Ted & Terrie See Seattle!

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!