Weekend in AZ

A few weekends ago I headed out to Arizona to see the fam & pick up supplies collected for Kenya. The hardest thing about these trips is that they are just too short! I was blessed to have been able to see everyone out there & spend some time at each home. But I am definitely ready for a trip to AZ (and STL) where I can stay for a week and simply enjoy that time with family without being rushed!

I started out at my parents house. The day I got there was the day before the Royal Wedding. I was planning on staying up all night to watch it but than my mom surprised me by letting me know she was taking Friday off work & was going to stay up all night with me! ( She wouldn't normally do that but she has lots of vacation days to use up). To say this was a lifelong memory in the making is an understatement. What a fun night with my mom! We ate my dad's buttery popcorn, guzzled our coffee, and curled up on the couch as we watched history in the making....live. It was fun watching all the guests come in, feeling the anticipation for Will & Kate's arrival, critiquing hats, and more. We were troopers and made it all the way through to the balcony smooches! I am so thankful my mom and I had that time together. It's something I will hold close to my heart forever.

We had to hit the Anthem outlets but somehow my mom and I found ourselves in all the kids stores. Of course, this led to some plug-ins on more grandchildren....at least I know when we do have kids I can shop somewhere with great deals! My parents took me to eat at their "Ricardos." They hadn't found a good Mexican restaurant until recently and it was gooood. Nestled in the middle of the desert ( literally) it was secluded and open and had the perfect evening breeze blowing through the patio. I am looking forward to more trips here. Afterwards, we went to see their new house. Yes, they bought a place where they will move into in June. I love it. Absolutely love it. It is so perfect for them and I can already envision our kids eating my mom's 4th of July sundaes on their patio! 

Saturday was busy. It started off with Parker's soccer game. For being only 5 he has some serious talent. Kristel is already the "soccer mom" as she cheers louder than I think people do at professional games! It was fun surprising Park and seeing how much he has improved since the last game I saw. I will say he is tougher than I am out there getting right in the middle of things and taking some blows as goalie! We met up with Kody after his t-ball game for some breakfast. I headed over to Kristel's to pick up her straightener and play with all the kids for a bit. Oh how I wish I could have stayed for a few days!

At lunch time I headed down to Gilbert to see the Ermelings. They were just getting back from Tessa's soccer game! We had a fun afternoon with some Target shopping, toe nail painting, Littlest Pet Shop playing, and lots of snuggles. That night Lyns directed the younger version of "Godspell" at her school. Lexi sang in the chorus so Tess, Ryan, & I were able to watch the whole show. For junior highers they did great! ( Plus, they had the best director around!) The girls and I went for frozen yogurt after where we piled high our toppings and quick ate them before their parents saw ;) Again, too short of a time down in Gilbert. Time to head back!

I'm glad I was able to spend time with everyone even if it was short! And, I have to brag for just a minute because that's what aunts to best....

My niece Lexi is a natural born ballerina. Really, it's in her blood. I have been to watch her rehearsals where she is dancing with girls 3-4 years older than she is. I see how the teachers look at her different and how people comment on how good she really is for being only 9. I know without a doubt in my mind she is going to go far. But the best thing is, she loves it. It's this inner joy that comes out when she dances. There is always a smile on her face, not forced, just pure joy. My sister just sent me this picture which captured a moment showing just that. I wish I could see her dance in Sleeping Beauty but I know she will be wonderful!

( Lexi is the one on the far right!)

Lazy Day

Since we had been going hard on the tourism our first few days, we decided to relax some on Saturday. And by relax I mean, sleep, eat, eat some more, sleep, eat again, basketball games, and some more eating. Yes, we ate our way through Saturday and it was simply wonderful.

We were referred to Portage Bay Cafe, an organic restaurant that looked heavenly online. We mapped it out on the computer and saw it was just 2 miles away. Perfect for a morning walk! We set out with the intention of walking up an appetite so that we could truly indulge ourselves in the toppings bar. We followed our directions exactly but where it told us the cafe was, there was none. Just a traffic light and a dead end. Odd. We must have missed something. We back tracked a little. Than a little more. Finally we gave up and decided to ask a gas station where to go. They had no clue. Weird, right? If the restaurant was in this area you would think they would know. Well, of course they didn't because Portage Bay Cafe was by the actual Portage Bay. Where were were? The opposite side of town....4 miles away. Awesome.

So we turned around and set off back to where we came from. But along the way we saw some great scenery that we wouldn't have if we hadn't gotten lost.

As soon as we walked through the front doors of the cafe we knew it was going to be good. Walking for four miles was well worth it when my bananas foster french toast arrived and I sealed the deal with a trip to the toppings bar. Scrumptious.

As if we hadn't had enough to eat we hopped on the bus and headed uptown to find a cupcake place we were referred to. ( If you haven't notice we take our referrals pretty seriously. Especially when they are about cupcakes & french toast!) Trophy Cupcakes was quiant, cute, and oh so delicious! While Trav stuck with plain vanilla that he claims is the best vanilla he ever had, I tried chocolate peanut butter and was amazed at how heavenly it was despite my lack of love for chocolate. We debated getting two more to eat but opted out of it.

To work off all the food we were indulging in we took off to go find Gasworks Park. (yes, another referral ) Although it looked as if the sky was going to open up on us, I am so glad we made the trek because the views of the city were breathtaking. And, well, they filmed a scene from 10 Things I Hate About You there which made it even cooler.

We headed back to the hotel for a nap, some reading, and yes, some more Cake Boss. Since the final four for March Madness were on that night we decided to go grab Subway and eat in to watch the games. It was a fun, lazy day filled with lots of delicious new foods, great scenery, and adventure ;)

If you watched American Idol last week you will remember this song by Bruno Mars. Basically it is fitting for my husband ( especially considering for Lent this year he gave up laziness ;). However, if you know the Hardeman pup, Nike, than it's even more fitting for this pair.

Our Sports Day

We woke up Friday to find it was going to be a rainy day. Not the mild drizzle we had seen so far, but some pretty decent rain. Can you guess what I forgot to pack on this trip? Yup, an umbrella. Who goes to Seattle without one? Apparently we do. So as we packed up and set out for a full day we had to borrow one from the hotel that was big with an even bigger SHERATON written across it. Hello tourists!

We tackled public transportation and rode to the University of Washington. I should get something straight. While we were finally getting the old "bus" thing, we never knew where we were supposed to get off. Just what number bus we needed. This led for some interested times of, " Do you think here? No, let's wait one more. Well, maybe one more stop. Eh, this one looks fine." As we trucked through the rain, huddled under one umbrella, we found the school. It's huge. HUGE. Small, private Christian Universities just don't compare to these campuses. I would without a doubt get lost going to class each day. We walked around checking out the old buildings. Because we are super mature we came up with this game to pretend we were checking out the school. For awhile Trav was there for grad school and was talking loudly ( in an accent I have never heard of) about his degree and the school. After that we decided to just look inconspicuous, as if this was our campus and we knew just where we were going. This was fun until we remembered the umbrella we were caring.

After finding their gym, Trav was determined to go inside. We started walking all around so he could try opening every door he saw. All locked. But finally, a door opened. A shady door. One that probably was not supposed to be left unlocked. It led us through some starch white halls, by the womens vball lockeroom, and through their hall of fame. The hall of fame was awesome! I was in just as much heaven in there as Trav was. However, as we passed each case lights would flick on all over there place. We were easy to spot!

I lost Trav for a minute and walked through another door to find him standing in the doorway leading into the gym, just speechless. He wanted to go down on the court so bad. But that seemed a little to risky and  while we were there one of the women's player came in to shoot around. 

Right next door was the football stadium. Trav again found an area in the gate we could walk through and than the one open tunnel leading out into the stadium. Now it was my turn for my jaw to drop. I was mesmerized. It opened up onto the lake which was gorgeous. Trav kept daring me to run down on the field but not a chance I would have!

We grabbed a quick bite to eat, found the right bus, and headed back to our hotel. From there we decided to journey on over to where the Seahawks and Mariners play. We have this thing where we want to see all baseball fields, football stadiums, and basketball arenas throughout the states. We love it! And, we have conquered some states already! Our first stop was Quest Field: Home of the Seahawks and Sounders. 

( from here we saw great views of the city with all the fog)

Around the corner was Safeco Field: Home of the Mariners! And tons of sports fan shops we strolled through.

A short walk away was China Town. We walked through some of it but there were some rough crowds and we stuck out majorly. We decided to head back to where are bus had dropped us off and Trav was pumped because it was right by....the Police Museum. Of course we went in. My husband was in heaven. There was a sweet lil' old lady working the front so we chatted with her for a bit. After taking the tour we found the kids area. The had dress up clothes. Police dress up clothes. The tops didn't fit Trav but I didn't hesitate to rock it! We spent a good chunk of time taking pictures and messing around with the call boards. Kids at heart I guess. As we left, we met a policeman from the city, the one who opened the museum. Trav talked with him for a good 20 minutes and he had some great advice for Trav!

As we were waiting for our bus we realized we were on the wrong side of the street. We stood in the rain as it passed us by. The only thing we could thing to do was take off running to the other side of the street and head to their next stop figuring we would make it in time. We were feet away waiting at a red light while the bus was loading up at it's next stop. As soon as the light turned green, the bus took off, leaving us running again behind it. This continued until we made it back to our hotel!

From all our walking that day we were famished by dinner. So hungry we couldn't make up our mind what to eat. We found ourselves walking around the city, indecisive and growing hungrier by the minute! There was this restaurant by our hotel, Tapas Grille, that Trav had been referred to from someone at work. We skipped it the first day because it looked too pricey but we were so hungry and couldn't walk another foot we stumbled inside. And what did we find? The most amazing happy hour ever! Literally. I don't know how we lucked out with the happy hours we found. At this one we ate popcorn shrimp, chicken skewers, sushi rolls, spinach artichoke dip, and Trav got a bacon burger all for cheaper than if we had eaten at someplace like Islands and the food was delicious! ( Little did we know we would find ourselves back here another time!)

It was a great day filled with sports for us! The rain sure didn't rain on our parade. We had such a great time and I am pretty sure we walked at least 10 miles....much needed considering how much we were eating!

Exploring We Go!

Our second day in Seattle we had decided to hit some of the main tourist sites. Trav slept in while I grabbed a coffee and read, "The Hunger Games." ( If you liked Twilight and those tweener books, I recommend this series!) There was a little crepe shop by our hotel that we stopped in for breakfast. Delicious to say the least! The monorail came through a shopping center close by, so we picked it up to head on over to the Space Needle.

The needle is one of those things you have to see, like the Statue of Liberty or Mount Rushmore. We were thankful for a clear day, although windy. We were unable to fully see Mt. Rainier but got a tiny glimpse. There was an option to buy a day pass where you could come back at night so we took off to explore, knowing we would be back soon.

Since we were on foot we set in the direction of the water and walked. Somehow we had to end up at Pike's Market if we followed the water line, right? Along the way we found some pretty cool statues and saw some sites that were off the map but very cool. And than, we made it! Except we made it from the back way which meant climbing up flight after flight of stairs! Winded to say the least!

The market gives you the feeling of being some place else entirely. While walking down the rows of produce and flowers I knew if this was near me I would be a frequent visitor for some fresh food! Trav's dream came true when he saw them throwing the fish. He was as excited as our nephews get when they see Buzz at Disneyland! Behind the market is a wall....a gum wall. Yes, an entire wall covered with the gum of those who pass by. Gross? Kinda. Cool? In a weird way. People were getting into it writing their names and making designs. 

Of course, we realized at this point we were famished and stumbled into Pike's Brewery to be filled with carnivore pizza and bratwurst with apple sauerkraut! Two happy Hardeman's left the restaurant ready to explore some more! We walked the market and the stores lining the street outside. The sun even peeked through, warming us up and giving a glow to the flowers that lined the rooftop. I wanted to get a coffee at the first Starbucks but the line was out the door. 

After a nap, some Cake Boss and Hunger Games we were ready for the best date night I have had. Unsure where to go for dinner we happen to walk past a restaurant called Pink. Of course, I wanted to go in just for the name but it looked way to swanky for us. Trav walked up and talked to the hostess to learn that they had the BEST happy hour deals we had seen. Literally, I still feel like we somehow stole all the food we ate. So we dined amidst pink lighting, pink menus, pink candles, and the Dodger game! 

The  monorail picked us up close by. As we were waiting to get on Trav let a family go in front of us. But they just kept going. The mom looked back, laughed and said, " Bet you didn't think you were letting this many people go first!" They were a family of six...kids. We sat down, Trav looked at me and gave me the look of ," Don't even think about it." I laughed. Little did he know we would have another conversation in the weeks to follow about six children. ;)

Going to the needle at night was the perfect date. I would actually recommend it to any family going to head at sunset and stay till the stars are shown. We stood outside, watching the sun go down over the water and the lights of the city start pooping up all over. Than when it became too cold outside, we found a table by the window, grabbed a coffee, and took in the site. Perfect.

Afterwards, we walked through the Seattle Center and headed through the Queen Anne district on foot. These are the times I love having a 6'6 and very fit husband. ;) We were referred to a dueling piano bar, Chopstix. We stopped in for an hour or so because we had to request some Journey and Eagles. 

A fun day exploring that ended with one of the top dates we have had! 

Travel Day

I don't know about you but the actual day of travel itself makes me tired. Maybe it's the plane ride. Whether I am in a car, boat, place, you name it and I will fall asleep. We left for Seattle early in the morning, made a quick stop in Oakland, and finally landed in our destination. After taking the shuttle to the rental car pick-up we ran into a disaster. Well,not totally. It ended up being a blessing in disguise. But at the time we were both pissed at Advantage and after saying," Forget it. We don't want your car or service." we were driven back to the airport and dropped off. We looked at each other, laughed and said," Shoot. What now?" We hailed our first taxi and headed to our hotel. ( I have never been in a taxi before and was a little too thrilled with the ride. I really wanted to wave my arm or whistle to call one over but didn't get the chance. lol) 

We booked our hotel through priceline, getting a steal, but that meant we had no idea really where it was. We lucked out because it was in the perfect location. Located on the corner of Pike St. and 6th Ave, we soon learned we were in the middle of everything. This helped our decision to forget getting a car at all and instead, walk everywhere. There was a Nike town across the street making my husband one happy guy. 

Our hunger set in and we headed out to find food. After eating, we walked around the downtown and realized right away we were going to love this city. That night we set out to find this cute Italian restaurant, Panevino, that we had a Groupon for. It ended up being a good mile and a half walk but it took us to a part of the city we probably would not have seen if we hadn't of made the trip. Since we had to "earn" our food we were starved. I'm pretty sure we devoured 4 baskets of bread before dinner came. Sick, I know. 

After dinner, we attempted to find the bus we needed to head over to Chopstix, a dueling piano bar. For some reason we love these. Trav always requests the Eagles and I always request Journey. The one in New York, New York in Vegas is the best. ( Recommend it!) They are usually a fun atmosphere. Not like your traditional "bar". People stop in just to sit and listen to them play/sing some of the greatest hits. But, did we find it that night? Nope. Couldn't find where bus 13 picked up so we gave up and headed back to watch tv.
( once again, House Hunters and Cake Boss ;)

While it started off rocky with our rental car it ended being a great day. And due to the cost of public parking everywhere and the one way streets, I am so glad we decided to pass on the car and just walk or use the bus. Total God-thing!