'bout freakin' time?

Ryan and I are engaged! He took me on a hike in Dubuque and proposed to me at the top of a bluff overlooking the limestone cliffs, then got down on one knee and proposed! Besides him dropping the ring (luckily it feel AWAY from the giant cliff) and me welling up and blowing a snot rocket, it was perfect. Ryan designed the ring, an asscher cut diamond with a platinum setting. It's perfect, and I love it more every time I look at it. No wedding plans yet, but keep an eye on plane tickets it Iowa!

-Betsy

Covey Roots Tour

Back in Seattle, my mom, and Uncle Peter and Aunt Sue, took us on a tour of their 'hood and downtown. The tour included watching the salmon run at the locks (and "watching the rich people end their weekend" as the giant yachts went back to Lake Washington from the sound), a picnic on the Golden Gardens beach (where my aunt Ann spent her summers), and the Aurora Bridge troll. We also hit up the downtown highlights, including the totem pole in Pioneer Square.

-Betsy

Pu-bucks

We went to the original Starbucks in Pike's Place Market and to my surprise the coffee was just as horrible there as it is in all of their other locations! Seriously, they could reason for you to visit their first store by making a decent cup of joe, but no, it's terrible. So terrible, in fact, that I spit out my first taste, Betsy caught the action on film. Over-roasted & acidic, hiding the fact that they purchase the dregs of bad coffee beans and then to top it all off, they burn the coffee in the pot! When will they learn to make decent coffee, they should seriously hire Kristen Covey.

-Ryan

Meeting the Coveys!

Finally, I blog about the real reason I went to Seattle, to meet the Covey side of Betsy's family. First full day in Seattle I was a touch bombarded, meeting about 20 people but I wouldn't have it any other way. G-Betty, the matriarch of the family, is awesome and hilarious. She passes the time knitting, creating eye-glass buttons (don't ask), rock-butterflies (just what they sound like), reading about going to Mars and complaining about all the new people moving to Seattle. All of the others I met were awesome as well, must come from the great area in the Northwest, gives everyone a good attitude. Peter and Sue Covey let us stay at their house as we explored Seattle. Sue is the master of hiking preparedness, she always packed lunch for us which saved us from exhaustion. Her daughter, Kristen, could very well be the best coffee maker in the world. Ann and Tom, who live in my dream location on Whidbey Island and also run a crabbing sweat-shop on their back porch, employing, strangely enough, only Iowans. So, all in all, the family is great and would love to move out there and be close to them, unfortunately, the Coveys won't allow any more people in Seattle.

-Ryan

The REAL Iron Gym

We went to Deception Pass, it's located on North Whidbey Island connecting the mainland of WA to the island. I think it's my current "favorite place on Earth!" location. It has everything I need, shelter (I can live under the bridge), exercise (I can do pull-ups on the bridge and run up and down the cliff overlooking the water), and food (blackberries). This place is seriously awesome, everyone should go at some point in their life, just don't fall off the cliff! I can hear the Covey family saying, "Ryan, step away from the cliff's edge, please, I don't want call your parents". Well, even if it was a selfish reason they didn't want me to die, at the very least I know that Laura Danforth doesn't want me to die on her watch...

-Ryan

The Trail of Blisters

We decided to take advantage of the perfect weather and make a trip to Mt. Baker, in the Cascades about 3 hours north of Seattle. While I was planning a leisurely walk in the woods with my parents and aunt and uncle, Ryan had in mind a little more. We decided (Ryan was gung ho to do it, and I wanted to be able call 911 when he potentially fell off a cliff) to do the Chain Lakes Trail, a 7 mile trail with some gorgeous views. The only problem was that I was wearing 2-day old Chaco's and we had 2 hours to complete it. With a little bit of speedwalking, some sustenance from wild blueberries along the trail, and just a small amount of whining on my part, we made it with 15 minutes to spare! ....only to find out that there was another 2-mile trail we had to take to get back to the parking lot where the car was parked, and where we were meeting the rest of the family. By this point, I had learned why the hiking boot industry exists, so wonderful Ryan volunteered/was forced to RUN up the mountain to the car and come back and pick me up. Ultimately, my blisters healed, and in retrospect, a good time was had by all!
-Betsy

Whidbey Island and the mildly problematic catch

Our Seattle trip started out with a stay on Whidbey Island with my Aunt Ann and Uncle Tom. Ryan especially loved the area, and is considering retiring at the ripe old age of 27 to take up crabbing with Tom. Ann and Tom gave him a "you build it, you can live in it" offer about their second floor remodel that they're considering. The only catch is that Ann's amazingly large fiber collection would also be sharing the space.

Our Whidbey trip started off by setting crab pots at the beach by Ann and Tom's. Then, while we waited, golfing at Island Golf, where greens fees are made to the milk can under a tree. I was able to rent lefty clubs from the next tree ($2, payable to the milk can). Tee boxes included the back of a pick-up truck, and a boat dock. When we returned to retrieve our catch, the wind had picked up, and our crabbing vessel (a row boat with Captain Tom and Ryan the crew) drifted off course and wasn't able to get the pots. We were forced to go home, drink some beer, and wait for the weather to subside. The next morning, the waters were calm, and Tom, with a new crew (my dad) was able to get our catch (5 crabs). That night the Danforths (aka Uncle Tom's Sweatshop) shelled the crab, and we ate the fruits of our labor in omelets the next morning. Not exactly The Deadliest Catch, but pretty good for a bunch of Iowans!
-Betsy