SEATTLE!!!

Well, of course I couldn't wait to get home to Seattle!  Now, don't get me wrong...I LOVED San Diego, my mom's farm, and Seaside.....however, if you know me at all, you know that my home and heart will always be in Seattle!  It's where I grew up and where my family and friends are and the place where I feel comfort and love..... (Yeah, it was cloudy on the day I took the above pictures....so what?  It's SEATTLE!!!!)

When I go to Seattle, I always stay with my friend Judi.  She has an awesome basement that is ALL MINE when I come to visit!  I have a bed, a big, BIG screen TV, a bathroom and kitchen all to myself!  Yeah, I'm one lucky gal!  And the best part is, Judi LOVES it when I come to stay!  She does the famous Microsoft "work from home" thing when I'm there, which basically translates into her answering emails in the morning and then SHOPPING the rest of the day

 Gotta love that Microsoft gig!  Judi recently adopted her two nieces, so staying at her house these days is a little different than it was a few years ago.....it's funny to go to her house and see toys all over the place and kids car seats in her car!  Anyway, I love Judi and really appreciate unconditional love and friendship! 

As soon as I arrived in Seattle, I already had a schedule of appointments....lunch, dinner, shopping, visiting, etc.  It was a BLAST!  I LOVED knowing I was going to be in town for two full weeks and that I had plenty of time to do all the things I love and see all the people I love!  It was the best feeling EVER, as usually I'm only in town for a week or so and it's just never, ever enough time.  As it turns out, two weeks still wasn't enough.  There were still many people I wanted to see and things I wanted to do....oh well, there's always next summer!

I was able to help my good friend Brenda celebrate her birthday, which was so much fun!

She and I have been friends since 7th grade, so we have quite a history!  There were some other friends at her birthday as well.....Candi, who I've known since 4th grade and Mickey who I met in 6th grade!  It was so fun to go to dinner and enjoy everyone's company......it's things like that that I really hate missing out on being so far away.

Before I knew it, it was July 4th!  What a fun day that was!  My sister and her family came over from Eastern Washington and my mom came up from the farm, so we were able to spend the holiday together!  My friend Brenda (in the picture with me above....the other picture is of Mickey and Candi) has a beautiful home on a private lake and she had a super-dooper fun 4th of July party!  Jill's kids had a blast (as did everyone else's)!!!  Check out the pictures below to get an idea of how much fun we had!

So,

 obviously Brenda knows how to throw a party! 

 She is an amazing hostess and loves to have 

people over.....as my sister said "I'm really glad 

you have such great friends......"  

And I must admit....I am too!!   I am hoping she makes it an annual event!!! 

My time in Seattle was SO much fun!  I was so happy that I could participate in these fun activities, and I was even happier when I realized that it was only July 4th!  I have another 10 days to spend in Seattle!  WOO-HOO!!!

So yes, there is more to come.....