Summer 2010 (finally)

I know, I know. I am JUST finally getting to a summer update! Well, better late than never, right? :) Here's some of the highlights:

JUNE: We had such a great time in Seattle, Washington. I fell in love with the city, as I knew I would. Garrett has always gone on and on about how great Seattle is (he lived there before we met in Ohio.) Well, he definitely was right. And if Seattle wasn't good enough by itself, my parents met us there, and made it even better. Garrett had fun showing us around his old stomping grounds. We packed a lot in: Pike's Place Market, a ferry to Victoria Island, hiking in Mt. Rainier, meeting some of Garrett's old friends, and going on a winery and brewery tour. Lots of fun was had and I decided I would be more than happy if the Air Force sent us there for an assignment.



JULY: Right after our trip with my parents, we spent the second half of our vacation in Montana with the Knowlans. Another amazing place I had never been before. Man, was it beautiful! Garrett's parents were able to find us a great place where the whole family could stay, right along the Yellowstone River, with mountains surrounding the home on all sides. It was like a postcard shot at every angle. We were able to get lots of family time in and the cousins finally got to meet! Beckett enjoyed hanging out with Audrey and Claire, his aunts and uncles, and of course, Gram and Pa. We took a few trips into Yellowstone National Park; hiking, fly fishing, picnicking, and just enjoying our precious time together. We also got to spend some time checking out Bozeman and ate a fantastic brewery. The only thing missing was our brother-in-law Matt!



AUGUST: Garrett got to head down to San Diego for work, getting the chance to spend 3 days on a Navy aircraft carrier (USS Nimitz). So Beckett and I chatted about it and thought the best idea was to join him (or at least head to San Diego--we didn't go on the boat! :)). We even talked my mom into joining us. So while Garrett was on the boat, Beckett, my mom, and I spent time discovering San Diego. We enjoyed some great meals including the BEST fish tacos ever, had fun visiting Coronado Island, found a cool farmer's market in Little Italy, saw Balboa Park, and did some shopping. Garrett also had a blast on the ship, getting to see first hand how the Navy does flight ops on the carrier. He even got a flight off the boat in an aircraft called "the Cod" to come back to San Diego and meet us. He was quite impressed with it all and also left with a greater appreciation for the Air Force (you don't have to live in small, uncomfortable quarters at sea for 6 months at a time). It was such a fun week!