6 Days Away....6 Days to Play

We love our kids.  So much so that we decided it was in all of our best interests for us parentals to get outta town for some quality adult time.  We figured 10 years of marriage was a good enough excuse, so my parents flew in to stay with our little angels for 6 days.  We booked flights to Seattle and spent our precious time sitting on our duffs, eating, sleeping like babies, hiking more than a quarter mile, talking (granted, we talked a pathetic amount about the kids), bonding, driving, reading book after book, taking in the beauty of nature around us, drinking wine...you get the picture.  Mighty nice.

I know you're all used to posts centered around chunky cheeks and dudeisms, so my apologies for the high volume of Tim and me-ness below.  We didn't have other subjects to photograph, but the scenic shots are worth viewing.  I'll break down what our heavenly days consisted of as we go along.  It's a trip I'd recommend to anyone looking for breathtaking beauty and total relaxation, so if  you wanna bust outta town for a few days, consider this customized vacation, brought to you by Mile High Vogels.   

Note...we ended our trip at Phil and Katy's farm in Chimacum.  I'm going to dedicate a separate post to this adventure, so stay tuned.  Especially all you Vogels out there. This world of Phil and Katy is one that you need to see. 

Our first night was spent in Seattle at Tim's Uncle Phil and Aunt Katy's architectural masterpiece (aka, their house).  They cooked up a fabulous steak salad meal while we looked out over the Puget Sound.  It was sunny and 75.  Pure perfection.

 

And of course dessert. 

Aunt Mary joined us for the night, along with her little angel, Amelia.  I got my baby fix right off the bat, although I could have used it on day 3 or 4 when my heart started aching a bit for my kiddos.

 

I've never liked raw tomato, but I ate these little suckers like candy. 

Saturday morning we woke up, had breakfast and drove to Whidbey Island, our home away from home for 4 days.  This produce stand captured my heart.  So much color, fresh grown goodness, amazingly cheerful flowers, charm...I could have hung out there all day.

I love how rust becomes quaint and charming when you enter this island world.  I'd hang this in my kitchen, but it would look incredibly out of place. 

Even the country farm views were spectacular. 

Oh how I enjoy random God reminders. 

Meet Gwen.  She and her husband, Tom, sat next to us at lunch that day.  We got along famously.

We hiked around tide pools and found this ginormous jelly fish. 

The first of many "us" shots.  Take it all in. 

 

Our Bed & Breakfast, the home of Tim's buddy's parents.  We stayed in the top right room and felt completely at home.  Great room, amazing views, delish breakfasts, hot tub, ideal location...it was just what we were looking for. 

This was the view from our patio, where we spent a great deal of time.

 

If only we had water in Colorado...then again, everyone would wanna live here.

My dear husband whipped me in the leg with this piece of kale.  Felt like I was 10, being whipped with wet towels by my big brother. 

This was my favorite hike.  We spent a couple hours getting lost in the mossy forest and looking out over the ocean bluffs.

Who's that mountain climber at the top?  That's just me.  Miss adventure.

 

Larry, the B&B owner, made a kayak and was kind enough to let us use it for a couple hours.  We paddled over to Hope Island (how could we avoid our daughter's name-sake island). 

One day we put our car on a ferry and tooled around the San Juan island.  It was the beachy feel we were looking for, so despite the gloomy day, we're glad we ventured over there. 

I have a heart for light houses, so I forced my hubby to hike out to this one.  Lighthouses spell vacation to me. 

This is the little harbor town where Phil and Katy had their wedding reception. 

Another.

We spent 30 minutes trading off with the binocs at this "whale watching spot."  I think they tell you you'll see whales just to watch and laugh at all the dummies like us who sit there for hours and see nothin.  Absolutely nothin. 

We parked our car on this ferry and Tim spent the entire hour long ride investigating how it all works.  He just loves transportation.  All types.  Anything that moves.  And transports. 

Our last day we took a ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula and hiked around on Hurricane Ridge.  Breathtakingly beautiful. 

 

I also have a heart for waterfalls.  I could have sat there all day long.

The end of that afternoon we stopped at the Dungeness Spit, the longest spit in the country.  It was a 9 mile hike in extreme wind, so we opted to look at it from here.  The walk through the flowered forest to get there was my favorite part of the stop.  

Like I said, the Vogel Farm post is yet to come, but our trip to the islands of Seattle was one we won't forget.  It's so refreshing to remind ourselves that we really do enjoy spending time together, aside from our kids.  We had time to just be together.  No interuptions.  If you haven't gotten away with your sig other, I highly recommend it.  The 6 days were like one big, deep breath.  THANKS to Nana and Papa for making it possible to breathe.  We owe you big time!!!!!