Day Trip to Friday Harbor

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All work and no play makes Jocelyn and Shaun very cranky people! So we took a weekend off and decided to try another something new. This time, Shaun decided to make it a bit of a surprise and wing it. The results were pretty awesome.
We woke up and headed out the door at a Shaun approved day off hour, so like 9am and hit the road. I had mentioned maybe heading to Bellingham or a little further north. Ultimately I would have loved to go to Vancouver for the weekend but we still need to get passports for the girls. But I digress…. 
For a day trip we decided to check out Anacortes, at least that is what I thought. We drove there and had a few laughs, remembering our honeymoon and the whale watching trip that we never made it to. We were all ready to go, Dramamine in our systems, sleepy but excited and when we arrived we learned that no one called us to remind us to be there 45 minutes prior to get live vests and head to the boat. I think we still have the free tickets to use! Just when I thought we were going to leave and find something else to do, Shaun heads to the ferry terminal. He decided we should take an adventure out to the San Juan Islands and Friday Harbor!!!
On the ferry and having fun. Its a longer ride for all of us!
Beautiful ferry ride through the islands

Watching the cars and people below.
Watching the seagulls follow the fishing boats.
All little Starburst to pass the time.

After the beautiful ferry ride, we arrived in Friday Harbor. It was gloomy and misty but the rain was staying away. We decided to do a little exploring and came upon Lime Kiln Point State Park. From what we could tell the hike from the parking lot down to the overlook was manageable for the girls, so we hoofed it. The walk down was beautiful among the trees, moss and greenery. The coastline was stunning and pretty soon it would a wonderful spot to see whales migrating back from Baja, California and other locations. We were a few weeks too early though. Not to worry the views were spectacular, with or without whales.

Nature hiking with their favorite guy.
Green and mossy
San Juan Island Coastline

After we were worn out from our hike, we headed back to the car and did a bit more exploring from inside. The area is so diverse. You move from mossy coastline to rolling open pasture land within a matter of minutes. The misty day made it feel like we were driving though England rather than San Juan Islands and it was spectacular. As we passed by one farm house we noticed several large birds near a grove of trees. After a few looks we realized it was a bald eagle with several of her young. ALl of the young birds lacked their white heads, but you could see that they would soon be getting their white feather. What amazing birds and so breath taking. Luckily I had my camera and longer lens, so I was able to catch a few photos!

Juvenile Bald Eagle enjoying a “snack”
Mama bird with her so called… Babies.
Such a beautiful bird and very aware and watchful of us.
Those white feathers will be coming in soon!

After our adventures we headed back to the ferry terminal and made it just in time for the next ferry. We have awesome timing like that. Once again the ferry ride home was amazing and we enjoyed every moment. I know where I will be heading again soon! Love Friday Harbor and the San Juan Islands!

Exploring Pikes and Some New Places

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Now that I am back to work, time is a limited commodity. When we do have the weekend to ourselves, we head out to find some fun things to do and spend the time together. Today we decided to be tourists in Seattle and check out Pike’s Market and then discover the Fremont Troll. 
Pike’s market was fun but a little busy. The rain kept the crowds away, but it also meant that everyone spent time inside the market and off of the streets. We would have been fine had we not decided to use the stroller. Pushing that thing through a very crowded Pike’s Market was a blast! We survived and still had a wonderful time. The girls even enjoyed a trip to one of the stores to buy some beautiful fans. One in pink and one in purple of course!
I love the old signs down in the market.
The name speaks for itself.
The rain let up so it was out to the streets to check out the shops.

After the market we decided to find another Seattle treasure, the Fremont Troll. This spot would be new for all of us and I was very excited for the girls to see him. Fremont is a very artsy and free-spirited If you have never heard of the Fremont Troll you can learn a little more about him here and here.

While the girls found him to be a bit intimidating at first (it was pretty dark and gloomy by the time we got to him) they soon warmed up and wanted to play and explore. You can climb to the top and explore all around the troll and they certainly got a kick out of it. Once again the rain kept people away, so it was nice to explore without the crowds. Score another one for the Wharton’s!

Daddy, Abby and Ellie hanging out with the troll.
Walking under the George Washington Memorial Bridge, AKA the Aurora Bridge, on Troll Street

Spring Is Almost Here!

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Spring is nearly here! Everything is starting to sprout back to life. Most importantly, the trees are starting to blossoms with amazing shades of pink, white, purple and green! I love every season and with Spring I love seeing things come back to life. So much to look forward to!

Spring Is In The Air

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Spring is in the air. Its been weeks of rain and even some snow but today the clouds cleared, brought the warmth of the sun and gave us the reassurance that we needed that Spring is just around the corner. The temperatures nearly hit the low 60’s and the sun felt so good on our skin. After the girls and I got off of work we stopped at the park and enjoyed as much of the sun as could. It felt glorious! Spring, we will be welcoming you in with open arms.
Seattle Skyline and Lake Washington.

Sunshine and swings!

February Snow Storm!

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When I got off of work this afternoon, Shaun and I decided to take the girls for a drive and a ferry ride. We hopped on to the ferry, got off in Kingston and headed out to Port Gamble for some of our favorite hot chocolate.
Once we had our warm cups of chocolaty goodness in our hands we decided to turn back and head to the ferry. So glad that we decided to leave then because as we did, it started to snow. Knowing how icy the roads get here, especially during a first snow, we quickly made out way back home. 
The ferry ride was fun, watching all of the snow fly into the cargo area of the ferry. The ride home was a bit of a white knuckle ride as we watched people sliding all over the place and spinning out. But we took it slow, stayed steady and made it home without incident. We drove carefully up to the house and just as we started to park in the garage we ran into our one and only porblem, grade of the small driveway up into our garage was just steep enough to keep us from getting in. We slipped, we slid, we spun our wheels and nothing. 
We eventually got the car into the garage but it involved Shaun having to run into the house to get hot water in buckets. Quickly the snow and ice melted away and before it all could freeze up again we got enough grip and traction to get the car safely into the garage. Once again, each outing is an adventure with us!
In the gas station parking lot over in Kingston. The snow is starting to come down.
Finally back on the Seattle side and the yahoos out on the road were driving like it was summer in Malibu.
So close… yet so, so far away.
With the snow comes the stillness and the quiet. I love it.

P.S. So glad that I didn’t have to work tonight. It turns out all of my co workers had to have a slumber party at work because they were snowed in!

Learning to Write

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Those who know Ellie, have quickly learned that she is stubborn and insists on doing it all  by herself. That comes to everything, including writing her name on the sign in sheet at school. I have to say, she does a darn good job at it! Cant wait to see how this changes over the next few months! 

Abby’s Registered for Kindergarten!

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I dont think I was prepared for this. I know we were just walking into the school office to turn in paperwork but I left there feeling super emotional and anxious. I just registered my first born for Kindergarten. Kindergarten!!! 
In less than 8 months, she will officially be in elementary school. She will be learning to read, write, and think like a kid not the preschooler I see in front of me now. Abby is very excited and has asked a million questions about what Kindergarten is like. I love that she has a love and a drive to learn new things and ask questions about everything. While it makes me sad to see her growing so fast, I am excited to see what this little sponge is going to soak in once she starts Kindergarten in the Fall. Lots of changes coming!

Finally Employed!!!

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I worked for the first two years after Abby was born and as I came to the end of my pregnancy with Ellie, Shaun and I decided that it was time to stay at home with the girls. For three year I stayed at home with our little monkeys, caring for them and making sure they always had one of us around. When it came time to look for work again, the road was rough. The three years of being at home with Abby and Ellie helped both myself and them but hurt my resume and made it difficult to get hired. 

When we decided to take the huge leap of faith and move to Seattle, deep down I knew that something special was waiting for us. Good things were coming our way and if we had the strength and the patience, all of the positive things waiting for us would present themselves. 
In September we discovered a place to take the girls and let them play while we had some time to ourselves. It allowed us to unpack, get the house set up more and have a dinner with just the two of us every now and then. By October, Shaun was employed with Amazon and he was led to that job through some of the most unlikely avenues. Then a job ad popped up on one of Shaun’s sites and behold, a job was open at the playcare place that we took the girls to. Normally I wouldn’t have given it much thought but then I learned I could take the girls with me to work, which gave me the best of both worlds. So I put my resume together, applied, interviewed and….
I GOT THE JOB!!!!
While its not a career, I finally broke the streak of unemployment. My time at home with the girls actually helped me instead of hurting me. It was all meant to be and happened for a reason. For the time being, I now have a job that allows me to see the girls while I work and that makes me a very happy girl.

Monorails and Beautiful Glass

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Another beautiful sunny day here in Seattle and when the sun comes out, its time to have some fun outside. So off to downtown Seattle the Wharton family went with the hopes of trying something new. Once downtown we thought it would be great to take the monorail again, since Abby and Ellie loved it so much, and head down to the Space Needle. 
Once there we thought about our options and Abby said she wanted to go to the place with all of the funny glass. The Chihuly Museum is what she meant and that is where we went. ( I rhymed… did you catch that.) What an incredible museum. I was worried that Abby and Ellie would get bored quickly but they loved each an every minute. I think the colorful glass kept their attention.
Riding the monorail with my favorites!
Love that sassy little face.
Space Needle coming in to view.
A picture perfect day down in Seattle Center.
Weird and so cool. Abby and Ellie loved all of the neon colors.
Shelves and shelves of beautiful glass vases and other jars. I want one!

Under the Sea
Fisherman’s Lagoon
Coral Reef
Fisherman’s Lagoon
Fisherman’s Lagoon
Fisherman’s Lagoon
Fire and Ice
Abalone Bowls
Abalone Bowls
Hanging Flowers
Space Needle Flowers
Up close and so beautiful
Performing in the arboretum.
A final bow and kisses to their adoring fans.
ENCORE!
Reflective garden. Every single sphere in the garden reflects the Space Needle from it.
Space Needle reflection
Space Needle reflection
Sunset over the Chihuly and the Pacific Science Center.

The sunny days in Seattle are always special and today didnt disappoint. I love exploring all that this city we live in has to offer and much much more. On to the next adventure!

Ferry Ride… No Car Needed!

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I think its pretty apparent that we love to take ferry rides. If you have ever been on a ferry ride across Puget Sound, you would probably understand why. Then again, so many people become so complacent with where they live that it loses its thrill. It has yet to do so for us and I don’t think it ever will, especially for Abby and Ellie.
So far we have taken ferry rides with our car, that way we could drive to our favorite places once across the sound. But today, we didn’t feel like spending a bunch of time on the other side so we decided to just walk on! Its super cheap and the walk on ride back is free. After parking the car and bundling up it was off for the ferry on a chilly but beautiful and sunny day.
Parked, ready to go and enjoying the sight of Mt. Baker covered in snow in the distance.
Winter sun setting on the Puget Sound
Doing their best fashion walk up the walkway to board the ferry.
Patiently waiting and having a few good laughs with daddy while waiting for the ferry.
Silly Ellie…
Beginning of a beautiful sunset near Edmonds
“Look mommy!”
Sunset and Moon-rise over Edmonds
Very important conversations with daddy.
Sunset over the Olympics
Watching the ferry some in to the dock. Pretty neat to watch.
Bye Bye Cars… Its been fun!

The girls had a great time and enjoyed riding the ferry in a new way. As we waited to disembark we had the chance to watch the ferry pull up and we watched as the cars unloaded too. Its always fun to see things you love to do from a different perspective. Until next time Edmonds ferry!

Just A Little Reminder

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After a tough week and feeling a little down, the rain setting in and not letting up, the clouds finally parted and out popped the most beautiful rainbow at a beautiful time of day. It was just a little reminder things are good, it could be worse and that there is beauty no matter what is going on in life. Its exactly what I needed.