Sunday, May 12, 2019

Spring Break '19

For Spring Break we made our first trip to Deception Pass State Park up in Anacortes, WA. The kids wouldn't get out of the car, so Ashley and I walked over the crazy high up, narrow bridge ourselves. We saw a bald eagle and turkey vulture? flying below us while on the bridge. We went to the tide pools at the park. We briefly stopped by a tulip field in bloom on the way home. We sure live in a beautiful state.

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We made our first trip to the Olympic National park. Joseph spent the night puking right before we were supposed to leave. He seemed better in the morning, so off we went. We walked through the rainy Quinault Rain Forrest and saw the worlds tallest Spruce and Douglass Fir trees. We made it to the coast to visit the Pacific Ocean for the first time in Washington. We stayed in Forks and were on the lookout for Twilight Vampires. We visited Rialto Beach full of multi colored rocks, washed up trees and sea stacks. A few bald eagles flew above us while the girls played jump rope with some seaweed. We walked to the Sul Doc waterfall while the kids screamed, cried, and complained, the entire time. Back at the car we followed along Crescent Lake and then Naomi said her stomach didn't feel so great....blah... all over the back seat of the van. So...it was time to go home. We stopped at our favorite Italian restaurant on Bainbridge Island before taking the ferry home. What an eventful trip. Olympic National Park is amazing.

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Mid Winter Break in San Francisco '19

We escaped part of the once in a hundred years snowstorm in Seattle and went to Grandma and Grandpa's home in San Francisco for the kids mid winter break.  Ashley and I went to the Ferry Building in SF. Hannah, Rachel, Ashley and I went to the Exploratorium in SF while Grandpa, Grandma, Naomi, and Joseph went to Happy Hollow. We went to a Stanford Volleyball game. There's always lots of fun to play at Grandma and Grandpa's.

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We went to Muir Woods National Park, home of the giant Redwood trees. We found the jackpot of ladybugs. Joseph spotted some trout in the creek. The kids earned their junior ranger badges. We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge. We went to Ghiradelli for some ice cream afterwards. Such an awesome day.


We met up with Cousin Emma and her boyfriend Jake and played at the Oakland Zoo. We love to see the elephants there. The little train was closed so the kids went on the airplane and roller coaster rides.

Washington DC

Ashley came with me on a work trip to Washington DC while grandma watched the kids. Ashley visited Uncle Jereme and Aunt Cristy and the cousins. On the weekend Ashley and I visited (walked around the entire) National Mall visiting the Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, MLK, WWII, Vietnam, and Korean memorials. We toured the US Capitol, Jefferson library, Union Station, and the National Portrait Gallery, Ford's Theatre, and Arlington Cemetery where we watched the changing of the guard. We stood outside the White House and Supreme Court Building and saw the Pentagon. We tried Ethiopian Food for the first time (delicious!) and ate a DC famous half smoke chili dog.
During the week while I was working, Ashley had a few days to visit the other National Museums.
Its a beautiful city!