A Tale Of Two Weddings
We got back on Wednesday from our week long trip to the Pacific Northwest. The first four days we spent in Portland with Kathleen’s family, culminating in her cousin’s wedding. The wedding was a lot of fun and it was nice to spend some time with Kathleen’s family and finally (after two years of dating) meet her brother. What was less nice was the hotel we were staying at. I don’t know what story I can tell to truly capture the beauty of this place. Maybe it was that most people didn’t get the type of room they had booked months earlier, or that some didn’t come with toilet paper or towels, or that our shower curtain was covered in mold, or that unless you were staying for at least a week, there was no maid service (maid service COULD be purchased for an additional $15 per day). No, I think the one that sums it up best was the family of wedding guests who decided to check out after finding a particularly disturbing stain on their bedspread (let’s just say it was a white, sticky stain…there may be kids reading this blog).
After going to the wedding on Saturday evening, we had one last breakfast in Portland and then drove with Kathleen’s brother and sister-in-law up to Seattle where we had about an hour to relax in our new hotel (no complaints) before heading off to the Seattle Rose Gardens for the ceremony. Again, the wedding was very nice, though Kathleen had never been carded to drink at a wedding before.
Finally we had Monday and Tuesday to spend in Seattle. Monday we went to the Experience Music Project, a large museum all about music, with a big interactive exhibit that teaches you some of the basics of playing different instruments, mixing tracks, and synchronizing beats. I learned that I will never be able to play the guitar, as I was brutally unable to keep up with the beat of “Louie, Louie” on a single guitar string. Tuesday we went to the Seattle Aquarium and spent literally over an hour watching the Sea Otters play. If you’ve never seen otters, you’re really missing something. I dare you to watch them eat a clam off their belly and not crack a smile. Finally on Wednesday we were off to the airport to return to the East coast.
Congratulations to Rick & Stephanie (Portland) and Lauren & Kenny (Seattle).