Matt and I went to visit my Ma and Pa last week. While we were visiting, we made a pit stop to visit the LDS temple that we were married in. Although it is small and not the most visited temple of our church, it surely is my favorite.
Mom and Dad own several kayaks and we spend hours on the lake each time we visit. We met some friends and their kids by the water to play on the beach.
After a few days my parents took us on a road trip from their home to western Washington. We drove through all of the state stopping in towns like Twisp and Anacortes. We drove all the way to the coast and then drove our car onto a ferry that took us into the Ocean. There we set our course for the San Juan Islands.
Dad and Matt taking a look at a waterfall we stopped by outside of Twisp, WA.
We hiked into a few places on our way to the San Juan Islands. Ross Lake was one of the pit stops we made. The closer we got to the ocean on our trip, the colder the air was. But the scenery became more incredible the farther we drove.
I love this photo of Mom and Dad below.
Can you see the little kayaks down there? Thank you zoom lens.
Below: Matt and I waiting on a ferry boat to get to one of the Islands. We saw dolphins and killer whales. Such a fun ride.
How amazing is it that people live on these islands all year round. If they want to get to a Target, Walmart, or a major hospital, they have to get on a ferry to the mainland. We loved how quiet and peaceful it was out there.
We went camping for a few nights on the main San Juan Island near a town called Friday Harbor. It was a little chilly, but Matt was a master fire maker. He had one burning in less than a minute whenever it got too cold.
Below is a picture of Mama setting up camp. Next photo down is Dad making a healthy breakfast consisting only of bacon. Mom looks on with her smile of approval.
Below: Mom and I waiting in a restaurant on Orcas island. That was my favorite island in the area. They had a ton of eclectic shops and all the homemade ice-cream you could eat.
Mr. Rainier is in the photo below. Luckily the weather was clear enough for us to see it from most of the islands we visited.
gOrGeOuS!!!!!!!!!
Below is one of the ferry boats we took each day as we traveled from island to island. It was interesting to drive your car onto it. After you parked your car, you could go upstairs into the passenger area and buy hot chocolate and some food in the cafeteria. Families who live on the islands bring puzzles with them to put together while they wait to get to the next stop.
After a few days of camping, we made it back to Anacortes and drove down to Seattle, WA. While there we visited the world famous Pike Street public market. I've been there many times. As a teenager my parents would take us to Seattle every year. The youth in my church would take trips each spring for the Youth Temple night. That was the closest LDS temple to our home when I was a kid.
Ha Ha. Look at my nerdy parents pointing to the Seattle Space Needle. I told them to do that because my Grandpa points at things every single time you take a picture of him. It's funny.
THE BELOVED SAFECO FIELD!! That is where the Mariners play baseball. Matt and I were bummed that we didn't have enough time to catch a game.
Beautiful beautiful Seattle temple.
The temple grounds were so amazing. There were cedar trees everywhere. I love this photo of Matt with those gorgeous trees in the background.
When we got back from our road trip, we spent several days just hanging out at my family's place. It was nice to be lazy with friends and family every day. I love long vacations.
Matt was awesome and mowed my parent's yard while we were there. My parents don't use a conventional lawn mower. They have a push mower with no motor. It is over 60 years old. Pushing that thing burns more calories then running 8 miles. It's pretty difficult. I think that's why Dad keeps it. Cardio.
***TEA-GAN***!!!!! I call her T for short. This little lady flew in from Glacier National Park to visit us. She is one of my BFFs. T is a geologist and travels between Montana and Canada each year. We met while at college and have been buddies ever since. She is pretty darn amazing and has the best sense of humor you'll ever find.
Hanging out in the back yard with T! Love that swinging patio chair.
My handsome hubby.
I told Dad he needed to pose for this photo because it was for posterity. The closeup pic of the open hive with all the bees was a little difficult to take. The bees did not like me that close with my camera. Dad told me I was going to get stung if I didn't hustle out of the way.
More lake time.
This was a wall in Seattle completely covered in chewed up gum. I don't know how it all started but there were thousands and thousands of chewed up gum wads on this poor wall. It was so gross. People are weird.
Mi Familia at the Temple
