A Mini Getaway to Seattle and Victoria, Canada

I look very, very tired in this picture.

Lance and I are accustomed to spending A LOT of time together.  Lately though, we have been juggling the demands of a very HECTIC schedule, and it has interfered with our “couple” time.  Our evenings are interrupted with shuttling kids to/from practice.  Lance has started coaching his sixth basketball team, and for a few weeks, both basketball/softball will overlap.  In fact, Lance will be coaching two basketball teams (Brandon and Dylan) this season.  My weekends are consumed with softball.  I cannot do much of anything else.  Lance still spends two weekends a month working on the boat. When we are together, we are both too exhausted to put time into us as a couple.

With all of this, we had a trip planned to Seattle in mid-June.  I had registered for the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon a year prior.  It was so cheap that I couldn’t miss the opportunity.  It was just a quick three-day weekend getaway, and most importantly, it was just Lance and me.  No kids.  No dogs.  No other commitments.  Just us. 

We arrived in Seattle on Thursday morning, and it was the most beautiful day with bright, sunny skies.  I wanted this trip to not be about me so it was important that we do things that Lance loved.  Our first stop was at the Museum of Flight.  I’m anal and had an entire itinerary planned of when/where/what we would do.  My itinerary allowed two-hours at this museum, but Lance was in heaven, and thus, we spent much more time here.  I'll plan a very detailed itinerary, but I"m also flexible and adjust as needed.  I loved seeing his eyes light up at all the planes.  His extensive knowledge of planes is impressive.  Lance does not arrogantly display his expertise, but here is a man—in my opinion—who knows so much about so many things. 

This was the highlight for me at the museum.  We were able to walk through the interior of this Air Force One. 

 

Following the museum, we went to the expo to get my bib.  There was a soccer game at Centurylink Field, which made navigating the traffic a nightmare.  After getting the bib, I made Lance drive to Lakeview Cemetery so I could visit the graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee.  Many do not know this about me, but I collect “visits” of all the famous gravesites I have been to.  I know it is a little morbid, but I have pictures at the graves of such people as Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Elvis Presley, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Alexander Hamilton, John Keats, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Beethoven, Thomas Jefferson, JFK etc., etc. 

Our hotel was within a very short walking distance from the Space Needle so we checked in, ate a local sports bar, and called it an early night in preparation for what was anticipated to be a very LONG day in Victoria, Canada.

Lance made the plans for Victoria.  It is always me doing the planning, but this time, it was Lance’s baby.  Lance once had his yacht in a shipyard in Victoria so revisiting this place brought back so many memories.  He was very nostalgic.  We caught the Victoria Clipper, which is a 2:45 min ferry to the island.  When we arrived, we went straight to the shipyard, crossing the Johnston Street bridge.  (Lance and I stopped in the middle of crossing the bridge to say our vows.)  Lance recalled many fond memories of this bridge. When we arrived at the shipyard, it had changed so much.  We met one of the employees who talked to Lance.  I could see happiness and sadness in Lance as memories of the past surfaced.

The Johnson Street Bridge.  They are demolishing it this year, which is sad, as it is the first bridge this famous architect designed. He is most famous for the Golden Gate Bridge.   

Following the visit to the shipyard, Lance and I had afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel.  For me, this was the highlight of the entire weekend.  I am not a tea person, but I loved this experience.  It was the ambiance.  I just felt like I was in another time as we sipped on tea and ate delicacies on delicate china as a pianist played soothing music.  I am so easily influenced. When I returned home, I had to purchase my own little three plate tier so I could have my tea parties.  At the Empress, we said our vows again.

front of the Empress Hotel 

We took a tour bus that travelled around the city.  Lance had never seen these parts of the city. Though he spent summers here for three years, he never really left the shipyard or the main harbor.  We travelled through Chinatown and other parts of the city before exiting for Craigdarroch castle.  It is a historic home in Victoria that also served as a hospital and college.  Lance and I also had dinner at the small island’s Fisherman’s Wharf where Lance spent some time walking up the docks looking at the boats while I watched seals beg for food from tourists. I love Victoria.  It is a quaint city.  You felt like you were in Europe.

dinner at Fisherman's Wharf. This was the best meal of the entire trip for me.  

colorful homes on Fisherman's Wharf

We arrived back in Seattle after 10 p.m. and went straight to the hotel so I could rest before the half marathon.  Lance suggested I not run because rain was in the forecast.  He was almost able to convince me, but I knew I had come here to run, and after all, I was tired, but it was only a half.  No big deal.  The 7:00 a.m. start was by the Space Needle so I left my hotel at 7 a.m.  It was so close.  I was able to meet up with my friend Jacki from Canada.  (She invited me to stay with her in Vancouver if I ever wanted to do the Vancouver Half Marathon.  I liked that idea.)  I finished in 2:17.  It is not the greatest time, but after spending 16 hours in Victoria, I was very happy with my finish.  I had finished as it started to rain.  Seattle’s course was the best Rock and Roll course I had ever run.  I loved it.  It is a very beautiful city.

After the race, our next event on the itinerary included brunch at the Space Needle.  This was on my bucket list, and I was able to cross it off.  What a view!!   Skycity restaurant revolves so you get the most glorious 360 degree view of such a beautiful city.  I love Seattle.  Lance and I said our vows here again.  When brunch was completed, we headed to the Museum of Industry so we could walk along the dock to view some more boats.  We spent some time in the engine of the Virginia (a steamboat), where Lance was in a deep discussion with the guide. He knows so much about boats as well as planes.

Our little tradition of renewing our vows is silly.  Perhaps, I shouldn’t call it a ‘renewal of vows’ but more of a ‘testimony and commitment to each other.”  I always teary eyed when we do this, and I could see it in his eyes as well.  I love my husband, and I just don’t know what I would do without him.

Lance thanked me for this….he said that he loved the fact that running takes us to these places that we truly would not visit without a race scheduled.  He is right.  When we arrived home, I felt an itch for our next runcation.   I’m thinking Chicago Marathon in October 2017.  We could combine that with a visit to see Joe and Karmen as well.  The lottery opens for Chicago early next year, and yes, I’m going to enter it.

Do we ever slow down? It doesn’t seem like it, and frankly, I’m ok with that. 

on the ferry to Victoria.