The Washington Experience: The Sommer Version

I'm sure you all know by now (those who are on Facebook with me) that the main purpose for going up to Washington state was for Byron to fulfill a life long dream of climbing Mt. Rainier, in the footsteps of his father. But I had my own purpose: VACATION BABY!!!!!!! So this is my version of the trip, or the Seattle related activities that may or may not have involved my amazing mountain climbing husband. Byron will be contributing to the next post, all about his climb up Mt. Rainier.

Wyatt had three main goals for Seattle: picking and eating Uncle Bill's raspberries,

















playing with Hailey the dog,

and seeing Esther's baby. Goal number three is going to have to be postponed. Before our trip, Wyatt just couldn't seem to understand that the baby has not been born yet and it still in Esther's tummy. As soon as he saw her cute little tummy, he figured that out. My goal for the trip was to not gain all the weight back I just spent 6 months trying to take off, but to still enjoy the flavors of Seattle, which boy, oh boy, did I. I believe my diet was over the moment we hit the tarmat, because we didn't even make it to Adam's house before a stop at Top Spot doughnuts.
It was all I could do not to stuff the entire bavarian cream doughnut into my pie hole. I made Byron eat half of it. I've noticed its kind of hard to be on a low carb diet when you are eating with 3 to 4 tall, skinny men preparing to climb an enormous mountain. So the pasta was bountiful.









Wyatt and I made it a point to eat seafood at almost every meal possible.













Then, there was Trophy Cupcakes.
Listen...can you hear the choir of angels singing just at the mere thought of this wonderful place? Esther and I practically planned a day around going to this bakery. It was delightful! We couldn't decide on what to get, so we ended up buying 4 and sharing all of them! It was lovely! To counteract all this food, I unknowingly entered the Esther Christoffersen Power Walking Boot Camp. She kept me in line with my workouts! Who can pass up a walk through a green country club with views of Mt. Rainier and Lake Washington? So we start out the walk so peaceful and serene, and then...we reach THE HILL. The dreaded hill that rivals any San Fransisco hill, I'm sure. And I'm pushing up a 37 pound 4 year old in a cheap Kmart stroller! Oye! But I did it...several times. And I still jogged in the mornings too! I lost a pound and a half! Cha-Ching! It was awesome!

Though I didn't buy a ton, this trip involved a lot of shopping. Scrapbook stores, looking for souvenirs, and oh, did I mention 4 HOURS AT REI? I can't complain, I wanted to go.
This was the Mega REI, and I was interested in seeing it, but good heavens, 4 hours? Thank heavens for the play area! We were there so long that Wyatt went though at least 3 groups of "friends." The men were very fortunate enough to have Adam, Byron's cousin, walk them through each department of the store and show them exactly what they were going to need for that climb. I don't know of any other guide that would put the time and effort in like Adam did. He sent detailed lists of supplies the guys should get before they came. He sent practically a "How to Climb Mt. Rainier" manual that he wrote based on everything he knew. Before heading to REI, Adam spent at least 2 hours checking every one's supplies, so he'd know exactly what they still needed to buy. After all that, Adam still had to pack for himself. While the men all went to bed around 11:30 pm, Adam was still packing until at least 1 AM. What an amazing guy, and we are so lucky to have him as a cousin and a friend.

Our days spent with Esther were relaxing and good for our bodies and our spirits, just the way we all needed them to be! Good exercise, window shopping, sunning ourselves on the banks of Lake Washington,


leisurely naps in the afternoon, crafts with Wyatt,
and simple delicious meals on the patio. Esther was leaving town for work on Sunday and we were so sad to see her go, but so happy that we got to spend some time with her.

Sunday was a fun, quick paced, and very long day. I hadn't slept well that night before at all, because I knew Byron would be climbing all night long (more on that in Byron's post) and I kept waking up thinking about him and hoping he was ok. The last time that happened was when Byron was putting an all nighter at the Extreme Makeover build. When I realized this, I then said to myself, "Why is it the last 2 times I have a sleepless night worrying about Byron, Brent Wright is involved?" In case you didn't know, Byron's friend Brent was his partner in crime on this adventure and I do officially blame him for having me worry about my husband. Just joking! Kind of. More on Sunday...so Aunt Kathy picked Wyatt and I up bright and early to go to the Pacific Science Center. What a great place! Our little museums try, but I would love to have a place like that here in Vegas. I would buy a pass and Wyatt and I could spend hours in a different section every week! You name it, they've got it...dinosaurs, and planetarium show, butterflies (which I seemed to be a magnet for, 2 landed on me), mole rats (huh?), a tide pool, and so much more.




It was great, but boy did it tire me out, and Wyatt was very close to a breakdown. Time to exit, stat...after Aunt Kathy tries the high wire exhibit. I'll let that video speak for itself.


The afternoon consisted of hamburgers, chocolate shakes and a movie on the couch, and waiting, waiting, waiting for Byron to come home. Finally, there he was. He and the rest of the boys looked so very very tired. I had never seen them so haggard. But they had made it to the summit, and all got down safe! That's all I cared about.

We took the last 2 days easy, for Byron's sake, but still got some sightseeing in, and one more visit to Uncle Bill, to feast on some more raspberries, and give him a scoop of Baskin Robbins Strawberry ice cream as payment. Thinking that Adam would be dog tired after taking the men on that climb for the weekend, and then turning around and going to work at 8:30 Monday morning, he surprised us by wanting some Thai food and showing us some of Grandpa Chris's old stomping grounds at the University of Washington.













Our last day was taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of the Public Market Center, where Pike's Fish Market and the flying fish call home. With a stop at a map store to buy a map of Mt. Rainier, and a seafood lunch at Athenian Seafood (I had no idea of the "Sleepless in Seattle" connection) we headed back to Adam and Esther's to catch out flight home.


















We flew incredibly close to Mt. Rainier and had the perfect view for Byron to show us the "route" he took and share some more experiences. We said goodbye to all its splendor with a promise for Byron to come back and try it again, just because he can.