Happy Birthday Grandpa

My Grandpa Acheson (my mom’s dad) turned 80 this year and the entire Acheson crew headed up to Shelton WA to wish him a Happy Birthday.

Lee had never been to Seattle before, so we thought that it would be fun to do a little exploring while we were making the trip there. We had a lot of fun touring the city. We went to the Locks first and then enjoyed some fish and chips and clam chowder there at the local “shack.” (Lee and I decided that we need to head into SF one of these days to have some chowder…it’s just so good!) Oh, I forgot to mention what we were cruising the streets in. Well, not what we thought we were getting, but it didn’t end up being that bad…just the brightest blue of a PT cruiser that you could get! We just loved how even the inside was the same color so you didn’t forget what color you were driving in! (I’m sure some of you would have died seeing Lee drive the car.)

That night we also were lucky enough to get a tour of the Mariners Stadium. My Aunt Liz fiancé’s nephew is the head chef for the team, so he took us around. It was really fun to go behind the scene. The stadium is really cool and can open up and close depending on if there is rain or sun. Speaking of rain…it only rain on us one day! The day we walked around Seattle. Our hotel was at the perfect spot. We walked to everything. We first did the underground tour of Seattle. It is a really fun tour that teaches you the history of Seattle and takes you to the “old part” underground. Then we went to Pike Street market and had fun watching the guys throw fish and sampling yumminess! We walked along the shopping center of the city and then quickly made our way to the Space Needle.

That night we got together with all of my mom’s family. I think only three of my cousins were missing. All together there was a total of 56 people in my Aunt and Uncles house. It was crazy to have everyone together and see all the new babies in the family.

My grandpa is so great. He had no idea what was going on the whole time. Everything was such a surprise for him. We ended up giving him tiles, where everyone painted a piece, to be included in his amazing garden. He was so shocked and couldn’t stop talking about how great they were. We also got him a digital photo frame that he just loved! I don’t think he stopped smiling the entire time we were there. It was so fun to see him so happy.

We had so much fun staying at my grandpa’s house…that Lee was like a little kid when it was time to leave and just didn’t want to go. My grandpa lives on a beach house that he had just done so much wonderful work on it and the land around it that you are in heaven the whole time. We collected a bunch of sea shells that we just had to bring home. We played Dominos (Mexican train game) which is always a must when you visit, got a tour of the place, and had wonderful company.

It was so nice to see my entire immediate family there. Will, my brother, just got back from his mission a week before hand, so it was nice to be able to see him there! He was just a great missionary and is such a great brother. It was good to see him back in his “home made” shirts…its like he never left. And it was also really nice to see Ann before she headed off to Thailand for the summer. Everyone else seemed like things were going well. It was a very fun trip. Thanks grandpa for having a birthday!!