A Piece of Home in Seattle

In mid-July, I was lucky enough to have my parents and favorite sister come visit me. Since I moved, this makes three times I've been to Chicago to see them, and three times they've been here to see me. All I can say is thank goodness for airplanes!

Introducing my parents to my neighborhood and the best part of it - flowers!

No quality time with my dad would be complete without hitting up some new breweries! Reubens was first!

After Chris joined the fun, our first stop was Kerry Park!

Such a view!

It amazes me how my mom can name almost any flower. I did not get that gene.

Rose Gardens

Surrounded by beautiful, and even rare, roses, and my favorite picture is of these bad boys.

Outdoor Seattle Art Museum - No Filter. Seriously!

So much love & joy!

We couldn't have come at a better time. The sun was very cooperative.

Onto our second (and favorite) new brewery: Stoup! 

Saturday, July 19: Following our trip to the Ballard Locks and Salmon Ladder, Matt took us on a wonderful tour of Lake Union and Lake Washington.

Salmon Ladder - we even saw some salmon jumping!

And the tour begins!

Sunday, July 20: Squim Lavender Festival. We took my first ferry ride (in Seattle) to the town of Squim. We visited five lavender fields, enjoyed the beautiful scents, and had some delicious lavender ice cream! 

For our perfect ending, we enjoyed brie and fruit over a game of Spades. I certainly do miss our game nights, so it was nice to get that over 2,000 miles away from home. :)

I'M ON A BOAT!

One of the things that I love about Seattle is that I get to see mountains and water every day. When I moved here, I didn't realize how often I'd get to be out on the water, up close and personal. I feel so fortunate to have a roommate who has a boat and is so generous to take his friends out in it. Seattle is a beautiful sight by land but stunning by water.

Below are a few of my favorite pictures. Also, for your reference (and mine), a map of the local lakes!

Matt's boat is parked in Lake Union. When we go out to the big water, we're in Lake Washington.

Gorgeous houseboats!

Captain.

Crew.

Amazing view from Lake Union!

Watching Tuesday Duck Dodge (Sailboat Races).

Watching the seaplanes take off and land never gets old.

Sunkissed and so happy!

The Sleepless in Seattle house! Darn that new paint job...

Roommates!

Freedom Weekend

Fourth of July weekend was full of new friends, an amazing home cooked dinner (thanks, Teresa!), copious amounts of cider and Fireball (just me?), and lots of fun on the water. Such great company to enjoy over a long weekend!

We started the weekend with a trip to the dog park with Porter and his best bud, Stout.  Yes, Stout is just as big as he looks in the picture, if not bigger. 

By the time we got boat side that afternoon, we had wind and cloudy skies. Nonetheless, we loaded up and enjoyed the ride!

With Candi, Erin, and Teresa!

After boating, I hit a milestone: I stepped inside my very first houseboat! Peggy and Doug, friends of Matt's, host an annual 4th of July party. I had heard wonderful things, and even so, my expectations were exceeded. Upon entering, Peggy immediately asked, "Jaeger or Fireball?" Before you know it, we're doing ski shots. And so the night began.

No idea how this picture turned out as awesome as it did. Sheer chance.
Eli, Candi, Kristina, Erin, moi.

The view from Peggy and Doug's rooftop deck.
Also the point where Matt and Doug dove off the top later in the evening.

Well that's just completely untrue... 

Before the fireworks, an American flag is flown across the sky.

Such a great view!

Oh why not.  What's one more shot after 4 or 5? 

No massive hangovers were had the next morning, so, all in all, it was a huge success!! Ending the weekend on an even higher note, the weather really came through and gave us a great showing! Can't ask for better than that! 

An(other) ode to Seattle's Garden

The earth laughs in flowers. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Home Engagement!

"Your feet don't anchor you, your loved ones do." 

From June 5 - June 16, I returned home to spend time with my family. It was an action-packed 11 days filled with family and friends. While there were many highlights, the best was obviously when my favorite twin got engaged to the love of her life! But first...

9th Annual Walk with Rachel. Just before she passed in 2004, my best friend, Rachel, had been on a mission, raising money for Make A Wish. Carrying on her love for philanthropy, every year, family and friends participate in the Walk With Rachel. This year, we raised $10,200 for Make A Wish; enough to make two children's wishes come true!

With my Ch/Kris's! Chris, Christina, Kris!

Kristin Serna Photography

Raffle time - somebody won 4 tickets to Disney! - Kristin Serna Photography

Rachel would be so proud. -Kristin Serna Photography

I spent every moment I could trying to catch up with family and friends. I was fortunate to meet my best friend, Katy's, baby girl, Franny. 

There was a delightful beer tasting with my dad, a birthday party with my best friend from high school, bowling, swimming, ping pong, and breakfast with dear friends and family. I saw friends that I hadn't seen since January and others that I hadn't seen since April. Family time was abounding and it was so refreshing to catch up with everybody.

Of course, the most exciting part was being home for my sister's engagement on June 13! It was hard to keep a straight face during the 8 days before the proposal (and even harder to sneak away to get a peak at the ring!). However, it was all worth it to see Christina the next morning as we were on our way to get manicures. :) So many congratulations to my favorite twin and future brother-in-law!

I love my family!