Here comes the part I know that you really want to hear about...Tacoma.

I arrived in Seattle/Tacoma late on Friday night after a remarkably uneventful flight from Minneapolis.  In the 15 minutes prior to landing I was able to see Mt. St. Helen's, Mt. Rainier, the Puget Sound, and one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.  After arriving at my new house I almost immediately went to bed and slept in as long as I could. 

Saturday was a rather sleepy day with my housemates arriving periodically throughout the day.  In case you didn't know, I live with three other girls (Molly, Allison, and Alayna) and two guys (Ian and Mike) in a wonderful four bedroom house literally a hop, skip, and jump away from both an Albertson's grocery store and Lutheran church (the home is actually owned by the church).  Most of Saturday was spent taking walks around our neighborhood in order to get used to the surroundings, unsuccessfully trying to make my body adjust to the Pacific Time Zone, and meeting an older Lutheran lady named J.B. who welcomed us to  the church that we live next to by busting our chops about volunteering in places "that put the tax dollars into the hands of the city and the people have no say."  Haha. We think this means that she likes us...maybe?  

Oh yeah, and I found a purple and yellow 2 story house that looks like a box...literally.  We met the owner/builder Steve, who informed us that this house was his first building project and it was a box house.  He also pointed out the boards on the windows which were a result of not using a leveler, so nothing matched up.  I liked Steve.  He was shirtless, chubby, and had a case of the startled shakes, but he was nice.  

Now we come to Sunday Sunday.  Allison (or Al...she's my roommate) followed the advice of Google search and visited a local church close by our house.  Let's just say that I will now be switching to Bing search engines.  I really enjoyed the people, but overall, no thanks.  However, on the bright side, we got to go to a BBQ at American Lake in a nearby city about 15 minutes outside of Tacoma.  It was hosted by the LSC's (Lutheran Support Committee) that look after us.  It was an evening of skipping stones with kids, chasing ducks, lots of people meeting, and touring rooftop gardens (to keep away the deer!).  

Pictures: Molly in the garden and the lake.

Today was spent on a city tour with our LSC leader, Ray.  We learned that our house is located in the area of the city that is considered "disputed gang territory between the Bloods and the Crips."  Sorry Mom and Dad!  It is comforting to learn though that neither are prevalent in the area because it doesn't actually belong to either.  Not to worry because our doors are always locked and we live in a very public location.

The city is awesome and filled with hills that may kill me if I attempt to ride a bicycle down them.  I got to see some Tacoma must-see tourist attractions.  For example, Stadium High School (as seen in 10 Things I Hate About You) or as Ray referred to it as "Stay Dumb and High School."  We also saw Pt. Defiance which is is a park on the Puget Sound that is 2nd in the nation in terms of public parks.  It follows Central Park in New York, no big deal.  Finally, it was clear enough to see Mt. Rainier!  

I really could go on about today, but its getting quite late and I am spending the day in Seattle!   

Pictures: "Clear Rainier" and "Blue Rainier" and the Puget Sound (look closely)