Mom & Coco Come to Visit

There's something wonderful about having familiar faces around. Mom came to visit for five days just recently, and brought along their French foreign exchange student, Coco. as a big Grey's Anatomy fan back in France, seeing the Space Needle (and Seattle in general) was on his bucket list.

We had a great time catching up with Mom, and getting to know Coco. My only complaints are that it went too fast, and they brought the sunshine home with them (although it has been back today and is supposed to be tomorrow).  We seriously could not have had better weather while they were here. We packed lots in to a short amount of time:

• Ruby Beach
• Rialto Beach
• Pike Place Market
• Kerry Park
• Space Needle
• Mukilteo Lighthouse Park
• Explored Snohomish
• Watched "The One Where Joey Learns French" friends episode (even funnier than normal to watch with someone from France) and Better off Dead
• Watched the oh-so-painful Vikings vs Packers game
• Tried some macarons from the French bakery near Pike Place (Thanks, Coco! They were delicious)!

Now we start counting down the days until our trip to Minnesota next month, and Bree & Kyle's trip to Washington in January!

Fall in Washington is Just Beautiful

They Celebrate Their Anniversary

Just over two years ago, Tyler & I high-fived each other as husband and wife.

No, seriously.

From Minnesota to Washington State. Internship to job to promotion to other job changes. Things have changed! We celebrated the occasion (and used it as an excuse) to take advantage of cheap SEA-SFO flights. We had a GREAT time in San Francisco. But first, we had to continue our anniversary tradition (Confession: this was taken a few weeks early. Tyler's brother, Jordan, was in town visiting, so we took advantage of the excuse to be at Kerry Park).

As far as our San Francisco/Northern California trip, we learned that Tyler loves the Golden Gate Bridge, and I can't get enough of the California coast, and America's Cup is a big deal.

Tyler on the Golden Gate Bridge

We were out on Alcatraz for the last race.

(and we still really like whale watching)

Now we're back and into the groove of everyday life - and it's good! We have some family visits to look forward to and a trip back to Minnesota in December. Tyler is losing his mind not being able to watch the Vikings (DirectTV came out, but couldn't find signal because of the giant trees out back), so we've made a couple of trips to Portland to watch with Tyler's parents. Aside from that, we're just patiently waiting to see how the Pacific Northwest winters are (today is 70 and sunny - so it can't be THAT bad, right?)

They Explore the Olympic Peninsula

A week and a half ago, we took a daycation to the Olympic Peninsula. We stayed in Forks (Twilight central), which is the only sign of civilization for miles. Within a half hour, we found some of our favorite beaches to date.

WOn our vacation here two years ago, our beach experience was at Ruby Beach, a place Tyler had been when he was growing up. We decided to head back for a second (for me) adventure The weather wasn't fantastic, but it was still just beautiful. (Side note: as we were heading out the door of our apartment, I laughed and told Tyler I was bringing three jackets. I mean, how was I to know if I would need a rain jacket, fleece or a standard spring jacket? As we were getting out of the car to head to Ruby Beach (in 45ish degree misty weather), I realized that somehow, I had brought zero jackets. I had had my arms full to head to the car when I realized I forgot something. I put the jackets down to go get it, and well, they sat on the dining room chair all weekend. Good job, Kels!)

Ruby Beach

Tyler recreated a picture from when his family was here several years ago. Same frisbee, even!

Luckily, Sunday was absolutely beautiful. We even had some blue skies that allowed us to experience beautiful, turquoise waters (and warmth!)

Second Beach

Second Beach

Rialto Beach

The weekend was a great reminder of why we made the leap to move out here. There is so much we can do and so many things to explore. A quick drive to the ferry, short ferry ride and 100ish miles through the mountains and that's where we end up. That makes me a happy girl:)

Note to future Kelsey & Tyler: When trying to catch a ferry back on a Sunday afternoon/evening, don't expect to get on the ferry you want to. You will likely have to wait, for a very long time.

The Sunset Was Awesome

Photo by Tyler

They Made It!

This is the first post coming to you from the Greater Seattle Area. We made it.

We had tons of family and friends help us load up the truck in Minnesota. It was crazy how quickly everything got done, and how perfectly it all fit.

We had plenty of "Last Suppers" with people who we knew we may not be seeing for quite some time. My family, Tyler's family, and lots of friends.

 After some last minute trips, cleaning and errands, we were off.

I think it's safe to say that if either of us had the option, we could have done without the first day. Our goal was to make it to Miles City, MT; but after 10+ hours and some of the worst road conditions I've experienced (which is saying a lot considering I've lived all my life in Minnesota), we decided that Bismarck, ND was our new goal. As we exited to find a hotel in Bismarck, we noticed a sign that informed us the highway from Bismarck to Montana was closed due to weather.

Not the best day.

I noticed this on the truck tire at a gas station - so cool.

 We officially had no option but to stop, as did every other traveler. The hotels were packed and trying to find a place to park the truck and trailer proved to be a challenge. Once Tyler finally pulled into a spot, he went to inspect the trailer and noticed that the straps holding the car on were lying on the trailer next to the tires. The car was on the trailer, but the only thing keeping it there was the e-brake. As upset as we were, we realized it could have been a lot worse.

Maya even got out to enjoy the fresh Montana air. Yes, I was that person.

The trip from then on was free of disaster (thankfully). The views along the way were amazing.  We were able to spend all day every day on the road thanks to many books on CD and our handy walkie talkies that enabled easy communication with each other (and the occasional Montanian and Washingtonian using the same frequency). Our 10 hour day to ND was followed by a 13-hour day (slept in Butte, MT), a 9-hour day (slept in Ellensburg, WA) and finally a 2-hour drive through the Snoqualmie Pass and to our new home just north of Seattle. We pulled into our apartment parking lot, anxious to see the place we will be living for the next year. Tyler's Aunt, Vickie and friend, Dee, were here waiting and ready to help. They were wonderful and we appreciated their help!

I promise there are more blog posts to come. We have one stack of boxes to get put away, and then pictures of our place will be posted.

We really appreciate the support we have gotten. This has been a big move and a long time coming - it would not have been easy to make this huge leap without all of your support. We love you all:)

The Countdown Is On

In just two short weeks, the truck will be loaded up, one car on the tow dolly and we will be pulling away of our Minnesota apartment for good. We'll head out on our 24+ hour road trip to Seattle, which will be where we call home.

Things are coming together, and the move is coming up quickly! Tyler starts at his new position on March 11th, which will also be the first day I work from my home office. We have our apartment all picked out, and I just spent an hour reviewing the lease. It's all so real!

We are in the final planning stages - when exactly to load up, where we'll stop along the way, and how Tyler will survive driving the 16-ft truck across the country and through the Cascade Mountains (and how I'll survive the drive with a cat...)

This entire move is bittersweet, but we are so excited to see what adventures are waiting for us. My goal is to be more diligent about blogging in order to keep family and friends updated on our life. I know I've said that before - but maybe this time is different? I suppose time will tell:)