Seattle

This has been the summer of weddings for sure!  All of my favorite people decided 2012 was the time to get married!  I met my friend Nancy while at Occidental college and shared a house with her our senior year.  We became very close and I didn't want to miss her wedding.  I missed the last Oxy wedding because I just had Hayden, so it had been several years since I saw most of my friends.  To make my trip even better, my dear friend Sarah Eastman was staying with her parents for 2 months while her husband completed SOS training for the Air Force in Alabama (randomly enough, I got to see her husband Seth on Monday before I left for Seattle).  It's been over 2 years since we saw the Eastmans, way to long since they were some of our best friends while in the military.  So I got to stay with Sarah and her family during my week in Seattle.

Here is Sarah and I shopping around Kirkland.  It is right next to the water and so pretty.  Sarah is such a fun person to shop with.  Like I said, it's been over 2 years since we have been together and it was so much fun!  Don't you love those friends where you just seem to pick right up where you left off?  That's Sarah and I for sure.

After shopping Sarah took me to one of her favorite restaurants near her home in Woodinville:  Barking Frog.  It did not disappoint, it was delicious!

That night Sarah drove me closer to the city to stay with my friend Kate Baker.  We played water polo together at Occidental and we've always had a special bond.  Her husband is completing his residency for Radiology in Seattle and I was so excited to visit with her and her 2 girls.  Kate lives in an area of Seattle called Magnolia which is a great place to raise a family in the city.  I kept her up way too late Thursday night talking and then spend Friday with her until about 3pm.  I got to play with her daughters, go walking at Green Lake, go to preschool orientation and a play date at the park, followed by frozen yogurt.  It was so much fun talking to Kate and I talked her ear off the entire time we were together!

Kate and her two cute girls.  Piper is almost 3 and is so smart!  She talks so well and the baby is Tatum, she has the cutest fat rolls I have ever seen!

Around 3pm on Friday my Oxy friend Kimberly Hughey and her husband Matt came and picked me up at Kate's house, visited for a bit and then headed to the ferries.  Nancy got married on Bainbridge Island because her family has had a house there for years and years and it has held a special place in her heart.  She actually took me there when we were still in school and I'm so glad I got to see it because unfortunately it caught on fire and nothing was saved.  It was so tragic.  Nancy and her fiance had a bonfire the night before the wedding on Bainbridge.  Here is Kimberly and I:

Kimberly and Matt

 The next day I woke up and went for a run, which felt great!  It felt like I could have ran forever.  We then went exploring through the island and hung out until we picked up some more Oxy friends from the ferry. Kimberly and I hanging out at the beach.

After we picked up our friends Amanda and her husband Geoff we grabbed some lunch and had a mini celebration for Kimberly and Matt as they eloped this past year! We then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

Her venue was right along the Puget Sound and beautiful, a bit cold, but beautiful!  Geoff, Amanda, Kimberly and Matt

3 Oxy girls:  Amanda, Kimberly and Kristine

Nancy and Matt getting married

"We did it"

Their dinner and dancing were in a great big white tent.  I was a little worried I'd be dancing alone all night, but my friends husbands weren't so keen on dancing, so that worked out perfect for me!

And who doesn't love a photo booth!  These two girls were kind enough to take pictures with me since I was solo for the wedding.  

The next morning there was a breakfast at the little club house by Nancy's old home.  It was so good to spend some quality time with her and meet her husband!  I love my Oxy friends!

Shortly after we took the ferry back to Seattle and went to Pikes Place and got lunch at The Pike Brewing Company.  I ate sooo much seafood the entire week, it was awesome!

Getting lunch at the Pike Brewing Company

After looking around a bit we dropped Amanda and Geoff off at their hotel and Kimberly and Matt took me back to Woodinville to spend the rest of my time with Sarah Eastman. Here I am with her newest little boy Emmett, it was so fun to hold a new little baby:

The next day Sarah and I took Landon and Emmett to the outlets about 30 minutes from her house.  On the way there I saw the corporate offices of Philips where Paul could potentially work someday!  We had way too much fun and found lots of cute stuff.  Here is Sarah trying to enjoy her lunch with sleeping Emmett strapped to her chest!

It was actually Landon's 3rd birthday this day, so we tried to make it a little more fun for him too!

That night was Landon's party.  It was Captain America themed and he was so excited.  P.S. Those cupcakes were AMAZING!

It was fun to meet some of Sarah's high school and college friends.  I have heard lots of stories, but this was my first time meeting them!

I feel so very fortunate to have been able to see so many close friends during this trip to Seattle. I missed Paul and Hayden so much and wished they could have come with me.  But it was so fun to reconnect with these wonderful people.  To me my relationships are what is most important in life and it was great to pick right up where I left off with all of my dear friends!