½ Tank #2

After we left Sam’s on Sunday (Sept. 27, around noon, rather than in the morning like we had planned), Hannah and I found our way to Hwy. 2 and began the journey east. Hannah was kind enough to offer to drive since I’ve never been on that stretch of road and she’s done the trek a few times. It is a beautiful drive and I suggest you make a trip out that way at some point so you can experience it yourself. We had our first car jam session to Freebird (by Lynyrd Skynyrd), with Hannah on steering-wheel-guitar and me on air drums. Then we actually switched instruments, something only great performers, like us, can accomplish successfully. It was pretty wonderful. We also cracked up about something ridiculous, but I’ve already forgotten what it was. Maybe Hannah remembers.

Our first stop was Leavenworth since I’d never been there, and it was a treat. The buildings were so cute (yes, cute) and they had some really fun stores to explore. Oh, and let’s not forget the delicious polish dog we ate. Mmmmm.

The next stop was Chelan, although we had a little trouble finding the correct turn out of Wenatchee. Han and I were both pretty tired by this point, so the ride north was a tad quiet. When we arrived at Sandy’s house she was babysitting a couple of kids from her neighborhood: Jaiden, who is probably around age 7, and Skylar, who is 3. At first they were both pretty shy, then Jaiden started to warm up to us just before she and Sandy went to meet up with J’s dad. So Skylar hung out with us, playing on the swing set and answering “no” to almost every question we asked. He also told us several times that we were not funny, but he was frequently trying to suppress a smile. He was pretty hesitant to trust us adults, and that made me kind of sad. It seemed like maybe he had been let down by grown ups more than he should have been in only 3 years. Once he saw that Jaiden was having fun with us, he decided to join in the festivities. For as much as I really don’t want to have kids of my own, they can be a lot of fun. Tiring. But fun. We swung them around in the air a bunch, had a grass war, took a break a break because the battle wore us out, tickled each other when we would “fall asleep” (great idea by Hannah, and super funny to watch). Then at some point both children decided it was time to play “dog-pile-on-Marissa” which is a game that gets old (at least for me) pretty quickly. :)

After the kiddos went home, Hannah and I went a bike ride around town and eventually ended up having pizza for dinner again. Once we got back to Sandy’s we unpacked a bit, started some laundry, and watched “White Fang.” I should say I watched “White Fang.” Hannah and Sandy both fell asleep.

The next day Hannah and I trekked up to Winthrop, a cute little town that looked straight out of the old Wild West. We got some yummy treats then headed back to Sandy’s. That night Sandy made us a great dinner and we made another friend under the age of two, Keegan. He was adorable. He was also the child of a young mom, which has to be tough for both of them. I think it’s great that Sandy is in that area, though. She is great with all those kids, and I’m sure it’s nice that the parents have a trustworthy person to help watch their children.

The next morning we had a great breakfast of eggs and bacon then hit the road once again to head to Spokane.

Until next time, God bless.

Over and out.
~Marissa