chelan

we spent labor day weekend at lake chelan in eastern washington. chelan is well-known around these parts, and several people we know have 2nd houses there. the climate is so different from western washington - they're known for getting 300 days of sunshine a year!! makes sense why people living in seattle would want that :) it's a great vacation spot because it has most everything you could want - sun, water, sand, mountains, golf, good wineries and good food. we love to travel over labor day weekend because it's a great way to celebrate our anniversary (6 wonderful years!!), and this anniversary was extra special because we celebrated with our children. one of the cutest things about our trip was the fact that brooke called it "SHY-LAN" :) a couple of "firsts" also occurred on this trip - brooke went kayaking for the first time with her daddy, and brooke and gavin played putt-putt with us (well, sort of...). the kids loved it. we loved it. there's just something so special about family vacations. i love being in such close quarters for a handful of days - everyone in one hotel room. it's lights out when the kids go to bed, so kevin and i get plenty of sleep (a key ingredient in any vacation of mine :) i love eating out. i love discovering new things. we saw tons and tons of orchards on our trip. i don't think i've ever seen an orchard before. there's so much fruit that is grown in eastern washington. everywhere we looked we saw green and red apples on trees and fruit stands on the side of the road. we saw sea planes and sailboats. we built sand castles and splashed in the water. we played games and swung the kids in the air. we smiled and laughed and loved.