Seattle by the photos

Oh my goodness... the fun exceeded my expectations. Today we are home but we could have stayed. Forever. Steve is even checking into local fire departments in the Sequim area where my dad lives. If you ever get a chance to check out the Seattle/Puget Sound part of Washington, you really, REALLY should go. Go now!

Thursday we drove to my sister's house. Alyca lives in Seattle. Steve and Ethan went to a pre-season football game and watched the Seahawks vs. the Raiders. It was Steve's first professional football game and he really enjoyed it.

Friday we headed to the Pacific Science Center. It wasn't quite what I'd hoped, probably better suited for kids after they can read, but we still had a good time. Our favorite sections were the dinosaurs (although Payton was afraid of the dinosaurs, so that was fun) and the butterflies. But they also liked the water area and checking out the starfish, anenome's, etc. too.




Payton held this HUGE bug. She walked right up to the girl who was holding it and asked if she could have a turn. But if she finds a teensy weensy spider somewhere at home, she freaks out and makes me take care of it. Silly girl.

The butterfly garden was wonderful. This is the downside of having a 50mm fixed lens on your camera. I intentionally left all my other lenses at home so that I wouldn't be tempted by my 35-70 kit lens. I hate the quality of the photos but I like the bit of zoom. I'm just going to have to save my pennies, though, and purchase a good quality lens. The 50mm does a much better job.

Anyway, no zoom does not work in a butterfly exhibit. They fly right up to your face, and you can't zoom. You can't "zoom" your body either, because they also land on the pathways and you don't want to step on one! So I did the best that I could.






My girls loved this area. They have a handout with the different species and colors noted, and Payton in particular liked comparing the butterfly she was looking at with the different species on the handout to see what type it was.

After we were finished at the science center, we sauntered over to the Space Needle. Next to the building is a little carnival of sorts, and the girls took in a couple of rides.



We got our tickets shortly thereafter and headed up the glass elevators to the viewpoint. My sister used to work the elevators in her college days, so it was fun to have her as our own personal guide.


That said... by the time we were headed up to the top it was late in the afternoon and the kids were getting tired and cranky.
We did manage to squeak in one family shot, and while I would have preferred a better backdrop, I could see the girls reaching their limits, so I didn't push.

When we got back down we tried to take a family photo with the Space Needle in the background, but, unfortunately, we asked Morgan to share her blue gatorade with Payton, which apparently was beyond her abilities, and Payton wanted her own Gatorade in addition to a Carousel ride.

We are such horrible parents.



Heeeeeee! This photo cracks me up. You can't see Morgan's face but she's doing her own share of boo hooing.


The saving grace to this part of the day was my plan for later in the evening. I used to go to theater every year. At least once. I always have to go to Seattle or Portland to see a show, so it's 3 or 6 hours away, so I don't have the opportunity to go to many more shows than that. If I lived in a city that hosted Broadway Across America, I would absolutely have season tickets.

Anyway, the last show I saw was in 2005 when I was first pregnant with Payton. The Lion King. It was wonderful and I would recommend everyone see that show, at least once.

I've been trying to find myself again now that the girls are starting school and I'm starting to have more freedom, and one of those things I loved to do for me was go to the show, so I scheduled an outing with my sister since I was going to be in the area. The show?

WICKED.

It.
WAS.
FABULOUS.

I have seen several shows. I lived in London for my final semester of college and took a theater class where we saw shows all the time. I sat in the front row for Rent and had eye contact with the actors.

This show beat them all.

It's the story of the Wicked Witch of the East and Glenda, the good Witch, pre-Dorothy. It's the backstory.

I loved it so much. I can't give enough praise for it. The music was wonderful, the acting was superb, they were funny and witty and SARCASTIC and just so darn entertaining. If I hadn't had a shifty guy in front of me who kept leaning out into my view, causing me to have to re-situate, there wouldn't have been any topping it.

If you have a chance to go. GO. I saw it at the Paramount theater in Seattle. Beautiful theater.

It really was a fun night.

Right before we walked in we had some passerby's take our photo. That's my sister and I.
I have to say.... normally when I ask complete strangers to take my photo it always comes across with chopped limbs or a distracting background, etc. It was so nice to have someone with nice photo composition skills! lol


I am only through Friday of my vacation and I have so much more to share. It really was a fun weekend. More later.

Davinie