Episode 64: In Which Jessica FINALLY Posts about Vacation Part 2

Sorry I left off in a weird spot. I actually wrote this whole entry and then decided it was better in two pieces so it wasn't TOO long. Sorry to say but Part I was almost exactly halfway through the entry...so this won't be much shorter.

If you didn't read the last entry here is what you missed:

• Aladdin
• Fresh Fruit
• Beautiful Walks
• Jessica's introduction to vacation
• Boba Tea
• Ramen Bowls
• Other stuff

Tuesday we went to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. There were wildflowers everywhere and I DID get some good pictures there. We went on a small hike to the top of the mountain where you could see all the way to Canada. It was really pretty and there were deer walking about everywhere too. It was a long drive though and so most of us slept on the way back.

We stopped at a burger place called "Fat Smitty's" on the way home. We stopped for shakes but because I had never been there, Andrew insisted that we split a burger. It was HUGE...there was no way I could get my mouth around it even if I squished it down as hard as I could. In the end I ended up eating everything as a separate item and discarding most of the bread cuz I was full =P

Wednesday we went down to the bay where the ferry comes in and rented kayaks. Andrew and his brother got single kayaks and his sister and I shared a tandem kayak. We enjoyed an hour of (yet again) sunshine on the water as we paddled around. We could have gone out into the open ocean but the wind would have been much stronger and Andrew was already getting blisters so we stuck to the bay. We played marco polo which is actually quite difficult in a kayak.

His sister went to get her haircut after kayaking and we ate lunch at home. We picked his sister up from the salon and her hair was SO cute! We drove up to Poulsbo to go to Central Market. It's a huge store with tons of varieties when it comes to fruits and veggies...and really any other kind of food. If its a food, you'll most likely find it there. They have tons of different ready made soups, salads, and sandwiches that all looked so delicious too. (has it become apparent that the quality of my vacation is determined by the food?)

We bought a couple things we needed so Andrew could make mojitos for everyone and then went home. Oh and I tried a sample of corn pudding. WHY is that stuff so delicious? Now I'm craving it again.

The missionaries came over for dinner and we made mojitos for the missionaries (hee hee) too. It was mutual night so everyone was gone and Andrew's dad wasn't home yet so it was basically just Andrew and I with the missionaries. Mission story swap time. =P Why is it STILL so fun to compare how missionary work is done in the states vs Japan?

Thursday we got up early and drove through the fog to a place called Port Townsend. We embarked from there on a great whale watching adventure.

Fact: If there is anything guaranteed to make you seasick, its sitting on a little boat as it zips through the open ocean. =P

I wasn't too bad until I decided to venture out of the cabin into the fresh air. After my lungs tasted fresh air, they would have none of the stuffy cabin air and I got sick. Not TOO sick though...I didn't even have to resort to ginger pills. A mug of peppermint tea helped, I didn't drink it...just stuck my face over it and smelled it. I'm not a tea fan really.

The whale watching excursion was tons of fun and we did in fact see several whales. This is where my vacation hits its lowest point. I was so concerned with getting pictures of the whales that I didn't really SEE the whales. If I could do it over again, I'd leave the camera in the cabin and actually whale watch.

But there they were, a pod of Orcas out looking for breakfast...or was it lunch? Anyhow, it was REALLY fun to see them in the wild.

We stopped for lunch in Friday Harbor which was a quaint little seaside town with all that little town charm. I was hungry so I didn't take very many pictures of that either but I did get a few and they're quite nice if you ask me.

We got back on the boat to go back to Port Townsend and I saw a porpoise and a puffin, and we saw lots and lots of seals and sea lions.

Friday was our last day before going home and we spent it at the Pacific Science center, near the Space Needle. (I've been to Seattle 3 times now and never actually been to the Space Needle...this would be my third time never being to it...but who really cares? =P) The Science Center was fun and Andrew and I finally got some time to ourselves. We hadn't really been trying all week so saying "finally" seems a little odd, but we got to spend time alone all the same.

Next time I go on a family vacation I'll remember that date night is still important and make sure that Andrew and I take time alone regularly.

We went into the butterfly house and as soon as we walked in a butterfly landed on Andrew's forehead and refused to leave for at least 10 minutes. It was hilarious...he was suddenly the most popular person in the room and everyone wanted a picture of him. =P

After we were done at the science center we stopped in the international district again to see if there was rice cake and there was! Oh how I love rice cake! Andrew took the opportunity to go buy more manga because he had since finished the two he bought on Monday.

We made the drive out to Bellevue (just outside Seattle) to see Andrew's dad at work and so we could all go to dinner together. Andrew and I got to go in and because its Microsoft, we had to show our IDs and get special "escort required" badges. I felt cool. After that we went over to the company store and Andrew's dad showed us a little bit of where he works.

Andrew said that this was one of the highlights of the trip. While I think he thought it was cool...I think he was swayed at least a little by the discounted XBox 360s. =P Just kidding, he really enjoyed seeing where his dad worked.

One of the best things I saw in the company store was a onesie that said "I'm still in beta". Andrew's mom assured me that despite his dad's insistence that we not have kids (cuz that would make him old) we can count on cute baby things from the microsoft store, among other things I'm sure =P

We went to dinner at an Italian place that I would tell you the name of, if I could recall. It was delicious though. We got several different items to share including chicken picata, a delicious pesto which I don't know what was in it, heavenly cheesecake, and delicious apple pie.

I was stuffed before dessert and it was all I could do to eat my share of the cheesecake. I honestly liked the apple pie more but after the richness of the cheesecake (which WAS amazing don't get me wrong) I couldn't eat another bite of the apple pie.

Saturday, I was going to go to the temple with Andrew's mom but I left my recommend in Utah so I had to scratch that idea. I geared up to go to the gun range with everyone else but when we got there it was closed so we went to wal mart to get some stuff for the 50 miler that Andrew's dad and Brother had the coming week instead. When we got home, we packed up, ate lunch, and it was off to the airport.

We clearly got home safe and sound (the only casualty being the moldy pineapple upsidedown cake that my visiting teachers left me...even though I told them I'd be on vacation for a week...gross) and after a somewhat relaxing sunday, got back into real life with work at 8am on Monday! I would have posted this much earlier but with laundry to be done, groceries to be bought, concerts to be photographed, etc., we had something going on every night last week. I'll try to get pictures soon. :)