bring on a new decade...

I have made it home from my weekend getaway. It was such a wonderful weekend.

Friday morning, I met with Katrina, Farhat and Toni for breakfast. These are all moms that I have met from Tae Kwon Do. Only Farhat's kids still go but we have such great fun getting together. It has probably been a year since our last time that we met for breakfast but it was great to just catch up again.

Then Katrina took me to the Amtrak station and I was on my way to Tukwilla. The first time I went to Tukwilla, they told me at least 5 times, you know there is nothing there (meaning the train stop in Tukwilla). This time, they wanted to make sure someone was meeting me at the train, because you know - there is nothing there....

Boarded the train and we took off on time. But the were delayed before we even made it to Vancouver. River traffic had the bridge up. We pull into Vancouver and then boards the kids! Our car becomes the "minors traveling alone" car... Joy. Then the ladies behind me started their life long stories... all the way to Tacoma!!! Give me a break. These ladies talked so loud, I could hear them clearly over the noise of the train plus my iPOD!!! Are we there yet so I could get out of there???

Anyway, made it eventually and Tink was there in her "white" van to pick me up. Vicki said, Tink will be there in her white van with red racing stripes. Well, Tink was there in her silver van! It was the joke of the weekend. Tink has only been living with Vicki now for a year and the van has never been white....

Vicki threw me a bday party that night with some yummy fajitas and cheesecake with fresh strawberries. She even added candles! A 4 and Fairly Odd Parents - so guess I was forty odd years old. A couple of her neighbors came, Kada and Pam. What hilarious gals. Turned out that Kada was from Camas and lived there when I was living in Washougal... Small world. Also Connie and Wendy were there. I met these gals during my convention days. Was great to see them again too. The night was filled with great stories and laughs.

Saturday morning, we got up early and headed out for our day. We drove to Anacortes and caught the ferry to Friday Harbor. Was going to be just Vicki and I, but Kada and Vicki surprised Tink with the whale watching for her bday coming up next month. We caught the ferry with just a couple minutes to spare.



Once we were in Friday Harbor, I was ready to move there. What a beautiful place! Seems like the whole hustle and bustle on the island was only when the ferries were being loaded and unloaded. Just laid back and mellow. My kind of place to escape to. We couldn't of asked for better weather. The sun was out - the water smooth - and just perfect. We had time for a quick lunch and then it was time for our whale watching excursion.

The three of us boarded the Western Prince with 26 other people and the crew. Captain Ivan took us out past San Juan Island where we saw the whales. It was so amazing. At first they were out away from the boat. It was so quiet though, that you could hear when they blew out through their blowholes when they surfaced. The crew figured that we had 5 of them around us. There was a mom and baby that would surface together. What beautiful animals. Then Ivan announced that it was time to head back to Friday Harbor. We thought there were enough of us to form a mutiny so we could stay out longer - but they did have another group of people waiting for their tour... Just then, one of the whales breached up out of the water. It was amazing. We all missed it getting it on camera because it caught us off guard. But just then - up he came again. One of the gals on the crew caught an amazing picture of it. I can't wait til she can email it to me. My camera has some funny delay thing going on that I can't change, so I was only able to catch the splash. Just the perfect way to end the tour.

We headed back to the harbor and stopped by a nest where there were eagles. Later we saw the eagles flying over the water. Beautiful birds. We also saw harbor seals. So if you are ever in Friday Harbor - take a ride with the crew on the Western Prince. A true adventure and a perfect way to star off the next decade of my life. Turning 40 wasn't so bad with spending a day like that.

Before catching the ferry back, we did some checking out of the shops in Friday Harbor and had yummy salmon for dinner. We took the ferry back and then drove back to Vicki's house. We watched 27 Dresses. I hadn't seen this yet and wanted to - but think I slept through most of it. I know how it ends!!! Will have to rent it again here one of these days.

Sunday, we took the opportunity to sleep in a bit. Vicki made fruit smoothies and waffles and we just hung out for the morning. I caught the train home about 2:30. Once I got home, I found a package on my scrap table. It was a cookie bouquet! Too funny... I looked at quickly and thought they were turkeys, but then read the center cookie and it said Happy Birthday you old buzzard!!! Instantly I thought - thank you KJ and June!!! Read the card, and yep, it was from the girls. Thank you! The cookies were very good. I was surprised they lasted til I got home... I have added the rest of them to my secret stash... Thank you so much, girls. So wish you could of been here this weekend. We will have to plan a getaway there sometime.

Jake made me dinner last night. He built a fire in the fireplace and roasted hot dogs. Resourceful boy scout that he is...

So today is catch up day. Laundry and housework again... I should probably get to it. Tom and Lucas are on a motorcycle ride today to Astoria. Hopefully they won't have bad traffic.

Enjoy your day. Remember those this Memorial Day that have lost their lives for this country, lost loved ones and to just be grateful for those that continue to fight everyday for us.

Til next time...
Laura

PS I will post some pics soon from the weekend.