Seattle

Last year Bob qualified for the Southwest Companion Pass.  We have already put it to great use with all of our Summer travel, but we have been anxiously awaiting the moment when I could sneak away on one of his business trips.  Spontaneous, random, weekday travel.  Well......my Mom and Dad moved to our state and we decided to start making use of their services :)

I have never  been to the Northwest and in the past 3 months I have seen both Oregon and Washington.  I LOVE travelling.  It is amazing to see the country and the people who inhabit it. Travelling lets you meet other people in other walks of life.  It helps you understand each other better. I love expanding my worldview  and Seattle was amazing!

We flew into Sea Tac and made a mad dash to a rental car for the 3 hour ride to the plains town of Ephrata.  Flying into the woodsy, water filled, dense area of Seattle and then ending the day in literal open farmland was mesmerizing....how in the world is this all in the same state.  So much fun.

Bob worked and I enjoyed the local (AMAZING) coffee shop and spent some time at Hogwarts.  We then explored the local trails for an evening 5 mile run followed by a sunset dinner on the water.   It was nice to be together.

We slept in the next morning, and then hopped in the car to make our way back to Seattle.  I was determined to do 2 things while I was there.  The Space Needle and the Pikes Place Market.  We stopped at Starbucks and then headed to the amazing cultural center of Seattle for a tour of the Space Needle.

It was SO worth the tickets and the time.  The story of the Needle is incredible and sometimes you just have to stop and realize the amazing things we humans can do.  Bob and I spent a good 30 minutes at the top exploring the city and watching the float planes land on the nearby water.  Such a different city than our Phoenix.

I found myself a little running path while Bob was at his afternoon meeting.  It was so nice to run in the afternoon and have it not be hot.  Running and exploring are my two favorites.

The highlight of the trip for me was getting to see our good friends Anna and Caleb Fields.  These are some of our dearest, kindred friends and we have not been together all 4 of us in over 6 years.  Our friendship has a truly special story and they will always be special souls.  It was like no time has passed and our friendship was every bit as special and beautiful as it was when we were close.  How grateful I am for our 2 hours together. 

Our last day was by far my favorite because we got to wake up, run, and head down to the Public Market!  IT WAS INCREDIBLE and everything I had hoped it would be.  

The Market was a photographer's dream come true.  The colors and textures were bursting out from everywhere.  There was so much to look at and so much to take in.  How I wished we could have purchased a big fresh salmon and a plate full of fresh veggies.  It was spectacular!

The center is alive at nearly every corner and is full of eclectic shops and niche places.  I loved it and found myself wishing I could stay there all day.

PLUS........we found the Starbucks Mothership.  It all started here. I have always wanted to have a picture by its door and now I do!

Shhhhhhh, don't tell Starbucks, but we hit up the local artisan coffee shop and watched them turn our orders into drinkable works of art.  Bob and I had a fabulous time and I cannot wait for the next business trip :)