Play

I have two weeks left of school. Not even two. A week and a half. 

But I already feel like it's summer. 

The weather is perfect, the majority of my friends are done with school, and track is over. I feel completely unmotivated to do anything but lay out in the sun, have bonfires, and eat ice cream. 

And go camping. I definitely want to go camping. 

My head is swimming with glorious thoughts of summer, 

and I am so excited to play. 

Lately

I don't know if I'm just overdosing on Vitamin D or what (all this sunshine!!!), but I could not have been happier lately. Summer is slowly showing its face, and a mixture of nostalgia and excitement is coming with it. 

This school year is winding down. As I am getting ready to transfer and move on from this college, I cannot help but reflect on the last two years that I have spent here and all of the things that I have learned. I'm so grateful. It hasn't always been easy, but I wouldn't trade these last two years. 

Lately I have realized how much I'm going to miss my track friends. 

They have all become so dear to me - 

there is nothing like grueling workouts to bring people together! 

Lately I have realized how much God's hand 

has been on my relationships here.

Yesterday I had a Bible study over coffee with a dear friend. I left feeling so blessed - so blessed that God has set up that relationship for both of our benefit. I didn't always have friends I could relate to in that way here (though I have had wonderful friends with different beliefs and ideas),

 and I'm so grateful that I do now. 

Lately I have had spring fever.... 

I've been feeling rather lazy. I don't want to do homework - or anything productive really. I just want to go to track practice. And enjoy the weather. Case in point: I went through a box of cereal in two days. Purely because I didn't want to cook anything. 

Lately I have been questioning my plans for next year... 

but you always question big decisions. 

Lately I have been anxious/nervous/excited for track championships!!!!

NWAACCS is less than a week away.

I have a busy schedule - I'll be racing the 10k, the 1500m, 

and the 5k in a period of two days. 

I'm really hoping for a gold medal, but I'm going to enjoy the races. 

Love to race. Love to win. Love to run :) 

So Long Spring Break!

I flew north for Spring break, and, 

though the weather was better than expected, 

I am thrilled to return to Boise’s springtime temperatures.

74 degrees today – right in time for Easter. I love spring!

I have had a lovely Spring Break – 

it was not the most restful, by any means, but definitely good. 

I love Northern Idaho. I love running along pine tree lined roads and the glistening rivers. I love my grandma and her charming little garden house. And I love catching up with people I went to elementary school with. It’s a little strange, but amazing.

I’ll spare you all of the details, 

but I thought that I would give some highlights of my trip:

Getting to hold my friend Amanda’s baby. We danced ballet together when we were little kids and had sleepovers and talked about boys.

 Now, she is married and has a daughter. Life blows by.

Lunch with my grandma and my friend Cheyenne in a resort hotel overlooking a beautiful lake. And a gourmet ice cream sundae for dessert. Followed by window shopping downtown.

And moose sightings. 

A successful 24 x 400 meter workout, that I genuinely had nightmares about the night before. I did it alone, and did 4 more than I was supposed to. 

I’d say I conquered it.

Exploring the tastes and restaurants of downtown Spokane – The most delicious Bison burger in a trendy pub and French cuisine in an adorable café.

And.... Getting my first manicure ever. I’m all about experiences!

Now, it’s time for a new adventure. Tomorrow, I begin my last quarter at TVCC. It will likely rush by like a whirlwind… I’ll be traveling every weekend for track, tying up loose ends in student government, and getting things ready for next year. 

But I want to enjoy the moment. 

Make it last as long as possible.

Hello Spring Break!

I’m all about embracing new life experiences.

About things I can write about in my journal.

And things that spice life up a little.

In Paris, I once spit off of the Eiffel Tower.

Now you know.

So, for Spring Break, I got inspired to take a Greyhound bus to my old stomping grounds near Spokane, Washington. I’ve never taken a Greyhound anywhere, but so far I think I would recommend it.

The tickets are cheap.

The bus driver is friendly.

It’s reminiscent of all the public transportation I took in Europe.

And the people make for excellent entertainment.

So many different people from so many different backgrounds - I can’t stop my curiosity from running rampant. 

Spokane, apparently, has not gotten the memo that it is SPRING Break. Apparently, it’s a stifling 28 degrees there.

This is going to make for a few not-so-wonderful long runs and track workouts. But Kelly says that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… 

so I’ll take her word for it.

In Boise, it's all sunshine and roses. 

We celebrated the beginning of Spring Break by taking pictures for instagram, naturally. 

But not in Spokane. It's a little chillier there. 

And, did I mention that my parents are in California right now? 

Or that my little sister is going to Hawaii in a few days?

Thus is my life. To be fair, I had to opportunity to go to California, but for some reason I turned it down.

I have a feeling a grand adventure is awaiting me up North… in the snow.

And the first few days of break have been lovely so far, so I'm excited to see what else is in store. 

There is really no reason for me to include this picture in this post,

 except that I love it. 

And I love Spring Break!!! 

Runner's High and Spring Break!

At 10:13 a.m. on Wednesday morning, I officially began my Spring Break.

Though I finished up all of my finals and student government business on Tuesday, Wednesday’s workout was supposed to be a grueling 

20 x 400 meter repeats. 

And I could not possibly get myself into spring break 

mode until that was completed.

Up until Wednesday, I had only ever done 16 x 400 meters, 

so having to do 20 was somewhat daunting. 

It’s not like four more laps is that bad. Physically, I’m fairly confident that I could probably do eight more laps… or even more…. And maintain my pace.

But mentally, in a workout that already takes forever, in the rain, when you are exhausted…. 20 x 400 meters at lower than 10k race pace seems a little…. intimidating.

And on top of that, it’s been a rough week of workouts. We are all really exhausted. Maybe it’s the two-a-days we have been throwing into our routine, but it had been a rough few days of practice.

So I met my friend Annie at the track bright and early, and we began to bust out this classic 10k workout. Being finals week, my coach gave us a go ahead to practice on our own, so it was just us and the track. 

And the 10 mph wind on the backstretch.

I’ll spare the minute details, but I will talk about the last mile. 

We had four laps to go. 

We had only ever done 16 laps of repeats, and we were tired.

“We finished the main part of the workout. 

These four laps are the just the toppings on the sundae”, I said.

And we began to count down.

Lap number 17. The chocolate sauce.

Lap number 18. The whipped cream.

Lap number 19. The sprinkles.

And lap number 20… the cherry.

As I’m sure you can imagine, the end of a grueling workout is not the prime time to be thinking about whipped cream and chocolate sauce. But while it made us a little nauseous, it also spurred us on.

And then, after a cooldown and a major case of runner’s high… 

it was officially spring break.

We were pretty thrilled that we finished. Big smiles :) 

Big Things

Something big is happening in my life this weekend. 

In Western Oregon, on Friday, I'll  be gearing up to run my first outdoor track race of the year – a 10k. It will be run under the floodlights at Linfield College on Friday night (and hopefully there will be NO rain.) There is a lot of pressure on me to perform during this race - various coaches will be watching, I have a time to live up to, and let's be real... it's a 10k. It's a tough race. I am definitely nervous. I'm doing my best, however, to focus on the task at hand and to enjoy myself. To give it to Jesus. 

Like I said, this is a pretty big deal for me. And it should be. But it's way too easy  to get caught up in "my own little world" and think only about the things that are happening within it. 

Big things are happening all around the world right now. 

In Ohio, one of my best friends Christi Avery will be running the 60 meter dash at indoor nationals – she’s the epitome of a sprinter, I like to run 10ks. We make quite the pair :)

Across the ocean, my dad, my little sister, and about thirteen other wonderful people are going to be stepping onto Chinese soil
for a two week long missions trip.
(I’m unbelievably jealous… don’t get me started.)

In Seattle, Pastor Judah Smith’s new book Jesus Is ____ just came out. And Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez endorsed it. Check it out: 

http://video.foxnews.com/v/2189946979001/

In Iran, Pastor Saeed is still in prison for his faith.

You can read a little about him here. 

His words on joy in the midst of trial are reminiscent of
Paul’s letters in the New Testament.

http://ag.org/top/downloads/Abedini_Letter.pdf


Looking at all of these big things happening worldwide, I'm able to keep everything in perspective. My race this weekend is important. But there are so many important things happening. There are so many other amazing things to focus on and be excited about and pray about.

It feels like life just has crazy momentum right now!!!

Christmas Highlights

The last week has been a lovely mess of family, friends, and delicious food. 

I honestly cannot remember everything that happened, and I don't intend to write it all down. I have been so busy just living. Relaxing. Embracing life and little moments and holiday bliss. 

I had two Christmases, really. 

One on Christmas Eve, since my brother and sister in law could only be home that night...

And one on Christmas day. 

On Christmas, while we were sitting around the tree opening presents, a random lady walked through our door with arms full of presents. After staring at us for a few seconds (our tree is right by the door) she said "Oh, wrong house!" And went on her merry way. 

My sister and I decided to go see Les Mis that night, but we didn't think about how it would obviously be sold out if we got there only five minutes early. So we saw Lincoln instead. 

Definitely deep for Christmas, but still a fantastic movie!

The last few days have included my dad's birthday, my little sister's birthday, 

some shopping, and snow!!!!!! 

We also made it to Les Miserables eventually.. 

BEST. MOVIE. I'VE. EVER. SEEN. 

I have pretty much lived off of sugar the last week, and I have been having to get early morning runs in (in the dark and snow) for them to actually happen. But its all working out! I still have tons of family in town, but everything will chill out around New Year's. I'm loving the spontaneity life has brought me lately, though. I'm unorganized and not in control of everything. 

And I love it!!! 

Two Days

Just two days, friends. 

Just two days, one guitar class, one test, one oral report, and two practices stand between me and Christmas break. A month long Christmas break. It will be glorious!!!!!

I had a lovely and refreshing weekend, and I'm now ready to power out these last two days of the term. 

Saturday, I got up super to swim at the local pool. When you can't run, and the school gym is closed, that's your option. But I loved it. I was the only one there under 65 (because what kind of college student gets up at six a.m. on a Saturday to go swim laps?), but it was so fun! Great cardio. 

Then I went and got free coffee (courtesy of my friend at our new Dutch Bros) and drove to watch my best friend Christi (who goes to college in Portland) race at the indoor track about an hour away from my school but only fifteen minutes away from my parents' house. Her team was here for the first indoor meet of the season. She is a sprinter, and she is REALLY fast. I love it because we always get to 

support each other. 

She's my favorite. This picture is not. Haha. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon studying and finishing up papers at Starbucks. But I mean, if you are going to study, it might as well be at your favorite coffee shop. 

I decided to go home (to my parents') after that, since I was just a few minutes away. I didn't really feel like going back to school or driving a long time. 

I spent the evening relaxing with my mom under the Christmas tree. 

And today, before I headed back to good old O-town, I did some Christmas shopping/studying in downtown Boise. I love it there so much. I may have grown up in a small town, but I love exploring cities. I think that's why I want to move to London so badly. 

Anyway, my achilles seems to be healing up, it's finally December, and I absolutely cannot wait for a month of Christmas cookie baking, sleeping in, and hanging out with this beautiful girl! 

I love my little sister.

Have a lovely Monday!!!! 

Portland Rambles and XC Travels

Happy Sunday :)

It's been quite the weekend! 

Early Friday morning, my team made its way to Portland for the Adidas classic. 

Long charter bus rides are pretty much a weekly occurrence!!!

Portland was, well... rainy. 

But I came to race. And I wasn't going to let rain - or anything else - stop me. 

And after what has seemed to be a hopelessly terrible season, I finally broke out of my slump!

 I ran this course last year, too, and it is incredibly beautiful and fast. I knew I had the opportunity to have a good race, but I also knew I had to get rid of all the negativity I had been carrying around. So I prayed. A lot. And I really felt a weight lifted off of me. And, following my mom's advice, I took a "vacation" from complaining for a couple days (still doing so). 

And honestly, it made all the difference. 

My dad gave me some fantastic pre-race advice too. He was on his way back from a work retreat on the Oregon coast, and he stopped by Portland to cheer me on! It was so fun to have him there. 

Before my race, he told me: "The people up in front love to race and love to win. Really, Susanna, that's all you have to do. Love to run and love to win." So simple, but so true!!!!

I also clung to a piece of advice that I read in Ryan Hall's book 

Running With Joy.

  "You have to race as if it were impossible to fail."

With perfect, cool fall weather and a level of joy I can't even express, I walked up to the starting line. The gun went off. And I held on to my confidence, sticking right away into the lead pack. I felt so much more intense that I have this whole year. I was actually racing.

I ended up finishing 13th, just outside of the top ten. 

My time was almost 20 seconds slower than last year, but tons faster than my times have been this year.

Truth be told, I have way more in me than I gave. 

It's all so mental, and you have to really convince yourself to push through the pain. 

I think I could have gotten 5th. I really do. 

But at least I fought. It was a huge step up from every other race this season.  

The other WONDERFUL thing about this weekend was getting to see my best friend Christi!! She lives in Portland, so she came to hang out with me in my hotel Friday night and cheered me on Saturday. I can't explain how happy it made me to see her- even for a few hours. 

I also ended up winning a cool Adidas bag for top 20. 

So cool and such a blessing!!!

Refueling with Voodoo Donuts? Yes please. 

Although, I'll be honest. I didn't end up getting one. I wanted to. I have been so excited about voodoo donuts for so long, and when I got there I just got stressed out. The line was so long and there were way too many choices and the workers were not happy to see a line of 28 hungry collegiate runners. Plus, they were like four bucks a piece. So I ended up empty handed. But I got some cute pictures of this "famous" establishment and pretended :)

 

Today has been church, homework, and errands. I did a little baking, too. Food prep for the week. Things like that. But I'm so content. So thankful.        

And something to leave you smiling. I miss my little nephew :)

Focus on the Positives

This morning when I woke up, I felt 100 times better than I have been feeling lately.

I have been  pretty melancholic the last few days about Saturday's race and the way my season has gone and just some other complications in life... And I tend to over think everything, so I just have been dwelling on all of these negative thoughts.

And I realized that I was allowing myself to become hopeless, which I never usually do.

But this blog is called running on hope, right? 

So here are some things that give me hope. And some wonderful things that happened the last couple of days that I should have been focusing on instead of my doubts. 

1. I have some truly amazing people in my life that have been so encouraging to me over the last couple of days. I'm blown away by how loved I am.

2. I never, ever want to forget how blessed I am. I have been through a lot with running, and the fact that I am even here able to run for a collegiate cross country team is such a blessing!!!

3. Yesterday, at practice, my coach had us all make posters and cut out quotes from magazines and do goal setting. It sounds cheesy, but I'm so glad he did it. It really helped us all to refocus our goals for this season... for championships. And he gave me a magazine article on the mental aspect of running that he saved just for me. He's such a great coach. 

4. Despite Saturday's bad race, it truly was a wonderful day. My mom and dad and my brother and his wife all came to cheer me on (it was a local meet, finally!) My brother and his wife had never seen me run before. 

Then I got to go home for the first time since school started, and we spent the rest of the day together. 

Getting Pumpkin Spiced Lattes... the first one of the season!!!

And going to the movies....

And eating crepes at this delicious crepe restaurant. It made me miss France!!!

5. I get to see my best friend this weekend when I race in Portland!!!

6. Someone gave me a coffee gift card yesterday. Someone else sent me $50 in the mail just to bless me. And my brother and sister in law gave me money and treated me to lunch this weekend (they are wonderful). 

7. Last night I got to drink tea and eat dark chocolate and watch the Gossip Girl season premiere with a friend. And it was much needed. 

8. The King of the Universe loves me. I never want to forget that... or take it for granted. How amazing is it that he wants to talk to us all day long and is interested in every detail of our lives and truly cares and wants to bless us? 

You guys… life really is wonderful. There are so many beautiful, positive things that we miss if we dwell on the negatives.And I’m excited to race this weekend. Because I love running. And I love life. And I’m not about to give up hope. 

Whirlwind

This week is a whirlwind, but not the kind of whirlwind that destroys everything in its path...

A good kind of whirlwind, depending on one's perspective.

A whirlwind of new adventures, growing responsibilities, possible opportunities, and a lot of running.

For me, this has meant a few sleepless nights, trying to process all of the things I have to do and grasp the new season I have come upon. And I don't mean sleepless nights where I can't fall asleep. I mean those nights where, even when I am asleep, I am dreaming about what goes on during the day and continuing to process information or make to-do lists in my mind.

This passed weekend I was blessed to be able to immerse myself in playtime. Little things like shopping at Cost-Co with my mom and getting ready in the morning with my little sister were so nice.

I got to meet my highschool cross country coach for coffee,

and he gave me so much encouragement and good advice.

I went to a wedding. And those are always the best.

I vegged out and watched tv with my parents.

I watched the most ridiculous redbox movie ever with some friends.

I went out to breakfast after church on Sunday with a bunch of lovely people, and I was paid for!

What a blessing!

I didn't have time to be on my computer.

I just played and relaxed and cut loose.

And then came yesterday. The first day of practice.

That was a whirlwind. One of meeting new people, filling out paperwork, and scoping out what the team will look like this year. I will say that it is MUCH more fun being a veteran on the team. Everyone comes to you to ask you questions. You get to lead stretches.

 I remember what it was like to be new to the team,

and I want to make everyone feel as welcomed and included as possible.

We got gatorade waterbottles. Feeling like a pro.

Then I went to work. I had no change of clothes or way to shower (what was I thinking?) so I sat in the government office all day in my sweat.

Another practice at 6 p.m., though,

would have made showering pointless anyway (I don't like showers). 

The practice was followed by a team dinner, and a lot of bonding and getting to know you took place. Needless to say, I got home late. 

And got up this morning to drive back for another 8 a.m. practice. 

A whirlwind, this time, of anxiousness....

Today was a tempo time trial. 

And as much as I don't want to compare myself to other girls on my team... as much as I don't want to fall into that trap.... and as much as I just want to run for me, it's hard for any athlete.  

So I prayed this morning on the way. I prayed that I would remember why I run. Not to be the best. It doesn't really matter if I am. Yes, I'm competitive. But the thing is, EVERYTHING I have comes from God. He gave me the talent, and I have worked hard, trying to put any talent I have to good use.

He gave me the DESIRE,

and he takes so much delight in watching me participate in something I like.

If someone else is more talented than I, so what???

I don't run to prove myself to people.

I run for me. Because I like it. And that is praise.

Let all that I am praise Him!!!!

So now I'm at work again, in my sweaty clothes (again!), and I'll work until team bonding bowling tonight.

The student leadership team retreat is this weekend, and I planned it and will be helping lead it as the incoming President. I also found out I have to make an eight minute speech to the administration, faculty, and staff in a couple weeks. So instead of writing this blog, I should be writing that.

Whirlwinds don't necessarily destroy everything in their path. If you stay firmly planted, you won't get lost in the mess of everything. And as busy and stressful and new and exciting everything is right now, I'm going to remain at peace, in the eye of the storm, resting in His love.

Weekend Recap

It was another busy but amazing weekend. As my cross country season and school draws nearer, I'm taking advantage of every moment I have to see my friends in Boise. I only go to school an hour away, but I'll be so busy I do not know how often I'll be back!

Friday night I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends, Christi... again. 

She left to go back to school Saturday morning, so a few of us went to her house for pizza and swimming. Swimming didn't actually happen, but it was really fun. We all talked and helped her pack.

I already miss her!!

We haven't lived in the same city the last two years, but we are still close as ever. 

I left at around 11:30 and headed to my church for midnight prayer. It's a thing the college kids do in August on friday night. Why not pray at midnight? 

Well, because I'm an old person and like my sleep :) But seriously, so worth it!

I got in bed at around 2:30 a.m and had to get up at 8:00 a.m. for a ten miler!!!

When I got back I dug in to this baby. I laughed out loud when I realized... I have almost single handedly eaten this whole thing by myself. 

That on top of the pb and almond butter I had with me at school. I can't get enough of it!

Then I went shopping with my mom. All day. It was so fun, but exhausting!!! I wasn't feeling like doing anything too crazy, but a dollar movie sounded nice. So I texted my lovely friend Ally, and we met up for dinner, a movie, and dessert (frozen yogurt!!!). 

She made me this CD for my long drives back in forth from here to school. How sweet!!! :)

Then church on Sunday. It was so good. I'll have to recap the message on a later blog. 

Stripes and Starbucks!!!!!

I spent the rest of the day completely relaxing, other than this art project I tackled.

Sometimes, you just have to create stuff. 

Practice starts one week from today!!! Ahhh. 

Running WIth Friends, Specialty Ice Cream, and Goals

I honestly feel like my weekends are busier than my weeks! They are filled up with errands, seeing friends, running, and church. I don't get much sleep, and I am all over the place. But I like it this way!

This morning I met up with my friend Laura for a 10.5 mile run in the beautiful Boise foothills. She is my favorite running partner... we have been friends since our first week of cross country practice our sophomore year of high school, and we have seen each other through the ups and downs of cross country, basketball, and track seasons. 

This is my old cross country team!!! 

 Five years later, we are both running at different colleges. 

(Sometimes, she borrows my sweatshirts and reps my school :))  

But we love to meet up when we are still in town for workouts, long runs, and great conversation!!!

Afterword, I did some errands in downtown Boise (never a chore, because I love it there), and I went to meet my lovely friend Christi for Coldstone Ice Cream. Coldstone was sort of our tradition for awhile, but we hadn't been for awhile so we decided to meet up there. 

For how expensive this specialty ice cream is, however, I have decided it is not my favorite. I'd much rather spend money on Baskin Robin's or TCBY. 

Sorry, Christi, but I think we
may have to put our Coldstone tradition behind us! 

I did not take that picture, by the way. Google images baby :)

She goes back to school next weekend, and I do not want to say goodbye!!! 

Today, during our run, we started talking about our goals for next year. I was asked what my running goals are, and the first thing that came out of my mouth was "I don't know". I immediately realized that I DO know. I just am not really confident in them right now. But that is no way to reach goals. I am working so hard for this, and I should be confident that my hard work is going to pay back eventually. 

So, here are my goals. Written down for EVERYONE to see. I'm not showing them so anyone can compare their personal bests to mine. I compare myself to people so much, and honestly... it's just about me being MY best. Pushing myself to MY limit. 

Cross Country

5k PR: 18:27

Goal: 17:55

Track

10k PR: 38:01

Goal: Break 37 

After everything I am going through for this, I have to be confident that I am capable. I CAN do this.

The World's Most All Over The Place Post

I really wish that I could be more consistent with blogging. 

Or that my posts each had a theme, with the thoughts tying together. 

But blogging has been kind of an after thought lately. 

I love it, and I want to keep doing it as often as possible.

There are so many times throughout each week that I think "I have to blog about that" or 

"Wouldn't the whole blog world be excited to hear about how great this day was!!!??"(Maybe not though, because I always get excited about really little things that no one else cares about.) 

:)

But life has been so busy lately!

During the week, I do nothing but work and train. I get up early, run, lift, go to work, go back to my dorm room, eat dinner, and go to bed early so I can do it all over again. 

During the weekends I catch up on errands (grocery shopping, doctors/dentists appointments), and I PLAY. And I play hard:

Going to Generation Church Downtown Thursday night and getting rocked by Jesus with a whole bunch of awesome Boise State kids.

Fanci Freeze ice cream (a dipped cone for me... chocolate and coconut!) to follow.

And Merrits (an all night diner) with about thirty GDCers.

And family coming in to town.

And getting up after four hours of sleep and running for two hours.

And family breakfasts.

And volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house.

And watching car races at a speedway (new experiences, anyone?)

And going to opening ceremony parties!!! Let's go America!

This hasn't left very much time for blogging. But I wanted to say a few things today. Because some really important things have happened this last week!!!

1. Anthony, my brother in law, got home from Afghanistan on Friday. We met him at the airport - he met his son for the first time. 

2. The Olympics started. I am obsessed with the olympics and that is all I will think about/talk about for the next two weeks. And I'm also obsessed with London (In case you didn't read this blog from the beginning, I talk all about my obsession here) so I am on cloud nine right now. I will be British one day. I love tea and the queen. It's perfect. 

3. I hired a Sport's Nutritionist. With all of the running I'm doing, I really feel like it's necessary right now to get some help in that department. I know all about eating healthy and stuff, but I need to know what to eat to perform well. And I want to perform well. So I'm taking this step. It's a pretty big step. I'll write more about it later. But I will say that I think it might be exactly what I need to get me to the Olympics in the marathon one day :)

4. My brother's wedding is in less than a week! It is going to be a huge weekend event because it is two hours away... I'm so excited!!!

How cute are they???

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday, but I'll try to pop in more this week. I have had so many thoughts lately, and I just have to figure out how to put them into words!!! 

Have a great rest of the day bloggers!!!

Priest River Post Card!!!

Welcome to Priest River, Idaho!!! 

  

A cute little town that people pass through on the way to Priest Lake for camping!

Population: small

Things to do: Not many. 

(Except lay out in the water and relax, go boating, and eat ice cream. PERFECT for vacation)

I got to spend catching up with old friends in Spokane!!!

 

Spokane is THE coolest city. 

We went out to sushi, shopped around, and hit up an adorable cupcake shop!!!!

And going on lovely walks with my Grandma :)

And eating breakfast on the front porch!!

And eating THE BEST ice cream in the world

(A cherry dipped cone from Dubs = the best, cheapest ice cream ever). 

Eaten while strolling on Sandpoint Beach. 

And hanging out at my old stomping grounds......

And hiking!!!! 

I only have a couple days left here and I'm doing my best to slow down and relax. The pace here is so much slower, and life is so much more peaceful!!! Tomorrow I'll be going to my old church, and it will be fun to see how much it has changed. I moved away from here five years ago this month!!!!

Loving vacation life :)