A Day in Seattle

We went to Seattle one afternoon, just the four of us squeezed into Uncle Furry's little Honda (he generously loaned it to us while the happy couple were on their honeymoon.)

First we ate lunch at The Crab Pot on Pier 57. It was so lovely we ate outside. The sun was really bright for little eyes but we finally figured out a way to shade our table. Eric had salmon steak and I had crab-stuffed salmon -- YUM. Even the Boogie still talks about her popcorn shrimp.

Peabody only cared about the tartar sauce, or "dip" ... and my broccoli. Weird kid.

From our table we could see a giant Ferris wheel at the end of the pier, and decided to go for a ride after lunch. We had to wait in line for a little while, and it didn't occur to me that the gentle rocking motion might make for upset stomachs until afterward when Eric mentioned that his got a little queasy. It was really fun and I totally recommend it ... just go before lunch.

Safeco and CenturyLink Fields in the distance ...

... and the Space Needle the other way.

After our ride we walked across the street to Pike Place Market. No one was throwing fish, sadly. The Boogie was looking forward to that. It was waaaaay less crowded than the Saturday we went on last year.

We found this duct-tape-covered car in a parking lot. I thought it was kind of clever. Cheaper than a new paint job, right?

Then we drove over to the Space Needle and went up to the top!

 

We even found our car!

 

Peabody was starting to get tired

In the gift shop the girls were delighted to find Angry Birds paraphernalia.

The Boogie found a onesie that she wanted to get for Baby O-nee but it was too small so I persuaded her to settle for a picture of it.

After all of our fun adventures we went to B&D's apartment where we met Pops and Mom and Mamaw and all had dinner together. The cousins had a blast playing together, and Mamaw gave each child something she had made for them. The Boogie and HL got hooded capes, Peabody got an adorable little bunny, and SL got a Scottie skirt. She had so much fun twirling in it that she and the Boogie began dancing together, and pretty soon cousins were dancing around all over the place.

We had such a nice time just sitting around and talking and, of course, drinking coffee! It was a really fun day.

A Fairybook Wedding

Uncle Furry and his lovely bride had a beautiful wedding. The weather threatened rain but cleared up in time. Lots and lots of people were there! It was so fun to see family and friends. Sadly I hardly took any pictures. Eric got a few with his phone, but I don't have any of me with any of my family except Mom, none of me and Eric or our little family, none of the ringbearer, not even one good shot of the bride and groom, ugh! I could kick myself! The wedding photographers took lots and lots and LOTS of photos, though, so I look forward to seeing those once they are published online.

The little girls were ADORABLE in their matching flower girl dresses!

 The bride's sister and her boyfriend built this swing and engraved it for the bride and groom!

 

 The bride made these sweet clip-on earrings for each flower girl. Peabody wouldn't wear hers but the rest of them did.

Most of the formal photography was before the ceremony. As we were herding children to the lawn for pictures, we noticed Pops walking across the grass in his tux and ... tennis shoes?

The morning of the wedding he pulled his Corframs out of their box and they looked just great, nice and shiny. At the venue he put them on, but when he started walking in them they began to completely fall apart. The sides split, and the soles came right off!

 He said it was just like a slapstick movie. Thankfully someone had an extra pair of shoes.

The ceremony went well. SL and HL weren't at the rehearsal, so they hadn't had a chance to practice. The flower girls huddled in a tight group and shuffled slowly down the aisle. Mom caught SL's eye and gestured for her to begin dropping petals out of her little tin bucket. As she did the other girls followed suit, except for Peabody who shook her bucket a couple of times, then just dumped it out. Shortly before the 3:00 start time I realized that I had forgotten to feed the girls any lunch, so P was at the end of her rope. She made it down the aisle, then came to sit with me for the remainder of the ceremony.

The reception was a buffet dinner cooked by a fellow church member and it was delicious!

 There were so many people that we ran out of tables but no one seemed to mind. My uncle and aunt flew up from California -- I knew they would be there, but what I didn't know was that they were bringing three of my cousins! That was such a great surprise. Then Mom's college roommate showed up -- Mom wasn't expecting that and I think it was the icing on the cake for her.

Eventually the best man (my brother Ben) and the maid of honor and several groomsmen gave toasts, and then Uncle Furry gave his salvation testimony. It was more like preaching than a testimony! I've never heard anything like it. It was really something.

 

After the toasts the bride and groom danced, then the bride danced with her parents.

The bride's father called it a fairybook wedding and it really was!