Our Trip to Seattle

On July 14th, Matt, Allison, and I flew to Seattle for my brother Scott's wedding. Lindsey stayed with Matt's parents while we were gone. We hated to leave her, but with all of the traveling and things that we had planned, it really was the best choice. She did fine without us and seemed completely content and happy each time that we called. I'm sure that she was spoiled while we were gone!

This was Allison's first time flying, and she loved it! She enjoyed getting to watch movies on the plane and especially liked that the flight attendants brought drinks to us.

Our first impression of the Seattle area was that it was absolutely beautiful - the water, the evergreen trees, and the mountains! The temperatures while we were there were in the 60s and 70s which was such a wonderful break from the heat at home! We spent the first few days in Gig Harbor where Lindsey, Scott's fiancee, grew up and where her family still lives. Gig Harbor is a little town on the water. We stayed in a nice, cozy hotel that was a comfortable home away from home for a few days! There was even a little dog named Parker who greeted the guests as they came in. Parker's owner Sue is the owner of the hotel and became one of Allison's buddies while we were there.

On Friday, we spent our time getting ready for the wedding. My mom and I got manicures and pedicures which was so nice! Allison and Matt picked up Matt's suit and ended up running into Scott at the store. So, Scott took them to a nearby park to eat lunch.

That evening was the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding was the next day. On Sunday, Lindsey's parents invited us to their house in Gig Harbor for a brunch with all of the friends and family who were still in town. We really enjoyed having extra time to spend with everyone, especially Lindsey and Scott! That afternoon, my mom, Aunt Sue, Allison, and I went to the American Girl store in Seattle which had just opened the day before. Because it was the opening weekend, there were lots of people there!

My mom and I treated Allison to a new doll. Because Allison had already looked at the dolls in the catalog, she knew immediately that she wanted the doll from Hawaii.

We also ate dinner in the store's bistro with Allison's new doll.

On Monday, we explored downtown Seattle with my mom, dad, and Blake. Our first stop was the market with lots of fresh flowers, fresh seafood, and lots of artsy stuff.

We, of course, stopped at the Pike Place Fish Market and watched them throw the fish. Allison found a giant piggy bank, and we found the original Starbucks.

Then, my parents headed off to dinner at the Space Needle with some of their friends while Matt, Blake, Allison, and I took a land and water tour of downtown Seattle in a WWII vehicle.

We learned a lot about Seattle and saw some great sites! We ended our day with a dinner of shrimp po' boys at a little seafood restaurant and some delicious homemade ice cream on the pier with a terrific view of the water.

As we were driving away from Seattle, we even caught a view of Mt. Ranier!