Hello From Washington!

Hi there! Zach and I are in the beautiful state of Washington this weekend, visiting some of our best friends Christian and Jackie. And their sweet little boy Calvin! We came up to surprise Christian on his birthday weekend. His dad helped us get set up with plane tickets, and picked us up from the airport on Thursday. When we got to his house, they were just sitting down for dinner. His dad had called earlier saying that his car was making a wierd noise and asked if Christian could check it out for him. So he knocked on the door while Zach and I ran to the side of the house, slipped through the gate and in the house through the back door. Jackie quickly set up the dining room table with plates of lasagna for us, and we started eating like we'd been there the whole time... Christian walked in the door and cracked up. He fell onto his stairs laughing, and said that he was 90% surprised. For Christian, that's pretty good! Jackie did SO awesome keeping this a secret!!! It was so much fun to do that- I felt like a little kid, so excited!

So anyways, we're thrilled to be here. And let me just say, it's amazing here! SO green and lush. Their neighborhood feels and looks like it's right out of a movie- inviting, cozy, green, tree lined, playgrounds everywhere, and just wonderful. Today we took an incredible hike through this rain forest, and then ended up on the shore line of a beautiful body of water called Puget Sound (and if you're local, it's just "the sound"), where Christian and Zach skipped rocks, pushed giant logs into the water, and Zach was very tempted to touch a jellyfish. (I know, I was like, "Zach, seriously? Why would you do that?!" He just wanted to SO bad just to see what it felt like. I told him he's just like Dane!... He didn't by the way, he just really really wanted to.) :) Then we ate at this awesome indian restaraunt. We had naan bread (I could eat that all day), tandori chicken, curry chicken, and mango pudding. Ummy, as Calvin would say. :)

isn't is gorgeous?

this was the five of us (little Calvin came too!)... actually 6 of us because Jackie is pregnant!

Bunch of studs skipping rocks and pushing giant logs out to sea...
Zach and I at the end of the hike, the water behind us is "the sound"

After naptime, we headed to Boeing, where they are having a vintage airshow this weekend. We watched these airplanes (aka, anyes- that's what little Calvin calls them) from like WWII land for the show. A few of them did some cool flips. It was cool to be where Christian works. Boeing is a huge place! The weather has been sunny and beautiful. I guess that's pretty rare for it to be this sunny all day long. Maybe tomorrow it will rain. Who knows, but either way, this is such a great trip! I'm so enjoying being with Zach. He's so fun- and it's been cool to watch him reconnect with his good friend Christian. They're like little boys- messing with each other, laughing together, Zach was even riding a scooter this afternoon. And he's been so funny- just lots of singing, messing around using his different funny voices, and very relaxed enjoying the ride. I love that about him.

zach and calvin checking out the planes... hard to see, but these planes were pretty cool

It's so wierd not to have to put my kids down for their naps, or feed them, or do anything like that. Being alone with Zach is so crazy. I'm enjoying it, but I'm also missing the kids terribly. I think about them all day long, about the cute things they do, how funny they are, and how when I get home I'm going to work so hard on being a better mommy with more patience, and just loving them. They're doing great at my mom and dad's house. We got to talk to them tonight, and that was great. My parents are the best. I know they're going to be so tired when Monday comes, and I'm so grateful for this time they're giving us to be here with our friends. I have the best parents, and my kids are so blessed to have such awesome grandparents! So while we're having a blast, I will be excited to get home to see our babies.

I'll post pics when I get home. Tomorrow is Christian's birthday, and we're going to Seattle to see some cool things there and hang out. YEA! Enjoy your weekend!