Day 14

Due to the exhaustion from yesterday’s trip, we canceled our trip to the Point Defiance Zoo. After dropping off the Sprinter to get the oil changed, we headed to the mall to waste time. I found the most gorgeous diamond anniversary ring, but since it costs about 1½ times what we paid for the Sprinter, I don’t think I’ll be expecting it any time soon! We had the most incredibly delicious ice cream at Maggie Moo’s, and one of the first things I do when we get back to Dallas is find one close to my house. It was SO good!

Headed up to Puyallup to my sister Cristi’s house for dinner. She was like my second mom growing up, and I hardly ever get to see her any more. She's never met Levi or Lily, and I don't know that she's seen Aspen either, so this will be a good visit. Her house has the most incredible view of Mt. Rainier from her windows, and Jeff and I spent quite a bit of time discussing the viability of selling our house and moving to Washington. It’s probably not going to happen, but hey, I can dream! The kids played hard and ran a lot. They’ll fall asleep on the way home again, I’m sure, and I know we tired Cris’s dog out too!

Actually, I’m going to have to wake them up when we get home, because they all need a shower. I love my sister dearly (really, no sarcasm at all), and her husband Dave is a good guy—salt of the earth, he & my sister run a construction company that does excellent work, I’ve known him since I was five—but I’d forgotten until we got there that he smokes like a chimney. I wouldn’t have changed the visit, because it’s been close to seven years since I got to see her, so a quick shower for all of the kids isn’t too bad of a trade-off.

Total miles today: 85