Milly & Kelso Come to Town

Good evening!
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, we sure did! We had a few more visitors roll into Seattle last week. My sister Molly and her husband Kelsey came to stay with us for a few days and it was such a great time! 

I was able to take a few days off of work to spend time with them, which was wonderful. It was a great mix of being out and about while also taking some time to relax. Unfortunately for the first few days of their visit, Trav was still traveling for work on a job site. So it was the three of us until Friday afternoon. 

For their first full day in town we spent the morning at the market, exploring all of the tiny shops and unique vendors. We watched a few fish get thrown and some fresh cheese get made. By the end of the morning, both Molly and I were heading home with bags full of yogurt, flowers, spices, cheese, lavender candles, natural bath products and a few other things. It was the first time I'd really spent some time shopping for things besides just produce. 

Since Trav was out of town, I figured we should seize the opportunity to have a meal that I knew Molly and Kelsey would love (but Travis would not have). We visited "The Roaring Bowl" which was a Korean "hot pot" restaurant near our house. It was a very fun and interactive lunch, cooking all of our own proteins and vegetables in various broths at our table. You can see below how much food was on the table, Molly and I didn't come anywhere near making a dent in the massive pile of vegetables, rice and noodles. Kelsey, however, really did get his money's worth : ) The only downside of our lunch was that we all smelled very "brothy" for the rest of the day. 

After our large soupy lunch, we did have to take a short nap before heading out to dinner. We took the bus over to Ballard and went to "Kings Hardware," the home of our favorite cocktail in Seattle so far...the "Grape Beehive." I knew Molly would enjoy it was much as I do, so we had to stop there for a taste test. We then jumped over to Matador for a nice little Mexican dinner, before taking the bus back home. I have to say I love taking advantage of public transportation whenever I can, traffic and parking in this city are a nightmare!

Friday morning before picking Trav up from the airport, I though it would be nice to take Moll and Kels to Snoqualmie Falls. Since it's less than an hour from the city and doesn't require any actual hiking, it's a good spot for visitors. We went there a few weeks after we moved to Seattle this spring and it was great, so I was happy to head back. As you can see, we had some fun by the falls, down by the river, and even in the gift shop finding some interesting hats. 

Once Trav was back in town the weekend was in full swing! Friday evening we went down to the park on the waterfront and dipped our toes into Puget Sound. However, getting our toes wet quickly turned into a whole body affair as Travis though it would be a good idea to throw Molly and I into the water fully clothed. IT WAS COLD! It was quite fun though and we all got a good laugh out of it (in addition to throwing empty crab shells and kelp at each other). Kelsey was the only one who willingly went for a real swim, the cold water didn't seem to bother him! He was one with the ocean. 

After getting soaked we came back home to enjoy a few cocktails before dinner. "What are those cool things you are drinking out of?" you ask? Well those are Zoku slush cups that my amazing mother sent me for my birthday. They turn any beverage into a slushy consistency. Let me tell you, I was skeptical...however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they work really well! So thanks Mom for the wonderful treat! We enjoyed them (with adult beverages). 

After a few cocktails we went to dinner nearby and came back home to call it a night. Saturday we ended up sleeping in a little, grabbing breakfast and then heading over to Alki Beach in West Seattle for the day. It was so nice to just lay on the sand and get some sun. It was a very relaxing afternoon! We also made another trip to the market so Kelsey could buy some fresh seafood to cook up for dinner. He started quite the culinary adventure which included clams, squid and salmon. It was several hours of intensive preparation that yielded a massive amount of food. It was quite fun to watch though (minus the squid preparation, which was not for the weak of stomach). I was very impressed with his skill in the kitchen! 

We ate dinner on the rooftop deck and enjoyed the beautiful sunset behind the Cascade Mountains. It seemed like the right way to close out their visit with us, especially since the weather was amazing! I was very sad to see them go as we dropped them at the airport this morning, but I think we are one step closer to recruiting the entire family to move out to Seattle. As some of you know my sister Jamie is moving out here in a few weeks! I am also campaigning for Maggie, Molly/Kelsey and my parents to join us at some point. One by one...we are winning them over! 

We have another exciting week ahead of us, my parents are visiting this weekend, so the Peterson Hotel continues to be open for business! It's been so fun to have so many visitors and get a little piece of home every now and then. 

Hope you all have a wonderful week, take care. 
Cheers!
KP

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