The Northwest

I've been to the the South, the Caribbean, Mexico, the Midwest, the isles of the sea, the North & of course I live in the Southwest. {And I do have a longing to go to New England someday as well as... the entire rest of the world...} But I've never been to the Northwest. I've always been curious about trees, vegetation, great bodies of water, rain & all the other forces & designs of nature I don't get enough of in the desert.

So we went. And where exactly did we go?...

We spent 3 days in Seattle, Washington & 3 days in the pristine town of Victoria, British Columbia.
{Good job to some of you world travelers for your correct guesses.}

Husband & I had a glorious time walking, reading, chatting, cuddling, eating ice cream, riding scooters & being with each other doing whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. Heaven. Reconnecting is a must. Life in all of it's fantastic, routine mundaneness can be great, but there's something about spontaneity & adventure that breaths new life & romance back into a relationship. Not saying our relationship needed CPR, but these sorts of trips fortify our connection & reminds us how much we really do like each other.

I love Husband deeply. I love the big things he does for me as well as the small. Thank you love for whisking me away to a different land & making me feel like a lady. Thank you for looking at me like I'm beautiful & laughing at my jokes. Thanks for a dynamite excursion. I love you more everyday. But I love you the best in Victoria... & possibly the Caribbean.

And a BIG, gigantic THANK you to all of the wonderful friends & family for loving on our kids while we were gone. There's no better people in all the world. :)

Here's a collage of our travels for your viewing entertainment:

{Forgive the just woke up hair & lack of makeup.}
The main reason for visiting Seattle is our dear friends David & Dianna from Grad school. They recently had a new addition to their family, Alex, so we were thrilled to spend time with them as they embark on parenthood. They were the ideal hosts & forever will be our amiogs.
{We love you! Thank you so much. :)}

They had 3-yes-3 Rainier cherry trees on their property. Yum, yum, yum!

Next we were on to Gas Works Park.
{10 Things I Hate About You was partially shot here.}

Us with the view of Seattle's skyline. 65 degrees. Glorious.

Ballard Locks, where the ships pass through.

To our chagrin, we were just in time for the Gay Pride Parade in downtown Seattle.

David & Dianna took us to Ivar's Fish Bar for a local favorite. Fish & Chips of course.

Me literally on Pike Place.

Ready to head into the famous Pike's Market. We bought excellent produce for some fantastic homemade salsa for dinner.

Aw...

We also stopped by to see the Seattle Temple.

Husband's blasphemous rendition of the fig leaf he'd need. Please.

All of these pictures at the temple are a bit fuzzy. Celestial I suppose you could say.
Husband took this artsy pic of the angel Moroni. Quite lovely.

A quick shout out to the Space Needle. Gotta have one of those.

We met Husband's Aunt Sandy for a LOVELY meal at Roy's Boathouse. I was bummed I couldn't change from my sightseeing getup & get all dolled up. But surprisingly everyone is pretty casual in Seattle. It's located right on the water of the Puget Sound. It has won numerous awards for their menu & it did not disappoint. We ordered their fish sampler with salmon, stablefish & Alaskan halibut. Thanks Aunt Sandy!

And then we took the Clipper across the Puget Sound & the Pacific to Victoria, British Columbia.
Here is Parliament.

We stayed right in the harbor. It was a beaut.

The legendary Empress Hotel

We also went to The Butchart Gardens; the most exquisite place ever. Breathtaking. So much so when we walked in we looked at each other & started laughing. Out... of... control. I told Husband it was perfect, like the Garden of Eden. He said if that were the case I'd be naked.
Ha ha...
And if that were the case we'd still be in Canada incarcerated.

The Sunken Garden

Dashing.

Are you freaking kidding me? Imagine this surrounding you. 360 fetching beautiful degrees.

We rented a scooter & drove up the coast for a beautiful day. On our way we saw...

Craigdarroach Castle. Straight out of Pride & Prejudice, I swear.
And this is the backyard.

So these are hydrangeas? We can only have artificial ones in AZ. :(

The house I'd love to live in.

Gonzales Bay

Downtown Victoria.

The final view from our balcony. Adieu Canada.