Oh Seattle, how I adore you xoxo

As most of you know by now, I took a little trip to the pacific northwest with my sweet friend Lena recently & what an amazing trip it was!!  This adventure came about all because I love a band.  Yup, that's right.. the wonderful guys from SafetySuit (along with the Live in the Vineyards team) bestowed upon me an amazing opportunity to visit Seattle.

The path to Seattle took a bit longer than I expected.  We had to change planes in Las Vegas, where I experienced my very first slot machine! haha  Then it was on to Seattle where we finally touched down after an entire day of traveling. 

My first reaction to Seattle: everything is so GREEN! and look at all those Christmas trees!! haha  This Texas girl is so used to flat & brown.  The scenery was definitely a nice change from the norm.  After we got nestled into our hotel we took a gander around the city.  One thing I noticed about Seattle is how friendly everyone is.  It was rare we came across someone who was rude or just downright inconsiderate.  I know the south usually gets the upper hand when it comes to hospitality, but I was pleasantly surprised by the graciousness of those in the pacific northwest.  Good job Seattle!

Of course we hit up all the tourist spots in the city.  The Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the waterfront, the original Starbucks, the gum wall (I know - sounds disgusting! & it was, but we had to experience it), the EMP museum (hello 90s grunge music!), and tons & tons of delicious food & coffee!!!!  Pretty sure we ate our way through the city.  Every where I looked there was a scrumptious pastry waiting to be devoured.  The seafood was divine, and I loved how FRESH everything was.  Buying locally was something most establishments encouraged and I really took note of that.  Very, very awesome.

We met up with fabulous author Mindi Scott who showed us around her beautiful city.  We walked up and down the waterfront, had delicious lunch at Ivars, talked a ton about music, her books, and pretty much everything in between.  Mindi was so sweet to show us around - thank you Mindi!  When you come to Texas, I will definitely take you on the unofficial tour, haha.

Then came time to rock out!  This was my third time seeing SafetySuit perform & I must say, they just keep getting better and better.  Their show was at the Paramount theater in downtown Seattle, which is a historical venue.  The building itself was gorgeous!  I felt like I was walking into an old opera house - wait, I was!  My emotions were all over the place as they performed.  I was cheering, dancing, smiling the biggest smile possible, and just in awe of their talent.  I love these guys so, so much.

During their performance of "These Times" I found myself tearing up a bit.  I know it sounds incredibly silly to get emotional during a rock concert, but I think it was a combination of just everything in the last year building up to that moment.  How I was a part of their video for the song, the message I sent out to the world, and how personal they made it for me.  I definitely know times have been hard in my life, but that moment - in Seattle - is proof that it WILL get better, and it did.  Thank you a million times over SafetySuit for making this trip possible and for giving me an experience I will never, ever forget.

The remainder of the trip I was on a SafetySuit high!  And what better place to release that high than visiting the EMP museum.  They had a Nirvana exhibit, which excited me so much.  I have a fascination with 90s alternative music from the pacific northwest.  My fascination extends to watching endless music documentaries from that time period.  So when I got to see Dave Grohl's drum set from his time spent in Nirvana, I may have squealed a bit too loudly!  I already knew much of Nirvana's history, but it was definitely awesome to see it laid out in chronological order with artifacts from the band's short, but dramatic impression it left on music history.

The day rounded out with a trip to the top of the space needle, where in true Seattle fashion it was cloudy and gloomy.  We peered out at the city, in all directions, soaking in the beautiful landscape.  There may have been telescopes that were meant for landmark viewing, but we may or may not have peeked inside neighboring windows - ha!

I feel like I blinked and we were on the plane back to Texas.  The trip went by so fast!  I'm not sure what I'll miss most... the cool temps that brought relief from the hot Texas sun, the delicious pastries we found on just about every street corner, the amazing concert from SafetySuit that reminded me why I adore that band so much, or the endless laughs I shared with Lena.  I could not have asked for a more perfect vacation.  I had a feeling I'd fall in love with that city & I did just that!  Oh Seattle, how I adore you...