Seattle: 1st Birthdays and Girlfriends and Twix Caramel Popcorn

Oh, Seattle. I've visited Washington State many times, and I think each trip I love it a little more. There's just so much I enjoy- obviously the people, but I'm really into the scenery, the weather, and yes, even the cloudiness. This time it was just Charlie and me, which made me smile because last trip it was just me, with Charlie in my belly. Full circle in the best way. We stayed with my friend Andy again, and we came this particular weekend so we could help celebrate her son Owen's first birthday. Our other friend Anita flew in from Phoenix as well and it was a reunion of sorts, as we all haven't been together since our last trip. It was so nice to reunite- now if only we all lived closer!

We did a lot in the three days I was there- party prepping, shopping, lots of eating, and I discovered a new item I will NEVER cook in my own kitchen thanks to it rendering my self-control powerless; TWIX CARAMEL POPCORN. Oh my god, people. So what it is is homemade caramel corn drizzled with melted chocolate and then mixed with Twix pieces. Heaven. My quote of the night was "just one more pinch," as I pinched off just one more handful of the good stuff. I ate way too much of it, but it was really great. Thanks a lot, Andy. ;)

The rest of the trip in a nutshell: laughing until I cried at Milo and Lola's antics, lots of girltalking, oohing and ahhing at Andy's sunset views every night, takeout in our pjs, party prepping, more oohing and ahhing over the cutest party ever, meeting up with Mandy and Smith (yay internet to real-life friends!), getting to meet other IG mama friends at the party, staying up way too late, Facetiming with Hank and Henry every night, flying back with Anita and Lola and almost missing our flight due to an accidentally long bagel sandwich break (!!), and basically just feeling like I was able to recharge my "Mama batteries" for a couple of days.

It's also important to note how well Charlie did. He's a mellow little dude so I wasn't too surprised, but I still wasn't sure what to expect. He flew like a champ (minus the immediate need for a diaper change the second we took off from Phoenix...) and slept in his pack-n-play every night with no problem. Naps were a whole different issue but I think I'll just count the successes for now. Ha.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend spent with great friends, both new and old, thanks to the always-hospitable Andy. Writing this now I'm feeling extra thankful, and I am looking forward until we can all be together again!

Some photos: