12 Days on the Road

We just got back from a trip to the good ole Northwest and holy cow was it a TRIP!  I'll provide some background but then tell the tale through pictures.

Austin was recently offered a job with Microsoft, to which he accepted and started in August.  This is great news for multiple reasons.  Some of these include:

1. A great career move for Austin
2. Benefits are amazing - which is important with a family
3. Microsoft's headquarters is located in SEATTLE!!!  My all-time, most favorite city in the whole world.

Why I love Seattle: I spent my childhood there and have family roots, that date back over a century in central Washington state.  Most of my family still lives there.

So you can only imagine the mixed emotions I had when Austin said "Babe, I have two weeks of training for work in Seattle, in October and they want me to stay over the weekend."  Big sad face when I thought about 14 days without him.  But thanks to airline miles I had accrued through my own business travel, some wonderful family and a very understanding husband - Asher and I tagged along!!

We flew out early Saturday morning but then parted ways once we got our luggage.

Asher and mommy's first stop: Yakima!  We stayed almost a full week and got to visit lots of family.

Great Granparents, Don and Donna Schmitt.

Aunt Theresa Hoff

Aunt Patti and Uncle Steve (Alegria)

Cousins Jon, Joy, Anthony and Kate Alegria - Stayed with them four nights.

Cousins Brian, Buffy, Bella, Olivia and Diana Alegria - Got to stay with them two nights.

Then, we headed back to Seattle to crash with Austin in his hotel room.  We spent Saturday and Sunday in the city and with some family.

Visiting the first Starbucks.

Lunch and playing at the park with Aunt Polly, Uncle Don, Anna and Holton Schmitt.

We also got a chance to visit daddy at work, which is pretty cool if you think about it because most days he's working from home!  We met him on one of the Microsoft campus' and had a little lunch.

And here are our new friends - Sushma and Kaustubh Giri.  Kaustubh is a co-worker of Austin's and he and his wife are the sweetest people.  Sushma and Asher became fast friends as the three of us got a chance to hang out quite a bit while the boys were at work.

It was a wonderful trip full of memories and experiences we'll cherish always.  While traveling with the little one wasn't a cake walk (time change, climate change, always on the road, semi-mobile baby, sharing a hotel room - keeping in mind he goes to bed at 7:30!) I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.