Watch Out, Washington

Northern California, so far, is being a good substitute for my beloved Pacific Northwest! It's amazing how much happier I am being over here on the West Coast. Here's why.

-While it's still warmer than I would like (I seriously haven't worn jeans outside since March. Seriously), it is at least cool at night, and it's not humid, so I can be outside! Walking Jack no longer has to occur after 10 pm. I can be in the backyard with him and not sweat bullets. I have started running now because it's cooler. If you drive up to the mountains it is cooler, so we can enjoy that! I LOVE COOL WEATHER!

-We still have to drive far to get anywhere, but this time we actually get somewhere! Everything I need is in the town 15 minutes away. Everything except a Barnes and Noble, but that's at least 30 minutes away, so I'm not too sad. But I have a Target, PetSmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Michael's, Pier 1 Imports, Home Depot, and lots and lots of Starbucks nearby! So I'm set.

-THE WONDERFULNESS OF WINCO! Seriously. I love WinCo. Everything is SO much cheaper. And have had most of what I need.

-Lots and lots of hiking! With weather that makes it bearable! We just bought a book today at REI (YAY!) that lists 60 hikes within 60 miles of Sacramento. So there's a lot of hikes and mountains to explore. We went hiking two days ago, Jack LOVED it. I was on tick duty for the next 24 hours unfortunately, but I think I got them all. I had to give him an even more dramatic haircut because I had to cut out A LOT of burrs, but I don't really care how dumb he looks as long as he's happy. And boy, was he happy!

-The downtown about 15 minutes from us is so cute, it reminds me of downtown Moscow and Columbus. So far we have tried a Koren/Japanese Sushi house, which was REALLY good. I think our next restaurant will be the Indian place, since I've never had Indian food, and we're going to search out all the breweries and find a good Thai place. There is also a cute cupcakery on this street! I'm going to have to try it out!

-Have I mentioned how awesome it is to have so many Starbucks surrounding me? The town that I do most of my shopping has at least 3, one of them being right next to the WinCo. So I definitely need to budget a grande drink into my weekly grocery run :)

-It's weird to see palm trees still. But it's also kind of cool. I even have one in my front yard. Whoot!

-The drivers here are so much better than Mississippi drivers. Seriously.

So watch out, Washington, California is sneaking up on you!