Vacation Part 2: Seattle and Portland

After we returned from our relaxing getaway to Orcas Island, we spent two more days in Seattle. On Monday, Jason's parents treated us to a trip to the Seattle Aquarium. It's a huge aquarium with all kinds of sea life, and Nicholas did well on his inaugural visit. He loved the touch tank and some of the large sea creatures, including the sea otters. I'm sure he'll love to go back as he gets older.

Since he was too little to reach into the touch tank himself, they took out a sea cucumber and a starfish for him to touch.

Later that evening, we met up with some of Jason's family friends at a Korean restaurant for a delicious meal of Korean barbecue-- but not before a stop at a nearby park in Bellevue to burn off some energy and take some family photos.

It may not look like it in this photo, but Nicholas was fascinated by the soccer field and goal. There was also a team of adult men practicing, and he kept trying to run onto the field and get in the game!

On Tuesday, we enjoyed a low key day at home, followed by a quick visit to Green Lake to see my sister and brother-in-law (we planned to spend more time with them down in Portland later in the week.) We ended the Seattle portion of our trip with a barbecue over at Jason's sister's beautiful new house in West Seattle. We had so much fun that I forgot to take an photos, but we loved checking out their new digs, ate our fill of gourmet burgers, and spent some quality time with Jason's family and our best man and his wife who also joined us.

On Wednesday, we scrapped our plans to take the train down to Portland and ended up with a last minute car rental (more on that in another post-- ahem, traveling with a toddler.) After an uneventful ride, we made it to my parents' house. All three of us enjoyed long naps, followed by a low key dinner with my parents. 

On Thursday morning, we made the short trek over to Luscher Farm to check out the community gardens (impressive!) and chickens. Nicholas picked up an apple beneath and apple tree, and proceeded to carry and throw his "ball" all around the gardens. 

Big fan of the chickens!

On Friday, my parents hosted a big family dinner at our house. My aunt and uncle (on my mom's side) from New Hampshire were in town, so it was a great opportunity to get everyone together-- including my brother Geoff and his wife Brooke, my sister Laura and her husband Mike, and my uncle and his girlfriend. We enjoyed an awesome meal of barbecued Chinook salmon in my parents' gorgeous yard. 

Siblings! (And G&B's baby K, due in October)

On Saturday, we headed over to my parents' country club to enjoy some pool time, followed by another big family gathering-- this time with my dad's side of the family. He has four siblings, all of whom have several kids, and we had almost everyone in attendance, including my grandparents, my aunt and uncle who live in the Bay Area, and most of my cousins. It was a fun evening!

Muggin' with Uncle Geoff's shades

We flew home the following morning, August 4th. All in all, it was a fabulous summer vacation. Fortunately the plane trip back went a little more smoothly than the way out, but it's always tough to leave, especially when we don't have another trip on the horizon just yet. But, I know we'll be back soon, and we already have a Thanksgiving visit from Jason's parents to look forward to!

Vacation Part 1: Orcas Island

We left for our summer vacation on the evening of July 24^th. Despite our best preparations for a 4 hour plane ride with a toddler, the flight out was a little rough. That’s a post for another day, but in a nutshell Nicholas screamed for the last hour and a half of the flight. He was officially that kid and we were those parents. But, once we landed, we put the plane trip behind us and proceeded to have a wonderful vacation.

We spent our first day in Seattle, catching up with Jason’s parents, and getting Nicholas acclimated. Then, on Friday we got up bright and early and left for our first overnight getaway without Nicholas. To say we were excited is an understatement. Our destination was beautiful Orcas Island in the San Juan islands, where Jason’s good friend Marc was getting married the next day. After a two hour drive to Anacortes and an almost two hour wait for the ferry, we boarded for the hour trip to Orcas Island.

It was a little chilly that morning, but we got a spectacular,  cloudless day to enjoy the gorgeous views of the Puget Sound and surrounding islands.

Once we arrived, we made the short drive from the ferry landing to the cute town of Eastsound. We parked, and eagerly hit the streets to explore. We wound up getting one of four outdoor tables on the deck of the Madrona Bar and Grill overlooking the bay. Gorgeous.

After lunch, we checked out some of the local shops and galleries, and then headed over to Rosario Resort to check-in. Our room wasn’t ready, so we met up with some other friends who had arrived and were relaxing down by the pool. When we were finally able to check into our room, we were rewarded with this beautiful view off our balcony looking back down at the main resort area and harbor.

That evening, we went to the rehearsal, and then we boarded shuttles over to The Kitchen for a fun outdoor rehearsal dinner.

The next morning we slept in until after 9am, which was bliss. (Best night of sleep in 18 months!) Jason had to start getting ready with the groomsmen at noon, so we had a few hours get breakfast and squeeze in a little sight-seeing. We headed back into town, where we strolled through the local farmer's market (my pictures below don't do it justice, but the flowers and produce were gorgeous) and then enjoyed omelets and cappuccinos at Mia's.

After breakfast, we made the short drive over to Moran State Park so that we could make the drive up to the top of Mount Constitution. Standing at just over 2,400 feet, Mount Constitution is the highest point in the San Juan Islands and offers stunning panoramic views of the entire Puget Sound-- as far as Mount Rainier to the south and Vancouver, B.C. to the north. We were probably there on the most beautiful day of the year.

Afterwards, I drove Jason back to get ready for the ceremony with the other groomsmen. Then, I headed back to Moran State Park for a four mile hike around Cascade Lake. I wound up getting a little bit lost and found myself back at the resort when I was about 80% done with the hike. This would have been fine-- except that my car was still over in the park. So I jogged back to the car and wound up getting a little more of a workout than I had planned.

Fortunately, I still had plenty of time to get ready for the wedding, so I headed back to the room to read and relax for a little while. At 5pm, I drove down to the ceremony, which was on Rosario's beautiful Point Lawn overlooking the water.

(Handsome groomsman and I post-ceremony. Check out the deer behind us!)

After champagne and light appetizers on the lawn, we moved over to the restaurant for more appetizers, dinner, and dancing. Such a beautiful Pacific Northwest night!

The next morning we were up bright and early to beat the ferry lines and head home. After a short stop for a Thai lunch in Anacortes, we finally made it home around 4pm. It was wonderful to have two days away, but it was also pretty great to see the look on Nicholas' face when we walked through the door. He had a wonderful time with his Dzia Dzia and Grandmama, and we are so grateful that they watched him for two and a half days, but we missed him and were happy to be reunited.

Next up, a recap of Seattle and Portland...

Christmas 2012

New Years has come and gone, but I'm just getting around to posting about our Christmas vacation. We just got our Christmas decorations put away this weekend, so maybe I'm right on time? Regardless, we spent a fun-filled, busy week in the Northwest and I wanted to share some of the pictures. 

We actually began our Christmas festivities on the 22nd when Jason, Nicholas, and I celebrated our little family Christmas at home. Nicholas was starting to come down with a cold, so he was a little low energy and not too interested in unwrapping gifts. At 11 months, we weren't expecting him to get too excited about presents, but we thought he would at least get excited about tearing up wrapping paper. Not so much. Instead we spent the entire time with one of us guarding him from pulling up on our glass coffee table (which we desperately need to replace with something more kid-friendly) while the other hastily opened his presents (which comprised about 90% of all the under-tree loot.) Despite his lack of interest in anything Christmas, we had fun and just kept laughing about how different things will be when he's a few years older. 

On the 23rd we flew to Seattle to celebrate Christmas with Dzia Dzia and Grandmama, along with Cheddar the cat. Unfortunately Nicholas' cold hit with full force once we arrived in Seattle, so he spent his first Christmas sleeping a lot and just generally not feeling great. 

However, Santa (along with Dzia Dzia, Grandmama, Aunt Kristin, and Uncle Dan) did not disappoint and Nicholas was showered with new toys. 

(Jason and I got a few new toys as well...)

Jason and I also enjoyed an afternoon out to see the latest Bond movie while his parents babysat, and a quick visit with a few of my girlfriends in West Seattle.

On the 27th, we headed down to Portland to visit with my family. Nicholas got to see all of his aunts and uncles on my side of the family (including Aunt Laura who introduced him to the piano... we can tell this will be a source of entertainment for him for many years whenever he visits Gammy and Grandpa's house.)

While we were there, we also saw my grandparents and a few aunts and uncles on my dad's side of the family. And, one of my best friends from high school, who was in town for the first time in six years, organized a lunch for a few of us to all get together and introduce our kids. (Hi Katie!) Unfortunately I didn't get pictures at any of these gatherings. I need to do a better job of remembering my camera.

At the end of our visit, my Aunt Mary and Uncle John, along with my cousin Justin, his wife, Lauren, and their baby, Blaine, all came over for a big family dinner on their way out of town. They had been in Oregon introducing Blaine to my grandparents on my mom's side and were flying back to the east coast the next day. We had a great time catching up and introducing second cousins Nicholas and Blaine, who are about four and a half months apart.

Nicholas was still sick, so we had to keep the babies apart most of the evening (and we fear Nicholas may have spread his germs anyway), but it was fun for Nicholas to meet the only other baby of his generation on either side of the family. We're hoping for a few more cousins in 2013!

Our trip felt too short (as they always do), but we were happy to get home after a long day of flying on the 31st. Jason and I were wiped out after a 7 hour trip home and we rang in a quiet new year (and by "quiet" I mean asleep at 10:45pm -- how the times have changed), but it was worth it to catch up with so many family members and friends. We're already looking forward to another trip home this summer and visits from Jason's family and my sister this spring.

Northwest Summer Vacation

Labor Day has come and gone, but I wanted to share a few pictures from our "summer vacation" to the Northwest back in July. We kicked off our week with wedding festivities in Seattle, including a harbor side rehearsal dinner on a gorgeous Seattle evening.

The next day, we enjoyed the beautiful wedding of Jason's best man, Kalani. Seattle pulled out all the stops weather-wise and the bride and groom's beach themed outdoor ceremony was perfect. (You'll notice my groom is the third groomsman to the right.)

Despite a late night out for the wedding, we rallied the next day to enjoy a wonderful reception hosted by my in-laws to introduce Nicholas to all of their Seattle friends. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos at the party, but we had a great time catching up with many family friends we hadn't seen since our wedding. The following day, Nicholas turned six months old, and we celebrated with a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo with Dzia Dzia and Grandmama. Nicholas loved the giraffes, monkeys, and elephants.

After squeezing in some visits with my Seattle girlfriends (hi Aja!) and Laura, Mike, and Diana, we headed south to Portland. My parents picked us up downtown, and we immediately hit the road to Cannon Beach. The weather was little overcast, but we enjoyed two relaxing nights at the beach with Gammy and Grandpa, eating fresh seafood and dipping our toes in the Pacific.

We returned to Portland for one final night, and my mom organized a family dinner with my siblings and their spouses, as well as my grandparents on my dad's side and my aunt and uncles on my mom's side.

It was whirlwind trip, and went entirely too fast! I could have spent another week in each city. But we had a great time catching up with family and friends, and enjoyed some gorgeous (cool by Texas standards) Northwest summer weather. We're already looking forward to next summer's visit.

Oregon Family Visit

I'm a little late in posting this, but wanted to share some photos of our trip to Oregon last month. Nicholas and I flew solo back to Portland so he could meet all four of his great grandparents. We flew Southwest to avoid any baggage charges (which was key since it looked like I was moving home instead of visiting for a week), but unfortunately there have never been any direct flights between Austin and Portland.* As a result, I was torn between booking a two-segment flight with a several hour layover or a three-segment flight with essentially no layovers because we just touched down briefly to pick up more passengers. I ended up going with the three-segment flight... I know, I know. But the overall travel time was shorter, so I figured it was the lesser of two evils. And Nicholas actually did great. I came armed with multiple bottles and a pacifier to help pop his ears with all the take-offs and landings, but he was barely fazed by all of the altitude changes. By the time we hit Boise (the third leg), he was pretty fussy, but fortunately it was only a quick 45 minute flight to Portland from there. We managed to eek out the 7 hour flight(s) with no major screaming fits.

My mom's garden... gorgeous

After relaxing at my parents' house for an evening, we packed up the next morning and hit the road for the 5 hour drive down to Coos Bay, a small town on the southern Oregon coast where my mom's parents live. Because I moved away for college and haven't since lived in Oregon as an adult, this was my first trip back to Coos Bay since my senior year in high school. (I've seen my grandparents every year, but it's always been in Portland during the summer or over the holidays.) The drive was more scenic than I remember it, but I'm sure it didn't hurt that it was mid-May and all the rhododendrons and azaleas were in full bloom. And coming from Texas, everything in Oregon just seems so lush and green.

My grandparents were thrilled to meet their first great grandchild.** We spent the evening relaxing at their house, and then the next day we got up and met some old family friends for lunch at a little seafood restaurant on a small inlet of Coos Bay.

The weather was gorgeous. Later we took a scenic drive up to Sunset Beach and Nicholas dipped his toes in the Pacific for the first time.

A balmy May evening on Cottonwood

The next day, we hit the road back to Portland. Back home, my mom arranged a family dinner, and Nicholas met Uncle Geoff, Aunt Brooke, and Uncle Mike for the first time. 

Uncle Geoff, Aunt Brooke (with Nicholas), Aunt Laura, and Uncle Mike

Uncle Geoff and Aunt Brooke made sure that Nicholas will be well outfitted for football season.

Go Ducks!

Later in the week, we visited my dad's parents in Portland. Nicholas is the first great grandchild on this side of the family as well, and they were excited to spend the afternoon with him.

He also met great uncle Scott and aunt Mary, great aunt Ann, and cousin Grace, but unfortunately I didn't get pictures with them.

Grandpa and Nicholas

On the way back to Austin, we had  a two-leg flight, with an hour and a half layover in Las Vegas. The total travel time was a little longer, but after comparing both options I think fewer flights is better just because he was able to stretch out and move around a little on a blanket on the floor in the Vegas airport during the layover (yes, we thoroughly scrubbed everything once we got home.) The travel each way was long and exhausting, but it was so worth it to get a chance to introduce Nicholas to his great grandparents and so many other relatives-- and now I know that when Jason and I travel back to the Northwest together in a month, it will be a piece of cake by comparison.

*Southwest just started up a non-stop flight between Portland and Austin, and after nearly three years of 7 hour travel days to get home, I could not be more excited.
**Just barely! Nicholas can't wait to meet his second cousin Blaine, who arrived earlier this month.