Week won... I mean week one is in the books and i consider our move to be successful on all accounts except for Kendra's emotional well being. She's grieving the selling of our Phoenix house and feeling the effects of living in temporary housing with lots of uncertainty about our future residence. Will we buy or rent? what town will we live in? how many bedrooms will it have? how long of a drive will it be to our friends in Mukilteo? It's all up in the air. Everyone deals with uncertainty differently and Kendra is working through it one day at a time.
Before leaving Phoenix, our house was packed and loaded into a semi so we had no place to sleep. The relocation package included 5 nights stay at a hotel and a rental car. We chose the Arizona Grand resort because it was still 106 degrees every day and the best way to beat the heat is in the pool. a really big pool... and a water slide. and a lazy river.
We ate well, slept well, and relaxed like royalty. On the Monday of our departure we packed up everything we need until the semi arrives with our stuff. That amounted to one wife, two kids, one dog, seven suit cases, and four backpacks.
The one way flight to Seattle was blessedly uneventful even for Max. The twins did so well to manage the excitement while maintaining a sense of manners.
We loaded up the rental car and drive directly to REI. Tthe Arizona Webbs had no need for hats or coats, but the Washington Webbs desperately needed to get our gear to stay warm.
We all tried on hats and gear, most of which the twins had never owned before. Easton and I tried on these super fuzzy hats, but we didn't feel the need to purchase them... yet.
We arrived in the big city of Bellevue with no idea what our temporary abode would be like. We opened the door to a two bedroom apartment on the third floor of a high rise in downtown Bellevue. We were fortunate to have the entire first week be full of sunshine and perfect temperatures. Our first task was to get a feel for our surroundings so I took the twins and we went for their first city hike.
On another day we walked from our front door to Lake Washington. We are not on the water front, but it's only a few short minutes to the yacht club, which we will never be a part of.
One of our best days so far was our adventure to West Seattle. An area called Pike Place where fish get thrown around in the market place and the oldest Starbucks in the world still serves their famous coffee. Alaysha went with us this trip. we are glad to have her living in our house and sharing in the adventures.
Besides the space needle, there is another icon of the area called the Great Wheel. It's a ferris wheel on a pier that takes you out of the water and up over the city. The price to ride around 4 rotations is outrageously expensive, but we did it anyways for the experience together.
Easton and Layla shared a seat with me. Easton pointed out every known landmark several times. He is very observant when he chooses.
Alaysha, Kendra and Max shared the other side of the compartment. Layla just jumped in because she loves to be in pictures. :)
On our second day in Seattle Layla mentioned how we haven't had a daddy date in a few weeks. I gladly agreed that we need to do something about that. I asked what she wanted to do and she said "fancy dinner and rock climbing!" I'm not sure where that came from, but I discovered a rock gym close by. Then I found a semi-fancy italian restaurant and planned our night. We ate at Angelo's in our dress clothes.
Then changed clothes at the rock gym for the second half of our evening out. She did amazing at climbing. She was a superstar there because we were climbing routes normally reserved for the adults. The other climbers cheered her on and were very friendly.
She did some bouldering where she climbed up only a few feet without ropes and then climbed across the wall. It's hard to see the angle, but this is an inverted wall requiring serious strength to hang on as she scales the side.
At the bottom of the climb i laid down on the ground, which pulled her up in the air. She swung back and forth doing superhero poses as if she were flying around. We had one of the best daddy dates ever and I'm glad we went.
During my last week off work we spent every day exploring. One day we went to a park to play on the playground and go for a hike. These two are so silly and fun. I gave them freedom to be silly and this is the resulting picture. check out the woods and scenery! This is like a whole new planet compared to Arizona.
This is the picture I was going for though: trees and the three of us with the sun on our faces. I'm grateful for the sabbatical and time off work so we can adjust to our new reality together.
We are officially here and I am loving it more every day!
See you soon.
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