Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day morning we headed over to the Tri-Cities area for a day trip adventure. I have driven through there a few times on my way to Portland, but didn't know much more about it then that. Neither of us have smart phones nor do we have a GPS unit so it made the trip much more exciting. Our first stop was a 9/11 memorial. 

The memorial is made of twisted metal from the Two Towers. 

After spending a few reflective minutes remembering the day that changed our country and the lives of millions (including my own) we headed over to Bob's Burgers and Brew for lunch. The food was delicious and the servings were huge! I wanted to see the Columbia River Temple while we were there but we didn't know how to get there. Luckily my brilliant husband thought to bring the Ipad. So headed over the the closest McDonald's parking lot and used some free wi-fi to get directions. We used this trick a couple times to maneuver around the cities. 

The temple was beautiful but unfortunately the gates were locked for landscaping so we couldn't wander around the gardens. Hopefully, we can come again and spend a little more time here. :) 

Our next stop was an outlet mall. We got there and 75% of the mall was empty. All that was left was a collage and a gym, so all we did was drive around the parking lot. 

Our last stop was Country Mercantile. Its an awesome market. They have tons of different types of jams, salsas, jerky, candy, ice cream, burgers, an incredible produce section with the biggest sweetest peaches I have ever tasted. The best part was the chocolate section- caramels, chocolate covered Oreos, peanut butter and chocolate, tons of different kinds of truffles, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, swirled chocolate, and Randy's favorite- the black widow (the ones with the red dot) which is a concoction of Oreos, dark chocolate, and caramel.  My favorite was Oreos, milk chocolate and mint (the ones with the green dots)! 

It was refreshing to get away just the two of us for a day. Next time I want to walk down by the river and go to the temple. :)