On the first day of summer vacation, our family drove to Seattle. We planned this "summer kickoff" three-day trip early in the year, to celebrate David's graduation from City University of Seattle. He now has his Master's of Business Administration, and we are so proud of him!!! It wasn't easy to work full-time, take care of a family of six, stay active and busy in church callings while attending school!
We stayed two nights in the Embassy Suites in Bellevue, where we enjoyed the swimming pool and hot tub, workout room, and delicious breakfasts! Here's a picture of David, Todd, and Trent in the hot tub.
Thursday afternoon, we went to the Pacific Science Center in downtown Seattle. Everyone had a great time, and it was fun to see Trent's excitement as he ran from one exhibit to the next. He was a little afraid of the dinosaur exhibit, and wanted me to hold him while we were in there.
Friday we spent at Discovery Park north of Seattle. We hiked a couple of miles through a dense, beautiful forest to get to the beach, where we explored and hunted for "treasures" like shells and unique rocks. The kids had fun getting their feet wet and running from the waves. The hike back to the car was tough, but everyone made it. We had a picnic, then headed Auburn to visit David's Uncle Bob and Aunt Rita. They had a nice meal for us, and we enjoyed visiting with them.
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Seattle temple, which is where David and I were married on June 20, 1995. We walked around the beautiful temple grounds and savored the sweet spirit that is there and the memories of our wedding day.
Saturday we went to Key Arena for David's graduation ceremony. This was the culminating event of our trip to Seattle. It was so exciting to see him receive his diploma. I got a little choked up when I gave him a hug following the ceremony. David's parents were there, as well as my parents. It was so nice of them to come all this distance to support us. We have the best parents in the world!
Following the graduation, we all headed to the Cheesecake Factory for a delicious dinner. This was David's choice, and he sure chose a good spot to celebrate!
