Birch Bay

Awesome. After a great day with some gal pals on Sunday, Monday was a day for adventure! Off to Birch Bay I went with my 2 girls to hang out at a friend's place. The border wait times were short (YES!). And his place was very close to the border. In no time I was there.

There are so many reasons why I love coming down to his place. He's a great friend and spending time with him outside of the work place is just awesome. His place is in a community that is so quiet that soon as you get there, you feel the stress just go away. He is a 3 minute walk to a beach. Everytime I go to this beach, we are always the only people there. Reminds me of the girl's great grandma's place.

Once I got there, caught up with him, his girlfriend and son. Then lunch. Seriously, no one starves when with this guy. He really is such a great host. That was an event in itself!

Then it was time to do some serious shopping. We hit Costco, Bath, Bed and Beyond, Target and Bellis Fair. I got some great deals! Four pairs of shoes for the girls for about $55. And they were good shoes so that should last them for a little bit. Got some pizza pans for my gal pal T. Got the cake pans for my boss as she wanted to give some away for Christmas. Got about $8 pairs of jean shorts/pants for less than $50. SWEET. Shopping for food was awesome! I do wish we went to Fred Meyer's but I can always go another time.

Four hours later, time to pack it in and go back to my friend's place to get ready for dinner. OMG. Again, another feast. Ribs, burgers, salads (stuff right from his awesome garden!), home made french fries and other stuff. I was STUFFED.

In order to work off some of the food, we went and took a long walk on the beach. Hearing the ocean is just amazing. The sun set was actually quite pretty too that night. Watching the kids look for shells, running in the sand, learning how to skip rocks and just enjoying the night was awesome. I just kept skipping rocks, chatted and chilled. And seriously, in this community, the ocean waves are the only thing that's loud. Having it so quiet was so soothing for me.

Back to the house we went...time for a campfire and some desserts! The kids were just loving the fact that they had to go get twigs and paper to start the fire. Then my buddy got his logs over to get the bonfire really going. Yep, you bought roasting marshmallows for some smores. Had some good red velvet cake, apple pie and cheesecake. And again, just some more good chatting. By then, we were all pooped and it was time for bed.

Next morning, got to sleep in (yay!) and then off to breakfast. Holy smokes. Again, so much food. And my buddy being the awesome host that he his cooked up food for everybody. He really should open a B&B or be on a food network show. Comedy gold watching him cook.

Then we thought one more walk at the beach. The day was beautiful! Looked for more shells and rocks for the girls. But before you knew it, it was time to head back to the house to pack up all the stuff. And considering I was only there for 1 day...I had a ton to pack.

As it was time to go, the girls tried to keep hiding so they wouldn't have to leave. They really enjoyed their time there. So did I. I would have happily stayed for another day or so. But my friend is a social butterfly...he had friends coming over within an hour or so of me leaving. Love it.

So for a 1 day jaunt across the border, it really was the best. Nothing like having great company and good food.