Classens, Nickels, and a Heat Wave

We enjoyed a fun filled, action packed visit from Ryan's mom and dad and Floyd and JoAnn Nickel. They not only brought the good times with them, they brought 90-100 degree temps and a rash of humidity with them. It was so uncharacteristic of Seattle and our overly adapted way of life to have to endure such a heat wave. The sun was hot. No one had planned or packed for this craziness. The Floridians were without shorts, tanks, and flip flops. We don't even own any extras of these things to lend them. I don't even own a pair of shorts, period.

Here's a great shot from Thursday night at Joey's Restaurant (one of our fave's) on Lake Union in Seattle. Great food, great view, great company.



Friday morning we hiked to Snow Lake out in the Cascade Mountains. This is only about a 45 minute drive from our house plus an hour and a half trek up the mountain to get a view like this. The water was crystal clear and I wanted to dive head first into it to cool off. :) It was mighty hot and poor Ellen was hiking in jeans. And then I accidentally made everyone hike way faster than they wanted to. We were a hot sweaty mess. Then just when we were feeling very accomplished a herd of teenage boys came sprinting around the corner like they had just run up the mountain (some sort of death wish track team, I think). Luke asked them their time and they said...24 minutes. What?! 24 minutes! You just ran up the mountain in 24 minutes?! a. Why? b. Really, who does this? Whatever boys. It was a great hike and a fun challenge for me anyways!




Then we drove back, cleaned up and headed out on Lake Washington for some fantastic scenery. Here is our tour guide and captain.


Saturday we took in Seattle, the Market, an Argosy Cruise, and ended up at Ray's cafe for dinner. Here is another fantastic view across the Puget Sound. It was quite the site.



We had a great time as always and loved seeing Ryan's family. It is always hard to see them go, not knowing the next planned time to see them.

Some other things to sum up:
1. The fundraising challenge is as good as done. I have completed registration and will officially be walking in the 3 Day Walk. Phew! Thank you all for your support and encouragement. My hope was restored and the goal acheived.
2. Michael Phelps is Superman. I just caught his 2nd to last race when he beat Cavic by .01 of a second. It doesn't even look possible for him to win that as he is still mid-stroke when Cavic is like 6 inches from the wall. I want a t-shirt with the letter P in the superman logo. He is really an inspiration for hardwork, dedication, and perserverance. Incredible
3. The weather is much cooler today and I can't wait for a good night's sleep. It is just way too sticky to sleep after it's been 100 degrees all day. Can't wait to sleep!
4. Getting more excited about our new place. I have finalized our paint colors and can't wait to get started. It is going to be a lot of work but very worth it. I'll try to take before and afters to document the progress.