Living in Seattle is pretty darn amazing. It really is. I’m always so proud to say where I’m located, as Seattle is just one of those places you can’t help but adore (okay minus the darn weather!). It’s far different than where I grew up, in that there is always something spunky and hip going on, with scrumptious food as the mainstay at any one of the million hot spots in the city. Seattle is even MORE amazing when you have family in town to share the beauty of the city with…it’s always so fun to explore Seattle with a fresh set of eyes!
A couple of weeks ago, my sister Sarah and brother-in-law Tristan decided to stop in Seattle during their road trip up the west coast (little did they know this is what you call a “babymoon”) and I was oh so thrilled that they decided to share their “last trip before our lives change forever” moments with us. Adam and I were super excited to have them for a few days, and we luckily had “decent” enough weather during their stay, so we could get outside and really enjoy some of the beauty that Seattle/Washington has to offer.
We started the weekend off with a trip the the West Seattle Summer Fest…think rows and rows of booths filled with local vendors selling yummy goodies and cutesy baby crafts/clothing…Sarah was in heaven! We immediately gravitated towards the local market to snag some fresh fruit/veggies for dinner, pretty florals and GASP! to try out a deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yep, you heard me…DEEP FRIED PB & J. I’ll admit that I was a bit disgusted by the thought of it, but my inner unhealthy…”give me the GOOD stuff!” self wanted to try it…really, REALLY badly. So we did. And it was…awesome! BUT awesome in a – you can only have 3 bites cause you feel super nauseous if you have anymore – types of ways.
So 3 bites we had and then we moved on to…BBQ sauce! (great combo right?!). We were having chicken kabobs for dinner so BBQ sauce sounded like the perfect compliment. So we sampled, and sampled some more, before settling on the spicy option…yum. Ended the day with a few moments in a CRAZY comfortable hammock, swayed to the beat of local jams and drank some chocolate milk. YES, I’m all about the random these days!
Snoqualmie Falls was our next stop. About an hour or so drive outside the city of Seattle…Snoqualmie is absolutely breathtaking. The falls give you that little reminder that there is a world of nature far bigger than yourself, right outside your doorstep. It makes you stand in silence for a moment, and really reflect on the exquisite beauty of the place with which you live. I was totally in love with the adorable mini daisies scattered along the grasses surrounding the falls, and laughed hysterically as my hubby tried to compare baby bumps with my little sis. Can you tell how excited we both are to become an auntie and crazy uncle to little Emryk?! October can’t come soon enough!!!
Oh and who could forget Pike Place ? No way!
Often times cities have that typical “touristy thang” to do, which always makes the locals cringe, and steer as far away from the area as possible. They dread even the thought of it, knowing that their next visit will be their billionth and they’d rather set their hands to a burner than go once more….okay a bit dramatic, but that’s the sort of day I’m having : )
You would think Pike Place Market was one of those places, but even to this day I’m still so in love with its vibrancy, even despite the throngs of people always swarming its best spots. It’s always such a blast to explore the market with friends or fam, and we had SUCH a good time this go-round.
We sampled fruits, quenched our thirst with yummy smoothies, sampled mini powdered donuts, picked up the perfect flowers for the dinner table, gobbled down Beecher’s famous mac n’cheese (no brainer!), scouted my favorite antique shop, and cringed at the site of the infamous gum wall. I made my sister laugh harder than I have ever seen her laugh before, when I attempted to toss my gum on the wall, only to have it fling back towards me like a boomerang. This left me with nothing to do except leap to retrieve my stringy piece of gum (gross right!)…sending my sunglasses topling from my head and the crowd behind me gaping in horror. I mean, I couldn’t let a perfectly good piece of chewed up grossness go to waste, now could I? Nonsense.
Gum. Wall. Done.
Oh and this very last pic is my MOST favorite from our time with Sarah and Tristan. I’m totally infatuated with baby bumps especially when they are attached to my sister Sarah. Since I love the market so much…this pic just makes me so happy and giddy inside.
We had a great time with S & T and can’t wait to have them (and baby Emryk!) back again soon. Love ya guys!
photo cred: {jenn elliott blake}
bow tie & bustle: the blog 