Washington 2018 - Ben's reflections

Ever since we moved to Australia I've managed to make a trip back to see family once a year, and we typically plan our trips for mid to late summer to escape the cold in Melbourne and soak up the sun in Washington.  This year we had the opportunity to come earlier for Saralyn & Ryan's wedding, and it was fun to visit during a different season (even if we missed the warm sunshine of the summer months).  We were able to visit the tulips and celebrate Arden's dutch heritage, see the changing weather on our various ferry voyages, and most importantly be a part of all of Saralyn & Ryan's wedding festivities.

our welcome crew at the airport!

at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

with Dad and Sarri at the tulips

Saralyn and Ryan's rehearsal dinner

Amare's birthday party

Arden's half-birthday brunch

The wedding was such a fun experience.  It's always special seeing your sister get married, and I'm so thankful we could make the trip back and be involved.  We decided to stay 2 nights at the Inn where they got married, and I'm so glad we did.  It gave us a space to escape when we needed to give Arden a nap, gave us a place to put all our stuff and get all dressed up, and also meant that when the wedding was done we could just walk upstairs and go to sleep.  I loved seeing Arden dancing with Saralyn, helping Amare get dressed in his tux, and just generally hamming it up with everyone.  She did so well all weekend, and it allowed me to really enjoy and be present in the moment.

a wedding video by Candice

Arden loved dancing with her Auntie Saralyn!

(photo by Nicole Michael photography)

This visit was especially nice for us as there were already a lot of family gatherings planned around the wedding, so it allowed us to see all the family multiple times throughout our trip.  It was also the first trip where we felt like we were able to have some relaxing down time, and a lot of that was because of having events already planned and not having to do all the planning ourselves.  A big thanks to Mom for watching Arden and Amare so Candice and I could go see Avengers on opening weekend!

having dinner with Randall and Liz

catching up with some old friends and new babies!

One of my favourite moments of the trip was getting to spend some one-on-one time with Saralyn.  It might have been the first opportunity we've had to do that since I moved away, and it was something I've really been missing.  We went for a great little hike up near Deception Pass, and were able to talk about life and really connect without the (wonderful) distractions that kids bring.  We've always been close and used to spend a lot of time together when we were younger, so it was really special to be able to share that time with her this trip.

hiking with Saralyn

recreating an amazing old childhood photo...

I think Candice has talked about this in a previous blog, but it is really striking the difference between the trees and nature in western Washington compared with the parts of Australia we have visited.  In Washington the trees are so tall, dense and there is an ancient feeling to them, and there's just something that feels right about seeing snow-capped mountains on the horizon.  Don't get me wrong, Australia is beautiful and has some incredible landscapes, I guess it's just that Washington is where I grew up and the landscapes there are comforting in a way I didn't really realise until we moved away.  Besides family and friends, the mountains and the trees are what I miss the most.

As Arden gets older, the visits with family become more and more rewarding.  This trip she was genuinely excited to see and spend time with family, and it was so nice for us to not have to worry about her bursting into tears every time someone else tried to hold her.  From tea time and playing cars with Mimi, to dancing and being silly with Grandad, and story time and hugs with her cousins, Arden seemed to be in her element and truly enjoying every experience.

hanging out with some of my cousins and their kids

Amare is always wonderful with Arden.

visiting Grandma Sally's resting place

I'm so thankful for all the wonderful memories and for the effort that everyone put in to spending time with us during the trip.  Thank you to all our family and friends for making this such a memorable and enjoyable trip!

-Ben