Seattle Day 6

All good things do come to an end and we were sad that this was our last day in Seattle. Steve was exhausted so he just wanted to hang around the house however Deb had some errands to do and I headed out to pal around with her. We decided to hit all the Thrift Stores (Thank you On Star Directions) on our way to our destination. That was really fun - I found a big set of Mr. Potato Head and some brand new Tonka books on cranes, bulldozers & dump trucks for the boys. I found a really old vintage ceramic Turkey for my collection and it was just fun milling in and out. Deb found some great blocks for her preschool and we saw all kinds of interesting items. I must comment that their Thrift stores are clean and organized! Since we had planned to go back to Amy's and ran out of time I was glad I was all packed up prior to leaving for our errands. I did ask Steve to bring a carry back for me as I just did not feel like getting on the flight with a Thrift Sore bag (stay classy, San Diego) We met up with Steve at '13 Coins' a fantastic restaurant right near the airport. Deb and I split the fantastic Calamari Steak and Steve had a Avocado and Bacon sandwich. We hated to say goodbye however our flight time was near and Deb dropped us at SeaTac and we left right on time, a very quick layover in Oakland and arrived in SD around 9:45. Adam was right there to pick us up when our luggage came and little Rocky Road was so happy to see us. So good to go; so good to come home.

Seattle Day 5

A, S, K, B, D & B all were on the early flight back to SD. Deb, Steve, Amy and I were in our clam digging gear and headed out. Low tide was at 5, however, due to some direction challenges, including meeting a guy at a gas station who laughed that we were going clamming but was kind enought to guide us to our spot (Big Bay) we had our shovels in the dirt about 7 a.m. At first, Steve and I had no idea what we were doing.....so I headed over to Amy to observe her clamming skills. Deb was pointing out good areas and fell in a sink hole....once we recovered from laughing we got serious (btw - we laughed with her, not at her)!!! After an hour we all had our limit (40 each per our licenses), please a few oysters, muscles and sand dollars! We headed back to Amy's and rinsed off our muddy shoes and clothes and then scrubbed the 160+ clams and took the best showers we ever had. Deb and I then took off to get the remaining ingredients for a clam bake (shrimp, crab, corn, red potatoes, leeks, etc). Toby and his family arrived about 5 and we had so much fun feasting on the clam bake yummies.

Seattle Day 4

Day 4 we woke up at the water park and fixed some breakfast treats in the hotel....yes, again my niece thought of everything and we all had fresh fruit and breakfast casserole to enjoy. We had to check out of our room at 11; however had use of the park for the day. Being a Sunday and knowing traffic would be especially bad we packed up the cars and while the guys enjoyed a bit more of the park us girls ran to the outlet malls (slim pickins as far as outlets go) however, Kristen and Shannon scored at Quicksilver and Gymboree. I settled for some 'mom jeans' and had some of the worst customer service ever....once we were back in the car headed back to the lodge I shared my experience and Kristen and Shannon too shared about the customer service - we came the to the following conclusion: We all thought people would be friendly and upbeat in Seattle because my niece is friendly and upbeat - however, in the service industry in Seattle they must be miserable due to the weather and their outlook on life - even my sister told off the shuttle driver!

So we regrouped at the lodge and had a wonderful picnic lunch - turkey sands, chips, apples and goodies. We posed for this family picture (can you tell we were at a water park - what a motely crew) and my group headed back to the Seattle Marriott. Yes, traffic was bbaaaadddd - worse than before. Luckily the boys napped and we suffered in silence as we finally got to the hotel. Dropped off K, B & boys and headed to Amy's to clean up and unload. After the second group got home and K, B & boys returned we had a bbq and enjoyed the outside. Everyone was so tired and the kids were leaving in the a.m. so they said their sad goodbyes to their cousins....it was so fun to all be together as aunts, uncle and cousins.....

Seattle Day 2

Since A, K, S & I were staying at Amy's we had to take her 1983 rusted out truck 'Big Blue' from her house to the Marriott where K, B, D, & B were staying. Easier said than done - Steve was adjusting to the brakes and all 4 of us piled in for the daunting ride to the Marriott. I am sure the staff appreciated it when we found a parking place front and center for Big Blue! We all then took the shuttle back to Sea-Tac to our friends (not) at AVIS and low and behold our van was ready!!! By 11 we were on the tour, courtesy of Uncle A. He first took us to 'The Troll under the Bridge' and we really enjoyed that - funky, off beat and ultra Seattle. From there we headed to park in between Pikes Market and the Space Needle. We walked from the parking garage (gulp - 25.00/day) to the Market and it was super crowded but the boys got to see the 'Flying Fish' and Adam got a great video clip of it he promises to send me. We waded thru crowds to see the beautiful fish and seafood, the incredible flowers and the other trinkets the shops had to offer. We ate lunch and a great place overlooking the market and after us girls ordered we had 15 mins to shop and return - the guys stayed with the boys. We all split up in different directions....I was shopping for a reusable bag to carry my stuff to and fro work and some Christmas ornaments for each of us to remember our trip by. I lucked into a spot and found everything but the line was huge as they also specialized in Twilight TShirts (apparently the vampires are from the area - who knew?) and so after I waited very patiently in line I ran back to catch up with Kristen and Shannon and we returned to the restaurant right when our meals came - ta da! From there we walked to the Monorail and took that to the Space Needle. Again we planned 1 hr and all went and did our own thing. A & S went to the top, Steve and I both took work phone calls =( and walked around and K, B & Boys did the little rides and bouncy houses. We all met up for a family shot and then rode the monorail back to the car - bailed it out and headed to our nephews for dinner. We got a bit lost but he rescued us at a shopping strip and we made it to their place for some yummy Greek food and fun and laughter with all the 'kids' and grand kids. From there we did the drop at the hotel and back to Amy's for the night.