Laura’s Blog

I was the maid of honor in a good friend’s wedding this summer.  It was a haul to get to her place in West Virginia but worth it to see her so happy.  Everything came together perfectly!

Once we had seen BC we rode a passenger ferry back to the states.  We wanted to see a different part of Washington so we headed to Olympic National Park.  It was a really neat park and one of the highlights of the trip.  If you look in the next section you will see some of the unique parts of the park!

Dad and I drove through eastern Washington and visited Idaho.  We stayed in Coeur d’Alene and it was beautiful.  It is a resort town and there were lots of visitors for the summer.  We even went on a seaplane ride over Couer d’Alene Lake.  That was definitely a highlight of the trip!  We also drove through a lot of desert like terrain in eastern Washington which surprised me.  It had been turned into farm land though irrigation systems.  Theses systems created circular fields because they rotated around a center point.  Does that make sense?  Probably not!  We also went to the Grand Coulee Dam which was built during Roosevelt’s presidency as a WPA project.

A few pictures of Seattle… Dad and I spent time wandering around the city and obviously spent time at the public market watching them throw the fish.  The fresh food and flowers were a sight to see!  It made me wish I had a farmer’s market much closer to me.  We also had dinner at the Space Needle and rotated around as we ate.  Our tour of underground Seattle was enlightening and humorous.  I can’t believe they built the new streets as the old city was still in use!

I went to The Spa at Rock Barn in October as an extension of my birthday celebration. It was an incredibly relaxing time and I loved every moment of it. We had treatments, enjoyed a cafe lunch and lounged by the mineral pool and whirlpools.

I ended my summer with a fun trip to NOLA with my friend Paula. We booked a last minute flight and headed to the Big Easy. We stayed in a hotel in the Quarter that had been remodeled from an old warehouse. The weather was extremely hot and humid but it was worth it! We went to Harrah’s Casino, enjoyed the French Quarter, and ate some delicious food. I was surprised by how much of the city was still recovering two years after Katrina. It made me wonder when the city would be the same again.

I took a trip down to Florida in July to visit my dad and see old college friends. While I was there Valerie and the girls came for a quick visit as well. My dad made birdhouses with Alexis and Bryanna. He got Kristi to do a little bit of the work too! Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the final product but they did turn out very nice. I am sure some birds will enjoy their new homes.

I recently went to Ohio for my cousin Emily’s wedding. While in Ohio I enjoyed a relaxing picnic at Hueston Woods and took in a Reds game in Cincinnati with David. The Reds actually won!! There are a few photos of the wedding shower thrown for Emily a few days before the wedding also. The ceremony and reception were lovely and just her style. It was so good to be with family and celebrate something so joyous. Best of luck to Emily and Brad.

Mom and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The week was full of shopping, eating, and tasting wines at local vineyards. Mom taught me how to bake the turkey and several of the sides. Hailey enjoyed all the smells and treats that my mom gave her.
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