Bellevue

Eli and I headed up to Bellevue on Monday for some wedding activities. Bellevue is like a suburb of Seattle. I was really proud of myself because I drove there AND back. The downtown is really fun--there are lots of shops and things to do. The weather in Washington has been awesome (for the most part) the past few weeks and that makes everywhere we go a lot more enjoyable. We checked back with our bucket list and the last thing we have is Mt. Rainier! I got my last schedule so now we'll be able to plan our trip. (A few pictures from the Market last week)

One Year

Today we're heading back to Point Defiance Park to hike and hang out at the beach. I'm so excited because we get married one year from TODAY! I woke up excited this morning so a year from now I'm guessing I'll be over the moon! Everyone who knows us knows that us being together has been a looonnnng time coming. When I look back to the very first time I met Eli to now I never would have thought we'd be engaged, living in Washington, on a life adventure. It's crazy (awesome) how things work out.  I did notice though that I'm not very good at writing a cursive S--yes I've practiced writing my name--guess I have 365 days to practice!!!!!! (Throw back pictures from Camp)

Hello Seattle--Cliff Notes Version

What a great trip--we didn't want to leave. Eli and I headed to Seattle on Monday, and we have so many stories to share! First off, the weather out here has been amazing. So the beginning--my first trip on a bus. The only bus I've been on is the campus bus at UNL and if I remember right my friends had to talk me through the process so I was a little nervous, but I survived!! It was such an easy way to get to downtown. Eli and I checked into our hotel which was right in the middle of the city!! We spent the afternoon getting coffee, sitting out in the sun, and doing a little shopping. Monday night we went out for dinner and drinks with a couple of Eli's friends who live in Seattle. Fish and chips, beer, and good friends--makes for a great night.

Tuesday, we spent the day exploring. We kicked the morning off with crumpets at The Crumpet Shop and then headed to Pike Place Market for our FOOD TOUR!!!!! We met in the Market Theater, and right outside is the Gum Wall. A wall of chewed gum. It is the second germiest attraction--second to the Blarney Stone (which my sister has kissed)-eeeek! I could go on and on about the food tour and the market, but I'll borrow from one of my aunts who has a love of good food and travel. She describes foods and experiences as beautiful, exquisite, or gorgeous and that's truly what the market and the food was like. The colors and smells were amazing. We visited the Seattle Aquarium and went on the Great Wheel (huge ferris wheel)--we stopped at the very top and I had to close my eyes so I didn't freak out :)

Eli and I rounded out the day with a tasty dinner at Seatown, which is one Tom Douglas' restaurants (he beat one of the Iron Chefs) I got 1/2 a dungeness crab!!! We stopped by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on the way back to the hotel. It was an awesome trip. We both love this area so so much, it will be a little sad to leave--we're only here another 6 weeks! (Pike Place Market; Gum Wall; Eli on Ferris Wheel)

Cloudy and Rainy

Today was rainy...all day. Steady down pour. Eli braved the weather to go on a run (bless his heart) and was soaked when he got back. It was kind of a bummer because the Spring Fair is going on and today was the only day we could go since I work all weekend. Dang. So we didn't do anything today and nothing all weekend (Seattle next Monday-Wednesday!!!!!) so I thought I'd share how we came up with the blog name. Eli and I want to travel to Washington, Maine, and San Antonio (now we're thinking Arizona or New Mexico...something with a desert) so we figured out the mileage to all our destinations and it was about 5,000 miles. We got creative and voila!

Boeing and Tulips

Eli and I went up to Everett (heyo to my buddy back home!) to the Future of Flight Boeing Tour. We weren't allowed to bring in purses, cell phones, etc. because it's a working factory so we don't have any pictures. It was cool to see though. The building was HUGE--they told us you could fit the Empire State Building in x2 and still close the doors. I have a few pilots in my family and I think they would have loved it!  The weather was really nice and we were 40 minutes away from Skagit so we drove north to the Tulip Festival!

There were fields of tulips! It was really really cool. I did not wear appropriate footwear, but we managed anyway. The festival goes through the end of April so I think we went at a good time. Most of them were in bloom. I said that it looked like where the Easter Bunny would live. We also went to Tulip Town, which was the tourist attraction. You know, they had tulips that were different colors (which was cool) but other than that it was kind of 'ehhh'. I preferred the open fields where Eli and I parked on the side of the road. We've really been packing our days full our here in Washington!! (Tulip Town, Open Field, By the Tulips, Kites at Tulip Town)

Rainy Saturday

It's pouring outside right now and it's pretty chilly. Eli and I are hunkered down in the apartment. Today was the first day of the farmers market. We got up early and since it wasn't raining yet we headed downtown. Unbeknown to us there was also apparently a parade today (although my guess is it got canceled). The farmers market is going to be awesome when the weather gets nicer. There wasn't much produce, but what it lacked in produce vendors made up with fresh flowers! Eli and I had to go to Target to get a vase so I could get a bouquet. I work most Saturdays so I told him that coming home from work to fresh flowers would be ok by me. Subtle right? We also bought some muffin bread for breakfast tomorrow. I ended up working yesterday so we pushed back the Boeing Tour a couple of days. Hopefully the weather is a little nicer tomorrow!!

I Survived!

I just got done working FOUR days in a row. I slept in big time this morning. It was kind of fun because yesterday (my last day) I was put on stand-by for eight hours so I didn't have to go in until 1500. It is very very rainy here. I think I heard on the Weather Channel we got three inches of rain over the weekend. Everything is getting very green and pretty though. So, now I'm off for a whole week! Eli and I are planning on going to Seattle on Friday to see the waterfront and aquarium (soooo excited!) and I want to go on the Boeing tour too. This weekend the farmer's market starts too so we'll being heading downtown on Saturday. For today, it's R and R time!!! Annnd, we're trying out an indian restaurant tonight! (Eli whale watching; Lover's Leap; Being Silly)

A Whale of a Tale

We went whale watching today! Our boat didn't leave until noon so we got up early and went on a hike around Roche Harbor. We went through Quarry Trail which links some of the old quarries in the area. It was a strenuous hike, but the views were worth it. You could tell it was going to be a beautiful day--it was already clearing up as we were driving downtown. Eli and I checked in on the dock and went to get a quick bite to eat before launching. We went to a cute deli up the street and the sandwiches were ah.mazing. You could tell that the lady who was helping us loved her job and it showed by how good the food was. By this time it was blue skies and sunny!

There were two naturalists on the boat with us and they were super nice and very knowledgeable. It was a great way to see all the islands. We were even in Canada for awhile! We didn't see any whales, but we saw Bald Eagles, Seals, Stellar Sea Lions, and Porpoises! The porpoises were awesome--they followed us on the bow of the boat--very cool. After our four hour tour we drove to South Beach, which is the southern most point on the island. It was absolutely stunning. You could see over into Olympic National Park. It was some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen. We rounded out the day with dinner by the ferry dock and ice cream! (Hiking the Quarries; Quarry View Point; Porpoise; South Beach Lighthouse; South Beach)

Is That Canada?!

Today Eli and I headed north to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island! The whole drive up here I kept asking 'is that Canada?!'...I think Eli might have tuned me out :) The drive to the ferry was really nice--lots of trees. Lots of signs for British Colombia. Arrive: Anacortes Ferry Terminal! I was really nervous about the whole ferry situation. My aunt works at a ferry terminal and I was wishing she was there to tell us what to do! Anywho, we got in line A-OK! Of course we were one of the last vehicles on the boat so we got to park 6 inches behind a huge SUV on an incline---but hey, we're on vacation! The scenery on the way over to the island was awesome! It even got sunny. We saw lots of ducks, but it would have great to see a whale.

The island is beautiful. As we were driving to our condo I kept telling Eli we should move here--rolling hills, green everywhere, and a picturesque harbor. We went on a little hike when we first arrived. We did dinner in Friday Harbor which was delish. Eli did fish and chips and I did bangers and mash!!! Tomorrow is whale watching!! I think we're going to do a hike to the lighthouse as well (fingers crossed for a clear evening because sunset over the water is supposed to be amazing). (On the ferry; scenery from the boat; deck at the condo)