"Vacation"

Have you ever seen 'Beverly Hills Cop'?  The one where Eddie Murphy continually has to tell the LAPD that he is in fact "on vacation" because he's so busy solving a crime that they don't believe him.  That is what it felt like to be in Seattle this past week.  I hate to complain, but I seriously need a vacation from the vacation we just went on!! 

We started out driving (just me and the kids) at 10am Monday morning.  The drive went surprisingly well.  Both kids napped for about 3 hours and there was zero crying.  It almost felt too good to be true.  You see, this was the first time in over ten months that I felt equipped to drive alone with the kids over to Seattle.  I just flat out haven't felt like I could do it without breaking down (me, not the car).  So this was a really BIG deal to me that I finally felt like we could do this.  And we did!  I was soooo proud of us three.

We set up camp at my Dad & Allison's since it was the only place that could comfortably house the four of us (the kids have to sleep in their own rooms, which was confirmed, or they don't get a lick of sleep - we're talking little people crawling out of pack and plays and into eachother's to wrestle....) so thank goodness we had the Woodinville house or I swear we would've driven back on the first night! 

I went to a playdate with fifteen or so girls from my high school, which equalled about thirty little Woodinville minis running around at the park.  That was a sight to see and we had SO much fun.  Thank goodness the park they picked was fenced in, and we were able to stay for a few hours!

We got to meet Sophia Marani, my friends Caitlin and Simmon's brand new baby.  Such a sweetie!  Holding a newborn almost made me want to have another kid.  But then I looked over and saw Jameson pulling bottles of wine off their wine shelf, Hadley smashing Pirate's Booty into their beautiful carpet and I immediately decided against it.

We drove to Olympia and spent the night with Julie and Bennett, which was the most relaxing part of the trip since we were actually in a house that was totally geared towards kids and H&J were so thrilled to be playing with someone else's toys and dog.  We even set up the kiddie pool and Julie's hubby brought us beers....ahhhh the life.  So good to see you guys!!

We met Petra and four month old Elise for pizza on Alki and let the terrible two play in the sand, which they loved.  We cannot wait to have Evan & Petra on this side of the mountains when they move to Wenatchee this summer!!

We got to see Auntie Lea's "new" house ("new" because I think she actually moved into it a year ago but since I've been feeling completely incapable of making the trek, this was the first time we've seen it!) and Lea & Jessica made us some delicious snacks and drinks while Sam & Eli played with H&J.  Can I just say how thankful I am for those cousins!  Man, they are the best!

Then it was time to do what we went to Seattle for, to see Josh & Lindsay from St. Louis, who came to run the half marathon with us.  We had a wonderful dinner at an old favorite, the Pink Door, in Post Alley and actually stayed out until 2am for the first time in I can't remember how long.  We were hurting the next day!  But we had a blast. 

On Saturday Andy and the kids dropped me off near Qwest Field so I could see the crew finish the race.  Loren had saved me a spot right up front, so I actually got to see all six of the people I went to watch finish.  It was so inspiring to see nearly 30k people running this thing.  People from all walks of life, it was amazing.  I was heartbroken to not be running, but I'm so glad I got down there to support the troop.  They all did AWESOME!

Angela - 1:47:17 (her first, amazing!!), Josh - 1:59:44 (his first as well), Lindsay 2:01, Stacey Botimer - 2:09, Stacy Lewis 2:15 (her first), and my mama....oh my, mama.  2:18!!  She was twenty first in her age group.  Folks, if you want to see inspiration, just watch my 62 year old mother run a half marathon faster than most 20 year old girls.  It was awe inspiring.  It wasn't her fastest time by any means, but this lady has had a rough few years of working a LOT and she did an incredible job running.  Today her sabbatical (3 months!!!) started and she & Loren are driving over to Walla on their cycles as we speak.  I can't wait to have them here!

Sunday we closed up shop with a birthday party for Deven (2!) who had such a fun time (when Hadley wasn't trying to steal all his new toys!).  He is such a sweetheart, so smart and busy, and we just love him to death.  Happy birthday Deven!

We ended the trip by driving home at 8pm and rolled into our house at 1am.  The kids were beyond thrilled to wake up in their beds.   Hadley yelled "I'm at Hadley's home!" about a thousand times and Jameson was just smiling and pointing at everything. 

We had a great time in Seattle, but there is no place like home.  And it's summer in Walla Walla, so I've got some lazing around to do!  Bring on the kiddie pool!