Seattle

It's taken me a little while to getting around to post these, but with back-to-back trips followed by horrible head colds, there was no real blogging going on around this house. Josh had a ski trip back in January, so the girls and I took a trip to see our good friends in Bellingham, WA. I really do enjoy traveling with the kiddos when I'm a prepared momma. There's something about it that makes me feel really powerful.....until my body breaks down and reminds me that I'm just some normal (crazy) human who likes to take her kids on airplanes across the country. Anyway, it was good to be with Shannon and her five kiddos, 5, 4, 1, and 2 month-old twins. Throw another two kids in there and we had a live circus. Shannon is a good friend for tolerating us. We had a great time. It was good to walk into their life in Bellingham.


I didn't get any pictures of all 7 children together, it was just always a bit wild. Huntleigh seriously took to little Molly. She always wanted to hold her and help feed her and to be with her. I was surprised at Huntleigh's interest in having babies around. It was super cute.


Shannon and I had a few hours away from the kids (thanks to her awesome mother-in-law and nanny!) so that we could explore downtown Bellingham together. We actually had time to complete sentences. It was amazing. And Bellingham is a great city, burgeoning with all kinds of culture.


After our time in Bellingham, we headed south to meet Josh in Seattle. Seattle is one of my favorite U.S. cities. It was so much fun to share my love for it with my girls. We enjoyed an amazing morning at Pike Place Market taking in all the sights, sounds, smells, and action. It really made me miss living in a city with open air markets. We tasted all kinds of fruits and jellies and vegan cookies....even some chocolate pasta. And an artisan made Huntleigh a special pair of earrings for when she gets her ears pierced.


Here's Lucy with the chocolate pasta in her mouth.


One of the bonuses of being in Seattle for a couple extra days was getting to see my great aunt, my mom's aunt, Miriam. She is an incredible woman. Certainly she is the kind of woman I hope to be when I am in my mid-eighties. She is spunky, she's thoughtful, she's active, she is full of patience, she exudes joy, and she loves Jesus fervently. She has walked through trials and arrived more beautiful on the other side. It was a complete privilege to spend a couple hours with her over lunch. My children were near completely falling apart, and yet she and I managed to have some good discussion. Two hours was not nearly enough time with her, but it was perfect. Good for the soul.


And a picture of Josh to prove that he actually has been to Seattle. He always told me that he had gone, but I didn't really believe him. He couldn't remember anything specific and I told him I thought he was confusing Seattle with Vancouver. He had been to Seattle, but this was his first time with our girls. We had a meal at Dick's Drive-In. Check out this menu. The prices are incredible. The burgers were yummy, too.


Overall, another great trip. I'm so glad we did it. I'd love to live in the Pacific Northwest, but there really is no place like home.