14 Years

I was scheduled for my first weekend shift on our anniversary; normally I would try to trade with someone, but it seemed a bit late in the year, I haven't really figured out the trading weekends thing yet, and we often celebrate our anniversary on alternative days anyway. In the end, it worked out well because I got this past Friday off in exchange for working the weekend, which meant we could drop the kids off at their respective day camps and then spend the whole day together.

When Ryan took a week off earlier in the summer, I had suggested he take the ferry to Bainbridge Island. He enjoyed his trip there enough that when we found out I'd have the Friday off, I suggested we have breakfast in Bainbridge and lunch at our favorite downtown restaurant, Lecosho. The weather was gorgeous, though a little chilly due to the wind on the way over to Bainbridge, but Mt. Rainier was out and the scenery was beautiful, as ever. We'd heard that Streamliner Diner was an excellent breakfast/brunch place, just off the ferry. However, it was packed both when Ryan made the trip a couple weeks ago and as we walked by on Friday. We were headed for a crepe shop instead. After our crepes, we sat for a bit, then wandered down the main street. We took some time to look at the art in an art gallery. We even found some pieces we both liked, though weren't willing to spend the $3000-4000 they cost. Maybe one day, when we've don't need to buy a couch or a new dining table or any other things like that. We walked a bit further, down to the water, then back to the main street. We were thinking we should head back for our lunch, then realized by the time the next ferry came and we ate lunch, we might be cutting it a bit close to get our bus back in time to pick up the kids. So we changed our plans and ate lunch on Bainbridge at a deli a friend had recommended before heading back. I took pictures on our way back.

It was so much fun to take a relaxing pace with the day and to get to spend a whole day with just the two of us. It's great to think that as the kids get older, days like this will be easier and easier to come by.

A Hospital?!

I worked this past Sunday and, while I've got down what time I need to leave to catch the bus to work on the weekend, I hadn't yet figured out the reverse trip. This meant when I left work I was looking at a 25 minute wait for a bus. Given it was already pretty late, I asked Ryan and the kids to make a trip and pick me up and had the following exchange with Malcolm in the car:

Malcolm: A kids' hospital?!
Me: Yup, this is where I work.
Malcolm: You work in a hospital?!
Me: Yeah...
Malcolm: Do you get changed into nurse clothes?
Me: Nope, because I'm not a nurse. I'm a dietitian. I help the doctors and nurses know what to feed the kids.
Malcolm: Do kids go there when they're injured?
Me: Yeah, sometimes. Some of the kids who are there have injuries.
Malcolm: Have there ever been any kids there with an injury? Like from animals? Like a jaguar injury?

Apparently Mal hadn't known where I've been going for work for the past 6 months, which was surprising to us all to realize. And, for the record, I felt pretty confident stating that there had never been any jaguar injuries treated at the hospital.

Kubota Garden

This past weekend I worked all weekend (training so I'm ready to work future weekend days). Because I would be working the weekend, I got the 3rd and 4th off. Well, I would've got the 4th off regardless, but now I'll get to bank the holiday hours and use them whenever I want in the future. Anyway. I decided that I should spend some time with the kids on the 3rd, so kept them home from camp. We slept in, ran a couple quick errands, then got lunch at Dick's. We only do that once every few years, so it's a big treat for the kids. After that we headed down to South Seattle to Kubota Garden. Gareth and visited the garden our very first summer here; I've been meaning to come back ever since, but had never made it until now.

I was a little worried Mal would be bored, but within a few minutes he declared, "This is amazing!". The boys loved getting to choose what direction we wandered in our explorations, as well as all the animals and plants we saw.

Excited to see dragonflies:

And a bunny:

The first of many bridges:

Another bridge. Mal posed this way at 4 different points along the bridge.

I took a picture of this flower, and then they decided I needed to take a picture of every flower thereafter:

Baby duckling!

Hiking up a small hill:

We found a gazebo type thing:

Mal insisted he and Gareth rotate through all the smaller rocks. Gareth was feeling a bit silly by the final rock:

Koi fish!

And turtles!

The kids were sad to leave. I promised them we'd be sure to come back again; hopefully it won't be another nine years before we make it again!