Airports and Hair Nets and Rocks, Oh My!

It's time.  Time to share more vacation memories.  Time to put a post up that will bump that sweet waffle post down one.  I don't really want to do it, but I do want to get the rest of these memories on here while they are fresh in my brain! 

I left on vacation just about totally wiped out.  I had been running on fumes for quite awhile, just going in too many directions when my body and mind just wanted a break.  It felt like life had been ruled by the clock and places to be for so long, and I was ready for vacation!  We had one more deadline to meet before we could actually feel like we were letting down:

Alex had spent the week prior to vacation on his road trip to Washington DC.  He took some amazing pictures, and I will post those soon.  We picked him up at the airport Wednesday morning, our get-out-of-town day.  His flight was 20 minutes early, and we were racing to Sea-Tac, hoping to be there in time for me to be at the gate when he got off the plane.  We so barely made it!  I had to stand in line at the ticket counter, which was moving sooo slowly.  When it was my turn, the man was in a very chatty, jovial mood.  Great, but that plane is landing in FIVE MINUTES!!!  He said, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but you have to be 21 to pick up a minor at the gate."  Hilarious.  I said, "Well, the fact that you just called me ma'am speaks for itself."  He wanted to continue this banter, and I wanted to vent my impatience.  I kept it sweet, though, hoping to get out of there without ruffling any feathers.  I did, and literally walked up to the gate as the plane was taxiing.  It was so great to see him!

We were in no rush to get over to Chelan, so where did we start our vacation?  Costco!  We grabbed some lunch and sat there in the food court looking at Alex's pictures and hearing stories.  After about an hour and a half of stories and wandering the aisles of Costco, it was time to hit the road!

It felt great to have all my kids back in one place, to sit and read a magazine and chat with Brad.  A very peaceful drive in a van loaded with coolers, pool noodles, and happy kids.  Then we came into Wenatchee, and three of us had to use a bathroom and could not make it the rest of the way.  At the same time, we saw the big billboard for the Applets & Cotlets factory.  "Free tours and samples"  Well, I'm sure if you offer tours and samples, you must also offer bathrooms, so off we went.  What a hoot!  I have never even eaten an Applet or Cotlet.  I don't like the texture I see when I look at them.  I've never been much of a jelly candy girl.  I do have some standards when it comes to my food.  But my children will eat anything, so all was not lost.  And the bathrooms were a relief to behold.

And the little hair nets we had to wear?  Well, that was just a bonus.

this would make a smashing Christmas card photo!

That's officially two pictures too many of that experience. 

And then it was finally time!  Time to say hello to the Big Rock House for another week!

hello, Big Rock!

hello, Big Rock House!

It was so good to pull in and know that we were in for a fabulous week.  To know that there would be no ringing phones, no t.v., no computers...

How cool is this??  Brenda and I posed for HOURS to have this sign made.  And that's not easy to do on water skiis.

first dinner on the deck

first dip in the pool

and the sun sets on our first day...

And now it is time to run on that treadmill.  I went 10 days without running.  I ate too much on vacation - though I wouldn't change that for anything - and now it is painfully obvious!  My body screamed in protest yesterday, and here's hoping that today is better!  But I'll never know unless I try!