Northern Trek: Day One

Day one, and it was the longest day ever since our trip began at 1:00 in the morning.

Yes, we decided we needed another trip to visit the Northern Romneys.  You may remember reading my post about our trip there in January, right after Christmas, when we took my mom.  (Blech...I get the yucks in my brain and my belly just thinking about the lowlights of that trip.)  It left a lingering bad aftertaste, that is for sure.  And since Troy and I adore the woods and lushness of the northwest so much, and since we love Adam and Whit, and since we needed to cleanse our emotional palates, we decided to find a way to get up there this summer.

I'm so happy that we did it.  Ahhhhh.........Bainbridge Island.  In the middle of the bright and airy summer with no scary experiences to manage.....it was HEAVEN.  

So yes, day one really began as early as any day can:  we were off and driving by 1:30 in the morning.  We've decided this is the best way to do this.  Troy goes to bed at 8:00 and sleeps until 1:00 while I pack the car and clean the house and gather stuff and try to make my kids go to sleep, which is successful for everyone except my night owl Bitty.  She stays up late, eyes wide open and excitement just jumping in her veins.  I wake Troy, we load everyone, including Bundle who was moaning, "Why are we doing this.....?"  It's a valid question.  But really, since we all go back to sleep while Troy drives and no one is conscious until 8:00 in the morning and we're in Oregon, it works out.  Troy gets the bum deal there but he says that's how he likes it best.  

We arrived in Seattle around 2:00 in the afternoon, not considering that it was the day before Independence day and many folks would be leaving the city early to celebrate the holiday weekend.  It took us at least 90 minutes to get on the ferry to Bainbridge - that tested everyone's patience but no one completely melted down.  It just made that first ferry ride all the more beautiful.  

And of course as soon as we got there, the kids all started begging to go to the beach.  I don't blame them - I sometimes feel like my whole body is dying of thirst for the ocean and its vast expanse.

Bundle seems to have no sense of gross-out.  She had no fear of picking up all sorts of stuff on the beach: dead crabs, piles and piles of stinky seaweed....

This is Mitt.  Yes, Adam named his dog Mitt.  As in Mitt Romney.  I love it.  He's a sweet puppy.

By the time evening rolled around we were all exhausted, and even Bitty was easy to tuck into bed.  We tried to hang out with Adam and Whit a little bit....but even I could hear myself start to snore while I relaxed on their bed during a movie.  I made it an early bedtime and gratefully climbed into Whitley's awesome guest bed and was immediately unconscious for the next 8 hours.  Did I mention that it was Heaven?