the flood plains

we came home from an amazing vacation to

an ugly problem.

our basement flooded.

big time.

apparently, shortly after we left our sump pump's motor burned out

and stopped pumping.  so instead, it backed up all the water into

our newly finished basement.
ughhhhhhhhh!

so frustrating.

we had the ugliest basement for years and not one water problem.

as soon as we paint, carpet and build a built-in,

things go to hell.

we called our insurance company

and they had some workers come by to remove

the baseboards

the carpet

the drywall.
oh and they found mold, so then we had to call in a specialist.
they've sprayed, cleaned, and dried out the most of it.
but we did have to pitch the bed, a bookshelf and two nightstands.

we were able to salvage ronnie's shelving unit that he built,
so that's one relief.

but i hate life.

we're basically starting over from scratch.

so much to do and i really don't feel like working

on the house anymore.

i just want to relax and be pregnant.

and poor ronnie has an endless list.

hopefully the insurance company will pay for someone else to do the work.

i'm over this.

remember when our basement looked like this for the first three years we lived here?
not one problem.

then we did a bunch of work and it looked like this?

(living room) 

(bedroom) 

and now...

(living room)

 (bedroom)

can you believe it?

i still can't.

driving down the 101

we headed as west as we possibly could and hit the coast.

ronnie loves the mountains but i thought we definitely needed to visit

the ocean since we were so close.

and the mountains were still all around us,

so it was the best of both worlds...

and once again, so freaking pretty.

beached whale, i don't want to talk about it.

lighthouse #1

ronnie got a little seasick on our whale watching boat ride.

poor thing.

lighthouse #2

amazing little lunch spot after our boat ride.

cascade, not just for dishes

my family's favorite place to go is the rocky mountains because its so beautiful,

but i think i've found a new favorite.

the cascades.

they are gorgeous.

it's so green.

everything is covered in moss

and i loved it.

the fact that we stayed in the columbia river gorge only helped

my opinion of the area.  

my pictures don't do it justice.

 

 

 

please take note of the top left picture below.

ronnie and i were trying to cut across the mountains to get to our hotel

and we ran into snow.

so much snow that we had to turn around and back track an hour and a half.

it was a crazy adventure and our rental corolla wasn't up for the challenge.

 

 

my favorite part was driving down old highway 30,

known for its waterfalls.

 

the town where we stayed was part of the old oregon trail.

 



 

 

 

sleeping in seattle

these next couple posts are going to be photo dumps from our trip

to washington and oregon.  we had so much fun and i'm so glad we went

exploring in the northwest. 

seattle was probably my favorite part, although our next two stops

were gorgeous.  i just loved the city and everything there was to do and see.

our first night there we started with the space needle. 

i figured it was a "must do" when you go to seattle

 and since we could see it from our hotel window

 i thought we could walk there.

ronnie thought it was a rip off because it cost $20 a person to ride up the elevator 

and see the view.  but i think you have to do it.

and if you're really wanting to spend some money, there is a fancy restaurant that rotates below the viewing deck. we decided against it, but the menu looked good. 

 

the next morning we got up and went to the pike place market.

a true gold mine.  i suggest not eating before you go because 

there is a TON of fresh fruit and restaurants to choose from.

also there are these amazing little donuts you can buy by the bag. 

basically, go hungry because you'll be mad if you're not. 

notice the top right picture below?

the famous fish market as seen on the bachelor. 

and yes, they were throwing fish. 

also down in pikes place market is the original starbucks. 

notice the line out the door?

i think its a big tourist spot because there was 

another starbucks not nearly as busy a couple blocks down. 

beechers makes their own cheese and you could watch them make some up while eating 

what i heard is the most amazing mac'n cheese in seattle so we had to try it. (it was good)

after the market, we decided to head to the pier and catch a ferry to bainbridge island.

the pier was pretty cool.  lots of restaurants and shops.

we went into an antique shop and got a little something for brette.

 

 

 

 

the ferry ride was only 30 minutes and the island was beautiful.

i really wish we had our rental car for better exploring,

 but we did walk around a little town and do some shopping. 

the next day we went back to the market for lunch (had to try the clam chowder) and stopped by 

the gum wall - also seen on the bachelor. 

 

and since we had rented a car, we made our way to the other side of union lake 

to look up this local treasure - the fremont toll. 

and yes, he is holding a real VW bug. 

and while we were there we found a nice little park with a huge hill,

perfect for taking pictures.

unfortunately, we didn't see the no parking sign and got a $50 ticket. 

but the skyline shot is probably my favorite so...

so basically i loved seattle

and hope to return someday.

maybe in the summer.