Seattle: Day 3

We decided to venture out for breakfast. And of course I didn't want to go to the Denny's across the street. I spent some time on Yelp looking for a good place to go eat, and decided on The Clearview Cafe. I gave Mark and my dad one last chance to veto my choice, and was told "it's up to you". Well, that's a green light for an adventure! Along the way to the car, we picked up an extra person to join us. Gene (ex-step dad) came along for coffee (he had already eaten breakfast). So, after a few wrong turns, and 11 miles driving in the rain, we found out place. And after waiting about 10 minutes for a table, we were seated and ready to order a yummy breakfast!


Isn't this just the prettiest hot chocolate you have ever seen?

Gene on left, dad on right.  See how happy they are to be on this adventure!

Waiting for food to arrive. I ordered the Nutter Butter french toast. Yes. I did. Peanut butter between 2 pieces of french toast, coated in something crispy, with bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce drizzled on top. If there is a next time, I would skip the chocolate and leave the whip on the side. Otherwise, to die for. Huge portions too! I highly recommend if you are ever in the area!

Spotted these pretties in the McDonald's drive thru. Needed a Diet Coke bad. And I don't want to hear that these are weeds!

Before we left for the airport we got to take a quick tour of my brother and Kristi's new house. It was every bit as gorgeous as I had imagined. It sits at the end of a street, and has total privacy from all the neighbors. When you open your car door all you hear are the birds chirping. Sweet!

 

Can totally see myself eating pancakes here for breakfast!

 

Back patio deck. Great place for a beer and a grilled dinner!

This is my favorite spot by far. It's a fireplace in the master bath. Across from the whirlpool tub. I totally wanted a fireplace in the bathroom of my last house! Warm water with a bath bomb. Glass of wine. Crackling fireplace. Jets turned on in the tub. Nice! Is it odd that I keep imagining myself in various rooms of Bob and Kristi's house? I think it means I need to come back and visit the house Bob and Kristi!

Waiting for plane to take off. Got super lucky and no one sat in the middle seat. Mark and I got to put up the arm rests and it felt like we flew home on a love seat. Yes! Note the rain streaming down the window. Must be Seattle. Definitely not rain in Phoenix!

On our way home. Visit was much too quick and not nearly enough time together, but so glad to have been able to share in the special days with my bro and his lovely bride!

Seattle Day 2-updated post

(I accidently published this post before I added all the reception photos. Oops.)

The day of the reception.

Too much walking the prior day meant waking up to a swollen, sore leg. We had planned on helping with reception setup and cupcake delivery, but that had to be abandoned for a morning of bed rest with a bag of ice draped over my knee.

Had a bite to eat at Dany's Taco truck for lunch. All I can say is that we will go back the next time we are in Monroe, WA. Yummy and cheap. You know how much I love cheap and yummy!

Even my skeptical Dad enjoyed his lunch. I was impressed with his going out of his comfort zone with us on this trip!

Then it was time to change for the big celebration. Here are some of my favorite pics that I took. Will have to be patient waiting for a peek at the professional pics!

The reception decorations were super cute! Kristi did an incredible job with all the little details!

My 2 favorite men in the world!

I  don't have a clue what Mark and my dad were laughing at, but I love the out-of-control expressions on their faces!

 

And the happy couple. Kristi, you make my brother so happy and for that I welcome you into the family with all my love. And I know he makes you happy too. You just have to spend a few minutes with these 2 to see how much love they feel for each other!

Looking forward to many years together, sharing happy memories. Glad to have the chance to share your special day!

Seattle: Day 1

Hello everyone. I want to start sharing some Seattle pics today. I decided it would be easiest if I broke the trip down into 3 posts, one for each day we were there. I'll try to keep them from being too long, but no promises.  I do like to use my camera! I brought my DSLR along this trip, but of course the i-phone camera was used a lot. And I do love Instagram!

I have a slight problem with packing for airplane trips. Apparently I worry that if I crash and am not discovered for a few weeks, I need to have something to keep me busy while I wait for the rescue team! For the 3 hour flight to Seattle I packed:

1.  3 books and 2 magazines (along with my old lady reading glasses).

2.  a tiny moleskin journal and watercolor crayons, watercolor pencils, and gelatos.

3.  my i-pad

4.  cookies, good and plentys, gum, mints, and a bottle of water

My view down the aisle.

My dad before the plane took off. Happy to have his aisle seat (we flew Southwest so there is always an element of surprise to where your seat will be)

I'm happy with my seat too. Window. Next to hubby. Yeah. (Mark was not so happy to be in the middle seat....)

This is how my dad looked once the plane was in the air. And the rest of the flight.

Turns out I only had time to read this 1 book the entire trip. But I did finish it on the flight home. It made me think about the priorities in my life. And to focus on those in the future. On what really matters to me and Mark and our family.

Flight was fine. A little bumpy and a little crowded (seats seemed a bit small). But not too bad. Picked up car rental (upgraded to Subaru Legacy 5/day...and I loved the car!)  Hour drive to Monroe, where hotel and my brother's/new sis-in-law's house is. Unpacked. Headed down the street to pick up a snack and coffee. Check out the flowers along the freeway in the background. Nice. We have rocks here in the Phoenix area along our freeways!

 One last photo of my dad. Chilling at Starbucks. (I normally am not allowed to take photos of my dad, so I took advantage of our time together in Seattle!)

 Back to the hotel to change for the family dinner. They rented a room in the hotel to have family and out of town guests get together. Yummy pizza was served.And beer. And salad and green beans and wine. We visited and listened to Nepal stories for a couple of hours, then they had to head out to work on last minute reception preparations.

 End of Day 1.