Leaving Spokane

Clearly I am waxing somewhat sentimental. Two posts in one night? There may be a third coming, and it may have more to do with needing to accomplish a goal, and not wanting to procrastinate to the end, when I'll be moving, and super busy.

Living in Spokane this past year was amazing. Why you ask? I'll give you 50 reasons:

1. My fam bam came with me. That really is the only requirement to making any location an amazing place to live, so the list could stop there.
2. The residency program lived up to its billing of being family friendly, meaning, lots of family time!
3. Made a lot of good friends, albeit mostly within the residency program.
4. We lived on a golf course. Literally, 100 yards to the driving range.
5. Subsequent to #5, my firstborn loves golf, and is pretty darn good at it!
6. Referring to Jordan as my firstborn is now acceptable, as we have 2 sons now! Adam will forever be a native Spokane-ite.
7. My residency program provided me with a meal stipend and I didn't gain weight. Amazing!
8. We lived in close enough proximity to Portland to justify a trip to the Nike Employee Store. I hope to be frequenting the store more in the future.
9. We got to go to Seattle to visit friends, family, and eat some Paseo Caribbean sandwiches... MMMMmmmmm
10. We got to visit family up in Vancouver and eat a bunch of Chinese food. And the good kind of Chinese food.
11. Eagle Ridge par 3 golf course. Longest hole 100 yards. Cheap, close to home, and was even able to get Daisy to play it a few times with me.
12. The Red Wagon Slide.
13. A river that runs through the center of Downtown. It's gorgeous.
14. No traffic!
15. A short, consistent commute (see #14)
16. Great calling - see last post about Boy Scouts
17. Only got stuck in snow once! Was expecting a lot more, living on the hill we do.
18. Walmart was only 7 minutes away.
19. Lake Coeur D' Alene was just down the freeway, where there are a ton of neat shops, a great park, and some beautiful scenery.
20. Family came to visit us multiple times
21. We discovered USA network. Big fans of Suits, White Collar, and now Graceland
22. Learned how to take apart and build golf clubs - at least started to learn.
23. Bought our first home while here!
24. Discovered the comforts of the Sperry Topsider. Both Daisy and I did. Can you say twinners?!?!?!
25. Interview dinner stipends to take out interviewees on nice dinners around Spokane.
26. Passing step 3! I can now become a liscensed physician!
27. Ward basketball happens here.
28. Splash pads are plentiful and fun.
29. County fair with first rodeo? Check.
30. Pig out in the park, with a ton of food trucks in one place!
31. Pumpkin donuts. 'Nuff said.
32. Greenbluff, where you can pick your own fruit. Although we need to learn how to judge how many pounds we be picking.
33. Great health insurance. Much needed.
34. Good NICU staff.
35. Living less than 20 minutes away from a state park. Jordan loves the wilderness.
36. Spokane Chiefs hockey games on dollar dog night. I think I am still recovering from the 4 doggies I ate.
37. Jordan's first movie, Wreck it Ralph. Stayed to the end like a trooper.
38. People here who will buy your furniture so you don't have to move it.
39. The Elders in our ward, who invited an inebriated potentially homeless man to our Christmas dinner party, and asked us to pick him up from the coffee shop. After dinner he was passed out on the couch, and would not wake up despite my finest efforts of shaking him.
40. Our halloween tradition of having bomb costumes continued.
41. Jordan met Finn.
42. Jordan learning that nursery with Finn is fun, and we got to experience 2nd and 3rd hour of church again.
43. Our many vacations out of Spokane. Gotta have a break.
44. Halloween up at Green Bluff. J Denny rode a pony, we ate more pumpkin donuts, and rode in a little cow trailer. I think my back still hurts from that ride.
45. Spokane Gymnastics. Jordan is pretty close to doing somersaults all by himself, loves jumping on the tramp, and is following in daddy's footsteps.
46. The carousel at Riverfront Park has little rings that you grab as you go around. If you get the brass one you win a free ride. I won a free ride! Booyah!
47. All the transitional residents had thanksgiving off, and we had a delicious turkey dinner together.
48. I discovered Golfwrx.com. And their classified section. Amazing.
49. Getting to REI at 4:30 in the morning for a ding and dent sale hoping for a dirt cheap bike or double stroller bob, and leaving with a camelbak insert and bike headlight.
50. We are leaving in 1 week!