Seattle's Best

Axel has always wanted a home in British Columbia, and yet, he had never actually been there. As soon as we decided to go to Utah, he couldn't help but book a ticket for the Northwest so he could actualize his dreams. My great friend Karen happens to live in Seattle so we planned a trip to Vancouver Island via Seattle. One of the main reasons Axel loves this area is that we went to visit Karen and Steve in September 2001. We fished on the Puget Sound, visited Friday Harbor and slept on a boat while admiring the phosphorescence in the ocean. Magical.

Luckily, Karen and Steve still live in the Northwest and it was so fantastic visiting and catching up with them. Karen drove us all over to explore the Seattle sites with her 6 year old triplets and her 9 year old daughter. I was sad we didn't have all of our kids with us. We knew they would be too preoccupied with the cousin fun back in Utah and Axel's family was willing to watch them while we were gone (bless them!), so we decided to only take Sedona. I am not sure our logic in taking Sedona, but it might just be that she is a great travel companion.

We explored Seattle in a big way.

1. Went to the S.A.M (Seattle Art Museum) and was pleasantly surprised.

Outside of SAM with our clan. While walking through the market we were asked if we were Mormon from a complete stranger. I am not sure what gave it away the 5 young kids, or the one man with his two wives.

My favorite Rothco

Axel's expression in reaction to Pollock's expression.

The American art exhibit was my favorite. The contrasts of dark and light were mesmerizing.

I think the most surprising exhibit for Axel and me was the British Columbian native art. The totem poles were massive and the facial expressions were freak-hey.

2. Visited the Farmer's Market an saw a place where fish fly.

Axel's one wish was that we would eat plenty of seafood while in Seattle. Karen made all of his dreams come true when she took us to the best fish place in the market. Not only did you get salmon, you also got a show. Huge fish flew in the air and the guys running the show were young, cute and comical.

More cherries please. I believe I ate an entire tree's yield of Rainier cherries. By the end of my trip to the US, my body was begging me to not eat one more cherry.

3. Visited the Space Needle and had no desire to go on top.

...but we did get loads of photos of cute kids in front of the landmark.

4. Ate the maximum amount of seafood our stomachs could handle.

I avoid throwing up at all costs, but I was almost tempted to force myself immediately after this meal just so I could do it all over again.

5. Cherished every second I had with Karen.

Karen and I were college roommates and have remained close friends ever since. She is an amazing woman and I am so happy to know her and call her friend. We have always been there for each other during the highs (babies, marriage, etc.) and the lows (brain tumor, triplets, etc). If I collected all my emails to Karen, it would be a full, complete journal. She has always been an amazing friend for book recommendations, workout advice, funny stories that are way too embarrassing to tell anyone close by, and pure honesty.

If I wasn't leaving for Africa tomorrow, I would be tempted to put up a before (college years) and after (as in now) photo. I just saved you from being blinded by the white skin, over bleached hair, and puffy bangs. You can thank me later.

It would be great to find at house up that way simply because I would be closer to Karen during the summers. But, even if we don't, we have proven distance and time doesn't change us much. In fact, we have only improved with time. Some friends just stick. For me, Karen is one of them. Thanks for the fun, Karen! It was such a blast!