Aliciana and I decided to escape from unpacking our new apartment and enjoy some of the sunshine. We met up with Nick and Jessie, and took a small hike in the Arboretum. It was hard to believe we were still in the middle of a large metropolitan city while we were walking around the park.
Nick, Jessie, Aliciana, and me celebrate Zeus’s birthday with a trip to the dog park and some sweets. Zeus loved his doggie brownie…. and Jessie’s cupcakes were good too 😉
Vancouver is a very beautiful city. We did some shopping in the “Robson Street” area of the city. Then we headed to Stanley Park just west of downtown. It is quite amazing to have such a large park bordering a major city. We took a small hike though part of the park and enjoyed the many gardens. It was a very good first impression of Canada; I really wish we had more than just an afternoon to spend there.
On the trip home we spent 30 minutes trying to get back into the US. While sitting in line we took in the sites of the waterfront and the Peace Arch. After convincing the border patrol we weren’t terrorists, we were finally allowed on our way. It struck me as funny, and kinda sad, that it took 20 seconds to get into Canada, but a 10 minute interrogation, and 20 minute wait, to get back into the USA. I guess that is just the world we live in these days.
Aliciana and I took the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. Next we drove up the 305 to Poulsbo and then down the 3 to the 16 and into Tacoma. Click here for a pretty map.
We ate dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Tacoma, but I wouldn’t recommend it because the service sucked. Go to the Spaghetti Factory in Seattle instead.
Three friends from Bakersfield, Jialan, Connie, and Rosalva, happened to be in Las Vegas for the weekend so we met up with them for lunch. Later that evening, at dinner, AJ decided to pose for some pictures.
Some pictures of my new brother and sister. AJ and Michaela, the dogs, and grandma. It is hard to believe that I have a 1 year old brother and a 4 month old sister.
More Ladd Family 2.0 pictures. The cute 6 year old wearing pink in the photos is Juanita, a foster child staying with my parents for a while. Along with Aliciana and me, my parents house contained Juanita, AJ, Michaela, Grandma, my mom, my dad, my sister Courtney, the 2 dogs, and Molly the cat. It was quite a zoo.
The Blue Angels were practicing over Mercer Island in preparation for Sea Fair. They are very loud but impressive.
