Initially I thought I was going to go to class that night, but Ben arrived with my parents around 5:30pm only to find our neighbors SUV parked directly in front of our garage. Ben pulled around to the front, but my car was in the garage and I couldn't get out. Turns out our neighbors had left to go out of town earlier and had someone drive them in their car. When the person returned to park their car, they mistook our back yard for theirs. So we spent some time trying to contact them or other neighbors to see if they had the keys. Mike, our neighbor 3 doors down, luckily has their house key and found the car keys to move the car. On the upside since I couldn't make it to class I "had" to go out to eat with the rents & Ben! We tried to get Mexican, but all of the spots were SUPER busy so we went to the delicious Elliot Bay instead for some fresh brewed beers. Afterwords, we gave a tour of our house. Everyone got settled and caught up, but alas we had to get to bed to prepare for our big trip the next day.Friday afternoon the four of us loaded up my car and headed Northwest! (well technically, south, then west, then north to be exact). After getting stuck in traffic on the way out of town and several hours of driving we arrived at the adorable Kalaloch lodge.
The cabin was so adorable with a full kitchen and wood burning fireplace to boot. Ben and Dad kept the fire burning almost all the way through both nights.
Here was the view from our cabin window.
Saturday was rainy but we made the best of it.
We drove further north through the Olympic National Park, just outside the park entrance my dad found and unearthed a small strawberry plant and held on to and later planted it in our flower bed back in Seattle :) That day we hiked Marymere falls right when the sun decided to shine.
The path is lush and green and has two bridges to cross. Here are some photos from the hike.
We also found a slippery slug on the path - Eww!
Later we drove to some HOT SPRINGS called Sol Duc! They had 3 tubs at different temps. I liked the 146 degree one best. We enjoyed relaxing and people watching while soaking. There was one guy that must have just had cupping performed because he had a bunch of suction cup marks on his back. Looked like hickeys...ha.
We decided to head back to our lodge and stopped half way in Forks for dinner. Remarkably we were sitting in a booth and look over and who do we see ...
...the Triple A's! They too were stopping for dinner at "The In Place". It was great to run into them and share a good meal. We parted ways for one more night, the A's stayed in Forks, we went back to our lodge. 
That night we enjoyed champagne and an intense game of Dutch blitz! 
Sunday was MOTHER'S DAY. We were so lucky to have one of our mothers here to enjoy and spend time with. We got a delicious brunch in the morning at the lodge. The sun was out so we explored the beach and really got to enjoy the water.
At Ruby beach we saw starfish and mussels, we saved rocks, and got sand in our hair - ahh I can hear the waves crashing now.
On the way home we stopped to see the biggest Cedar tree. It was huge!
We made it home around 5pm on Sunday. Soon after we unpacked the Triple A's arrived after their roadtrip across WA. It was wonderful to have a house full of family - much more lively than just the 2 of us :) For dinner we walked to Mission, a quaint Mexican joint up the block where our neighbor works (her sister waited on us).
Monday, Ben had to work (boo hoo) but the rest of us took the opportunity to hit up Pike's place market for Beecher's Mac & Cheese (one of Oprah's favorite things:) and Piroshky's. Amy and I ended up buying the WonderBun, which can quickly tie your hair up into a bun AND curl your hair in the process. Pretty nifty if only I could get to work quite as well as the lady...ah well.
After our meter was up, we headed to Ballard to check out the Ballard Locks. We saw the boats pass through and looked at the Salmon ladder sans Salmon.
For dinner we had collected some fresh fish and vegetables to cook! Amy made blackened salmon and chicken, but even the non fish eaters agreed, this salmon was good! When it's fresh it certainly has a purer flavor. Mmm. Later we played a fierce game of upwards of which Amy was the reigning champ!
Tuesday was GLORIOUS! I may have even gotten a sun burn, whoa! We decided to check out the Tulip Festival in Skagit County. My dad loved this area...it's got lots of open fields and cute small town shops and diners. Really a cute area and lots of outdoor wonderment.
We were able to see a Tulip Garden called RoozenGaarde which had a beautiful garden of tulips to walk through, magical against the backdrop of the surrounding mountains.
We also stopped at a local diner for some greasy food and smiles from the locals.I had to go to class that night, but the rest of the fam joined up with Ben for some fun down at Alki beach, which is just minutes from our house.
It really gets poppin on a sunny day. They enjoyed pizza and people watching while looking out over the vast tub of water.
Soaking up the sun!Wednesday was Mom's birthday, and both of us girls got to enjoy it with her! It was the best. Mom and I started out with a morning of shopping to find a dress for my event the next day, and of course, with her help I was successful! We met up with Amy for a quick lunch, then off to our facial appointments! We were really taken care of as we each got an hour long facial as well as mani or pedis or both in my case. It was a relaxing day and perfect for a rainy day. For dinner we met the boys at the bomb-est restaurant in W. Seattle called The Cactus....we had a Mexican fiesta.
Later at home we had birthday cake and three cheers for Judy's birthday - hip hip hooray!
Thursday was the Red Winged Leadership Award ceremony.
An event put on by my leadership class over the course of 9 months. We went through a lot of work to identify and recognize unsung leaders in the Seattle area. The event was extremely successful and I was so grateful to have some of my greatest supporters in the crowd!
Chris Fontana of Global Visionaries won the award and gave a powerful speech.
For some video footage and info on the nominees fee free to check out our GLFC website.
Friday (already!?) we decided that we were going to wake up and go directly to Top Pot doughnuts. What a better way to start the day than with an Ovaltine latte and a big chocolate doughnut!?
We all enjoyed the treats and Lexi mostly enjoyed looking at all the books that lined the walls. 
Since we were downtown already, the girls split off and headed over to H&M - a store Amy has been dying to get to! We found a couple things, but nothing like the jackpot we got at The Loft! 
Those clothes were meant for us :) I even had a coupon for each of us to use, it was meant to be. In the afternoon, Amy, Aaron, and I went down to the beach for a quick rollarblade during Lexi's nap. It was just as fun as I remember! So smooth and fast, breezing by all those runners :)
A delicious afternoon. That night we went out for pizza. We tried to go to Northgate for their super size 'zzas, but found out upon arrival that it was a tavern and we could not bring Lexi in. Bummer. But in it's place we found a great new spot called Romios on Eastlake. The pizza was incredible - Lexi ate 2 whole pieces!
Saturday was the huge West Seattle garage sale! With nearly 500 different garage sales in the area, we were sure to find some furniture and accessories for our new house. Just walking around our direct neighborhood we found several kitchen items, shelves, and metal wall decorations, but the jackpot did not come until the end.
Just down the alley from us a woman was selling a well maintained couch that was just the right color and size for us. Even more fortunate was that we had 3 dudes that could carry it a couple blocks right into our house! 
It really ties the room together. 
We actually spend time in our great room now since there is somewhere to sit. We were also on a big hunt for some reasonably priced bikes, but alas there seems to be no such thing. Yet, Ben and I were pleased with the couch purchase.That night was the 3 A's last night in town:( Aaron made us a fabulous cajun chicken dish for dinner.
We gobbled it up with minimal leftovers. For dessert we went to Cupcake Royal! We all tried six different kinds of cupcakes. 
Our favorites? 
Pistachio Lemon & The Classic.Sunday morning was somber and rainy because it was time to say goodbye to the Schauers. Lexi gave out many big bear hugs as we parted ways.
Now it was back to 4. We went to church at Seattle U and brunch at 13 Coins. My parents loved the high back booths and the food at the 13 coins diner. Then my parents took us to Sam's Club to load up on TP, frozen food, and yogurt! Sure is fun to find stuff there...not so much to pay the bill ;) It's easy to get carried away...especially for me. That night we decided to have dinner on the beach one last time before my parents left. We took them to our FAVORITE Thai joint on Alki - Siam Pura. The curry there is just like in Thailand, so yummy. The rents liked it too, even the spicy factor. So with drippy noses, we soaked in the view and the last full day with them.
Monday was hard, Ben and I back to work, and a trip to the airport to drop off the parents. We miss everyone so much already and cannot wait until the next trip...
Especially if you all keep doing projects on our house! While the troops were here, the boys stained our front deck with two coats to protect the wood from all the rain we get. Check out the before ....
...and after, it looks great!
Thanks guys! You're welcome back any time :)
