In between taking care of little kiddos in Oregon and abroad I get one week off. My birthday week, spring break, and seeing family all in one! Bonus, my trusty travel companion, Lucas, joined me; So once I got the sinus infection over our one week, I had someone to keep me company. But the seriously sucky sinus sickness didn’t keep us from having fun at the beautiful Lake Stevens; we sat on the dock soaking up both the sun and the incomparable view. We stared until we could no longer distinguish where the water met the mountains, and the mountains met the sky. Our other cold Lake day activities consisted of taking naps, doing yoga, and watching the Final Four with Grandma and Grandpa– which for me, also means napping… Lake Stevens is my all time favorite Summer place, in chilly April, it’s… mellow. After a few days spent with the grandparents it was time for Lucas to charge on with the rest of his High School career. After a yummy breakfast in Seattle with Gav, Lucas dropped me off at Urgent Care; I kissed him and his noble steed Rufus (My 2000 Gold Honda Accord) a farewell and an Hasta Luego in Spain Hombre!
Seattle, like Lake Stevens, consisted of a lot of napping and binge watching “Parks and Recreation” between sniffles. My highlight of each day was visiting Gavin at work and eating Trader Joes food with him on the benches outside. I also loved our mornings of bonding over my favorite black beverage and watching “Places Unknown.” When my birthday hit I was feeling slightly better and managed to get up at a reasonable hour to hit an afternoon brunch with Gavin and his gal pal Allie. Oh yeah, I’m gluten free again and feeling much better! So I ordered some kind of sunny side egg dish (eggs for breakfast? Yuck!), but it was actually pretty good. But the old Meghan would have most definitely ordered the giant cinnamon roll or the fancy french toast. What is more important, feeling healthy and stable or feeling happy? That is the question of the year for me.
Photo by Gavindorem.us
After brunch we drove to Whidbey Island, Allie’s high school homeland. I mistakenly thought it was right off Pike’s Place, I was imagining an Alcatraz sort of deal but silly me, it was like three hours away. Anyhow, we went through the country side and saw a Tulip field, something I highly recommend doing. Another catch to the drive was going over deception pass and walking down to the water. This pass is a bridge that takes you to Whidbey, it is higher than you’d think and soars over stronger rapids than you’d assume, it is also weirdly long and skinny which only adds to the spine-chilling vibe. Being my birthday, we got out and walked around and luckily had gorgeous weather so we soaked up the sun in deception! We then walked around Whidbey which is a cute little coastal island but at a closer glance it is a bit spooky and oddly quiet. Following a few terror stories and strolls, we went to a restaurant for a delish fish dish where none of us could finish our meals! With full bellies and happy souls we caught the ferry. As we rode the ferry, Gavin, Allie and I made fun of an NPR podcast where Guy Raz interviewed Logic. We laughed at of how nerdy Guy Raz was as he asked if Logic if he works hard every Mottttt-the—-er F—-ucking day, which now has me realizing how lame we are. Oh…I love my family.
Photo by Gavindorem.us 
Photo by Gavindorem.us 
Photo by Gavindorem.us
April 2nd, 19 year old me was acting like a twenty year old and did all my last minute shopping for my journey the following day. Bikini from REI, check. Portable Speaker, check. Wellness Formula capsules, check and love! Trader Joes shopping for plane food, check, thanks Gavin.
Wednesday, Gav skipped an appointment for me and we had a super chill morning before he dropped me off at the airport as he did in August. Thanks Bro.