Camera and iPhone photos from our weekend in Seattle over Labor Day weekend, the 12th anniversary of when we started dating. When trying to figure out what to do, we knew we’d have just gotten back from Colorado and we’d be heading to Wyoming at the end of September, so we didn’t feel like doing a huge trip for the occasion. I ended up booking us a hotel in downtown Seattle and we drove up just for Sunday and Monday. Sunday afternoon, we had lunch at Mama’s Cantina and then walked around a lot – to Pike Place Market, to the SAM gift shop, to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, to Pioneer Square for the Underground Tour, and back to our hotel (18,000 steps, says my Health app!). There was a Cheesecake Factory right by our hotel, so for dinner we got french fries and bread and cake and ate it in bed while we watched Forensic Files. It was pretty wonderful. We also exchanged gifts! I love what Nat made me so much – a cutting board and knife that he engraved (himself!) with my nickname and a Ratatouille reference (we’ve been doing Home Chef since May so we cook together a lot these days). I embroidered him some art for our bedroom.

Monday morning, we took Cody for a walk in Gas Works Park, and then went up to Lynnwood to buy a car! This was truly not the purpose of our trip to Seattle – it really just worked out perfectly. Around the same time I booked our hotel, I found a very good Forester on Craigslist at a dealership not far from Seattle. (I sold my Wagoneer in August, and I had been planning on replacing my two cars with one nice, “new” one when that happened, so I had been looking for Foresters for a few weeks.) I don’t think I would have bought it if everything hadn’t come together so well, but it did. I’ve since sold my Volvo, so now I am an adult lady with my first every big lady car. I love it (/her – Ruby).

After that, we went to the Burke Museum on the University of Washington campus. I’d always known it was pretty much the only natural history museum in the PNW, so I finally made it a point to check it out. I knew it would be small, but since it’s old I actually loved it! I’m kind of disappointed it’s moving to a new space next year. They don’t make museums like they used to. With Elsie (who lives in Seattle now!) we went to see the Fremont Troll, went to Ballyhoo (I had Salt & Straw for the first time, across the street), and went to The Octopus Bar, where we took photobooth pictures. It was such a fun weekend! I have to say that I’m so glad we went on that Underground Tour. The story of it is incredible. I would absolutely recommend it as a thing to do if you’re a ~toruist~ in Seattle.