It's been a month since I've updated the blog - whoops! Life has been FULL lately - in the best possible way - which means we have much to catch up on.
Being thousands of miles away from the friends and family we've known for years, decades, and lifetimes, means there is nothing sweeter than a visit from them! We've been so fortunate to have made some wonderful friends out here in Bellevue, but there's just something so wonderful about family and old friends. It's nourishment for our souls!
And these two couldn't resist the cutest little purple bench we ever did see!
Being thousands of miles away from the friends and family we've known for years, decades, and lifetimes, means there is nothing sweeter than a visit from them! We've been so fortunate to have made some wonderful friends out here in Bellevue, but there's just something so wonderful about family and old friends. It's nourishment for our souls!
Back in April, my parents visited us for about five days. Katelyn happened to be off school that week for spring break, so we had more time to spend together. We had a great time playing at nearby parks and visiting some popular spots for the first time.
Check out this throwback re-creation! I took a picture of Gramma and Katelyn at the park that day and then remembered that I took a similar one almost three years ago (Katelyn was almost 2 1/2 - Kendall wasn't even born yet!). How fun is it to see them side-by-side?! Katelyn definitely looks older, but my mom continues to defy the aging process! (I hope I get hooked up with those genes :)
On Saturday, we took a day trip (our maiden voyage) to Bainbridge Island, WA. We rode the ferry there from Seattle (our car was transported on the ship, too) and it was about a 30 minute ride and one that commuters make into and back out of Seattle everyday. Not only was it fun to ride on a huge ship, but the views of downtown Seattle are second-to-none.
It was a beautiful, sunny day and just perfect for a little exploring. We enjoyed a walk along the water, looking at all the docked boats.
Then we had lunch at a restaurant on the water, took a little hike (while Kendall napped in the car), and made our way to the main street area with shopping, more restaurants, and a popular ice cream spot called Mora. Yum!
And these two couldn't resist the cutest little purple bench we ever did see!
The next day, we visited Snoqualmie Falls, which is a 30 minute drive east of Bellevue. It's a popular tourist spot that we had yet to check out. We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed the sights and sounds (ahh, serenity…) of the huge waterfall.
As always, it was so nice to see Gramma and Papa! Considering it was their third visit in six months, we're feeling grateful and happy that the distance between us doesn't feel so far.
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Our next visitor was such a sweet surprise! One of our babysitters from back in Minnesota took a road trip out West and made it all the way to out to Seattle for a few days before heading back. She drove. By herself. She's in her early 20's. Did I mention she's independent and ambitious?!
We all had so much fun re-connecting with Marisa! The girls of course loved playing with her, sharing all about our life in Washington, and she even got to visit Katelyn's preschool. The first day, we took her down to Pike Place Market and had a girls-only dinner right on the waterfront (Michael was at work). We also visited Kerry Park lookout point with views of the Space Needle and the Puget Sound.
The next day we took on Alki Beach in West Seattle for a morning visit and that evening Michael put the kids to bed while Marisa and I went to an event at our church called "Nights of Generosity" which included some amazing speakers (Russell Wilson of the Seahawks!), great music, and an inspiring message. We went out for dinner afterwards too - it was fun!
We also took her to Snoqualmie Falls. It's fun to visit the touristy spots time and time again with new people. I think we've taken each and every visitor to Kerry Park and it never gets old. Marisa and I also went on a little hike that afternoon and by evening, Michael and I were getting ready for a night out as Marisa graciously offered to watch the girls - just like old times :)
It was especially fun to go out that night because my cousin Patrick and his wife Sarah were in Seattle for the weekend! We met up with them downtown for some dinner and drinks. We had a blast catching up and the best news is it will hopefully happen again soon… they just moved here from Denver and we couldn't be more thrilled for them (and us - having family close by is such a treat :)
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The following weekend was Memorial Day and we were so excited to have two more special visitors: my dear friend Katie and her husband Luke all the way from Edina, MN! You might recall their wedding last year. They were celebrating their one-year anniversary with a trip to Vancouver, BC which is just three hours from Seattle, so they stayed with us for a couple days before heading north. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to be able to see Katie in person. After nearly 16 years of friendship, this was a record-shattering 6-month drought since we had last seen each other. Needless to say, by the end of the weekend, my heart was full and quenched! We loved and cherished our time together.
The following weekend was Memorial Day and we were so excited to have two more special visitors: my dear friend Katie and her husband Luke all the way from Edina, MN! You might recall their wedding last year. They were celebrating their one-year anniversary with a trip to Vancouver, BC which is just three hours from Seattle, so they stayed with us for a couple days before heading north. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to be able to see Katie in person. After nearly 16 years of friendship, this was a record-shattering 6-month drought since we had last seen each other. Needless to say, by the end of the weekend, my heart was full and quenched! We loved and cherished our time together.
On Friday, we stayed home and made our own pizzas for dinner and enjoyed some drinks, but most of all their company. The girls had fun making a human playground out of Luke and all of us had a blast catching up. Katie and Luke had spent the day exploring on their own, so they saw most of the traditional Seattle sights. The next morning we made our way downtown and took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Here's a picture of all the kids :) before leaving the port.
It was cloudy, cool, and windy on the boat, but still a lot of fun. We had lunch on the island and then made our way back to Seattle.
We had a sitter arriving around dinnertime for the girls and the rest of us had reservations at a restaurant right on the waterfront in Ballard (a neighborhood in Seattle). We made a quick stop at Kerry Park (surprise!) for some pictures and then were on our way to dinner.
We sure had our share of laughs, as you can see!
Dinner was so special - not only was the company some of our favorite people ever, but the food was incredible too. A lovely, memorable night and weekend!
We feel so fortunate that our family and friends have supported us in this move and continue to do so as the months go by. It means the world that they would take time out of their (already busy and demanding) lives to come see what ours is like out here in Washington state. Life is made richer and fuller with friends and family in it, there's no doubt about that!
