Sightseeing On Limited Time

Three years ago this spring we moved from a remote Texas border town to our South Hill home. After witnessing my husband enduring a demanding year of training we were ecstatic to learn that we would be living in the Pacific Northwest.
Upon our arrival I started a list of sorts in my mind. It was a list of places we needed to go and things we needed to do while we were here. Now that we have entered our third year here I feel like we are on borrowed time. Quite possibly we’ll be moving on in the next year and we still need to see so much. We haven’t been whale watching or taken the kids to the ocean to dip their toes into the Pacific. There are still children’s museums to explore and waterfront restaurants to dine at. I feel a sense of urgency when I think of everything we need to do. It’s as if there is a giant clock looming over my head, ticking down the months until we move again.
At times I am envious of people who never move. They may visit new places at leisure over the course of years. If they haven’t made it to Leavenworth for Octoberfest they can fit in it next year or the year after.
Over the last eleven years my husband’s military career has taken us to five completely different places in the United States. Looking back we can say that we’ve done some fairly amazing things. We have gone swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, had margaritas across the border and were captivated by little white geckos suspended on our windows at night. We have witnessed the Northern Lights and had the Blue Angels screeching over our house every Tuesday morning for their practice session. We have made lifelong friendships with amazing people.
Thankfully, three years here has afforded us uniquely Washington memories as well. We have gone to the top of the Space Needle and have taken the kids to Mount Rainier and had a picnic at Paradise.
We enjoy so much of what is offered from the Puyallup valley. Our kids have enjoyed visiting the pumpkin patches and picking our way through rows and rows of gourds to find the perfect pumpkin. We have cut our own Christmas trees and loaded up on fresh berries at the Puyallup Farmers Market. We have spent way too much money at the fair.
This summer looks to be a whirlwind of activity for us. With our time here ticking down we’ll be trying to fit in as much as we can. We still hope to make it to the coast, travel by ferry across the Puget Sound and see an Orca pod. Yet if my husband came home tomorrow with orders to move I can definitely look back and say we have enjoyed that which is Washington and the people who make it so.