12 days in Seattle: Appointments, Friends Catch Ups, and Travel Preparations
A whirlwind. A cluster. Comfortable and familiar.
Seattle, our home for the past 11 years, is full of contrasts so this reality was fitting for our 12 days here. Our Seattle time had two distinct parts:
A six day blitz of medical and dental appointments for all 5 of us + some other (non-essential) errands like haircuts, bill paying and the like.
Six days catching up with friends and preparing for our next stops (San Francisco, Tahiti & Australia)
Appointment Blitz – On my best day I get little enjoyment out of doctor appointments. Quite frankly I have learned that the subconscious stress of the appointments tends to show up in multiple ways before, during and after the day. So, deliberately creating a schedule of medical and dental appointments for all 5 of us in the first 5 days we were back was always going to be draining. Mission accomplished! We had 2, 3 or 4 appointments per day all week. By the time we got to Friday night we were all (except Whitney) taking our turn to have meltdowns of various degrees. Open, clear and calm communication was in short supply. The good news is we got to all the appointments, there were a (relatively) small number of follow up appointments/calls needed, and the Seattle Traffic Gods were mostly kind to us all week as we moved throughout the city and suburbs.
We spread the joy (i.e. burden!) of our family across three family friends during our time in Seattle. We spent 7 nights (the appointment week) in Lake City, 3 nights on Bainbridge Island, and 2 nights in Beacon Hill. It is magnificent to stay with friends. You get those moments where you are making food, the kids are playing harmoniously with each other and you can chat for a few uninterrupted minutes and catch up. Moments like these were plentiful before kids, now they are rare, precious and so very much needed. Each of the friends we stayed with has 2 or 3 kids around the same age as ours so it made for a 24/7 play date. Absolutely magnificent for generating laughs and tears throughout. Of course this only added to the bedtime story fun and exacerbated going to sleep challenges.
Our last 5 days in Seattle (after all the appointments were done) saw some rebuilding of team members (again Whitney excluded, she is our most level and consistent team member in all facets all the time). We got back on some sleep routines, had a quiet day or two with nothing more than a visit to a playground, some chores and a quiet meal with friends.
The good news is that we were still excited to do a final run to Target and pack our bags for the next chapters in our adventure. Next up San Francisco (2 days) and Tahiti (28 days).
A few photos from our time in Seattle.
