Spectacular Seattle

Ahhh. Seattle. This is much delayed but no less important. I loved Seattle! We were there in the summer (well of 2008), and it was 75 degrees and sunny every day (almost)! What was so great about Seattle, was all the day trips and things to do in the state. We were so active there. Lots of hiking, biking, and just wandering around the hip downtown area. This picture above was from our rooftop deck. We had the most fabulous views. Space needle on one side and Mount Ranier on the other.


Another cool thing about the area, is all the ferry trips one could take. Here is a picture coming from Bainbridge Island, on a ferry. I remember this day, and it was perfect!

Right in the heart of downtown, was Pike's Place. The best public market I have ever been to by far! Fresh seafood and produce. Yummmm! Outside of the market are a lot of neat restaurants and bars!

As I said before, Eli and I did a lot of hiking in the surrounding areas. Here we were hiking at the base of Mount Ranier! So beautiful.

This is close to Mount Ranier. Such a breath taking forest.

Another hike we did was called Mail Box Peak. We climbed 4000 feet in elevation in 2.5 miles! It was more climbing than hiking. I have to say, it was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life! I was so proud of the both of us that day.

While we were in Seattle, we spent some time up in Canada - Vancouver and Victoria Island, which I will write about next time. Sorry this took me so long. It's not hard to blog, I just forget! Promise to post more soon!

Yellowstone Explorations

Our adventures in Yellowstone started with a quick trip to the Grand Teton National Park. Above is a picture of the Grand Teton Range - part of the Rocky Mountains.

We stayed in a cute town called West Yellowstone, Montana, just outside of the park. We spent all day, every day we were there, at the park. We got to see Old Faithful, which is the most well known geyser. Below is a picture of the Beehive geyser. It is much larger than Old Faithful, but not well known due to it's unpredictable eruptions. We were some of the lucky few to witness this beautiful event.


We did a lot of hiking. We hiked all over the canyon. There were waterfalls, roaring rapids, and gorgeous landscapes everywhere we looked!

Here we are at the top of the canyon. The views were well worth the steep hikes! Not quite as big as the Grand Canyon, but remarkable none the less.

Throughout our trip, we saw all kinds of animals. We saw bison, bald eagles, elk, ...even bears. Eli was brave enough to get as close as legally possible to snap some shots! I on the other hand, kept my distance!

These pictures don't do the trip justice. You just need to go there to see it all for yourself. It is a bit touristy (is that a word?), but well worth your time! You can hike and bike or even just drive in the car to see things......we did a little of everything due to the time crunch! Hope you enjoy these photos. Next is Seattle. Until then, cheers!

Cross Country

Jacksonville Beach was wonderful, but I was ready to explore another area. I chose to relocate to one of the farthest areas from Florida....Seattle! Since it was such a long trek, we first stopped in Missouri to see family and friends. Mainly to see the growth progress of my sweet nephew, Oliver!
I hadn't seen him since the day he was born, so he was such a big boy to me when I saw him in June of '08! He started smiling, which was so neat to see! We played, and he slept (a lot)!



Here is a picture of my brother, Justin, with Oliver and Sarah! We only were able to stay there for a few days, but I was happy I got to see them at all! We had to hit the road, so we could stop in Springfied, MO, before taking a short break at Yellowstone National Park....all on the way towards Seattle!

Back to the Sunshine State

After the holidays, Eli and I spent another couple of weeks in Kansas City before heading down
to Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Our condo was amazing!! It was huge and right on the beach. We loved hanging out on the balcony. Jax Beach (as it's called) was nice for several reasons! The weather was good, we were able to make a lot of weekend trips and we also made some friends! Eli and I rode our bikes everywhere!

One of our fun weekend adventures, was a trip down to St. Augustine, which is supposedly the oldest city in the US. Whether it is or not, I didn't care. We enjoyed many of the tourist attractions there (without a tour guide, of course). My favorite part of the trip was dinner at a restaurant recommended by a friend. It was on a barrier island, so we had a beautiful view of the sunset.

Later, we took a long weekend to explore Orlando, which was only a couple hours away. Instead of Disney World, we opted for the less-kid crowded Universal Studios! I hadn't been on a roller coaster in years. After a few doses of Dramamine, I was good for the day!

The waves are bigger on the Atlantic side, so Eli and I did a lot of boogie-boarding! Sometimes it was difficult because the currant was incredibly strong. Our nights were spent hanging out with some other Missouri PT travelers we met down there. I also worked with many fun ladies that were nice to hang out with! Towards the end of our assignment down there, we had some visitors - two of Eli's friends, Jon and Brett, and his brother, Luke. We took some time off work, and enjoyed exploring the area with our friends. The weather was perfect every day they were there, so we were able to enjoy the beach at it's fullest!

I really enjoyed Jacksonville Beach and have contemplated moving down there. It is just so far from my family........plus I still have more exploring to do before any decisions are made!

Christmas Lasted a Week

After Kansas City, I made my way back to good ole' Springfield, Missouri. My family could not all hang out the same weekend, so I would say it was a dysfunctional Christmas. My Christmas lasted over a week. It was great none the less. I got to see my favorite people and spend some good quality time with my Grandma Carol. (as seen below)

I don't get to see her very often, so it was a special treat getting to spend time with her over the holidays!

My brother, Justin, and his wife, Sarah, came down for the weekend! We had a lot of fun. This picture was taken pre-Oliver...doesn't she look so cute!

I even had time to go to my annual, girl-only Christmas party! It was suppose to be an 80s party, as you may be wondering why some of us are looking goofy! We had a blast!

The weather was unseasonably warm, so Eli and I took time to go out to Ha Ha Tonka while visiting his family in Camdenton. It was nice to see his parents and siblings, who all live close enough to each other to be able to get together all at the same time (unlike my family!).

After returning from Camdenton, Eli and I went back to Springfield to spend time with my parents, Jennifer and Ryan! We played tons of games and had a good time. After a few days in Springfield, we went to St. Louis to see my brother again. After my week+ of Christmas, I was content but extremely exhausted! I hope we can coordinate a weekend together next year!

Life on the Plaza

So, you might be wondering, "Why Kansas City?" I know, I know. Of all the places we could choose from. Our thoughts were that we would be closer to friends and family for a while, especially for the holidays. We lived in a very cool area, called the Plaza. It is full of neat restaurants and shops. One of Eli's favorite parts of living in KC was our close proximity to the Chiefs Stadium! I admit the tailgaiting is quite fun. However, the losing part sucked!! I've been to four games now and have yet to see them win.










Since we were there at Christmas time, we got to see a Plaza tradition. On Thanksgiving eve, the streets of the Plaza fill up, and the city ceremoniously lights up all the shop lights at once. Then the bars fill up.....which was of course my favorite part of the ceremony!!