Family Trip to Seattle and Vancouver

Since Thanksgiving week is typically a slow one for business for Meezy and I, and the kids are off school, we like to use that opportunity to take a vacation. Being the good wife that I am, I found out that the 49ers were playing the Seahawks in Seattle on Thanksgiving Day 2023, so that could be a fun outing for my 49ers-loving husband. We're trying to bring the kids to more live sporting events, so it seemed like a good option for all of us. I planned the trip around that, but knew that we wouldn't want to spend the entire week in Seattle. 

After landing in Seattle, we drove to Vancouver for the first half of our trip. We stayed at the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront, which was a nice hotel and close to the Christmas Market. The market was cute to visit, but didn't quite live up to my expectations. Jude loved the carousel though, so it was still a win.

The next day we visited Granville Island (by ferry), Sunset Beach, and enjoyed Kooza, by Cirque du Soleil. The kids really enjoyed the show and it was fun for us parents too!

Our final day in Vancouver was probably my favorite. We started at Charleson Park, visited the Capilano River Hatchery where we lucked out and saw bald eagles, and braved the amazing Capilano Suspension Bridge. It was breathtaking and probably quite terrifying for a lot of people. We got a bunch of great pics there!

 

We made our way back to Seattle and stayed at the Alexis Royal Sonesta Hotel. Even though we had a car, we were hoping to walk to a lot of our destinations, so this hotel was a good option for us.  Our first stops were the Pike Place Market, the Gum Wall, and the Great Wheel at Pier 57. The weather was really cooperating, so we got some nice shots.

The next day we took the monorail to the Seattle Center and checked out the playground and went to the top of the Space Needle. The views were pretty great and the kids enjoyed it. 

That night we didn't have concrete plans, and we realized that the Kraken had a game nearby, so we checked on some last minute tickets. As luck would have it, there were some seats available on the glass, so we snagged them. I'm so glad we did! The game was awesome. The kids thought it was crazy to be that close to the action, especially when the players would slam into the wall in front of us. An usher found out it was Jude's first game, so they gave him a certificate and pin. We stayed all the way to the end and cheered for the Kraken players as they skated around and celebrated their win. As Bellemare was about to head for the tunnel, he spotted Dutch and handed his stick over the glass to him. It was unbelievable! How crazy to spontaneously attend the game and end up with a player's stick. It is now proudly mounted in our game room!

The next day was Thanksgiving, so we found a nearby restaurant that was actually open for lunch, and then headed to Lumen Field to watch the 49ers and Seahawks. It was the night game and quite chilly, so we bundled up as best we could. We had some pretty good seats and were near many other 49ers fans, so it was a fun experience, especially since the 49ers pretty handily beat the Seahawks. 

  

The next morning it was time to head back home with our cute little jet-setters. I love making these memories with them, and it doesn't hurt that Meezy and I are checking items off our bucket list at the same time! 

Dutch Turns Twelve

He is officially a pre-teen! Can't believe this is his last semester in elementary school and next year the middle school years begin. He still makes me proud with his academic achievements and the respect he shows his elders. He got 2nd place in the school spelling bee this year and placed 6th in the district-wide Number Sense competition for 6th graders. I signed him up for Cotillion against his wishes, but I think he had a good time with his friends and it was worth every penny to me when we danced together on Parents' night! His favorite music right now is AJR and Macklemore; he watched the entire Office series; he loves the comedian Nate Bargatze; and he still stays up too late reading every night. He's got a great friend group and I have a feeling they'll be seeing a lot of each other this summer. Happy 12th birthday, kiddo. Your dad and I love you tons. 

Jude Turns Nine!

Turning nine and feeling fine. This fly kiddo celebrated his birthday in late November with a trip to Hapik with his friends.

I'm constantly impressed by Jude's wit, memory, intelligence, affection, and desire to play. If we suggest a game, he's up for it. He's been studying Spanish a few minutes a day for the past year and I am so proud of him. Here's a sentence he put together about our small-headed dog, Zoey, that gives you a good example of his quirky mind: "La cabeza de mi perro es mas pequena que mi mano."

He's still obsessed with Corgis, but also has started loving Shiba Inus. He's pretty much an animal lover in general though, so it's not unusual for me to get a text with a funny animal video, or an animal park he's found online that he wants us to visit.

We gave him sparkling apple juice on NYE and now he's decided he wants to drink that year-round from a fancy glass. I'll allow it. I consider myself very lucky to be his mom and look forward to seeing what his bright future holds.

A Jude and Mom Getaway to Oregon

I don't get to see my high school bestie, Iris, and her daughter, Wren, very often since they live in Oregon,  so I vowed to plan a trip to spend time with them before the year was over. The kids had a long weekend in November for fall break, and since I had taken Dutch on a solo trip this summer, I decided it would be perfect for Jude to tag along with me. He and Wren are close in age, so that made it even better. We flew out on Friday night so we could spend both days of the weekend with them and then come home on Monday.

Our adventure-packed Saturday started with a visit to Vista House in the Columbia River Gorge. The views are spectacular, but Jude was not thrilled about the drop-off! He didn't think there were enough safety measures in place, lol.

But, have no fear, any place with a gift shop and hot chocolate is alright in his book.

Next up we drove to Multnomah Falls. This place was breathtaking! You could take in the falls from ground level, or hike up to a higher bridge to get a closer look. Jude was adamant he would not participate in that endeavor, but once we got to the bridge he was a great sport. It was loud!

We got caught in a downpour, so we took respite in the nearby Lodge Restaurant. The kids took turns standing by the fireplace to try and dry their clothes! That was unsuccessful, so we all ended up buying Multnomah Falls sweatshirts in the gift shop. Definitely felt like cheesy tourists from that point forward!

From the Falls we drove to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery. I was very pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this stop was! We got to explore the grounds and see a lot of salmon trying to swim upstream (not always successfully). We also fed some salmon and the occasional duck that wandered over to us.

   

When it came time to make dinner plans, Iris informed me that the annual Verboort Sausage & Kraut Festival was taking place that night. As a vegetarian, I don't eat sausage, but how could I pass up a one day a year event in a small Dutch community in Oregon?? I was game to check it out and Jude was a good sport as well. Unfortunately we got there too late for the bazaar, but the food was good nonetheless! 

Sunday's first stop was to the Tillamook Creamery. We took the tour, sampled some cheese, and visited the gift shop, but the kids' favorite activity was taking silly pictures in the Tillamook VW van!

Too many to post, but this one might be my favorite. 

More than ten years ago I visited Iris in Oregon and she took me to Tillamook. We took a funny picture in the van at that time, so of course I had to get the kids to recreate it! 

From there, we trekked down the coast to Florence, OR to see the Sea Lion Caves. Unfortunately the sea lions were not hanging out in the caves at the time of our visit, but the views were still top notch. 

For dinner we stopped in Newport and were so pleased to find that a bunch of sea lions were taking up residence behind the Clearwater Restaurant! Jude was in heaven. Not gonna lie, I was too. I think these creatures are hilarious and I could watch their antics for quite a while. We discovered the restaurant's website has a live feed of the sea lions, so I told Meezy about it and he pulled it up and saw us on the dock nearby. Go check it out - it's fun. Also want to mention that the food was fantastic!

Unfortunately this was the last stop of our amazing weekend and we had to call it a night. I loved this experience so, so much. It was wonderful to have special time with my youngest and of course make memories with loved ones. Take trips, y'all!