Seattle

It has been a crazy time around our house lately.  I got back from my trip to Seattle around 1:00 in the morning on Tuesday, and then Mark left for a two night fishing trip later that morning.  We saw each other for a little bit before he left, but it was such a tease!  Mark came back late Thursday afternoon, and we have been enjoying time as family again.  The kids are so happy that we're all back together again, and so I am.

My trip to Seattle was so much fun and, at the same time, so weird because I was there without the kids or Mark.  I hadn't been apart from the kids for more than two nights ever, and I went five nights without them.  By Monday, I was so ready to get back to them and snuggle them.  Mark and I were able to text and chat throughout each day, so although I missed him, it was easier to manage for me.

The drive to Seattle was twelve hours each way and it was a looooong drive when you added all of the necessary stops we took.  My friend, Amy, did all of the driving.  I stayed awake every minute of the drive, though and was the official navigator.

I took so many pictures on the trip that I think I'll spread them out over a few posts, like one on just the food I ate and another on all the art I got to see.  I already posted about what I wore on the trip, which you can check out here.

On our first day, we went to the Seattle Center to see the Space Needle, eat lunch and go to the EMP Musuem.  I loved seeing the Space Needle pretty much anywhere you went in town, and it adds a an edgy/futuristic vibe to the whole city.  Seattle might be Pacific Northwest, but you don't really get a hippy vibe from it...more of a rock vibe!

There was so much for a small town girl like me to look at and find interesting.  Even the signs were cool to me, like this awesome car wash sign.  I remember thinking that if we lived here, my kids would probably make me go here just for the sign. It rotated, too!

I had such a great time with Amy and my friend/hostess, Erika.  We walked all over town, saw everything we wanted to see, ate delicious food, drank Framboise, ate candy, stayed up too late and slept in too long, hung out with new friends and laughed until our abs ached and tears ran down our faces.  I felt free.

But, I am so glad that my "freedom" was only temporary.  Everywhere we went, I saw children and families and couples and I was so thankful that I had another life to go home to, a life where I am a wife and a mother.  It was so fun to be away and I am so grateful for the opportunity.  I'm just grateful for my everyday life, too!

All of the tourist-y places were so crowded, which is of course to be expected.  Pike Place Market was just teaming with people, but we were able to spend some time people watching as we enjoyed lunch and a drink.

We spent an afternoon walking along the waterfront, taking pictures, talking, and trying not to get blisters.  We did so much in our short time in Seattle, and I was even able to spend an afternoon with my awesome cousin who I rarely (like never) get to see.

Saying goodbye was hard. I didn't want to leave Erika, whom I feel so much closer to.  We talked, and talked and talked.  And I didn't want to leave Lacey, her sweet rescued Pit Bull who became the fourth gal in our party.  The weather and atmosphere was just so wonderful, and I really felt like I could live there, if my family was with me.  Seattle now holds a special place in my heart.