HARBOR LIFE

Even though I wasn't able to be home for the actual 4th of July, there was no chance in hell that I was going to miss out on a chance to go back to Seattle, up to the boat in Roche Harbor, and see all my friends and the family members who flew in from all around the world (literally as far as Malaysia).  So after working close on July 4th, I caught the first plane out in the wee hours of the next morning and made it back to Seattle and up to the San Juans by about 3 in the afternoon on the 5th.  Totally worth it.  While sometimes family vacations are highly overrated, and this one certainly was no exception at times, it really was a great time being able to see all my family members, visit the boat that my sister and I grew up visiting and learning to sail on, go walking through the woods and exploring, going out for a spin on the water in the Green Machine (our smaller motorboat), and eating ice cream cones every night while watching the retiring of the flags at sundown.

LEAVENWORTH

If a gingerbread village were to exist in real life for real people to walk about in, it would be Leavenworth, WA.  Shockingly, and quite unfortunately, I had never really spent a proper amount of time in Leavenworth.  The only times I had been was whilst passing through on the way to and from visiting my cousins in the mountains.  But today, Carmen and I made a spur of the the moment road trip and drove the 2+ hours to this central Washington town.

SASQUATCH AND MACKLEMORE WEEKEND

I love music festivals!  Like really, I want to go to ALL of them.  Last weekend I was lucky enough to score a ticket to Sasquatch at the Gorge, which I hadn't thought I'd be able to go to because the tickets are sooooo expensive and I had to work some of the days that weekend.  But basically I was able to get a one day VIP pass for a reduced price through a friend of a friend and headed straight to the Gorge after work on Friday to meet up with my friend and her sister to see the Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis!

MACKLEMORE, you guys!!  The reason I wanted to go to Sasquatch in the first place, and I was able to catch him.  SO happy.  Also, best show I've been to, maybe even more so than Lady Gaga, and that's saying something because Gaga is hardly a concert - it's an experience.  But Macklemore.... now that was just an epic freaking party!  I have a lot of love and respect for Macklemore - he's my homeboy.  Seattle pride, y'all.  I have a lot of love and pride for my city, and his music exemplifies that.  So, yeah, the show was incredible.  Like, I'll go to every one of his that I can and I'll even go alone if I have to because I didn't even notice that anyone else was there with me.  We just dance, and we cry, and we laugh, and have a really, really, really, good time.  ;)  [For those who caught that reference, we're automatically friends. :p]

After we partied with Macklemore into the early morning hours, we wandered back through the campgrounds for some sleep.  I had to leave the next day as I had commitments and my ticket was a one day pass only.  Leaving was so, so hard.  I wanted to stay and see The Lumineers, The XX, Mumford & Sons, etc. SO. BADLY.  Tough times, guys.  :(  But I'm grateful I got to go for the time that I did, and I saw Macklemore, which was the most important one to me, and well as Arctic Monkeys and Vampire Weekend so I can't really complain too much.  :)

***I just have to add that The Gorge is incredible.  Sitting on the hill at the mainstage and watching performances with that incredible (#nofilter) sunset and view as the backdrop is surreal.  Again, one of the many reasons I love my beautiful Washington state.

my sister is a rockstar

Yesterday morning my sister sang the National Anthem for the Annual Air Show at the airport in Friday Harbor - and rocked it!  She was told there would be anywhere from five hundred to two thousand people there, and still got up there to show her stuff.  Let me tell you, I can barely sing along to a song if there's anyone else in the car with me, so I am thoroughly impressed by her.  If I'm gonna be working as a stage manager on Broadway someday, I'm sure she'll be on one of those stages belting it out.

I snuck a video in, so everyone else can listen, too.

mini-vacay

We're going back up to the islands to see my sister sing the National Anthem at the annual air show in Friday Harbor - for several hundred people!  She's a fantastic singer and I'm so proud of her right now, I can't even tell you.  I fully intend to video it and if I get her okay, I'll be posting it here next week.

See ya'll Sunday.

fourth of july week: part 3 {festivities}

The week was a blur of boats, flags, delicious fresh crab, doughnut eating contests {which my six year old cousin won!}, potato sack races, egg tosses, marina sunsets, music, sun, crazy hats, wandering around the harbor, delicious coffee finds, fireworks, and red, white, and blue.

It was insane, and wonderfully so.

I hope everyone else had a fantabulous 4th!

It's become one of my favorite holidays in recent years, and I already can't wait for next year.

fourth of july week: part 2 {firework edition}

So let me tell you that I really meant to put up this post with all our Fourth of July activities included {trust me, there are a lot worth seeing}, but sadly, my Nikon died and I have to wait until I'm home to charge the battery and upload the photos.

SO.

This is just some of the awesome firework photos I took from my iPhone.

Yep, iPhone.

I know, right?

Snazzy.

Also, let me address that second picture as being my sister doing her best Uncle Sam impersonation.  Uncanny resemblance, don'tcha think?