It's more Farm-y than Grunge-y

So I guess you just begin at the beginning? Good place, I suppose.

I decided my first post would be about my new home town..since the choice to live here has been both practical and intuitive.

We were transferred to Fairchild Air Force Base here in Spokane this past February. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever picture myself living in Washington state. However, I never pictured myself living in Maine, Massachusetts, California, or Hawaii (all past residences of mine).

Washington state conjured pictures of grungy 1990's movies (dirty hair, plaid shirt, coffee cups,and chain smoking whilst searching for the meaning of life in your 20's, all set to a grunge soundtrack). Or maybe a dismally cloud covered, coniferous town, populated by glittering beings and musky teenage wolves (darn you Stephanie Meyer and your addictive teenage novels!).

But media influenced prejudices aside, I already had one of my gut "feelings" we'd fit in here just fine. We'd done well as Westerners for 7 years living in Cali, and, besides, my intuition was flashing me a green light. Spokane had a comforting number of qualities on the GREAT LIST: Stuff White People Like.

If only Washington and all it's great Stuff, was on the East Coast (where our families reside), our new assignment would have been close to perfect. Adventure awaited, so we packed up our stuff and our cat and our kids and started our journey from Hawaii to our new home in a land-locked state.

The first time we rolled into Medical Lake, I must admit, my judgemental side was not shy in voicing an opinion. "Hicksville! There's nothing going on in this town! Too many trailers! It's too far out in the middle of nowhere!!" (said my whiny inner voice, who's opinions I then repeated loudly to my husband. Poor guy was peering at the scenery from the drivers seat of our minivan and swerving to avoid prancing herds of deer and rolling tumbleweeds).

We were very unimpressed with the lack of cushy, suburban amenities. No Starbucks! No McDonalds! Not even a 7Eleven??? The tumbleweeds continued their aimless journey without us as we cruised haughtily back out of town.

Fast forward a few weeks, and a very jaded and frustrated home search behind us, and we decided to return to Medical Lake to take another look at a home I'd felt "a feeling" about. As we rolled back into town, I took a second look.

Pull into the driveway, open the front door, and the "feeling" was still there. You know...you walk in...and the "vibe" is good?

And from a practical standpoint, the house was in a great spot (on a corner lot, no backyard neighbors). The schools are good, the base is only 10 minutes away, and the house was comfortably within our price range. Best of all, there was the LAKES! Oh Lord, the lakes are great! Since I can't live in an ocean-side town anymore, I might as well live near some woodsy, farm-y, west-plains lakes!

My second trip into town was an entirely different experience. What first appeared to be a town with nothing going on suddenly became a town where I could finally appreciate some peace and quiet. The schools, the grocery store, even the pizza joint and espresso shack were all within walking distance. The view of the golden rolling hills and surrounding farms was unobstructed from our beautifully landscaped back yard. The harmony of birds and frogs was music to my ears.

In the first month of moving into our Medical Lake home, we saw more deer than we could count, and majestic hawks and eagles soaring above our heads. Horses, sheep, llamas and cows are already becoming familiar neighbors. The 10 minute drive from town to the major highway has become an opportunity to observe the changes in the landscape. Trees beginning to bud. Green grass covering wide pastures. And even the trailers have become beautiful. They are surrounded by neatly trimmed grass and a rainbow of tulips and geraniums.

I am thrilled with our new home. It is a change, for sure, but I believe it will be a positive one in the long run. I am so happy to be putting down roots after 11 years of living in Base housing. I am so happy to spend a Saturday weeding the yard, our yard, and taking a walk around our neighborhood as the sun sets behind the hills and just breathing in the fresh air of our new home town.