Lyman

Before I met Lyman, all of my adventures were about travel. But I forgot about the most exciting adventures in my life. The every day adventures. The ones like dancing in the aisles of Haggen's and arm wrestling and kissing puppies and laughing and eating at Olive Garden's and talking. Lyman is my new adventure.
I still want to travel like a crazed idiot, but now I want him to be with me.
And going to India isn't as exciting to me as starting a family. I mean, I really want to go to India, but having a family. Wow. That would be such a new and adventurous thing! And owning a restaurant! There are just so many new choices before me.
I'm just going to leave you with that for now. 

Idaho

Idaho. A state neighboring my own. A beautiful blend of eastern Washington and the Rockies. The state with a deceptive size. It's shorter than it looks up top and waaaay bigger than it looks down below. And now, for some pictures!

 Ok so this is right next to the Clearwater River (which I think is part of the Snake river?) This picture was taken right outside of Lewiston, ID.

 This picture is of a train moving while still traveling down Route 12.

 This is a really cool house looking thing that was just sitting in the middle of these giant hills with no people around.

 This is when we first got into the wooded area. It's still the same river, still the same road.

 More pictures.

 The road (and river) was really bendy, and while it was beautiful to look at and the weather was nice, I started getting a tick car sick.

 There were a million beautiful shots. This area is so amazing.

 Ok, so about this picture. I took a really crappy picture of this beautiful little sandy beach. I really wanted this picture to turn out, but it didn't really work. When we were going down the route, the sun was not working with us for good pictures. Most of them have half shadows or are way too over exposed.

 A tiny little waterfall.

 This is the rock face we saw, so beautiful!

 So all of these pictures are taken in the mid to upper half of the state. We didn't go down to Boise or anything. The farthest south we went in Idaho was Lewiston.

 More pretty riverbend shots. And yes I did sing the song.

 I straight shot I took when on a wooden bridge.












Sun raaays! We took a mini break to stretch our legs and explore one of the wooden bridges we found.

 This is the middle of the bridge looking into the wild woods!

 The length of the suspension bridge. Again, sorry about the darkness of the picture, it's hard to fix pictures that were taken with such bad lighting.

 This is a picture of a little nook at Lake Coeur d'Alene.

 One of my favoritest places in the world, Lake Coeur d'Alene

 More of the lake

 It was actually pretty warm that day. We spent a whole day here before beginning the long trek home.

 Some pretty rocks by the lake edge. I actually edited them to make their colors stand out way more.

Some more lovely scenery. I love this lake!














Ahhh Idaho. And yes, I do know that I only really showed you scenery pictures, but in the upper part of the state, that's the draw. There's more farming and industry down south, but up north is the untamed wilderness. If you ever want to take a really long drive and just enjoy the beauty of the earth, go drive Route 12. It's amazingly beautiful and worth the time it takes to drive. Northern Idaho is almost a placeholder. It stands between the wheat fields of Washington and the Rockies/flat lands of Montana. It's bloody hot during the summer but mighty cold during the winter.
I love Idaho and the beauty it holds.
It's also the first place I saw Inception which makes it way more special in my mind.
I have a lot of fond memories from both my Montana trip with my dad and Melanie, but also from when I was younger and we vacationed there with the cousins. I hope I can someday take my own family there [Coeur d'Alene], maybe not because it's a tropical destination or that there's a ton of things to go do, it's more for the nostalgia of the place. It's a wonderful, beautiful place to build memories.
So I suggest Idaho. It may seem like a boring little state where nothing happens, but it has a lot of beauty and majesty that other states can't posses.

Portland, OR

Ok, I want to start this by saying, I love Oregon. I whine about going there and stuff, but I really do like it there. The climate is just a tick milder and the people aren't snotty. Portland is like a hybrid of Bellingham and Seattle, and while the one way streets where a pain, I loved it.
So! We left on Monday (early) for the long drive there. It was pretty uneventful. Just some good music, a Doritos taco, and some sunshine. We didn't even really have any traffic. We then arrived at Cindy's duplex where we settled down and got into the groove of being there.

Anaheim, California (Disneyland)

Disneyland

 Ahh Disneyland. Such Awesomeness. Such wonder. It is my favorite place of all time. It's so perfect. So childish. So wonderful. And now you're sitting here thinking "uhhhhh..." have no fear, I'm not crazy.
Sometimes, when you step into a place and breath in, you just feel like you're home. To most, this is there actual home. To some, it's a place they visited a lot. For me, it's Disneyland. I feel comfortable there. I feel confident there. I feel like I can't make myself look like a fool there.

 I'm sorry for the blurry and tiny pictures, I just have a lot to share. So I'll run through the pictures really quickly. The top picture is the ride "Storybook Land Canal Boats."  It's an awesome peaceful ride that is kind of a break from the hustle and bustle of FantasyLand. Underneath that is "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad." It's the second fastest rollercoaster in the park. It's really fun because it whips you around and makes noises and the line is never too tragic. Generally, there aren't fastpasses for this ride which is actually quite upsetting. Underneath that is a picture of the "Peter Pan Ride."
This ride is a ride a lot of people like. It's cool to me, but I'm not sure why it's one of those rides that people defend to the death over. Maybe that's just opinion. The pink castle is indeed Sleeping Beauty's Castle all lit up for the night. So pretty! Next to that is the "ice sculpture" of an elephant. I believe that picture was taken in the ice-cream parlor on Main Street. Right above this text is a picture of my friend Bo pulling a rope when the sign clearly states to not pull it. Priceless moment in the queuing area for the "Indiana Jones Ride."
Right next to us is a picture of Sarah and I right next to the Storybook Land ride. We were just about to go get in line for the ride.

 This is "It's a Small World." Yes, most people hate this ride. And honestly, they have a pretty good reason to. The entire ride is the same song over and over and over and over for like 15 minutes. Yeah, not my favorite.

 Above is the Matterhorn. Honestly, I don't like that ride. It's not that fast plus you have to sit awkwardly with whoever you're riding with. To the right is a shot of the Hollywood Backlot in California Adventure from the Aladdin theater.

 This is the stage of the Aladdin show. This is where memories were born. I LOVE this show. This show looked me straight in the face and said, hey, you could do this for a living. It's a great show and I think that if you're in California Adventure, you need to go see it.

 Disney Characters are a large part of the draw to Disneyland. What little kid doesn't want to meet Mickey or their favorite princess? We didn't get many pictures with the characters (I actually think this is my only picture...) but they are worth it! Although I don't think it's as worth it when you get older....

 Live entertainment is a huge part of Disneyland. Huge. These bands play ALL THE TIME. They pull the crowd into the act. They play songs that everyone can sing along to. They put on a show for all the little kids and old people. They're awesome musicians. I will admit, normally I don't stay for a whole show. But on the last day in the park and you're already exhausted by noon, this is a great way to spend 30 minutes.

 One of the best things about Disneyland is making memories that will last for forever. I will never forget my experience in Disneyland for my three trips. I was given an amazing opprotunity with band and was able to travel with my fellow students, which made the whole thing mean so much more. I've been backstage and I've preformed in Disneyland. Not everyone can say that. Disneyland means a lot to me. Will I ever work there someday? I've considered it. I'm not making any "for-sures" right now. I'm just going with it. All I know is that for the rest of my life, I'll always be planning my next trip there. I plan on going back in September with my sister. I hope that someday I can take my kids (if I have kids) there. Disneyland means a lot to me and I hope that I can spend a lot more time there in the future.

~Sherilyn

Canada (B.C.)

 

 

Ohhhhh Caaaanada! My home and native laaaaand! (Not really...) Back when the US dollar was worth more than the Canadian, we used to get everything (except fruit and meat) up in Canada. It was closer than Bellingham (as long as the border waits weren't too long) and it was cheaper. I have many memories of going shopping at the Costco and eating at the Wendy's/Tim Hortons. I don't remember what city that was, but I remember that's the one you get to when you cross at the Sumas crossing.
Of course, all of this was back when it was really easy to go back and forth. Now (as an American) you have to either have your passport or your enhanced license. Since I have neither, it's been a few years since I went to Canada. I used to go to the Tradex Dog Show in Abbotsford and do Junior Handling. The best I ever did was 4th, but considering I wasn't a competitor and that I used a dog that wasn't my own every time, I'd say that's pretty good. (Want to see me the year I showed a Great Pyrenees?  Tada! My sister is also showing in this video. Sorry for the terrible music thingy at the beginning. For some reason I thought I was darn good at making videos back then....)
I also remember going and seeing The Black Stallion Returns (I think that's what it was called) and it was in a giant dome thing and I was almost dying from fright and sickness (I'm pretty sure it was IMAX.)
The Olympics! I wasn't allowed into Canada by this point, but I definitely watched them and observed that I have in fact, been there. Part of the Olympics was actually on Baker (which is our local mountain, stateside) and honestly, that's bloody cool to me.
A cool fact about Vancouver BC that a lot of American's don't realize is that Vancouver is the Hollywood of Canada. It's really actually pretty cool to me as (as a borderite) that I live just a stone's throw from where a lot of really cool stuff is filmed. Heck, they film things on this side of the border sometimes too! I believe there are parts of Smallville that are filmed on our country roads. (Don't shun me) Parts of the Twilight series were filmed in the Stanley Park area. Most of the later movies were actually filmed in BC (compared to the first one, which was filmed in Northern Oregon and Southern Washington.)
But anyway, I think Canada is a really cool place. They have some really good musicians/actors and they're basically next door neighbors.
The only complaint I have is their driving skills. Seriously. It can't be that hard to drive well. Well that and they're over-running our Costco. Seriously, it's like impossible for us to shop at our own Costco.
And I shall end this entry with a picture of a really cool place. The Peace Arch Park is a small park where Canadians and Americans can mingle. I love it there. It's so beautiful! And it's hilarious to watch people be stupid when trying to get into Canada and/or America. It's a place where you can be in two countries at once.

This is from the Canadian side.

Hawaii

Ok, so I think that I want to go to Hawaii just because everyone else does. I love the idea of seeing a lot of really beautiful sights. I like the idea of being warm and swimming in warm water. I looove the idea of just kicking back and chilling. Hawaii is one of those places that I always dreamed of living in for a bit (even though it is uber expensive.)
I think that growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I consider tropical places as the most beautiful places on this planet. Yes, I know that I live in a beautiful place, but sometimes when you live with it, you don't see it anymore. I have one of the prettiest views from my window, but I keep my blinds shut because of the people on the path (and the random zombie-canibal-aliens that will look through my window and eat my soul...)
But anyway, I really want to go and experience Hawaii for myself. I love the idea of kicking back in a beautiful area and just enjoying being where I am. One of the things that makes Hawaii not as awesome to me personally is that I don't do boats and I'm not much of a swimmer. Going to Hawaii is kind of centered around water. Don't get me wrong, I love the water. It's so cool to wade in and take pictures of, but I feel like I wouldn't really appreciate it.
I am also aware there are a lot of different parts of Hawaii. I'm using Hawaii as a general simply because I don't have a specific place in mind. I just want to enjoy the beauty of a place like that.
And that's my bit for Hawaii.

General Update

So I've been keeping a loose list of the places I've been and the places I want to go. This is the book I use.

I will probably do a lot of entries all at once because I want to get all of the places on my lists out of the way.
Just letting you know!