Sunday, I fly out to Seattle to visit one of my very best friends who moved there last year. I'm so excited to see her - and I have never been to the west coast. I can't wait to go to Pike's Place Market and the Space Needle. We don't really have any hard and fast plans; we are just going to hang out and see what happens. I'm a little nervous about what the weather will be like, especially since my wardrobe is extremely limited. (i.e: nothing fits my newly weird body) This is also the first time I will be away from Mike for more than a few hours since Kenley died. He's been a constant support in my life, and it will be strange not being with him. But, it will be fine. I'll have my friend and her family and will be super busy. I know Mike will be just fine too. We have a great support system surrounding us if he needs anything.
I fly back from Seattle the following Saturday. Mike is picking me up from the airport at 10pm and we are driving to Tallahassee to spend the night. The next morning, we are hopping back in the car to continue our road trip to The Big Easy - New Orleans.
In those first few days after losing Kenley, we decided we needed to take a Life Reset Vacation, where we could go away, reconnect with ourselves and each other, and then come back ready to start our lives again. We needed to give me enough time to heal physically, so we wanted to try to go in mid-April. However, timing and finances just didn't come together then. Mike's mom has timeshare points that she lets us use from time to time. (Thanks to her, we were able to afford our wonderful Hawaiian Honeymoon!) We scoured the website for locations that we could get to without airfare and that were available when we could go. We found NOTHING. One night, I happened upon a timeshare in New Orleans for the week of July 4th. I thought - oh, how lucky! So, I booked it. As it was processing, I noticed the full date. 2014. Crap!! It was too late to refresh the page, so we had to call them to cancel. I felt like a moron! Fortunately, we had no problem cancelling and the guy on the phone told us he actually happened to have an opening in early June of THIS year. Yay! Even though it fell so close to my Seattle trip, we snagged it. We knew we wouldn't get anything better so close to our desired travel dates. So, New Orleans it is!
I've been to New Orleans a few times when I was really little and Mike tarped roofs after Katrina, but neither one of us have been as actual coherent tourists. I am excited to wander the city streets, see some historical sights, go on some ghost tours, and eat my weight in beignets. (It's mostly the beignets!) It will be good for us to have time with each other that doesn't involve cleaning our house, buying groceries, or applying for jobs. I have family that lives nearby and it will be good to see them too. We both need this!
I'm working on making a K to carry with me so I can take pictures of Kenley on my travels. I'll post those when I return.
Now, I am hoping you are thinking, "Rebecca, we will miss your blog posts so much! Whatever will we do without them for two weeks!?" Well, you are probably not really thinking that, but that's ok. I am working on a few posts right now that I am scheduling to publish while I am gone. I probably won't have enough to span the entire two weeks, but it's something. (It's looking like a post should hit the net every other day starting Monday.) Also, I may have some things to say while in Washington and might do a quick post from my Ipad. However, absolutely NO posting will be done in real time from New Orleans. That is my time with Mike, and the blog is not invited. Sorry. An update will be posted when I get back. I doubt I'll even go on Facebook that week. Unless it is to post pictures of my food - because I get excited! So, be sure to check back over the next two weeks for those scheduled posts, and I'll see you all when I return!
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| I am so excited for both of these cities! It is terrible that I base most of my travel plans around food? |
Of course it took the prospect of food to get me to finally comment. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm excited that you're getting to do some traveling and your New Orleans trip, just you and Mike, and no updating, that sounds like a fabulous idea.
But let's talk food.
If you don't already have concrete plans for Seattle and a trip up the Space Needle, let me tell you a little secret. We went last year after our cruise.. After doing some research, I found out that if you book lunch reservations at Sky City (the restaurant at the top of the Space Needle) the lunch cost ends up offsetting the price of an admission ticket. It's something like $15 just to go up, but if you make lunch plans, the admission is free, you just have an $18 minimum, but most dishes are in the $15-20 range. This means, yes, it's an expensive lunch, but you're also getting to the top of the Needle, and it's WAY better than the $8 hotdog at the concession stand at the top!!! I seriously hope you can do this, cause, I had one of the best meals of my life there!! SO GOOD!
And on the non food tip... The Chihuly museum at the base of the Space Needle is AMAZING!!
Sweet! Thanks! :) This is why we are friends!
DeleteLet's do that! Lunch Monday at the top of the Space Needle. I've always wanted to eat there and this would be the perfect occasion.
ReplyDeleteDone and Done!
Deleteyou may need to check on reservations though! we had them made in advance, but got there like an hour early but still went ahead and got checked in and didn't have to wait very long. but I think they're necessary.
DeleteI agree with EB - that's what we did and it was an EPIC lunch! :)
ReplyDeleteI am already very excited!
DeleteYou and I will be in Seattle at the same time! :) Monday we are going to the Space Needle (if it's not too cloudy) and the science fiction museum. Brian is also taking me to eat at Dick's, because he says it's necessary.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have lots of fun!
Wouldn't it be weird if we actually had time to meet up - across the country from where we both live!?
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