Family Vacation

We had a great family vacation. We left last Saturday, stopping in Lake Louise for a picnic lunch. Our stop there was longer than planned but we just love how beautiful it is. We then drove on to Kelowna where we stayed with Mark and Dawn (co-workers of Terry's) at their cabin. Sunday we drove to Chilliwack, stopping at Bridal Veil Falls and stayed with our friends Pam and Patrick and their three boys (Quinn, Colby, and Riley). Quinn is a week older than Jaret, Colby two years younger, and Riley is a month younger than Kirra. It was nice to see how well Jaret, Quinn, and Colby got along. After getting there, Terry and Patrick went out golfing while Pam and I caught up on some much needed visiting. Monday we spent the day at Cultus Lake. The boys loved playing in the water and the playground nearby. Pam and Patrick live in a beautiful area of Chilliwack and so after supper that night, we took a nice walk around their neighbourhood. I have never seen an area like it. It is an old barracks area where all the homes have been refurbished and new ones built. All the houses are similar but have very unique colour and features that set them apart.
Tuesday morning we drove to the US through the Sumas border. As we were waiting at the border crossing, I got the passports ready, and although I thought I had checked them before leaving...you guessed it, my passport had expired four days before. I was devestated and quite teary right away thinking that our family vacation and all our plans were ruined. However, after a silent prayer and a compassionate border guard, we were on our way to Seattle. Promising that I would renew my passport upon returning home; it is on my list of things to do! So glad I can laugh about it now. I have no idea where my head was. We took it easy our first day in Seattle - checked into our hotel, ate supper down at the wharf, and then hit the pool in our hotel (it was on the top floor overlooking downtown).
Wednesday afternoon we got club seats to watch the Mariner's play the Angels. The Mariner's won the game 3-0. Our seats were awesome, the stadium food (although expensive) was delcious but Terry and Jaret spent much of the game in the kids play zone while Kirra spent most of her first game sleeping. One disappointment was that Jaret didn't get a chance to meet the Mariner's Moose and he wanted to give him a hug and high five. Oh well, next time.
Thursday we spent the morning checking out some of the downtown shopping, wandering through Pike's Place Market with a Starbuck's in hand, and then taking a Harbour Cruise. Jaret loved the boat ride. Afterwards the boat ride, we had a quick lunch and then went to check out the Seattle Space Needle (or Space Beetle as Jaret first referred to it). We made our way back to the hotel after supper so that Terry could get ready to go to the Seahawks game. It was an exhibition game against the Oakland Raiders. He was impressed by the extremes that they go to in the NFL for just an exhibition game. It was quite the spectacle - almost comparable to the Grey Cup. They had bands perform before the game and at half-time and even had some guys parachute into the stadium. He really enjoyed his evening at the game and was glad to see his team win.
Friday we packed up and headed to Bellvue for some shopping (wanted to shop Pottery Barn Kids) and then stopped at the Seattle Premium Outlets. We didn't get in as much shopping as we would have liked, but find it somewhat difficult to do with two tired kids. That night we only got as far as Abbotsford so the drive home on Saturday was a long one. Thankfully the roads weren't that busy. However, as well as both Jaret and Kirra travelled, they had enough by this point. I ended up riding in the backseat for awhile because it was easier then constantly turning around to pop Kirra's soother in. It was not the most comfortable but it was only for a short time. Jaret enjoyed having me back there and said that he thought I should sit back there with them more often. Oh to be loved!
It was a great holiday but busy. Terry promises me our next holiday will be a quiet, relaxing beach holiday of sorts...I will have to hold him to that!