Stephens Wedding: Day two

We woke up bright and early Friday morning.  Not because we had to, but because a certain boy likes to wake up as soon as the sun comes up (even when he goes to bed "late").  I had to go with the ladies to the salon, though, so it was good timing.

Owen and Kraig stayed back at our condo for the morning.  After a nap (again, on demand.  Who is this kid?  We say "close your eyes and go to sleep" and he does it!) they headed down to the beach.  Owen can't get enough of the sand!

We all got ready to head over to Sam's beach house for rehearsal and dinner.  Unfortunately, the weather had not been cooperating for an outdoor rehearsal, but we did manage to sneak it in during a random calm moment between storms.

Did I hog this little peanut for the majority of the evening?  You bet I did.

Bellies were filled, rehearsal was complete, and we were ready to get some rest before the Big Day!

Stephens Wedding: Day one

Trips like this one make us very thankful that Owen is such an amazing traveler.  He gets so excited to fly on airplanes that we really don't have to do much to prepare him.  He helps pack his backpack with toys and snacks, gladly wakes up early, and cooperates the entire time- he even goes to sleep on demand on the plane!  

We got to Navarre Beach, FL in time to enjoy some sunshine.  Owen wasted no time in putting on his suit and digging into the sand.

Kraig wasted no time in getting into the summertime spirit with a Bell's Oberon.

 Mark and Tayte found this awesome conch shell just a few yards from Sam's back porch.

The happy couple at sunset

We grilled some mushrooms and veggie skewers (and meat for the meat-eaters) for dinner and let the kiddos play for a bit (this is where being on PST was so nice!  Late bedtimes!)  Wedding festivities started early the next morning though, so we headed back to our condo for some rest.  

Foggy Seattle-town

We woke up bright and early on Thursday morning to head to Seattle.  Kraig was meeting with his boss/peers for a tour through Starbucks Headquarters followed by visits to some of the local stores and lunch together.  All this before they went to a certain small event hosted by the CEO.  For reals.

 Introductions, because I just love this crowd:  L->R we have Patrick who has fancy African barkless dogs.  Love.  Emily, who is Kraig's current manager/trainer/boss lady.  Jane, the district manager and an absolutely wonderful lady whom I adore.  Marissa, without whom we'd be living in a cardboard box on the streets (story below).  And oh, that handsome man on the right is none other than my lover.  Heyo!

Side-story: can you even believe that we were about to pack our car and drive to Portland, just 7 days before our "move date", without a firm job placement?!  Me neither.  I mean, WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!  All I remember is a certain peace about the situation and certainty that it was all going to work out because, after all, we were doing EXACTLY what we felt like we were supposed to do.  Anyway, we had some cockamamie plan about Kraig filling in at a few places part-time (what!? part-time?!) for about a month while he scouted out a permanent placement.  Uh.  Earth to K & J, there is a baby dependent upon K's salary for survival.  Egads.  Anyway, just a few days before our move date we  received a call from a most excited and wonderful Marissa- manager at a store in NW Portland who wanted to bring Kraig on full-time.  Hallelujah.  He called back and of course took the transfer.

All that to say that call from Marissa set into motion the perfect storm of events that led Kraig to where he is today (if you haven't heard me say it enough, we are so proud of his success here).  That is all.

Back to the real reason for this post.  Seattle.  Enter: Starbucks Headquarters.

And the svelte, super personable, very jovial CEO, Howard Schultz.

He bikes.  Oh, and he drives a Porsche as all good CEOs do, right?

Kraig was very surprised and pleased to find that he had a special reserved front-row seat.  Shazam!

Kraig obviously had such an amazing morning/afternoon.  He got to chat with Howard and meet some of the other big players.  What an awesome opportunity for him!

And our (me, Owen, Sophie) morning?  Well it was not nearly as exciting!

We dropped Kraig off at HQ and didn't see him for another..... 8 hours.

Me + toddler + puppy who really needs to potty had to check in to the hotel, park in the garage, and somehow manage to get out of garage/up to our hotel room without an elevator on the ground floor.  Lord, have mercy.

(I know, some of my readers might be wondering "what's the big deal?"  Apparently you have never attempted this feat.  Cut me some slack.)

My good friend Wanda was there to pick us up right as I got Owen and myself changed and cleaned up a bit.  We went to lunch at a most amazing vegetarian restaurant (Cafe Flora) and I enjoyed my brunch so much that I told Kraig we MUST return for dinner.  (And we did.)  Yum.

We stayed with Wanda for the afternoon before heading back for a nap.  And what a nap it was!  We awoke just as Kraig was arriving back, and we suited up for dinner.

All in all, not a bad first day in the big city.  I'm pretty proud of myself for handling the two little ones all day by myself, though it was such a nightmare.

Friday, though.  Sweet friday.  We had an amazing time just gallivanting around the market.  I love that area- so many little shops and cafes.  I dislike the crowds but hey, it was a gorgeous spring day so I can't blame them!

I found a gem of a cafe called Michou Fresca.  It was a la carte style and they had SO many options it was unbelievable.  Even the veg options were outstanding.  We took our food to the park behind the market and enjoyed the light breeze and view of the Olympic mountains.

A trip to the market isn't complete without a stop at the 1st and Pike Starbucks (skip the "original" store... go to this one instead).

 That is a forced smile.  Funny!

After we rehydrated....

 yup, those are all for 2 people (Kraig's coffee is hiding)....

we packed up and headed back to Portland.  Can't beat this mountain view on the way home! (Mt. Rainier)

Obviously, someone was ready for a (second) nap.