The Boys of Summer! {part two}

Are you ready? It's only a short novel. You'll make it.

So, the main reason for the trip was a family getaway. After the last three months I've had, I knew that I needed to get away for as long as was possible! :0)

First up was Saturday night (and my birthday!!). We met an old friend from college and his wife for dinner. Rob Corkrum played basketball at WSU ('90-'95) and we became friends in late '93. He's a great guy and a lot of fun! We met for dinner in Bellevue at Maggiano's -- which I highly recommend! Anyway, it was a blast to see him again since it had been 14 years since I saw the guy! His wife, Susana, and Matthew got along well and Matthew was especially thrilled to meet someone taller than his Dad (considering that Dad is the tallest guy he's really ever known at 6'4". Rob is 6'9"!) Here's an old pic from "back in the day"... circa March 1995. Go COUGS!



Sunday was ... drum roll please!! ...


{Ah, what a wonderful word... Oh, sorry. I'm back.}

We have never been to an IKEA and had only been told that we needed to be sure to set aside a few hours for the trip. Initially we thought that this was probably a bit excessive as we are not real dilly-dallyers and can make it through even Bellevue Square in 1-1/2 hours. This shouldn't be anything different we figured. Um, wrong. We got there and our mouths dropped open in shock and awe. And we hadn't even made it past the loading area.

Of course, anyone who has been to an IKEA knows that the first part of the experience is the showroom. What a trip! Even Aaron was stopping every few displays and soaking up ideas and concepts. (And it looks like we might even be heading back for an IKEA trip as he found the shelving unit he wants for the front room -- which means he wouldn't have to build it out himself. Don't you just love it when the hubby "gets it"? SCORE!)

{And by the way, we spent a little over 3-1/2 hours there. Shhh... don't tell anyone, K? Oh! And the Swedish meatballs are AMAZING!}

I found a few fun things though...

{a trio of gorgeous still life posters; I also purchased a gorgeous frame in a warm wood tone to rotate the pics in.} {and then some practical, but oh so inexpensive, items too!}


On to Monday! We started at Ivar's downtown with my adopted Mom, Nana Dorothy, and her amazing hubby, Grandpa Alex.! Then we walked off lunch and headed out to the many stores along the piers. In fact, Aaron and Dorothy stopped to help a stranded mule. Such kind people.


{I'm sure you can figure out who is who...} {photos courtesy of Nana Dorothy & Grandpa Alex.}

Finally, later that afternoon, we headed to Safeco Field for our very first Mariners game! Matthew was beside himself as we drove in from Bellevue on I-90. For those of you that have not driven to the end of I-90 in Seattle, as you make the final turn to the main street, you go right by Safeco and it almost feels like you're going to drive right into it! And that afternoon Matthew was bouncing out of his seat knowing that he was going to be in there in just a matter of minutes. So fun!

{our happy family ... and a view from our seats}

The other reason for heading to this particular game was to hopefully catch up with another old friend from WSU (and teammate of Rob's), Mark Hendrickson. He is currently playing/pitching for the Baltimore Orioles. We made our way over to get an autograph while the pitchers were warming up in the outfield. I thought I would try and talk with him too, but couldn't seem to find the right timing. In fact, Aaron even tried to tell him that I was there, but to no avail. But we did get the autograph for Matthew!








{As you can see, dh tried to get Marko to look over and see me, but I got nothin'!} :0)

At the top of the 6th inning, Aaron convinced me that we needed to go to the bullpen and give it another try. He said that Mark probably didn't recognize me after all these years. ("You look so different. A lot hotter!" I don't really know if he meant better or just warmer. It was 85 degrees.) Well, score one for my man, 'cuz Mark confirmed that very thought! He told me that he remembered signing the ball for Matthew, but that when Aaron mentioned there was an old friend who wanted to say "hi", Mark saw another -- shall we say, less than good-looking -- woman in the area Aaron was pointing. Mark said he didn't recognize the gal and decided it was best to "move on". Too funny!

While we were talking with him, his wonderful mom showed up! I haven't seen Barb in SO LONG and it was like 13 years had never happened. It was so good to visit with her! We agreed to start emailing so that we didn't lose touch any longer. Great memories...


Tuesday. What a trip. Literally. Here's some footage:


{taken from the front of monorail into downtown Seattle after the space needle ride. see the big ol' Nordstrom sign on the left? it seems we had just arrived to a small suburb of Heaven!}

But I digress. First, we went to the Space Needle. Well, the boys went up. I kept my feet firmly planted on the ground -- in the gift shop. I'm not ashamed.


{see how tall it is? need I say more?}

After they returned to Earth, we headed to the monorail and then headed down to Pike's Market. Always a blast. So many different kinds of people, foods, flowers ... it's just a great place to hang for a while. I love it.

After all the excitement (and melting. Did I mention already that this was one of the hottest times I've EVER experienced in Seattle? And, no, not the kind of "hot" dh thinks I am, but the real kind.) we stopped by the original Starbucks and got something to cool off (and a couple of nifty mugs for The Mama -- that would be me). After that, we made the trek back up to the monorail, monorailed back to the Seattle Center & Space Needle, got in our car and drove back to Bellevue and Whole Foods for dinner. After that, I cleaned up, got under the covers (yes, it was only 4:30PM. I don't care. I was on vacation.). The boys headed out on their own to Bell Square to the Lego store for a free build program they were doing. I sat content in my bed, under the covers, A/C on and my laptop on my lap. It was heavenly. Again ... vacation.


Wednesday came up on us faster than I thought it would and it was time to go home. Back to Whole Foods for drive-time food (after a stop at Sephora, of course, for a last minute fix) and on I-90 at 12:04PM. I say this because we got off I-90 at exactly 4:04PM! Which is what we were shooting for!

All in all, it was a great time! We're thinking of heading back over in July, but we'll see. The next year is going to be a doozy for us and I think we need to grab every moment of fun and relaxation we can between now and the end of it. So, my vote is YES -- let's go!

So, was this detailed enough for you? Do you need more? :0) hahaha