A Friend's Visit

I had been anticipating my friend's visit since November. That's when she was initially going to visit but things came up so she had to reschedule. Finally, last week she visited and I couldn't wait to show her around some of our favorite places.

I've known Brenda since the sixth grade but we didn't become good friends until seventh grade. I had not seen her for almost ten years. For some reason or another we weren't able to meet up during the times that I've been in San Diego in the past ... so she made her way up here to see me. That's very thoughtful.

Jacob took a couple of days off {he's the best}, we picked her up from the airport. It was great seeing her after so long. Riley was just a tad bit shy but not too much. I had been talking to him about Brenda for a week before her arrival and even showed him pictures of her so he could become familiar and not be too bashful.

Brenda was looking forward to seeing the main tourists attractions so we first stopped at Pike Place Market. Surprisingly there weren't many people out. Every place we went to was a pleasant experience, no long lines at the first ever Starbucks store, we were able to see the guys throw fish with no one getting in the way, we were able to try a few new samples of greek yogurt without feeling rushed to order or pay.
Another place she wanted to see was the gum wall. It was recently cleaned but it's quickly looking like its former self.

Then we made our way to the Space Needle, the Seattle Center and the huge water fountain. I filled her in on the events that go on in this area ... how we've seen the water fountain become crowded during the summer months and watch people enjoy getting wet.

We took her to Pagliacci for lunch. She did say that their pizza was delicious and she also enjoyed her ceasar  salad. After that we then made our way to the ferry. I mean, how could you not ride on the ferry when you're visiting? It was a must even though she had been in a couple other ferries before but she said that the ones here are way bigger ... obviously cooler and better, lol {I'm being totally biased}.

Since the days are still short and the weather is still very cold we headed home after visiting Bainbridge Island. Besides, I'm sure she had already had a long day and was looking forward to winding down. She saw Sydna and Nathan once we got home then I showed her Riley's room where she was set to sleep at.

My dear friend doesn't like eggs or milk {what?!!!}. I was totally beside myself when she told me this. I had planned a delicious breakfast for her but had to make some changes to accommodate her which was fine but I really think that she's missing out on some delicious breakfast. Sad to know that she wont ever enjoy something similar to a Pine State biscuit from Portland. I'll pray that she grows taste buds that will make her want to eat eggs, lol.

After we got ready the following day we took her to Snoqualmie Falls. Again, the view area was almost empty. We had no trouble getting good pictures of the waterfall.

Never mind those gray hairs that peeked out, it was windy.

Jacob had read somewhere that there's a place in the U-District called CaliBurger that's an IN N OUT knock off. First I'm not an IN N OUT fan but I agreed and gave it a shot. The burger itself does taste super similar to IN N OUT but I think that their fries are better. These were salted and not as flimsy ... the ones from IN N OUT lack salt and are way too flimsy. Brenda thought that the fries from IN N OUT were better {no way!} but she agreed that the hamburger was very similar as well. Jacob was so happy about this. He loves IN N OUT so having a place that's not too far from us that tastes like IN N OUT made his day. He already wants to go back. I liked it but I still prefer Five Guys though.

After we ate we took her to one of our favorite parks, Discovery Park. It was a bit windy and cold but no rain ... at least it wasn't raining when we were there.

We got home early in the evening which gave us good time to enjoy a movie. Upon Brenda's recommendation we saw No Escape with Owen Wilson. We had been wanting to see it but totally forgot about it until Brenda mentioned it. The movie was good.

On her last day with us we took her to Tacoma. North Tacoma is very pretty so naturally we took her on a drive on Ruston Way which lead us to Point Defiance Park. We wanted to take her on the five mile loop but it was closed to cars. Jacob wanted her to see raccoons, lol. We stopped by a pond to feed ducks. We had lots of leftover hamburger and hotdog buns and Riley had asked to feed ducks so that's what they did.

As soon as they started feeding the few bold ones that walked up to us a whole mass of them quickly made their way in our direction. Good thing we had a lot of bread.

After they were done feeding the ducks Riley wanted to play with the frisbee. So him and Jacob played for a few minutes but had to cut it short because the grass was very spongy, drenched in muddy water which we didn't have the proper shoes on except for Riley.

Brenda said she had a nice time. I hope she truly enjoyed herself and appreciated how beautiful Seattle and it's surrounding areas truly are. She could tell that we really like it here and that we have no intention on moving anywhere else for a long time or maybe even ever.

We woke up the following morning and got ready to take Brenda back to the airport. Riley ended up getting very comfortable with her. He liked talking to her and even kept her busy coloring with him. She was a great sport too. She talked to him back and asked him questions and laughed at some of the funny things he said.

We said our goodbyes and we saw her walk to her flight gate. Riley began to cry. He said that he would miss Brenda. In the car he told us that he likes it when people visit.

Good thing that Sydna's two closest friends from Tucson will be visiting next month. I'm sure he'll get a lot of attention from them. And probably cry once they leave. But then, three months after that my mom and sister will be visiting. He will love that!

Thanks for taking the time to visit us Brenda. We enjoyed having you here.

Our Sweet Friends From Texas

I first got a facebook message from my friend Jackie telling me that they were gonna be in Oregon and Seattle about a month ago and she was wondering if we could meet up. I messaged her back and told her it would be cool to meet up so we made plans.
We met up last Thursday, May 21st.

Jacob took the day off and after dropping Sydna off at the college we headed over to Pike Place Market. It was such a pretty day. Some cloud cover but sunny.

We walked through all the flower vendors. My goodness, the peony is such a gorgeous flower! That's mostly what they were selling. Loved seeing all the different colors. It took us forever to just get out of this area and to finally meet up with my friend that was waiting for us right in front of the bronze pig.

It was so great seeing her, her husband and their two older children. It had been ten years since we last saw each other. We used to be neighbors in Mckinney, TX for several years before they moved to Schertz, TX which is near San Antonio.

After we all greeted each other we then had lunch at Lowell's at Pike Place. It got great reviews on Yelp .... but I think they were mostly for breakfast. I still thought their food was good. I got tiger prawns and chips. The prawns or shrimp {how I like to call them} were big. I couldn't finish them all. I had to give Jacob my last one. Everyone else finished their food so hopefully that was a sign that they liked it. Next time I want to come here for breakfast. Their Combination breakfast with a side of crispy hash browns sounds delicious! Here's the LINK so you can browse the menu and see how tasty everything sounds. The view of Elliott Bay {part of the Puget} is pretty awesome too!

After eating we walked down to the waterfront. There's still construction going on so a good portion of the sidewalk is blocked off. If you're by the great wheel, one would need to walk back towards the Aquarium, cross the street and walk less than a mile to get to the ferry terminal.

The day quickly became warm and the walk would have been too far for my friend. While Jacob went looking for an ATM machine they went to ask one of the Pedicab guys how much they charge. These guys are expensive! Just to take us to the ferry terminal which is less than a mile they wanted to charge $30!! Psh, they're crazy. Thankfully, my friends son thought of Uber. Since he has the app on his phone he requested one to pick us up close to the Aquarium. It arrived in less than five minutes and cost under $5. Wow!

I have to admit, riding in some strangers car was a little scary for me. I've never even been inside a taxi or a bus ... so I was ready to call 911 in case we got kidnapped or something. But everything went fine and the ride was safe, there just wasn't a carseat for Riley. Thankfully we didn't have to go far.

We had to wait for the ferry and while we waited my friend Jackie gave us the 411 on how to care for box turtles. Her husband has ten box turtles and most of them he's had for years, two of those he's had since he was a kid. Isn't that cool?! Jacob was very interested and I'm sure he now wants to get some himself. I just hope that he first makes an enclosure for them.

We boarded the ferry and found a place to sit outside. I love the way the wind feels on my face. Every time I ride the ferry is like my first ride! It makes me SO happy. I love to look all around. I love to admire all the pretty houses that sit along the water ... and I'm always looking for seals, hoping I can spot at least one.

Here I am with my Texas friends. That's Jackie and her husband Neil. They are such great people, very hospitable but most importantly they also share our same values and beliefs. They're definitely friends for a lifetime.

When Riley first met them he became very shy which is a big surprise because he's always so outgoing and very talkative even to people we come across with at the store. It wasn't until we were at the ferry terminal that he began to warm up to Jackie's daughter Madison and son Neil Jr. He was talking to them and was starting to get a little playful. At one point Jackie and Madison went to buy water and he even held Madison's hand. That was cute.

We had planned on going to an ice cream shop on Bainbridge Island but we were a little pressed for time. Jackie and her family had reserved tickets to Ride the Ducks {link HERE} at 5:00 pm so we took the ferry back to Seattle. At least we got a ferry ride out of it on this nice day.

Jackie took this picture of me, Jacob and Riley. Thanks Jackie. I love it!

Once we arrived at the terminal we had to part ways since they didn't have much time left. We said our goodbyes and hoped to see each other soon. Riley was terribly sad because he had bonded with Madison. He started to cry.

We rode on a paid Uber car from them to take us back to our car. That was really nice of them. Even to this day Riley is still saying he wants to go to Texas to visit Madison. He says she's his best friend.

My friend hopes to retire in Oregon, in or near Cannon Beach. That would be nice. She'll only be about three hours away. We would definitely be able to visit each other often.

*** On Memorial Day my friend Jackie had a health issue that's changed her life. Sorry for not being able to go into detail since I didn't ask her permission to talk about it on here but I am writing this for my own memories and to ask if you can please pray for her. I ask for healing but most importantly I ask that my friend feels God's presence and love close. Also for peace and understanding and that with the love and support from her family and friends and with time that she will get better each day.
This is so surreal to Jacob and I because we had just spent the day with her five days before. This makes me so sad for her, she's such a sweet and caring person but I am going to try to change my focus from sadness to hope and to continue to pray for her. Thank you all in advance.

San Diego Fair And Sandcastles

We were gifted San Diego Fair tickets by my sister, thanks Claudia.
We hung out at the fair on Thurday (7/3). It was a very humid day.

Riley had fallen asleep on our way to the fair but once the tram began moving he perked up. This place was packed.

We first stopped by to see the farm animals then we made our way to the kids area. This was the first time Riley went down such a steep and long slide. I thought he would freak out a bit but he loved it. Just look at his face!

He then wanted to go on this pirate obstacle course. It did look pretty fun.

Jacob said the bridges were swaying quite a bit. Made him a little nervous, lol.

This was the very first ride he's gone on his own. Made me a little nervous. Thank goodness it had a seat belt or else I wouldn't have let him get on. Knowing Riley he would have stood up.

These hot dog on a stick strawberry lemonades came in handy on such a muggy day. They were so refreshing. We love them.

Nathan won Riley a green monkey ... and baby brother couldn't have been happier.

Riley was having so much fun playing games along side brother. I guess that made him feel a bit grown up.

Couldn't leave the fair without getting on the carousel.

Aah, Nathan should have made that in. Dang!

In our opinion and from past experiences we don't like to really eat meals at fairs. Usually the food isn't good. The burgers aren't seasoned, the ribs are tough and food just lacks flavor. However, we do buy a few snacks. This time Sydna and Nathan shared a fried twinkie and fried oreos. To me, that didn't sound appealing. We got Riley pizza because that's about the only thing he'll eat at the fair.

We've been to fairs in four different states and we can honestly say that the only fair where they sell awesome delicious jumbo corndogs is at the Fort Worth Fair & Stockshow. Those were so good.

After being at the fair for a few hours and once we were hungry enough we left and headed to a greek food joint in a not so nice part of San Diego. Ordered the food to go and ate it at a park in a nice area. Usually, those hole in the wall restaurants is where you will find the yummiest foods.
We've been enjoying Canada Steak Burger Greek food since I met Jacob almost 18 years ago. And whenever we order I always get the same thing. Chicken kabobs with rice and salad. Their salad is truly a-mazing! I love it!!! I love everything about this meal. {I hadn't added the dressing yet}

We headed home after eating. I wanted to freshen up before heading back out to the beach because I was super sticky from being out at the fair, yuck.
I'm more of a casual beach goer. I don't like splashing around in the ocean. I just like to take in the view and smell that wonderful salty sea air. My sister and parents came along too.

Picture taken by my sister

It was nice to see my dad building sandcastles with Riley. Reminded me of when Nathan was Riley's age. My dad was very close to my kids then, before we moved to Texas back in 2003. So thankful that God has allowed for both my parents to still be here and to get to do life together even if its only for a few days.

This was the same beach {Coronado} that Sydna got stung by a stingray a few years ago.

We met up with my friend at the beach. These are her two daughters. Glad Riley wasn't shy around them. I've known these two girls since they were born. Kinda neat.

Sydna and my sister walked along the shore and found quite a few sand dollars of all sizes. I don't think I've ever seen sand dollars so tiny.

San Diego beaches are usually cold ... makes your feet numb as soon as they touch the water but this time the water wasn't cold. That was surprising to us.

I thought it would be neat to capture me and my dad's shadow together ... in Coronado. This place has been a huge part of all of our lives.

We were only at the beach for about an hour and a half. I actually got cold and I was wearing pants and a cardigan. This little guy got his shorts wet so I had to rinse him off at one of the showers and changed his clothes. I came prepared.

I wanted to walk a little on the streets of Coronado. This place is so pretty! We ended up in Starbucks. There were people everywhere. This "island" was packed with tourists that were here for the 4th ... just like us.

Oh, and my dear friend brought Me these cute little bundt cakes. I did share with the rest of the family but I kept the lemon one all to myself. It was good!

We did a lot of walking. I didn't bring Riley's stroller so Jacob had to carry the little guy whenever he would say he was tired. Poor thing. He was just too tired from all the walking we did earlier that day at the fair and now there in Coronado. It was a long fun day.