We’ve had a busy few days, livin’ large in this perfect Seattle summer weather. Â The Giants were in town last week for a match-up against the Mariners, so we got together with Jack and La Verne on Thursday night to cheer on our boys at Safeco field.
We slurped down beers and mowed through a monster bag of Kettle corn, reveling in the ease of being out sans kiddos.
By the 8th inning the Giants were leading by 7 and most Mariners fans had cut and run. Â We stayed through till the end though, taking advantage of the abandoned seats and sitting just a few rows away from the action. Â Orange and black for the win!
My office held our summer picnic at Safeco the following night, so we headed back to the ballpark for dinner and a Mariners-Astros matchup, this time with Jules in tow.  We ate burgers on the patio and then caught just the first inning of the game, not wanting to push our luck and keep this happy kid out too long past bedtime.
Shane’s old friend Steve flew in from California late Friday night for a weekend visit and was eager to do some exploring, so we set out for Rattlesnake Mountain on Saturday morning.  Rather than just hang by the lake as per usual, we tucked Juliette into the hiking backpack and made the 2-mile trek up to the ledge.
Shane’s shoulders were begging for mercy by the time we summited, but the vista turned out to be well worth the pain.
We made it down the mountain with minimal whining and then set up shop in our favorite shady lake-front stretch of grass.
Watermelon, water, and 80 degrees. Â Perfection.
We went to church on Sunday morning and then headed to Local 360 for Father’s Day mimosas and French toast. Â Cheers to this guy! Â Hot damn, I’m lucky.
And a quick stop at the sculpture park for some pre-nap sun-soaking…
We made plans to get together with the gang on Sunday afternoon for a lakeside picnic. Â But first, a chariot ride! Â I love watching these two snuggle into the trailer, seeing them share snacks and clank their bike helmets together.
We spread out our blankets at Seward Park and watched the kids frolic in the lake and kick the soccer ball across the lawn. Â Shane and Jack picked up a boatload of burgers and fries and we chowed down while drinking white wine from plastic cups – we ushered in the first day of summer with such gusto!
It took the better part of the weekend and a Pepsi bribe (kidding! Â that cup is empty!), but Juliette eventually warmed up to her new buddy Steve. Â It was so good to catch up with this guy, to fold him into our family mayhem and then stay up late playing Nintendo and reminiscing.
We said good-bye to Steve this morning, dropped Juliette off at daycare, and returned to business as usual, simultaneously ultra-relaxed and completely exhausted. Â SUMMER IS HERE!