Sleeping In Seattle

Besides all the quality time Paul and I were able to spend together in Seattle, one thing we both REALLY enjoyed, that we NEVER get at home, is sleeping until WE are ready to get up. Not being woken up by someone who is crying, or fighting, or hungry, or needs help in the bathroom, or wants to know if he can play game cube. Only waking up when our bodies and minds are fully rested and ready to start the day on OUR time and terms. THIS is BLISS!!! And this is only one of the reasons getting away, just the two of us, is so rejuvenating!

September is usually a BEAUTIFUL time to be in Seattle. The sun breaks through to the City of Rain for about 3 months per year (from mid July to mid October). My hopes were high that the sun would have taken that familiar journey and would be there to greet me when I landed in Seattle. But this was not the case, instead I was greeted with those ever present high covering, gray clouds. Oh well, this is just a reminder of what Seattle really looked like for the 4 years we lived there. And besides, I was ready to have a great time with Paul regardless. At least it wasn't raining.

We spent the first evening cruising the streets of Downtown. I LOVE downtown Seattle. I love the water front! I love Pike's Market! I love the sights and the smells! I love the ferries! And the Port! I love how clean this BIG city is! I love the architecture! I love ALL the green! Add to that the biggest love of my life (you know who) and I couldn't ask for anything more!







Our corner room had a great view! We woke up Saturday morning (September 11) to some memorial events going on below us. Took me back...We were living in Seattle and Andrew was just a few months old when America was attacked...




After a quick workout and a shower, we were off to the Peninsula with hopes of hiking through the Olympic Rain Forest in sunny Sequim (Sequim is sheltered from the Seattle rain and clouds by the Mountain Range). It's a sleepy little town, but close to the coast and the Rain Forest.

So, onto the Ferry we drove...






After dropping our bags off at the Hotel, we were off to explore. We found these gorgeous moss covered trees that looked like they were going to reach out and grab us at any moment:





And on we did drive. It was getting a bit too late to hike the forest, so we decided to go check out Lake Crescent. By this point, the rain was falling and so was the temperature. We got to Lake Crescent, and I was so cold and so irritated with the weather that I was NO fun to be with! But the weather didn't deter the water skiing gal in just a swim suite...Brrrrrrr!!!!! Despite my rotten attitude, I still enjoyed the beauty of the lake (BUT I would have enjoyed it a LOT more if the sun had been shining and I wasn't FREEZING!)





Being the good Mormons that we are (ha ha), we woke up Sunday morning in search of a chapel where we could attend Sacrament meeting. Sacrament meeting didn't start until 11 for the Sequim ward and I didn't want to wait around until then to get our day started. So the only other option was driving 30 minutes to Port Angeles to attend the 9 am meeting. Well, remember my comments earlier about being able to sleep in...and also keep in mind that being late really stresses me out. Add to that the cloudy, rainy, cold day, and my bad mood from the night before woke up with me again. Blah! We left Sequim at 8:45 to venture out to find this chapel 30 minutes away that was starting in 15 minutes. I was ROTTEN, I'll tell you! I really don't know how I lived in Seattle for 4 years without taking "Happy Pills".

I now have a new understanding of why Starbucks is thriving in Washington. It's so cold and rainy that hot cup of "Joe" not only warms your chilly hands, but also warms your chilly insides. And maybe all the caffeine in that cup of "Joe" helps ward off the over extensive use of the "Happy Pills". Living in Seattle, I would either have a serious Word of Wisdom problem, or a serious weight problem (instead of coffee, I lived on Hot Chocolate).

We never found the chapel, but look what we found instead...
A deer...

A Purple house (I love the rainbow of houses found in Washington--with all the gray, you've gotta get color somehow)...


And a super cool old barn that was even FOR SALE!!!

Can you find the old claw bath tub in the front yard?

Our last stop on the Peninsula was at a beach where we were surrounded by wild blackberry bushes and flies. I was grossed out, and poor Paul was just trying to soak up every last minute of the Peninsula as he could. I was trying really hard to be good by this point, but he smells and the bugs were just too much for me to handle. So, we headed back to Seattle.




The sun was shining in Seattle (there's irony, if I've ever seen it). Pike's place was a bustling business district again. I LOVED it!

The world famous Throwing Fish Market...






The sea of colorful flowers...
And all the other various vendors selling fresh fruit and vegetables, hand made jewelry, fresh made donuts, hand made clothing, and paintings.

For $2.50 each, we rode the train from Downtown to SeaTac Airport where we were serenaded by the "unruly" Vietnamese ladies and were flowered with the fragrance of an unclean man (how can one individual smell up an entire train?!). Thankfully, the man sitting next to me on the plane was clean, but hung over from the wedding he had attended the day before on Lake Crescent where he too saw the crazy lady water skier (what are the odds?).

Grandma Carol's visit

The boys get SO excited to have visitors! Well, so do I, for that matter. And this time was definitely NO exception! Grandma Carol spoils the boys just like Grandma's should...LOTS of treats (chips, cookies, brownies, candy, ice cream) and LOTS of attention! The boys especially loved having Grandma read to them...ALL DAY LONG!!!


We put Carol to the test this visit. While Paul and I were in Seattle, Barik had a soccer game (early in the morning) and then Andrew, Barik and Cooper had a Primary Program Practice. She got them all dressed in their church garb, and got them to the church in time for the Practice. Then Sunday was the Primary Program. She had to get all 4 of them ready (a chore I still have a difficult time with) and get them to church for their program. And like the Pro that she is, all was done in a timely and orderly manner. I am VERY impressed!

Thanks SO much for coming and making some more really great memories with all of us!

Barik's first Lost Tooth

It was so loose...But I didn't dare pull it. Andrew always pulled his own teeth out, so I just kept waiting for Barik to just yank it out. One day when the Wilson's were over swimming, Adrienne asked Barik if he wanted her to pull it out. I was too chicken! I didn't want him to remember that I was the one to cause him pain. I'll leave that memory up to Adrienne:). (What a good friend!) A couple yanks later, and it was out. And then came the blood. Barik was on the verge of tears, but was quickly distracted by Adrienne's recommendation that he go check it out in the mirror.




And then came the Tooth Fairy Note. Wesley and Adrienne told Barik how it was done. So, once the note was composed, Barik instructed me on the proceeding photo shoot:

"Take a picture of me with the note and my tooth"

"Take a picture of the note"
(translated: "Dear Tooth Fairy, I want a back pack")


"Now take a picture of the tooth"

"Now take a picture of the note and the tooth."

The back pack was a plug from Mom and Dad. Barik had been talking about getting a new back pack, and I knew he needed one, so I bought one at the beginning of the school year and just waited until he REALLY needed it. But OH BOY, what have we set ourselves up for?! A dollar just won't be the same...