Shopping in Seattle

Ok, on this "biggest shopping day of the year", I stayed home! Actually, I was sick so I stayed home and did internet shopping. My have to say that in the past I have had so many fun shopping days after Thanksgiving. My best memory happened about 3 years ago. The whole family was together in a vacation home that we rented in Edmonds. We got up early and headed out in the 15 passenger van for the shopping experience. We thanked God that James knew how to maneuver this vehicle while in crowded parking lots! In a nutshell---we had a blast together! (and after it was all said and done--I ended up splurging on a pair of turquoise high heels, I have my daughter in laws to blame for them--but, I have used them for many occasions!)
So with this all in mind and since I didn't get to shop today, I decided that I would share the shopping experience I had with my sister Shirlee about a month ago in the Seattle area--enjoy! (I only wish that I had a photo journal of this experience) :)

On Tuesday morning Jim dropped me off at the ferry on Bainbridge Island and I headed off to Seattle to meet my sister Shirlee who is visiting from Alaska. She met me at the ferry dock and we took off in a very nice suv taxi to shop at the South Center shopping mall. We had such a fun time running from one store to another. After a few hours we got a number of heavy bags to carry so we took a coffee break and Shirlee said that she would need a suitcase for all of her goodies. So she took off down the mall and I thought that , Hey, I could probably use one also. So I yelled out to her, "Get two for one!" Anyway, I just made a big scene and she didn't hear what I had to say. She came back with this fabulous case on wheels that just scoots along with no effort. She packed that thing and we continued with our shopping experience!

While we were in a small shop one of the workers told us that if we spent more than $300.00 in receipts at the mall we could get a $20.00 card for a meal at one of the restaurants at the mall. Well, we were all over that. So we go to the concierge desk and get the cards and asked him if he would get us a cab after we ate. He encouraged us to take a bus downtown. We thought of all the money we were going to save by taking the bus!!!!!

We trucked the wonderful suitcase on wheels and my bags across the parking lot to the Bahama Breeze restaurant and had a fabulous dinner! Then we trucked the goodies back to the mall for last minute purchases before we had to truck back across the parking lot to the bus stop. It was dark by this time and we stood at the bus stop for a good 15 minutes and weren't too happy with the company we were in so we discussed the possibility that we weren't at the right bus stop. So we ran up the hill with our heavy loads and across the street to another bus stop and waited for a good 15 more minutes!!! We scrambled onto the bus lugging our loads and paid our dues and tried not to knock anyone out with our bags while finding a choice seat---which happened to be where the bus bends while taking turns!!!

This was quite the experience being on the bus but little did we know how much better it would be when we got downtown!!!!! The buses go underground downtown. (I had mentioned to Jim about a year ago that I thought that the buses must go underground because we didn't see many at all on the streets) The bus stops looked very nice down there but knowing that I was underground started to freak me out. After about 5 stops I just about lost it--I was ready to jump out at any stop and just get above ground but luckily our stop came and we scrambled out the best we could with our loads and after 2 flights on the escalator we saw sky! WHEW! NEVER again----not the shopping mind you but taking the bus at night downtown!!!

We hiked up the street about a block to Shirlee's hotel and I got a cab that took me DOWN to the ferry for a lovely trip across the water to Bainbridge Island where Jim picked me and my packages up!! I was so happy that I had been working out for a few days!!

There is nothing like a shopping day with my sister Shirlee!! I think both our husbands would agree to that!! :)

PS. OK, for serious shopping you need to wear the correct shoes! I wore my Sanitas which saved the day! Shirlee on the other hand wore the cutest flats that are just that! She did very well until about 3:00 but she persevered with more shopping because that was the main reason we were at the mall!! I am amazed that she was able to climb up the hill to the right bus stop after all the running around that we did. You know the song, "These Boots are Made for Walking"?---well, anyway, she might want to consider wearing boots for the next serious shopping trip!!! :)

One life for two

This has been a very "busy" (I don't really want to use that word but I can't think of an appropriate word for what I want to convey-maybe it will come to me later) fall for our family.



We move from Alaska in September. Jim and I drive down the highway to the Seattle area to live close to our daughter and her growing family. We no sooner get our shipment of housing goods and we are off to Phoenix to spend time with Jim's mother. We spend a little over a week with her and we rent a vehicle to take stuff up to Washington state with us. It was a lovely and long drive. A few days later our granddaughter Teslin was born. We were just getting used to having another grandbaby around then granddaughter, Skylar was born in Florida eleven days after Teslin. They are sort of cousin "twins". :) Skylar was supposed to be born October 31st! God picked October 31st to take Mel, Jim's mother, to heaven. She lived a full life and died 3 days shy of turning 91 years old. Her legacy will go on thru her growing family! God blessed her with a long life. She accomplished many things including travel abroad to many countries, She was a blessing to all who met her.



So our family lost one dear family member but was blessed by the arrival of two. God has such a wonderful way of keeping families going and growing. He is the one who came up with the original "family plan".

Jim and I are still in Arizona because Jim ended up with pheumonia. We are hoping to get back up to the Seattle area in a couple of days-the 17th of November, just in time for visiting family members and visiting friends.