The Northern Tour

Finney survived a bad case of hives and I recovered from my cold. Both of us were finally healthy as we packed our bags for our trip to the north. She and I were planning to board a 4 hour flight to Seattle, Washington. To be honest, I was a little anxious about the trip. Fin has been throwing crazy tantrums at home, and I often walk into another room to let her cry it out. I was really worried that she would do this on the plane, and of course, I would have no where to hide...but she actually did really great. When I woke her up in the morning, I explained to her that we were going on a fun adventure, and I really think she understood that. She thoroughly enjoyed the plane ride and all of the attention she got from the patient people around us.

We arrived in Seattle where we met Ted's parents, and all of us drove north to Bellingham, to stay with Aunt Chris (Ted did not have enough vacation days to come with us). I like to call Aunt Chris' house the "tree house", because that's what it feels like. It's situated on a slopping hill. From one side of her living room, you will look out the window and see that the ground is 30-40 feet below you. On the other side, a grassy hill at eye level. The house is surrounded by large trees that shoot up past the windows. The best part was the bird feeder dangling on her back porch. Birds of every color swoop in for a bite and then return to one of her large trees. Mary Jo referred to the large pine tree as a Christmas tree decorated with birds. I thought that was a fitting description.

Bellingham is a very charming town. The culture there is so different than my home town. The people are very laid back and even drive slowly...not much emphasis on fashion or materialism. Most appreciate the arts and doing unique activities. Aunt Chris told us about a movie theater started by the locals, where they show independent films and charge just enough to cover costs. Houses and stores have murals painted on the side, and everywhere you look there are flowers, big colorful ones. Aunt Chris had a few vegetables and spices growing in her backyard. I was so impressed when she made rhubarb pie from the rhubarb she grew herself. The climate up north is just really cooperative, with its everyday showers and cooler temperatures. The plants just looked happy. I actually wore pants and long sleeves because the air was so cool, and the best part...no humidity!

We did some neat activities like visiting the marina and the touch and see aquarium. Finley got to see an octopus for the first time. She was very quiet in the aquarium, like she didn't know if it was really safe. But, she was very proud to have learned the word "fish" and she couldn't get enough of the long wooden balcony where she could walk back and forth. The boats were fun to see, especially this one called the "Plume B'Ham" that was built by a group of teenagers. We also visited Fairhaven where there are neat little shops and a large cruise terminal. The sites were all very beautiful. Oceans, mountains and flowers...I mean, how can you go wrong? Aunt Chris was a very generous hostess, even pulling out old toys like this cute wooden rocker that she used as a little girl. Fin loved the rocker. She went straight to it, rocked back and forth and said, "weeeee." I think it's funny that you don't have to teach a baby to say "weee."

Next, we headed to Portland, Oregon for Ted's cousins' wedding. Ted met us there and attended the wedding with us. It was a special event since the cousins hadn't been together in quite awhile. All of the parents surrounded our "kid" table to take pictures. I could tell it meant a lot to them. The wedding was really fun and I got to spend time with people in Ted's family that I don't see very often. I was glad we got to be apart of it. Zach was really generous and treated us to a babysitter, so we had the whole night to talk, dance, and load up on wedding cake.

Finally, we left for Corvallis to visit an old friend of the Kapsalises. She had a neat old historic home that was actually transported from it's original location. Rose lived in a farm area with cows and horses. Finley got to talk to the cows. We walked up to the fence and all of them immediately came our direction. They all stared at Finley like they expected her to shovel out a fresh batch of food. I'm glad cows are tame. She had a huge garden with the best raspberries I've ever tasted. The house was decorated with pieces that must have been from the 18th century. I felt like I was on the set of Gone With the Wind. She made us hot tea and we all sat down in the "Parlor." Of course, my tea time ended as Finley headed toward the stairs. It was a neat experience and such a gift to meet Rose, a spunky 92 year old with lots of interesting stories.

We returned home the next morning...another long but successful plane ride. We were both really tired, but thankful. I think my favorite part about the trip was watching Fin learn about different cultures and seeing her interact with different people. It's fun to be a mom and get a front seat to the growth and development of a child. I'm just watching this little person become the woman God wants her to be, and it is really sweet.