beaches, bonfires, family

 My last and final post of my little month away series shall be about my five days in Southern California spent with my beautifully amazing family. It was such a joy to relax and spend endless amounts of time on the beach and of course my family. The five days passed quicker than I ever thought they would, but nonetheless, it was so worth it to go visit. As I said, I spent most of the time on the beach, whether it was taking a run with my cousins (and up a terribly hefty amount of stairs), having a bonfire with marshmallows obviously, playing in the very very frigid Pacific, or napping--of course. I loved every minute spent with my family that I unfortunately don't see enough. We packed up one day and walked around Venice Beach, something we might as well call a tradition now since every time we visit our family, we manage to find a way to make it to Venice. The diverse group of people walking around Venice makes it beyond wonderful for people watching--I could seriously do it all day. The family also visited Laguna, Dana Point, and Doheny beaches during our stay. Each night, I savored some more delicious and surprisingly still healthy meals and ugh I really shouldn't rave about the food I had anymore than I already have... On our final evening, we watched thee most stunning sunset: the perfect ending to my month away. 

 

 

 

family time in the washington wilderness

My parents and brother came up to visit and see my performances in Seattle my final weekend and after the performances were all done and finished Saturday, Sunday we went for some good 'ole hiking in the mountains. We were originally going to hike down to this giant waterfall (hiding in the background of the photo above) but we found out that those hiking trails don't open until late September. However, that didn't stop us from finding another brilliant place to hike! We made our way to a ski resort (obviously no skiing there at this time of year) called Alpental. We managed to hike seven miles which wasn't entirely horrid until we hit the switchbacks and got to this incredible viewing point of Snow Lake, which was absolutely gorgeous. After being in the city for three full weeks and seeing everything urban, it was so nice to get away from all of the rush and explore the outdoors. Everywhere I turned around out there made me feel like I was in a scene of The Sound of Music. The day couldn't have been more beautiful either; the weather was stunning. It was just lovely getting exercise, fresh air, and much needed family time on this wonderfully scenic hike. 

I also discovered how much of a camera ham my brother is....

sunday morning brunch and small town sunsets

 On Sunday, the whole Seattle family gang went out for brunch at this darling cottage-esque place in Bothell. The food was delicious (I gave in and got the biscuits and gravy--a divine choice, I must say) and I had, as always, good company. After brunch, my aunt took me to two of her friend's 60th birthday parties which included social dancing with swing and ballroom of all sorts, once again awesome food, and some pretty neat atmospheres. The first party was at a dance hall downtown with a potluck smorgasbord of snacks and refreshments and a lovely performance by my aunt's dance troupe. The second party was up in Snohomish, a small town reminiscent of my current town of Cape Girardeau--but with better scenery of the Cascade Mountains as the backdrop. 

After dinner at the Oxford Tavern, where more food, social dancing, and a live band occurred, Aunt Pat and I ventured over to a little beach somewhat near her home. It was stunning, especially at sunset. There were bonfires blazing, friends and colleagues chatting, and lovers snuggling around the beach and the lighthouse nearby. It was a glorious evening and even though the weather in the daytime is warm with a balmy breeze, the evenings are rather chilly and nice to cuddle up by the beach and watch the sunset. It was a pretty perfect night, one could say.

a saturday in kirkland

On my first weekend in Seattle but technically second Saturday there, the 520 bridge from Kirkland (where I was staying with my cousins) was closed and I was unable to hang with the friends I had made who were staying in the city. So I thoroughly enjoyed a weekend with my family, going to the Derby Days (I think that's what they called it?) which was a little weekend festival with venders, and food trucks, and bicycle races! We enjoyed the beyond lovely weather Seattle was having and walked around the adorable town of Kirkland. We ate yet another AWESOME meal cooked up by my cousins, always a tender meat grilled by Sean and delicious salad and veggies by Jessica--oh just talking about it makes me want to go back for another meal with them, yum!