A simple “thank you” doesn’t even begin to express my gratitude for you and all you do. I loved our dinner dates while I was in town for mom’s surgery and can’t wait to see you again. Here’s to a fabulous 62 years and many more. I love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE my BRO!

December 8

Joe – Welcome to your mid-20s! It’s been fun to watch you graduate this year and pursue teaching as your profession. It’s wonderful to hear about your adventures in the schools and about how you genuinely love investing in the kiddos you’re responsible for teaching and coaching. We’ve all got our fingers crossed that you’ll land a full-time position soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMA!

December 17

This one is early, but why not hit all three of you at once! I love you, mom! From filling the RV with food before we moved in to listening to me express frustration as well as excitement during the move, we couldn’t have made it through this year without you, either. I am incredibly grateful to God for your early discovery, successful surgery and trouble-free recovery, and am thankful for the time I got to spend with you in November.

Pool surprise

The temp has been on the rise over the last few days and I LOVE IT!! It reminds me of summer time at home and I could really use some home time now :) The city where I work is expected to reach 101 today, and Mountain View is holding steady at 90 in the shade, but it's expected to reach 98. Instead of sitting inside where it's getting hotter by the minute, I've been kickin' it on the deck in my swimming suit to keep cool(ish). Yesterday Justin and I spent a little portion of the afternoon poolside at the apartment pool and I swam a few laps. It was a nice way to cool down before we spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out how to cool down the apartment and wishing we hadn't thought the old box fan, though still working, was old and broken enough, to be thrown away in the move. Lesson learned.

Today, Justin is working so I went out myself to catch some rays and take a dip. It was early enough that I was the only one out there, which was nice. After 10 mins a side - yes, that's enough to fry me to a crisp - I jumped in the pool. I waded around in the shallow end for a few minutes and then talked myself into going all the way under. As I drew a deep breath and was under about up to my chin, I saw something on the bottom in the deep end that stopped me mid-submerge.

A lizard.

Oh sweet crap I hopped out of that pool faster than Superman on call. My feet were on fire from the hot cement as I ran for my flip flops and grabbed my towel. I would pay money to watch a replay of that whole sequence - I'm sure it was hilarious to watch. After a minute of staring at the lizzard to figure out if it was alive or dead, I concluded it was alive and definitely crawling closer to the shallow end. So instead of letting the little guy ruin everyone's pool time for the rest of the day, I found the skimmer and went to work on getting him out.

I was successful and dumped him in the bushes. I'm not sure if I hurt him in the process, but he was hissing at me and doing his mad lizzard pushups to show me he meant business. He's probably back in the pool now, getting bigger and telling his friends about the mean girl that skimmed him out. They're likely planning to work together to skim me out of the pool next time I'm in there. Either way, I've called quits on swimming for the rest of the day, and probably until the pool cleaner comes back later this week.

Never a dull moment around here, folks. Ugh.

Oh, which reminds me that I forgot to mention our hot water stopped working Friday night and was out most of Saturday. Seems the boiler for the entire complex went out and the fix-it guys have been busy tinkering away. The hot water in our apartment works now, but we're closer to the boiler than folks at the end of the complex. If you ever want to hear something hilarious, turn off the hot water and tell Justin to take a shower. The water was so cold it was hard to take a deep breath and he got done showering in record time Friday night. Unfortunately, I know what that's like because of a horrible experience in a rental RV during a trip to the Rose Bowl in 2003. Long story short, the rental RV's water tank had a leak which left me with no option but to shower in a communal shower at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center where the hot water was also broken. It's an awesome complex and I had a nice swim there, but the shower experience was not awesome. That was a happy day.

That's all for now!

RV by sunset

The last week brought many positive changes for Team Thompson -- I got a job doing marketing for a high-end grocer/farmers' market, we moved out of the Ramada and mom and dad drove down the RV so we'd have a place to live once we vacated the hotel! Though we've been out for a few days, I can still hear the welcome video from the hotel TV: "Welcome to the Ramada Morgan Hill, and thank you for choosing the Ramada Morgan Hill" (repeat 10 times).

Some of you know that one of the most horrible experiences of my life took place in an RV; in California, no less. It involved a rental RV, snow storms, leaky water tanks, Tiffany Amber Thiessen, gassy brothers, frigid communal showers, Rodeo Drive, excessive alcohol intake, a tell-tale red eye revealing I somehow had some vodka (uh oh), the Rose Bowl, New Years Eve, cigars, golf carts, bicycle races and endless miles of road construction. It might not sound that bad, but keep in mind I'm sparing you most of the details. In short, I spent most of the trip rocking back and forth and whimpering...it took a few years to get over the nightmares ;). Despite one minor mishap with the black water tank (...let's just say the hose wasn't properly secured to the septic tank when we pulled the empty lever...), RV living this time around has already proved to be a much better experience. Mom and dad even left all sorts of food and other necessities in the RV for us!! We couldn't be more thankful.

The Coyote Valley RV and Golf Resort we now call home is just what its name indicates. Stationed on a "Jack Nicklaus Signature Course," the park is complete with a pool, hot tub, laundromat, fitness room, putting green, dog park and free Wi-Fi. I think we're the only people here without a dog so maybe I'll take up golf. Maybe.

Ok, probably not :)

Here are a few pics we snapped with our phones (our camera charger is in the mail):





























I bet you wish you could shower next to an airbrushed giraffe...














Mom and dad's RV is a Safari edition from the Serengeti line, hence the African Shara theme :) I suppose I should note that we're in the RV because we can't get rid of our apartment in Seattle.