Wow, it's been awhile since I've blogged. I meant to blog about the open house weeks ago, but things happened and blogging just wasn't my top priority.
The Thursday after the wedding, Andrew and I and his parents flew to Tacoma for the open house. My parents were incredibly kind and drove up so they had a way to get our gifts back to Utah. We got in a little late Thursday night, so Andrew and I checked in to our hotel room and basically just went to sleep.
On Friday morning, Andrew and I, my parents, and his parents drove to Seattle. I had never been to Washington before, and I'd always wanted to see Seattle, so I was pretty excited. We wandered around Pike Place Market and watched them throw some fish. We looked at all the little shops and ate some delicious Reuben sandwiches. We also saw the disgusting gum wall.
It's so gross. There are millions of pieces of chewed up gum, and it's everywhere.
I really liked Pike Place, but I think I would have liked it better if I had been adequately prepared for the weather. Andrew had told me that it would be decent weather, meaning rainy, but not too cold. Except that on Friday it was freezing and wet and all I had were some flats and no socks. We decided to pack more for Hawaii than for Washington, and that was a mistake. But I survived the cold and I did have a good time.
After Pike Place, we headed to the seafront and wandered through some more little shops. This wasn't so bad because they were all indoors, so I had a chance to warm up. Then we ate dinner at Ivar's, which was SO GOOD. Fresh seafood caught that day. It was delicious. I could have their clam chowder every day of my life, I swear.
Saturday was the day of the open house. It was that afternoon, so Andrew took the morning to show me around his hometown. I loved the look of Tacoma. There were no cookie-cutter houses, and every building had so much character. The architecture was awesome.
One of the coolest things he showed me, though, was Stadium High School.
It's the freaking awesome building they used for Padua High School in 10 Things I Hate About You. I can't believe this is actually a high school—it's huge. It's actually where Andrew's parents attended. I felt super weird taking this picture because there were a bunch of students across from me waiting to head out to an event of some kind. I felt like a major nerd, but oh well.
Andrew and I also went to the beach and wandered for a bit. It was a much nicer day than the day before, so it was much more enjoyable to be outside.
Then we headed to Andrew's parents' house, where we were having the open house. Andrew's mom had set up a huge spread of goodies to eat. People just came at their leisure, and I got to meet Andrew's extended family and a bunch of ward friends that he had grown up with. It was really nice to see a little glimpse of Andrew's growing up life. A lot of people came, and we spent time chatting with all of them and opening gifts.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. I loved Washington, even with the cold weather. Though I would like to go back and visit when the weather is a bit warmer.
