Seattle 2010: Part I

Hey everyone! As promised, I am blogging our Seattle adventure extravaganza...or whatever you want to call it. I am currently researching PhD programs in epidemiology/international health and the University of Washington has a fantastic program. So, we decided to go and make a vacation out of it. Can I get an 'amen' to that? Sweet Bella was taken very good care of by her Smith grandparents in Houston and I heard she had a great time (yes, for all you Bella-lovin-people i'll post those pictures next.)

We landed at 6pmish Washington time so it felt much later to us Texans. And the weather was awesome! I was laughing with Mike when I was trying to pack..."I don't remember what 60 and 70 degree weather is. Is it 'bring a cardigan' or 'wear your fall sweater' weather?" After we landed we trecked across the airport, took public transportation to the University and walked to our hotel that wasn't too far away, thankfully.

Day 1: I began the day with a morning run through the University, which was beautiful! I actually got lost in the University but the sights were still pretty regardless. And I wasn't completely covered in sweat when I returned, like I usually am in Texas. Mike and I began the day together by going to Pike Place Market. Yes, we did do the Seattle-touristy things most of this day. And this Market did my gardening-organic-healthnut wannabe soul good! Fresh veggies and flowers everywhere! Beeeu..tieau...ful! Awww, gotta love health conscious people. Notice my frizz-ball hair in the picture? It was raining and alas, my natural curls all came out!
Then we took a ferry across the Puget Sound to Brainbridge island. And it was coollddd! Apparently I totally judged the 60 degree sweater-weather wrong. Oh well, us Texans have a hard time with that. It was a beautiful view of the Cascade and Olympic Mountains, Seattle, the Sound, and overall Washington Scenery.
Beautiful Seattle sky line!Bainbridge Island with fancy-smancy homes.
Aww, self portrait. There weren't many people on the ferry at all - so, it made for a nice relaxing ride for this couple! Also, notice my hair is in a pony tail. No more curly frizz ball for me!
My man on the ferry!
After a very relaxing day, we had to book it to get to the hotel, change into business attire, and go for my first interview. whew...after that we enjoyed dinner on Lake Washington. uhem. And the weather changed to beauty for us...70ish during sunset! Here's our view from our table.I had the best halibut i've ever had. I guess Texas seafood isn't quite as "fresh" as Washington. Notice that bridge up there? yeah, that's interstate 5...thus, we could barely hear eachother talking. Oh well, it looked picturesque. Mike had himself a good ole' steak. And it was yummy!Day 2: We spent the morning being lazy since I had interviews starting at 11 and basically going throughout the afternoon. All the interviews seem to go very well and I definitely moved the University of Washington to my top 4 programs to apply for. After a long day of talking, we met up with some of Mike's parents friends they knew when Mike and Christie were little kiddos. (I didn't get a picture of them...but, I should have!) They were just delightful people and took us out to a great seafood place on the pier. Then we went to this little park with fantastic views that we never would have found on our own. To the Terry's - thank you so much for great conversation, newfound friendships, hosting us that night and showing us around Seattle. Seattle skyline with Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier in the background.
Puget Sound
Look at Mt. Rainier...Mike and I had a running joke with one another during this trip that Mt. Rainer seemed "to pop" out of nowhere. You turn down a street and Mt. Rainier is there - You walk another way on the University and Mt Rainier is there. It is a beautiful mountain but it does comically seem to appear all the time!

Day 3: We spent the morning again being lazy. Our hotel was about a five minute walk to the University so we meandered through the coffee shops, bookstores (we go to used bookstores in every city we visit - that's why we have an entire wall in our house covered in books - part of our first date was spent at Barnes and Nobles so we are, uhem, nerdy, wait! studious at heart) and then made our way to the University. Here is the library at UW - totally beats any library i've ever been to. It was built to look gothic and old and cathedral like with large, stone steps to walk in when you first enter. Then we came to....
The reading room! Oh my goodness we were in heaven. It was as quiet as a cathedral with all natural light and books everywhere and lots of places to sit. You would either fall asleep or write your dissertation in days in that type of atmosphere.
My smart, academic man took no time to sit and just enjoy the ambiance.
Here is the shot when you come out of the library. Beautiful? Yes!
Can you see Mt. Rainier in the background? We sat right in front of the water to just stare at it - and talk about life, love, the pursuit of happiness and what we were going to eat for lunch.
Be ready for Part II. For some reason we took pictures in a raw format on the Nikon...and I have no idea how to convert them into JPEGs. But my mom is coming on Thursday who can help me out! Stay tuned and I promise not to wait that long to upload Bella's pictures from her time with Grammy and PawPaw.