For Jesse's spring break this year we went to my home in Washington. Rosalee and I left earlier, so Jesse could focus on midterm tests, and then Jesse came late Friday when he was done with school. My parents live on a small farm in Graham, Washington so Rosalee got to experience A LOT of animals up close and personal, which she
loved! For some reason I didn't take pictures the first few days we were in town but Rosalee kept herself very busy with chasing dogs, cats, and birds around. I also think she was fairly entertained with her Uncle JJ, Grandma, and Grandpa. Don't worry though, I made up for my lack of picture taking in the following week as you will see below. :)
BE WARNED- this will be a very very long, detailed post for journal purposes and I only uploaded 2/3 of my pictures...
~Thursday~
Rosalee and I drove to Seattle to see my old roommate Anna and then met up with another old roommate at the Pike Place Market. Rosalee had fun playing with Anna's son Braden and enjoyed getting to eat her way through the market. We went to all of my favorite shops and enjoyed the rare sunshine in downtown Seattle. For the drive home (because I was "smart" and decided to head south during rush hour) I bought some raspberries to keep Rosalee happy. By the time we made it back to my mom and dad's house there were only 5 or 6 left. When we got home my dad had made mashed potatoes and steak for dinner. Rosalee refused to eat the steak and insisted on eating the potatoes. I'm pretty sure she ate 3, maybe 4, bowls full and then passed out asleep!
The best traveler!
With her buddy Braden in their strollers
There are a few places I MUST go to when I go to Pike Place. I always have to get a piroshky, tiny donuts and some smoked salmon. I usually just get a sample of the salmon but since Jesse wasn't with me I bought a whole pound fillet of smoked salmon.
Near one end of Pike Place there is a small park that overlooks the Puget Sound. Rosalee enjoyed running around and climbing on the sleeping people. She also thought it was fun to smile at people to see if they'd feed her... she's worse than a dog at times! She enjoyed being with Braden and tried to hug him a few times. Most of the time they ended up smashing heads, but it didn't seem to bother them. Then she gave up on him and focused all of her attention on Freida, Judy's dog.
We woke up, packed the car, and drove to Port Angeles to catch a ferry. The drive to Port Angeles took about 3 hours and thankfully Rosalee slept for most of it. We got to the ferry station early so we parked the car in line and went for some lunch at a small diner up the road. After lunch, we got into the car and drove on to the ferry. The crossing to Victoria, British Columbia took about 90 minutes so we were able to take a nap, look for whales, and look around the boat. Once we cleared customs in Canada we went to our hotel. We stayed in the
Queen Victoria hotel and it was amazing! We had two beds, a crib, spacious bathroom, and kitchen in our room. Downstairs is a full restaurant, sauna, hot tub, weight room, and pool. We learned that a lot of people come from northern Canada to spend the harsh winter months at this hotel so that's saying something! After we got settled we walked to the grocery store to buy our food. It was cloudy, but not too bad for a nice evening walk. After eating dinner we just hung out in the room having a nice relaxing evening. My parent's were VERY excited to watch the BBC channel because they got to see some shows that won't air in the U.S. until later this year. Rosalee was just excited to have another new place to explore.
Rosalee enjoyed her lunch in Port Angeles. Her favorite things were the pickles, french fries, and pea/carrot mix. We left her bib in the car so we wrapped some towels around her neck to keep her shirt clean.
The video was taken by Jesse and he wanted to record EVERYTHING so the video is fairly long.
As I stated, some watched for whales and others napped.
The boat was rocking a bit so I was having a hard time keeping my balance with Rosalee on my hip. I love the picture of her with the bell because of her cheesy grin!
This is the Undersea Gardens and the part that is visible is the gift shop. The actual aquarium is all under the water.
Rosalee petting a starfish and anemone
A wolf eel
Looking at fish and Rosalee's best friend the octopus
These were some of the displays we found very interesting. The 1st is a Civil War scene and the 2nd is a classic car show.
Leave it to Rosalee to find the phone!
Rosalee exploring the castle. The video is my dad playing a song at the piano in the old dance room. He's never had formal training on the piano and we're never quite sure what he's going to play.
My brother with his super human strength and my 60 year old dad working on the farm. I swear that man is in better shape than most men half his age!
Axe man Jesse splitting a smaller log. Rosalee had to help the boys split some wood. It's hard to see but she has a HUGE goofy grin on her face.
Rocking out with Grandpa~Wednesday~
On Wednesday we got up and helped feed the animals with my parents. Rosalee LOVED all the animals so we knew she'd have fun helping. First we went out to the pig yard and fed them some old bread. Rosalee would run after the pigs but they were too fast for her to get near. When the pigs would squeel and run she'd laugh at them. Next we fed the birds and Rosalee handfed the peacock named Lucky. Every day she wanted to feed Lucky so I figured I should take some pictures to show how she spent every morning. Rosalee quickly learned that chedder cheese is the best way to get, and keep, the attention of the birds. After getting dressed and ready we went to lunch at the culinary college my brother attended. The school is close to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma so we went there after eating. The zoo isn't very big so we were able to walk around and see all of it in less than 3 hours. Of course Rosalee had a BLAST! The attention she gave to certain exhibits amazed us. She stood in front of the fish tanks for longer than we thought was possible for someone her age. At the elephant exhibit she "talked" to the elephant and laughed her head off. After the zoo we went to my aunt's house for dinner and Rosalee played with my cousin's daughter Alyssa. Alyssa will be 3 this May so it was interesting to see how they played together. Rosalee would follow Alyssa some of the time but most of the time she'd just wander off and play with the toys.
Playing with some of my old toys
Rosalee feeding the pigs with Grandma and Grandpa. I think she ate more of the bread than she gave away though. She liked chasing the pigs and being chased by the pigs, it didn't matter she found it all amusing. If you notice in the last 2 pictures she has a spot on her pajama bottoms where she sat on my dad's boot. At first I thought she had a messy diaper or someone kicked her in the bum.
Feeding cheese to Lucky and Lucky showing off his feathers.
Looking at the salt water aquarium
LOVING the elephants!!!
The walrus fell asleep against the glass and Rosalee kept trying to hug him. She also tried to kiss the beluga every time she swam by.
Sharks!!!
A rare family photo
Playing with Alyssa at my aunt's house
Exhausted after playing
But not too tired to ham it up for another photo!!~Thursday~We woke up super early and headed to the airport. It was a 4 hour flight to Cincinatti from Seattle and then a 21 minute flight from Cincinatti to Indianapolis. Our friend Tina picked us up at the airport and brought us back to Lafayette. It was nice getting away for awhile but it's good to be back. The best part- Jesse has less than 2 months of school left! Which means we're going to start packing some of our things away so it isn't a mad dash come May. Jesse has a good lead on a job that we're hoping he gets so we'll keep you posted on that when we know more.
I think we need a vacation from our vacation! :) (This was taken on the drive from the Indy airport to Lafayette.)
