Oh my goodness–I am not going to do this trip justice because I’m in a hurry to get this done. Kasey, if you read this, send me your journal entry :). Here’s what I’ll say–We ate the BEST food. Seriously…I think it tops NYC. We didn’t really make any plans, and EVERY SINGLE thing we ate was so good. We LAUGHED. We WALKED. And we never stopped TALKING. Everything about it was just what I needed. Happy Birthday to Jess and Kasey–the last of us to turn 40. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–How did I get so lucky? I learn more about myself, how to be a better mom, wife and friend every time we are together.
First stop was fantastic breakfast at Hanger Cafe 
Then picking blackberries straight from the bushes. I usually don’t love blackberries, but I couldn’t stop eating these! So juicy and delicious. 
Next up was scooters at Alki Beach. It took us FOREVER to get everyone a scooter. There wasn’t great cellular connection so the rental kept dropping or not working. FINALLY we were on our way. It was a blast. 
After we checked into the hotel, we rested up and then went to dinner at a fantastic Thai joint called Mantra. We shared a bunch of dishes that were all great. My favorite was the pineapple fried rice.
Also….As we were hanging out in our room, all of the sudden a DOG burst in. He was a little thing, but it scared us to death. He was scared too and immediately ran away. Steph and I tracked him down and the front desk knew who he belonged to.
Hilariously, one of our favorite things was hotel breakfast. It was so yummy! On the last morning, the Utah girls flight was delayed, so they just spent like 3 hours at hotel breakfast
The next day was all about exploring Downtown. We hit all the highlights. And ate all the things. I wish I would have written down what! But two of my favorites were Frans chocolates and Rachel’s Ginger Beer.
The next day we hiked about 5 miles to Rattlesnake Ledge. And ran into two guys that Rachel and Many new from BYUH! This was a beautiful hike and the weather was so cool. Loved it. Cassie twisted her ankle really badly right at the top. She was such a trooper and hardly ever complained, even though I know it must have been killing her. After we got back home she went to the dr and she is in a boot for like 6 weeks. YUCK.
Next up was the Ferry to Bainbridge island. Bainbridge, we learned, is the home of pickleball. We got there just a little too late in the day so lots of the cute shops were closing up. We got ice cream at Mora, and a few hours later we were headed back to Seattle. This view of Mt. Ranier was worth the whole trip!
If I would have known turning 40 would mean so many fun girls trips, I would have been a lot more excited about it!
BanksFamilyFive 