Tag: Seattle

Freemont Troll Fun

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Today was a pretty tame day. We went out for breakfast, hung out at home and just spent some quality time together. We did head to the city for a bit and revisited the Fremont Troll so that Auntie Jillian could see it. The trip back in April was without her and by the time we visited the troll, people were starting to fall with the horrible Norovirus that swept through all of us, except my dad.

The girls are always up for a trip to the Freemont Troll and this time they even had the chance to do a mini photo shoot with Auntie JJ. This is what fun with Auntie is!

After all of our fun, we headed home for some BBQ done perfectly by Shaun. Then Jillian and I head out for the evening to do a little ghost tour of the city. I know where a few haunted spots are. We had fun until the gunshots we heard near us while driving through the International District at 12am. That’s when we high tailed it out of there and called it quits for the evening. We did however drive past Kurt Cobain’s former residence, over to the Pioneer Cemetery, through Queen Anne and its several haunted locations and over to the site of the infamous Wah Mee massacre. There were a few more in there as well, so despite our brush with gunfire we were ok.

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!

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!

Ferries, the Monorail and More!

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Christmas flew by as it always seems to do and now everyone has the Christmas blues. Lots of toys and candy and now reality sets back in. After a few days of work, Shaun and I decided to get out of the house and go on a few adventures with the girls. Another Wharton Adventure without a destination or plan equals fun!
First a ride on the ferry! This always equals fun for these two!

Sister snuggles!

Happily watching the world go by.
Calm winter waters on the Puget Sound.
Its windy and cold, but I love it!
More sister snuggles!
Watching the seagulls fly with the ferry. Close your mouth Abby!
After a ferry side, we decided to stop in downtown Seattle and do the one thing that Abby has been waiting to do. Ride the monorail!
The monorail runs to and from the Space Needle. This view never gets old.
Space Needle selfie!
Space Needlie selfie!
After a ride to and from the Space Needle on the monorail, we drove around the city taking in all of the lights. Loved how the market was all done up. The lights above were all vegetables. Very fun!

Our adventures always take us to fun places. I love that we can jump into the car and take an adventure. Always puts a smile on my face.

First Official Snow in Seattle!

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The weather reports were predicting it, but all to often they end up being wrong. Yet in the early hours of the morning we woke up to a wonderful sight. SNOW! While this isnt even close to being the first time we have ever been in the snow, it was our first snowfall since moving to Seattle. And while it was short lived, the girls enjoyed as much of it as they could.
Our view at 6am. So pretty and so quiet.
Abby and Ellie were up, out of bed and dressed in less than 5 minutes when they saw the snow out their window.
My adorable little snow angels
Dancing around in the snow.
Abby snow angel…
The end result of Abby’s snow angel
Ellie snow angel…
The end result
Another snow angel ala Abby
She reminds me of Ralphie’s little brother in this one.
Winter Wonderland
Just laying around in the snow
Tiny snow man
Building a tiny snow man.
Before we knew it the snow turned in to rain and everything started to melt, but Abby and Ellie spent a good 2 hours outside taking in all the snow had to offer.

A Fireplace For Christmas

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Growing up I was always blessed to have a fireplace in my home, which meant a beautifully decorated mantel at Christmas time. After Shaun and I were married our home in Seattle had a fireplace but we never had the chance to use it for the one Christmas that we lived in the house. Since then our homes have been fireplace free and that meant finding creative places for our stockings and mantel decorations. Until now.
This year we have a fireplace and I think that one detail makes me more excited than anything else about Christmas. I was beyond eager to pull out the decorations and get the mantel decorated. I think I did a pretty decent job this year. It sure looks beautiful, at least to me! Christmas is in the air!

Thanksgiving Weekend

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope your turkey day and thanksgiving weekend was a relaxing and joyful one. I hope that you had the chance to spend time with loved ones.
Our Turkey Day weekend was a nice and relaxing one. Grandma Zoe came out to visit from Spokane and we cooked a small but very tasty turkey dinner. Because it was such a small crowd, we decided this year to cook a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. I love left overs but even a 10 pound turkey leaves more than we cant get rid of in a weeks time.
The bird before its long nap in the oven. 
The process of homemade pumpkin pie, including crust made from scratch.Turned out amazing.
Our amazing turkey day dinner of Turkey breast, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy and saute’d carrots. Yummy!
The day after Thanksgiving we took it easy. Shaun had to go into work for a a half day and when he came home we went out and did a little Black Friday shopping with Grandma. The deals this year were OK, but nothing worth going out at 10pm on Thanksgiving day for. In all honesty there isn’t a deal good enough to make people work on Thanksgiving for. It was a pretty low key day and that was fine. I think we were still suffering from a turkey coma.
The next day we got moving, had breakfast at our favorite cafe and then headed out for a ferry ride over to Kingston and Port Gamble. It was a bit of a dreary day but that didn’t stop us! It was nice to get out of the house, move around and enjoy the outdoors. Our biggest hope was that Port Gamble would be decorated with Christmas lights and more!
Its a bit chilly out but we are loving the ferry ride.
My beautiful girl… Ellie was asleep with Grandma Zoe in the car.

State Champion Camperdown Elm. This tree has been in this spot since 1875. Just read the sign below!
This tree looks very different during the spring and summer, but its almost ghostly appearance without its leaves made us stop and take a look.
Our favorite general store all decorated for the holidays.
Pretty! Can I take it all home to decorate with??!
I love these ornaments and I would love to take them all home for my tree!
Ellie felt like such a big girl with her cup of hot chocolate. Have I mentioned that its some of the best hot chocolate that I have ever had?
The Port Gamble General Store is getting ready for Christmas!
The bistro in one of the historic homes is all ready for Christmas. So pretty!
Love this little town. We discovered Port Gamble on a late night drive when we lived in Seattle before the girls were born. It was Christmas time and the whole town was lit up at night. Glad we get to share this with our kids.

After our stop and fun in Port Gamble, we made our way to Bainbridge to take the ferry into Seattle. We wanted a more close up view of the Space Needle. At Christmas time the Space Needle gets a little something extra to celebrate the season and who can pass up a picture to celebrate our first holiday season here in Seattle! So cute and festive if you ask me.

Even the Space Needle gets into the Christmas Spirit.

Today was the final day of our Thanksgiving weekend and it was spent at home relaxing. Shaun and I did some grocery shopping while the girls hung out with Grandma Zoe and then I used some of the leftover turkey to make my moms famous Turkey Tetrazzini. It turned out amazing and was the perfect end to a fun weekend. Now its back to school, work and reality tomorrow. It certainly was fun while it lasted!

Ellie’s Very First Ferry Ride

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The last day and a half we have been working our tails off on cleaning and unpacking. Its getting pretty repetitive. Its been warm here too, high 80’s to low 90’s with 70% humidity and no AC. In the middle of the afternoon today, we decided that enough was enough and we needed to get out and away from the heat. As a break and a bit of a treat, we decided to take a ferry ride. But 
This wasn’t just any ferry ride, it was Ellie’s very first ferry ride! She has heard stories from us and especially from Abby about riding the ferries in Seattle and now she was going to get the chance to ride one! The idea of driving your car onto a boat is pretty thrilling for a three year old. Heck, its pretty thrilling for an adult too.

Today we decided to go from Edmonds over to Kingston and then take the Bainbridge ferry into Seattle. It seemed proper to give Ellie the full tour and she would get to see the Seattle skyline on the way back. Being that its a work day, the wait at the ferry was short and with very few cars. As we waited the train passed by too!

All smiles and ready for her first ferry ride!
Pudget sound looking North at Mt. Baker from the ferry.
Two adorable sisters. Abby was being a great helper showing Ellie around and telling her what the ferry was all about.
Mt. Rainer on a gorgeous and clear day. Love the place we live!
Daddy and Ellie enjoying a beautiful first ride on the ferry
Mommy and Ellie enjoying her first ride on the ferry!
Love having the wind in their hair and the air in their face.

Ellie giggled nervously as we drove on but then was excited to stop. Better yet, she was thrilled that we actually got out of the car and stand out on the “boat”. Abby was a great big sister and tried to explain everything about the ferry to Ellie. We spent some time out on the deck watching everything pass by. The day was perfectly clear, which allowed us to see Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier and the Olympics. All I kept hearing from Ellie was “WOW, so pretty!”

After the ride over we stopped for a quick bite, did a bit of driving and then headed over to Bainbridge to take the ferry back. Tonight was a full moon and the sky, as the sun set and the moon rose, was spectacular. As we sat and waited for the ferry, we had the chance to watch the moon rise and the beautiful colors of the sky. So pretty.

Full moon over Puget Sound at the Bainbridge Ferry Terminal.
Moon-rise over the Sound
A very happy and the Seattle skyline.
Sisters and the best of friends.

Once on the ferry we headed up on deck. The sun had pretty much set but the moon kept the sky well lit. Once we rounded the corner out of Bainbridge, Ellie could see the skyline and she was so excited. Never before had she seen the Seattle skyline lit up at night and when she realized that she could see the Space Needle she couldn’t stop jumping around and giggling. It was probably the best way to end a perfect day and a perfect first ferry ride. That’s one thing that Ellie can check off of her list of things to do!

A Huge Help!

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It was a quick weekend, too quick, but we had a nice time. My parents were an amazing help to us, pitching in whenever and wherever we needed them. I was sad to see them go, especially since it was all work and no play. It would have been nice to have some time to take them out and see the city, but we will save that for another time. Until then, we need to unpack and get settled in to our new life here in Seattle.

Yesterday was a busy and productive day. Shaun and my dad had a furniture building marathon. They completed three night stands (one for the girls room and the other two for our bedroom), two chest of drawers and a bookcase for the girls room. Now that those are completeed we have places to put everything, which makes unpacking a lot easier. Abby and Ellie also got a huge kick out of pretending to use Grandpa’s tools too. I am hoping they were of some help and not a hindrance.

My mom helped me unpack boxes in the kitchen and the girls room as well as cleaning the kitchen. Yeah, the kitchen. What a mess! It took us nearly an hour to clean out the fridge. Its obvious that the previous renters owned a cat and I question as to whether or not the cat lived in the firdge. All I know is that these people had a major aversion to cleaning and that doesnt settle well with this Monica Geller type of girl. It took me nearly two days to clean the master bathroom tub! But more to come on that later.

 My mom and I also took time to run to Target to get some much needed supplies. I have been so overwhelmed with moving in and getting things done that it was great to have a clear mind helping me out. I would have forgotten about a lot of things if she hadn’t been there. You forget all of the little things and some of the big things too!

We did take some time to go out for dinner and relax but then it was time for them to go. Luckily we will be seeing them soon as I hope to take a trip out to see them and my cousin David, who will be visiting in a few weeks. Pretty excited for that but we have a lot of unpacking to do before then!

Ice Cream Break!

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Unpacking has commenced! Its like Christmas in July here and definitely without the cold. Boy is it hot and sticky! With the girls around the unpacking takes some time to do, but when I can get them to help me and be excited about it we get a lot done. So far the kitchen is unpacked and a portion of the girls room is unpacked. Slowly but surely we will get it done. In the afternoon we decided to take a break from the unpacking and head out to Dairy Queen for some lunch and an ice cream treat. Because its been so hot and humid, the ice cream was very much in order.

After our treat it was back home and back to work! Thank goodness my mom and dad arrive tomorrow to help with some of the unpacking and shopping at Ikea. Counting down the hours!

We Finally Made It!

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We are in Seattle! The truck is in one piece, the car is still on the tow hitch and we still have some sanity to cling on to. It was an adventure of a day but for the most part, uneventful.

This morning, after what was a much needed full night of rest, we woke up ready to hit the road and face what we hoped would be the final day of travel. Abby enjoyed our hotel stay quite a bit. It was a Red Lion Hotel and that is her favorite place to stay. I know, only four years old and she already has specific travel tastes. Thank goodness they aren’t expensive!

Cuddled in a cloud of pillows. Someone slept well at the Red Lion!

After a light breakfast we were on the road and ready to tackle the first of several mountain passes for the day. Shasta/Trinity was slow going but easy. Once we were on the other side, we stopped in Yreka for some lunch at the Black Bear Diner. This gave Shaun and I a break and allowed the girls to stretch out for a bit. Lunch was yummy, as usual and it gave us a much needed recharge before hitting several mountain passes that would probably be the most difficult ones of the trip.

Heading through Shasta Trinity! At least my view has improved quite a bit. Still have to stare at that Budget truck though.

The last time I will see this in my rear view for a while. Bye Bye California!

Stopping for a quick bite to eat at Black Bear Diner. The girls are happy to take a break and so are mommy and daddy!

The pass at the California/Oregon border into Ashland, Oregon was slow going but pretty easy as well as Grants Pass area. Coming down from Grants Pass we saw several semi trucks with smoking breaks. Shaun and I held our breath and kept our fingers crossed the entire way down. We were fine and the breaks did just great for a crappy Budget truck!

Goodbye California and Hello Oregon!

The trip from there was pretty uneventful. We stopped for dinner in Oregon and then made a stop for gas in Vancouver, Washington. About 50 miles outside of Vancouver I noticed that something was flapping  around on the right side of the tow hitch. Wanting to be safe, I had Shaun pull off of the Interstate when we could. As it turns out it was one of the tire straps that was holding Shaun’s car onto the tow hitch! The only other thing that keeps the car from bouncing off of the hitch are the indented areas where the tires sit and a chain hooked to the bottom of the car frame. Its doubtful that anything would have happened but I am glad I was able to catch it before something did.

That was our final stop for the evening before arriving in Seattle. We got in pretty late, but we are finally here! The truck is parked and locked up for the moment. I cannot wait to get everything moved out of the truck and into the house. I will definitely do a happy dance once Shaun’s car is off the tow hitch and both the truck and the hitch have been returned to Budget. Until then, its time for some much needed sleep!

Our House Keys Or Bust!… Day 5

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This morning we woke up realizing that our hotel sat right along the Umpqua River. The view and the morning was gorgeous. We stopped for breakfast and then prepared for the last haul home. It would be a longer day but nothing we haven’t done before. We would be spending our 4th of July on the road through some beautiful country, so who could complain right?

The drive was uneventful and I had hoped that maybe we would see some fireworks in the evening as we drove through central California and into the Valley but that didn’t happen. We either missed it or we couldn’t see it. Oh well. We made it home in time to see the girls and get to bed at a decent hour and that’s all that mattered. Now begins the major packing!