The Seattle Recap

I think I'm finally recovering from a fast paced week in Washington! It was a short trip, but we managed to cram so much activity in the 2 1/2 days we were there. It was really nice; my brother-in-law is a life long Washington resident so he was able to provide us the best tour of Seattle possible.
Upon arriving in Seattle, we claimed our bags and headed straight downtown. After a morning of travel, we were starving so we stopped at Ivar's on the waterfront where we enjoyed fish and chips, as well as excellent views of Puget Sound. After lunch, we walked over to the infamous Pike Place Fish Market and surrounding markets. The energy down there is amazing; the juicy fruits, fresh cut flowers, antiques and art all contribute to the eclectic little market place.

After a few hours we were ready for some downtime. We headed to pick up my oldest nephew from school, and got settled in at their brand spanking new home (they were still in the process of moving in!). We then went to a nearby beach and watched the sun set over the mountains.

Isn't their home gorgeous? My brother in law built it. It's quiet and nestled in the woods.

Cameron got his first taste of seaweed!

That night we relaxed, and caught up with our family who we haven't seen since our wedding.

Wednesday we wanted to get out of Seattle, so we made the journey to Mount Rainier National Park. Living in Kansas we obviously don't get many opportunities for breath-taking (literally and figuratively) hikes. We also don't get the opportunity to truly explore the glory and beauty of God's handy work. I've been on some pretty awesome hikes and this hike ranks at the top. We only hiked about 2.5 miles in the park since Cameron was with us, but it was enough to get a taste of what the Evergreen State has to offer. Cameron did great the whole day and was such a trooper!

I was amazed at how big the trees were. They make us look so tiny!

Thursday was our last day, so we drove to Bremerton, got on the ferry which took us through the beautiful Puget Sound and docked back in Seattle. I had never been on a ferry that carried cars, so that was a neat treat for me! The chilly 50- minute boat ride was awesome and it was neat to see the Seattle cityscape from a distance. We docked and drove off, and headed for the Hiram Chittenden locks. We ate lunch at the Lockspot where I devoured the absolute best fish & onion rings. The salmon were running at the Locks, so Jon was in awe and wanted to throw in a pole.

We headed home and it was still early, so Jon and I left Cameron with his sister for the evening. Jon took me by his old house and showed me where he used to hang out growing up. He even showed me the basketball court where he had a gun pointed to his head when he was just 10 years old-yikes! It was pretty cool to see his old stomping grounds.

Ikea "happened" to be just minutes away, so of course we stopped. I had wanted to go to Ikea all along, so I told Jon to take his large suitcase and leave it half empty so we could bring goodies back. Let me just tell you, that restricting Ikea purchases so that they can fit into a suitcase is pure torchure and I don't recommend it. I had a bag full of stuff in less than 10 minutes and I hadn't even made it through 1/4 of the store. It probably would have been easier to avoid the store altoghether, but alas, everything I got fit in our suitcase!

Cameron did really well, and slept most of all four flights. I worried so much about making sure he had distractions on the airplane, so I bought a new toy and a board book to take with us. But what does he play with? Empty water bottles and shiny candy wrappers. I should have known this. Overall we had a blast, but there's no place like home!