Technically our adventure began at Day 0. We both worked a normal day, then raced back home to meet up with Sara's parents. From there we meet up with her brothers for dinner and then crashed at Bill's house for the night. The plan was to get up early and take one vehicle to the airport to save on gas, money, and increase the level of frustration before the trip.
So that night we spent sorting and repacking every one's bag because we were unsure what restrictions the airline would throw at us...and my suitcase weights about 49 lbs itself, which doesn't leave me much room to back before I hit the 50 lbs limit.
Now on to Day 1. Bill had woke up around 4:30 to try and go work out before we left. Much to his surprise, the lady who opens the gym didn't show up at all that morning, so he was forced to turn around and come home. We all cried a tear of sorrow for him as we continued to sleep until 6.
We all rolled out of bed and packed 7 people, with luggage, into the Avalanche. This meant 3 across the front seat and 4 across the back. Needless to say, it was a tight ride down. I guess we were trying to get warmed up for our upcoming flight. Luckily the trip was flawless and we were able to get to the gate with plenty of time to spare. Now when I saw plenty I mean about a half and hour. Others in our group felt this was too close and wanted to be at the gate an hour and half early. Luckily the majority ruled.
The flight itself was smooth. No one lost their breakfast or squeezed my arm so hard that they leave welts that would last for days. We even had clear sky at one point as we flew over Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. (Our summer trip from 2006)
Once at the airport, we found an Amish taxi van and headed to downtown Seattle to check in at our hotel near the Space Needle. Now seeing that it was around 11:30 Seattle time, we weren't able to check into our room but they did hold our bags. From there we walked over to the needle to get something to eat since it was technically 3:00 Indiana time.
The restaurant we chose was actually a sports bar that had displays from all the Seattle sports championships. Here I was able to find a volleyball that was signed by my sister as she was a part of the Washington Huskies, women's volleyball national championship team. (that's a mouthful) I called to tell her and she acted like it was an everyday thing. They are just so popular that everyone worships them there. Actually she had no idea and thought it was pretty cool.
From there we did the tourist thing and visited the Space Needle, Monorail (monoraaaaiilll.....monoraaaiiilllll!! A Simpson's reference for those who didn't get it), and Pike's Market.
The Space Needle was fun, at least for those who enjoy the heights. Sara and Megan tend to get a little skittish around heights....so it was no surprise that they weren't thrilled about going up to the top of the needle. Through peer pressure and the promise of shopping afterwards, we were able to coax them into the elevator to make the assent up to the top. Although they stayed in the back of the elevator, they made it up and down in one piece. While up there, and enjoying the sites of Seattle, the Blue Angels were nearby practicing for their up coming airshow. So nearby that they decided to buzz the needle while we were up there.
At Pike's Market, we took in the smells of the fresh fish, the sights of the fresh flowers, and a quick picture with the original Starbucks. The girls also purchased a couple flowers to take onto the ship with us (which ended up staying alive the entire week!!) Of course it was hard to resist them urge to purchase them, especially when you can get an entire bouquet for $5.
Later that night Carolyn, my sister who lives in Seattle, took us around town, and treated Sara, Megan, and myself to bubble tea. Wikipedia can tell you all the techie jargon about it, but basically it is like drinking a fruit smoothie with little round gummy bears in it.....if you can imagine the tapioca balls inside are gummy. But if you close your eyes and believe, you will never know the difference...
We finally hit the sack by 9:30 Seattle time, which was really 12:30 Indiana time. Even though only 18 1/2 hours had passed...it felt like we had been running for 2 days straight.
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