Our Washington State Trip Recap Part 1

Wow! This past week has been a whirlwind coming home from vacation. We were gone a total of nine days, coming home past midnight Monday and heading straight to work on Tuesday. Never again I tell ya! I’ll be sure to plan some time before returning home and work next time. Work has not slowed down for either of us and we had to get right back into the swing of things right away which was pretty tough! The girls adjusted really well, but I have been struggling all week long.

Have you ever been to Washington? It is one of the most beautiful states I’ve ever seen! Everywhere is so green, the sky is extra blue, and the clouds look painted on. We’ve been planning this trip for years, and finally had the chance and opportunity to go. Matt and I both have family up there and when we first planned on heading up there we bought our house and when I transferred positions I wasn’t able to get the same vacation week I had before so we put it off for the next year. When the next year came about I was pregnant and Emma would be born right around the time we would want to visit so we put it off again. Then, Matt’s cousin got engaged and planned her wedding for this September and boom, we were going!

With her wedding on a Saturday, we decided to fly in the week before and spend the first half of our vacation with my side over by Seattle and then rent a van and drive to Spokane to spend the second half with Matt's side, meeting up with his parents and sisters for the wedding. It was a perfect plan and so, so much fun. It was honestly one of the best vacations of my life and a trip I’ll always hold dear to my heart. It was so fantastic seeing our families and each of us getting to know the other side’s family better. There were lots of cousins, babies, family BBQs, and late nights after long days filled with activities.

As soon as we flew in, some of my family greeted us at the airport, where I almost immediately burst into tears and cried like a baby. We started the trip off right away and headed downtown to check out the Space Needle, have lunch, and visit the Children’s Science Museum. There were so many great features of the museum and the perfect place for all the kids, Ellie literally ran from one place to the next with excitement. We didn’t get to see the entire museum, the kids couldn’t last, and I would love to go back again on our next trip.

Sunday morning we headed to the Sun Break Café and my life will never be the same. I had hot chocolate with a mountain size of whip cream and their strawberry cream cheese French toast and it was absolutely incredible. It’s funny because I almost didn’t order it in favor of traditional French toast, but on a whim I asked the waitress which was her favorite item and she told me the strawberry jam and cream cheese dish so I figured, I’m on vacation why not? Boy am I glad I listened to her! You only live once people, go get yourself a plate. At the café, they also have the best banana bread any of us have ever had. My aunt and cousins all said we had to try and often come by just to get a loaf themselves. The café steams the bread and it is incredibly moist, my mouth is watering just thinking about it now.

After breakfast we headed to Point Defiance Zoo which is placed in the middle of the forest and the drive around to find the parking lot, we saw three deer and I kept repeating to anyone who was listening about how gorgeous all the evergreens are. We have a zoo pass to San Diego and try and go as often as we can, but it was a lot of fun to visit a zoo in another state. The girls loved it, they have a monkey there that put on a big show when he saw us, swinging all around and playing. Ellie just cracked up! We ended the day with a big family BBQ, Italian sodas, and lots of cookies.

Late Monday morning, we headed out to visit Port Orchard to see one of Matt’s aunts. She has a home right on the lake and we spent the entire time outside on her patio eating and talking. Tuesday we were back at it again and headed out to Pike Place’s for some shopping and lunch. It was so much fun and I have been here before when I was little, but I barely remembered it. Ellie had a blast looking at everything, trying samples (including chocolate pasta!), watching the shops toss fish, and sitting on their golden piggy bank. We enjoyed fish and chips outside and watched the ferries, the weather was absolutely beautiful! We couldn’t leave without a few goodies, including matching hoodies, ornaments, my very first apron! The day ended with another big family BBQ, a dip in the pool, and s’mores around a fire pit.

We loved Seattle, it's a gorgeous city and so full of life! Pike Place Market was one of my favorite stops, all the flowers and shops were beautiful! We loved all the time we spent there, the skyline is stunning and all of their hanging plants are so vibrant and lovely. I'll have part 2 up tomorrow so come back to see the rest of our trip!