Nobody said it was easy...it's such a shame for us to part

Bethy, Sequim Lavender Festival, Purple Haze Farm.

Our time here in Seattle is quickly winding down, and I feel like, well, like I've been on a 5 week vacation. I had an amazing time seeing you all, the people and places I've missed, and now I'm ready to go home with the kids to Mike.

Thomas gathers up his courage to ride a camel with Cousin Alex the second time he went to the Defiance Point Zoo.

While here we've gone to 3 zoos (some more than once!), a baseball game, lit fireworks, rode a Thomas the Tank Engine train and 3 ferry boats, went to 2 lavender festivals, ate innumerable hot dogs, did lots of touristy things, stayed up too late, slept in too long, and had an overwhelmingly lovely time with all of you.

Mostly I want to say thank you.

Thank you for making time for us in your lives.

Thank you for being forgiving of our unforgiving schedule.

Thank you for asking so many great questions, and being so interested in what it's like for us to be in a faraway place.

Thank you for the hospitality, the blog comments, the neighborhood barbeque.

Thank you for loving Bethy and Thomas even when they were worn out from being dragged around.

Thank you for watching those kids so I could get largely boring and time-consuming but very necessary errands done.

Thank you for meeting me for a meal, a beer, a cupcake, a chat.


Thank you for listening to my long stories that probably had no real point and nodding at all the right places.

Thank you for the hug, the grin, the shared joke, the moment.

Most of all, thank you for the welcome home.

Espresso, overlooking the Puget Sound as the wind was blowing my hair into an ungodly mess and the sun reflected warmly off the water in a moment of complete and utter bliss.