staycation

One of the perks of having Grandma Self and Emily and David come visit for a week was the opportunity for the two of us to go on a quick "staycation" in and around the Seattle area.  The first thing we did was go to the temple together, which we don't get to do quite as often as we'd like -- we usually end up taking turns. It was a nice day and a nice time inside the temple.

After going to the temple we drove up and over to Fremont, a neighborhood just north of Seattle, to visit Paseo -- a top-rated Caribbean sandwich place that we'd been meaning to try for a long time. We each got a different sandwich, traded half, and really liked both! Paseo lived up to the reputation and the anticipation.

After lunch we went into Seattle and got tickets to a movie -- Laura had not seen the new Star Wars movie yet and we figured this was our chance.

A weekday matinee meant that we literally had the theater to ourselves. We don't go to movies very often but we've still gotten used to newer, nicer theaters with big comfy chairs and stadium-style seating -- this place reminded Austin of the dollar movies he went to as a kid. We still had fun and enjoyed the movie.

After the movie we got on the Seattle Monorail -- built for the World's Fair in 1962 -- and headed up to the Space Needle (also built for the World's Fair in 1962).

As we planned our trip, we had talked about going to the Space Needle's restaurant for a while but when we finally decided on it a couple weeks ahead of time, it was completely booked for the night we were spending in Seattle. We were kinda bummed and started to make other plans, but when we were at the Space Needle and Pacific Science center earlier with everyone, Austin went and checked in person and got reservations...

...for the perfect time to see the sun set over the Olympic Peninsula while we were eating dinner (which was very tasty)!

After dinner we went up to the observation deck really quick and got some nice photos of the city and Mount Rainier. It was a perfect day to be up on top of Seattle!

After dinner we went back to our hotel room downtown where we still had a spectacular view. 

The next morning we headed out and stopped in one of the neighborhoods north of Seattle to get breakfast at a place Laura had read about. Again, our expectations were met -- even exceeded this time. Laura got a huge omelet and toast...

...and Austin got a spicy breakfast quesadilla. This place has a few locations in and around Seattle and we couldn't decide if we wished there was one on the east side by us or if it's for the best that there isn't! We're definitely going back though :D

After breakfast we kept driving north and took a ferry to Whidbey Island where we'd spend the rest of the day, evening, and night.

It was another beautiful day and we were happy to spend it together!

It was very quiet and relaxing on the beach. This is looking south from Whidbey Island -- if you look closely you can see Mount Rainier in the distance, and if you look even closer, you can barely make out some of the tall buildings of downtown Seattle.

After some walking along the beach we headed to Langley -- a small town on Whidbey Island where we'd be staying. This was the view from our place -- looking across the Saratoga Passage to Camano Island.

Here's the same view, from inside our nice little room.

For dinner we decided to try a place in town that served a variety of Latin dishes, ranging from Spanish to South American. This was the first -- and only -- culinary misstep of our trip. Ask Laura about the mole enchiladas (if you could even call them enchiladas).

We woke up to some fog in the morning -- this is that same view from the deck outside our room.

So after dinner the previous day, Austin had pointed out that there was a kingfisher outside and was very proud of his birdwatching skills... only to look outside the next morning and find the exact same bird was still in the exact same spot it had been the evening prior. Hmmmm...

We had a tasty breakfast at the inn -- which had a beautiful garden and reflecting pool out front -- and drove north up Whidbey Island to go home by way of Deception Pass. We didn't stop there since we've been there before, but it's a cool bridge and a place worth visiting in the area.

On our way home we stopped at one of the farms in the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

There were literally millions of tulips in about every color!

Picture time :D

It was seriously crazy how many different types of tulips there were. It would have taken us hours to try and photograph all the different kinds.

After seeing the tulips we headed back home to see the kiddos.

It doesn't take long for us to miss them when we're away, and they were pretty happy to see us too :D We had a great little staycation and were so grateful for our awesome babysitters -- Brooklyn and Evan had a blast having Grandma, Emily, and David all to themselves for a couple days.