Catching Up On a Few Weeks!

Hello!
Happy Sunday! I have literally nothing interesting to report about this weekend since Trav has been very sick and we haven't left the house at all. Although I hate to see him so sick and uncomfortable, it was a good excuse for me to stay in, relax, and catch up on the blog (in between laundry, cooking meals for the week and cleaning). Very exciting, I know : )

Since prior to this weekend things have been very busy with work, traveling and more out of town company, I've fallen quite behind on the blog! So today I'll be throwing two posts into one, I'll try to keep it as short as possible (with the exception of lots of photos).

A few weeks ago we cashed in our our City Passes (discounted pass to do all the tourist activities in Seattle). We figured we might as well explore all the main attractions in the city while we are still somewhat "new" here. Our weekend included trips to the Seattle Aquarium, the Boeing Museum of Flight, the Space Needle, the EMP Museum and a harbor cruise. I'm glad we were able to pack most of this into one weekend, it was fun to see everything, especially since much of it was within walking distance from our house.

Here are a few pictures from our touristy weekend:

Some new friends at the Seattle Aquarium

This sleepy otter stole my heart. He was sucking on his tail!

Downtown Seattle view

Port of Seattle - my inner supply chain nerd was loving this. Trav wasn't quite so excited.

EMP Museum 

Museum of Flight - this made me think of my Grandpa and his love of/previous career in the aviation industry. Papa, you would have loved it here! 

Having my own "Maverick" Moment...as many of you know Top Gun is my favorite movie of all time. I geeked out a little here...

We got to check out the inside of a former Airforce One aircraft, the one that carried Kennedy! 

Last weekend my little sis Jamie was back in town for Labor Day weekend. It was great to have her back again after just a few short weeks since her first visit with our friends Steph & Katie. We took the opportunity to drive up to Anacortes and take the ferry over to Friday Harbor. As some of you know, the San Juan Islands are a very special place for our family, as we vacationed there by boat for many years when we were kids. 

The "boat trip" as we called it always the best part of my summer and I looked forward to it every year. Although I loved it then, as an adult I've come to appreciate those trips even more as I have such special memories of my family together, out on the water doing what we love. I also realize what a unique and amazing vacation it truly was, an experience I can't explain in words. Just to give you a visual, my poor parents were trapped in close quarters on a boat for two weeks with EIGHT young women (since they allowed us each to bring a friend). You can imagine, things got a little crazy at times, but it always brought us so close together as a family. Those memories are what drove my desire to move to Seattle few months ago, since it was how I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and all it has to offer. 

It was so great to be able to go back there with Jamie, and to bring Travis with too so he could experience a few of the places he's heard us talk about for years. Once we landed at Friday Harbor, we grabbed a quick lunch by the water and then drove over to Roche Harbor, one of my all time favorite places on earth. Roche Harbor is just a short drive across the island from Friday Harbor, and it is one of the most unique little places I've ever been. Not much had changed since our last visit years ago, with the exception of a small housing development popping up on the hill above the harbor, and a few more boat slips. Other than that it still has the same classic, nautical, Americana, Fourth of July feel to it. 

Here are a few photos from our day on San Juan Island:

Waiting for the ferry in Anacortes

 Just off the ferry at Friday Harbor

A "meat pie" for Trav at lunch at Friday Harbor

Roche Harbor - Hotel De Haro

Some huckleberry ice cream didn't hurt...

View of Friday Harbor from the hilltop

We officially fit in around Seattle now since we have Keen's...I have to say as resistant as I was to their not so cute design, they are SO comfortable. 

 Time to catch the ferry back to Anacortes! There's just something about the Washington ferries that I absolutely LOVE.

Well that was a lot of catching up! As usual, we find a lot of things to keep us busy out here with an adventure at every turn! In a few weeks we'll have more visitors, my sister Molly and her hubby Kelsey, as well as my parents a week later. I guess we have to enjoy it now since winter in Seattle won't entice any visitors : ) Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend and is now enjoying the start of fall - my favorite season! 

Cheers!

KP