You read that right, Folks! Mom and Dad finally made their very first trip to see our home on the West Coast! My baby brother, Neal, came from Minnesota for part of the time too. He had made one brief visit on a business trip in December of 2007, but there was a lot more for him to see.
This time around, Neal arrived first on Wednesday night, and I took the day off on Thursday for some sibling quality time. Neal wanted a massage, so we tried out this new franchise,
Massage Envy, that has opened up in Renton. My expectations were low, but I have to say, it was awesome! It was a super nice place and one of the best massages I've ever had. I liked it so much, they sold me on a year subscription, but the first massage was only $39. I recommend you try it out too! I took Neal to experience the best Mexican food ever at La Fuente, a favorite local spot of ours, and then we went to
Fremont to explore. Neal loved
The Troll and all the funky vintage shops. Check out his new duds!
We finished our first fun day together with Jon, Gretchen, Ryan, and Addi at a sushi restaurant for dinner and then had Dairy Queen for dessert. Finally, it was off to the airport to pick up Mom and Dad.
Can you guess where we spent the first day of the Meyer reunion Seattle style? Of course! Pike's Place Market. We introduced the fam to one of our very favorite parts of the city; fish, fruit, flowers, and much more! Mom did some shopping of course, a great new purse for her, a great bottle of wine for Jon, and the most beautiful bouquet of flowers for me!
Friday's weather was almost 70 degrees, sunny, and so clear that the mountains were out in all their glory. A day this beautiful is a bit rare around here, so Jon and I were so happy our visitors were greeted this way! After the market and lunch with an amazing view at
Lowell's, it was to the top of the Space Needle. We normally wouldn't rate this attraction as a must do, except when the weather is good...and it sure was! We could see Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, the Olympics, the Cascades and everything in between. Gorgeous!
Mom decided on Saturday that she wanted to check out the
Woodland Zoo. This was a first trip for Jon and I too, so we were happy to go and explore. It started out pretty rainy, but in the end we saw the sunshine once again!
My family's visit wasn't all about the tourist traps. Our friends Gretchen, Ryan, & Baby Addi joined us for a couple home cooked meals ala Chef Nicole. On Monday night, Addi came over all by herself, while her parents had band rehearsal. My Mom also made a special guest appearance at my church Moms' Group with me on Tuesday morning, so when it was all said and done, she had chalked up HOURS of blissful baby holding time. I'm hoping this helps my case for persuading the grandparents to be (no not yet, eventually!) to move a little closer!
Neal had to head back to Minnesota Sunday afternoon, so we said good bye to him after a yummy steak dinner at
The Melrose Grill on Saturday night and a visit to
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church on Sunday morning to see what my job is all about.
Mom and Dad spent lots of time getting to know the grandpets, spoiling Alley and Oscar with tons of attention even when Jon and I had to work. They said they enjoyed just lounging around our house, which we hope was true. I snuck out of the office a few afternoons for some more fun. On Monday afternoon, Mom, Dad, and I did the
Underground Tour and had lattes at the cafe in the basement of the
Elliot Bay Book Company. Did you know that Seattle streets and sidewalks were built up around the buildings leaving lots of crazy history in its dust?
On Tuesday night, the rain stopped just in time for a trip to Bainbridge Island on the ferry. You HAVE to ride a ferry when you visit Washington! I love them SO much! Here's a few shots from the trip over. Then, we had dinner at the
The Harbour Public House and then saw the beautiful lights of the Seattle skyline on the boat ride back.
The grand finale and most important part of this adventure to note is the Euchre game that occurred after an amazing dinner of fabulous wine and crock pot pork tenderloin when Jon and I WALLOPED my parents two games straight. Woohoo! Go team VanderMeulen.
Mom and Dad and Neal...thanks for an amazing week together in our world here in Seattle. We love you so much, and we hope you'll come back much more often, or stay permanently. It's ok if you want to decide this is the best place in the world too!
Isn't this just the cutest picture ever!?!?!? Awwww.... Sorry, we're just so not photogenic that there's reason for excitement when we actually have a success! This shot was taken on Memorial Day overlooking the ocean on West Beach in Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island.
We left after church on Sunday, and took Alley on her first big overnight trip. She loves riding in the car and spent a lot of time hanging out the window, sleeping on her seat, and scrunching herself into a ball on the floor when it got too windy!
Alley experienced sand and ocean for the first time! After we took the ferry over to the island we stopped in Langley for gelato, and the puppy began her exploration.
We stayed overnight at a hotel, and Alley took a nap in her crate while we ate an absolutely fantastic meal at The Oystercatcher in Coupeville.
On Monday, we took a two hour long 4-5 mile hike around Deception Pass and then ate lunch on the beach.
The weekend before, Jon graciously helped me babysit for the Stefanski three all day long on Saturday. I have stopped working as their nanny on a regular basis because I have a puppy to attend to now, so it was so nice to see them again!
Kaitlyn was going to town with their new kitchen set.
That's Jenna! She REALLY loves Jon.
Andre offers Jon a piece of cake.
On Mother's Day weekend, we spent Saturday hard at work in our yard. Jon modified his railing planters he made for our deck in West Bloomfield to work on the railing in front of our house here, and I filled them and this big round container with flowers. So far...I think they are looking good! Summer flowers have to stay in the front yard this year to prevent Alley from eating them. :) We also dug out a bunch of dead/overgrown/weedlike plants in our backyard, spread things out and added a few new things. It looks great!
May was full of sunshine and adventures! I'm hoping a rainy June doesn't seek its revenge. Not a lot of excitement for us here on the west coast, just a lot of love!
