Time Flies

I can't believe that it is already the end of August! Where does the time go? Dan and I have been busy working and falling in to a routine. Things are going great! Work for both of us is fun and we are getting to know some of our co-workers, which always makes the time at work more bearable. Of course, my time at work is usually fun because I get to be with babies all night!

While there are no hurricanes brewing in these parts, the summer is fading fast. It is cooler and gloomier. People say it rains here, but i beg to differ. I would call the precipitation here a drizzle at best. I think the most it has rained in any city around here in one day is 0.67 inches, which the news reported as a "downpour" and an outdoor concert was canceled. This was all going on while some places in Florida were getting 30+ inches of rain in a day! Dan and I just laugh when people up here talk about the summer "storms"! I looked up some statistics and Kirkland gets 35.96 inches of rain a year while Tallahassee gets 63.21 inches. So, it may not really rain as much as people think up here, but I am starting to miss the sun.

Last weekend, we decided that Bradley needed a trial run of the place he will be staying at during our trip back home. He went to the "ranch" for 2 nights. I was so sad when we dropped him off, I started to tear up. Of course, Bradley was so preoccupied with new doggy friends that he didn't even say goodbye.

Dan and I took the opportunity to head to the coast for the weekend. We went to a little town called Ocean Shores on the Washington coast. The town itself reminded me of St George with its cute little shops and people riding funny bikes and mopeds. The middle of town also had an IGA, which was very exciting, I felt like we were back in Carrabelle when we pulled into the parking lot! After a quick stop at the IGA for some champagne, we checked in to the Quinault Resort and Casino, (of course, would it be a vacation if there was no gambling involved?). It was right on the beach and our room had a great view and a fireplace! Once we settled in and tested out the fireplace, we headed to the beach for a walk. It was so nice to smell the salty air! The beach was very wide and flat, it is actually part of the roadways in the city, so there were cars all over. Being at the beach here is different, even in the summer. The air is cold and crisp, the water is freezing, and the sand has shiny black flecks all in it that stick to your toes. We put our feet in the water just to say we did it, but that was the extent of our encounter with the water. The area boasted that the "beachcombing" was excellent, but we didn't find much on our walks, just broken sand dollars and seaweed. We did find a rock in the shape of a heart and kept it for good luck at the casino.
Our first evening we enjoyed a nice dinner at the hotel's restaurant. We had a lovely time listening to the piano player and the food was good. My dinner was accented with a huge shrimp, eyeballs, tentacles, and all. I found this very amusing, while disturbing at the same time, so what better way to make light of the situation than by giving the shrimp a voice. Whenever Dan would start a conversation, I would let the shrimp give his input before my own. Did I mention that we had shared a bottle of wine in the room before dinner and then another over dinner?

That night, we stayed up till 3 in the morning at the casino. This was a major deal for us, since we have not gone "out" since we moved up here. We played blackjack and craps and ended up winning, I think, around $100. We played blackjack mostly in "drive-bys." This is a technique created and perfected by Dan and Matt on our last cruise. A drive-by is where you sit for just one hand, if you feel lucky, two. You bet at least $25. Of the 2 days in the casino, I think we both only lost a "drive-by" once.

Sunday was rainy and overcast most of the day, so we were lazy and stayed in bed most of the day. Once the sun came out, we went out to the beach to explore some more. We spent the evening in the casino again, this time we played craps all night. It is such a fun game and I like it better than blackjack. Everyone at the table was so nice, and lucky too! Everyone was rolling great and we started winning big! Dan and I kept setting chips aside, so that we made sure we would walk away with something. Towards the end of the night, this crazy lady with a permed mullet and a cat t-shirt came up and started to play. She didn't know what she was doing and kept asking Dan to explain the game. Dan was very patient with her, but she just wasn't getting it. She also kept saying the "S" word, seven, which I guess is a no-no. I thought the other people at the table were going to strangle her with her mullet. She kept saying seven so much, I am pretty sure that is why we started loosing, so we took our chips and cashed in and called it a night. Overall, we one $500. I was so proud of us!

When we went to pick Bradley up the next morning, I am pretty sure he didn't even recognize us at first! He was so smelly and tired! He slept all day, all night, and then all the next day. I can only imagine how smelly and tired he will be after 12 days! I am happy to know that he will be having fun while we are away from him, I just hope he doesn't pick up any bad habits while he is there.