The eruption of Mt. St. Helens on May 18, 1980 is a vivid memory that will stay with me forever. We could see the mountain from our home and the plume of ash quickly rising and enveloping the valley as day turned to night, the sky so thick with ash that a streetlight could not be seen across the street. We don't face the same natural disaters found in other parts of the country, gratefully. When Wilkinson searches for multifamily real estate opportunties, we consider only great locations in areas that do not commonly expereicne significant natural disasters.

My mother is one of 18 Gamache family kids growing up on a hop and apple farm east of Yakima in Moxee. Growing up a Gamache meant the we learned how to do just about anything. From yardwork, to sewing, to creative projects, my mom always taught us how to or encourgage us to jump in and get the hard work done. Family reunions and easter gatherings were an amazing time to connect with so many aunts and uncles and 65 first cousins! Connections with my family and the can do spirit is whay drew me to Wilkinson in 2007.

We have all done it. Woke up early to catch the 5:00 am flight out of Yakima. It's dark and cold and hard to get going so earlyin the morning. I was rewarded for my effort as we took off at dawn. The reminders of how gorgeous our vallen and as we approached Seattle how incredible our state's landscape is. The Cascade and Olympic Mountains, the Puget Sound, the rolling hills found in our own valley. We go on with appreication to undertand more about the purpose of leveraging tarrifs to build a stronger economy.

As kids we explored so many of the unique areas our state has to offer. From camping on the sand dunes at Potholes Reservoir, water skiing on chilly Hood Canal, to Skiing at White Pass, our summer and winter memories are filled with incredible adventures.

My son is now a middle schooler at Marquette, the same middle school I attended, and the school my father attended high school. It's been great to recall the years I spent playing, studying and getting in trouble on the playground, while empathizing with my son in his new surrounidngs While our routine has changed, we are now exploring Yakima icons to pick up a sweet treat or two on the way home from school as reward for a job well done.

In this episode I introduce my freind Chris who grew up in Los Angeles, California. While he may not have earned money shoveling snow from neighbors driveways like we did, he always hustled to find a way to scrape together a few extra bucks to pursue his passions in the city of angels.

Family time in the 70's and 80's was different than it is now. TV was great! M*A*S*H* and Happy Days, Gilligan's Island and so many others, inspiring laughter and serious conversation. Family night was enjoying our favorite shows without the distractions of our iPhones. Cable TV changed the game, and new shows served as inspiration to DYI fixer uppers. Big payoffs in real estate could be found at the right times, and led me to my 18 year career in real estate investing.

From driving my family's delivery trucks with three on the tree, to vintiques, to family reunions and potato sheds, to developing deep lasting relationships though Young Life, we cover a lot of ground in this episode of Growing Up Yakima. Since high school, Young Life has played a huge role in my life, leading me develop a deeper relationship with Christ and to the team I work with now at Wilkinson.

The people of Yakima are remarkably generous. Giving back was a huge part of the values instilled in me and my siblings by our parents. Getting engaged and involved in our community is an incredible gift we teach our own kids today.

From wacky hairstyles to a wide varity of music genres—growin' up Yakima in the 80's was a unique experience.