Villa Junkies

Christina was in town for a couple months, so she, Maira, and I got together and recreated La Villa food - chicken tacos, rice, beans, and salsa. La Villa was sold and turned into a Venezuelan restaurant much to our dismay. They did retain one of their cooks, Raul, which has made the transition into our Villa-less world easier to swallow. Maira used to work at La Villa and knows Raul well enough to ask him for tips on recreating the recipes. And so Maira made us a plate of food so close to the real deal that I couldn't stop "hmm"-ing and "Oh man!"-ing as I scarfed it down. She even sent us home with leftovers. It was a dream. Christina jotted down the recipes, so I will forever have a bit of La Villa in my life. And yes, this was worth a blog post.

rain, rain... stay

There was a pretty good rain storm a couple days after we returned from Vegas, so Max and I sat on the front porch and watched. I tried to teach him new words. He picked up on thunder and started throwing his arms up and then whipping them down while making "boom" sounds. He would gasp with every lightening flash and point to the sky. It was a lot of fun watching him. I wish we had more storms here; we would be outside more often.

 

St. George and Vegas

We were only home for two days before we headed down Wednesday to St. George for Nate's friend's wedding. Nate went to the sealing while I watched Max, and then we went together to the luncheon. We sat with Tracy and some of the bride's siblings. Nate is really happy for Steve, and I think Steve and Stephanie look perfect together. We drove down to Vegas that evening and stayed with Liz. Liz and I spent the morning shopping while Nate did some work. Max had fun throwing rocks with Nash and Haven in the front yard. We had dinner with Liz, Steve, and the kids before going to Max and Katie's. We spent the night and morning there. Grandpa Max got out the toys for little Max, and they played together while we chatted with Katie. Allen had us over for a BBQ and swimming. I love their pool... complete with a little rock fountain. Max wanted to sit in the waterfall the whole time. We went back over to Liz's for dinner and cupcakes for Glenn's first birthday. We said goodbye and went back to Max and Katie's where I talked with Katie for a couple of hours about her mom's genealogy. I had been editing what Katie had transcribed from Veda's voice recordings. We drove home on Sunday morning, and Max was nearly perfect. I think he finally realized that no matter how much he cried, the drive wouldn't go faster and his bum wouldn't hurt less. We sang songs and tickled his legs. He colored and played with his cars. He took two short naps. It was a good end to two weeks of travel.

 

Seattle, Part 5

Before leaving on Saturday, we had to stop at Franz Donuts to get some glazed old-fashioned donuts for breakfast. Everyone had been eating donuts from Franz all week and we had to see what the fuss was all about. They were worth the hype. The box was empty by the end of the day. We found one of the last Ivar's as we drove south out of Washington and so stopped for lunch. We had fried halibut and clams. There was a sign on the wall that said "I think, therefore I clam" and the signs on the bathroom doors said "Buoys" and "Gulls." We headed on to Multnomah Falls and Vista House at Crown Point in Oregon. Because it was the weekend after the fourth, there were TONS of travelers like us stopping to see the sites. It took a lot longer than planned, but the drive up to Crown Point was really pretty and we ended up passing more fruit stands where we bought more berries to make jam. We passed a few more waterfalls on the way back to the highway and headed on to Pendleton where we stayed the night.

We stopped in Baker City, Idaho on Sunday. My great grandfather had a bike shop there, and we stopped to see the house where my grandma was born. The rest of the drive was uneventful aside from some rainbows, and Max was more manageable this time around. We had a great time, but it was good to be home. 

 

Seattle, Part 4

On Friday, Nate and I went to Henry's Donuts for breakfast and Rinconcito for lunch. We had leftovers for dinner at Chris's house and visited with Grandma and Grandpa before we headed down to Lighthouse Park to see the water and a bit of the sunset. Someone was having a bonfire on the beach, bees buzzed around the fresh lavender, and the ferry took off toward the island.

 

Seattle, Part 3

For the fourth of July, Nate and I bought Grandma some flowers and took them and some fish from Ray's to her and Grandpa for lunch. They were napping, so we left everything and came back later for a BBQ. Jeff made amazing ribs and cooked up some of the shrimp he'd caught. Max tried Cracker Jack and played with squirt guns. Everyone went over to a small street festival where we ate ice cream and funnel cake while Max danced to some live music. We went back to Chris's where we played with toy cars in the driveway and lit sparklers in the backyard before heading home.

 

Seattle, Part 2

Nate and I drove about an hour to Snoqualmie on Wednesday. The drive itself was worth it; green, lush plants, wild flowers, groves and fields bordered the winding roads. We bought some plump blackberries at a stand before heading to the waterfall. We then went into town and walked the main street where we visited the antique train museum and bought fudge at the candy store. We also bought Max a little pinwheel that he clung to the rest of the trip.

 
On the way home, we stopped at Boehm's Candy and bought a few pieces to try. The hazelnut chocolate was a dream, and they even had candied orange peel covered in chocolate. I hadn't had those since I was in Chile. It was definitely worth the stop.

That evening, Grandpa bought us all Mexican food and we sat out back at Chris's while we ate. Eric and the girls were also there. Max played with the dogs and his cars in the yard.

Seattle, Part 1

We drove up to Everett, Washington the weekend before July 4th. The drive was about 12 1/2 hours and definitely not easy with Max. We were all stuck in the car, but Max couldn't even shift his bum in his car seat to get more comfortable. And if he dropped something? That was on me. I think I pulled a muscle with all the turning and reaching. Not really, but I am 7 months pregnant. My belly kinds gets in the way. We were tired when we arrived late at Mitch and Emilie's, so we spent Monday relaxing. We went over to see Chris, Grandma, and Grandpa for a chat in the early afternoon.

Chris came with us to Pike Place Tuesday morning. I love it so much... the smell of spices and fruits and fresh fish, tasting local jams, honeys, and cheese, the curiosity shops and fortune teller machines. We ate the most delicious, juicy plum we'd ever had. Max rode on his first carousel. We fed the seagulls while eating fish and chips on the pier. We had ice cream twice, caramel and sea salt fudge, and fresh doughnut holes. Oh, the joy.

That evening, we went to dinner with Mitch and Emilie at a Vietnamese restaurant that they love. I had Pho, and Nate got meat skewers and rice. We came home and talked for a long time about books we liked. It turns out that Nate, Mitch, and Emilie are all into fantasy. It was great seeing them. I just wish we lived closer.