Trip to WA, Part I (June)

Sorry we haven't posted for so long. End of school, moving, the trip to WA, Jonah becoming more mobile, trying to enjoy the good weather when it comes... well, being on the computer becomes less and less of a priority. =) Any any case, here is the first installment/post to make up for my slovenly and sluggish blogging habits.

Deej on his first pony ride @ the Anchorage Downtown Market

We took a 3-wk trip to WA state starting mid June. On our way down, we visited with both Gayle and Jessica (and of course went to The Downtown Market, Chuck E. Cheese, and Bouncing Bears) in Anchorage. When we arrived in Anchorage, Jake and I realized we had forgotten both cameras (these things seem to happen when you're traveling with 2 little guys)... we had been planning to get a cheap digital camera for Daniel anyway, but when we went shopping for them, the "cheap" ones were still $60, and were poorly made with minimal features... so, we opted for a regular little Coolpix Nikon (with the insurance against bumping, dropping, H2O immersion, etc.) and bought a ridiculously nice camera for our 3-yr-old. It has actually proved an awesome investment. Daniel has been a little photographer for over a month now, and aside from a slight obsession with feet and foot pictures, he has done quite well. His is careful with his camera, and has taken several of the photos you'll see in this and subsequent posts. Go DJ!

Daniel's favorite subject when he's behind the camera lens: the feet

(For those of you who don't recognize the sexy toes in the above picture, they're mine.)

DJ riding the push train cars @ the Downtown Anchorage Market

My sister Teya came to SeaTac to pick us up, and we spent a few nights @ her new house with her, Jeff, Brennan, their new beagle puppy, Buttercup, and their ever-psycho cat, Mr. Binks. We went to a Mariner's game together. They lost, but the game was at least interesting for the last 3 innings, and we had fun anyway.

DJ, Brennan, Jonah, and Buttercup (who was amazingly well-behaved for a puppy)

At the M's game

My Aunt Lynette and Uncle Kent came to dinner for a bbq while we were there, and we got to visit with them. Uncle Kent helped me decorate my patriotic angelfood cake. The white raspberries just weren't working out until he stepped in and saved the day. ;-)

Next we drove to Port Townsend to visit my parents, Pat and Gary, @ their retirement house (under construction). On the drive, we had lunch with my MS/HS friend Megan in Seattle, and then met up for coffee with our good friends Mons and Sarah (with their kids Serina, Ben, and a baby on board) @ a coffee shop for a few hours since they were on that side of the state visiting her parents anyway.

DJ enjoying the waves and sand @ the beach in Fort Warden State Park

Jonah on the deck @ his Papa Gary and Grandma Pat's houseDJ on a real John Deere tractor that was doing construction @ the site

Jonah posing with his Grandma Pat so Deej could take a picture

We stayed in Port Townsend for one night, and then left Daniel and Jonah with them and took a trip with just Jake and I to Orcas Island. We stayed in our own little cabin with a private hot tub in the back. Jake arranged for roses, chocolates, and champagne to surprise me when we opened the door. As you may have heard, we had an eventful first night there: as Jake started to open the wire on the bottle of bubbly, the cork came out on its own, bounced off the ceiling, bopped me in the shoulder, and landed way across the room... then later, our king-size bed broke (while we were SLEEPING, thank you) at about 6:30 in the morning... so our dreams of sleeping in with no kids never materialized. But we had fun anyway. The guy running the resort gave us a pretty hard time, but just joking... the bed had been broken before we got there, and we just helped get it all the way to the floor. Jake and I had great fun hiking, sea kayaking, and going up to Mt. Constitution (we could even see Rainier from the top).

Our cabin

The bed we broke

On a hike on Orcas Island

Sea KayakingWe stayed one more night with a fixed bed, then took an early ferry back to PT and spent a few more days visiting with my parents all together. It was great to see my folks' dream house on the ocean materializing right in front of us. They're very excited to start their retirement. The most fun we had was probably swimming at the clubhouse. Daniel actually got in the water and had fun (an impossibility last summer) and Jonah had a blast too.
Me, DJ, my dad, and Jonah swimming @ the clubhouse

Me on my parents' deck @ sunset (Protection Island in the background)

More to come...