When I was growing up, I had tons of cousins that went on missions, so we were always talking about missions and sending them off or welcoming them home. My boys are the oldest cousins on both sides of the family, so they don't have that same opportunity. When they were younger, some of their uncles and aunts served, but that has been several years ago.
It has been so nice to have our parents serve missions recently. It provides such an excellent example for our boys and puts missions on the forefront of their minds again. We had tickets to visit my parents in Australia, but Covid killed that trip. Now Jonathon's parents are serving in the Washington Everett Mission from June 2021 - June 2022. As soon as they got their call, we knew we wanted to make the effort to go visit them to show the boys all about mission life.
We decided that Fall Break would be the best time to go. We bought plane tickets for our whole family and started planning. We flew into Seattle, so we decided to spend an afternoon exploring the city before heading out to Mom and Dad's. The flights were all uneventful, and we arrived right on time. We picked up the rental car and headed to the waterfront. We didn't really have a concrete plan, so we explored a little and found a cruise of the harbor. Since we didn't have much time in Seattle, this seemed like a good way to see as much as possible. We had a great time on the boat. It was a beautiful day, and we got a chance to see the whole skyline. We also listened to a tour guide tell us lots of interesting things about Seattle as we rode. We loved seeing Safeco Field (baseball), the Space Needle, the Ferris Wheel, and much more.
After our harbor cruise, we headed to Pike's Place Market. We found the famous gum wall, watched them throw some fish around, and bought flowers for Mom Hill as we walked through the market. Then we went to Ivar's for some delicious fish and chips and clam chowder. Behind the store, the boys got to feed some bread to the sea gulls.
It was starting to get dark, so we drove to the Ballard Locks to check them out. I was worried that we wouldn't see anything because it was so late, but right when we walked up a boat was waiting for the locks to fill up so that it could go through. We got to watch the whole process of raising the water and then lowering it after the boat passed. Definitely a cool experience!
Then we headed to Anacortes where Mom and Dad live. It started raining as we drove, and in true Pacific Northwest fashion, it poured. Jonathon had the unenviable job of trying to drive and navigate in an unknown place. I was white-knuckled for much of it, but he seemed unfazed and got us there safely.
It was so much fun seeing Mom and Dad after 5 months. We have really missed them. They have a small apartment, but it had plenty of room for us to stay. They were so nice and bought blow-up mattresses so we had somewhere to sleep and didn't have to get a hotel room.
The next morning, we got up early so that we could make the ferry on time. Their main mission assignment is to find investigators and help the member son the San Juan Islands. There are three main islands in the sound (San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez). They have to make daily ferry trips out to the islands to do their work. The ferry is quite expensive, especially if you are driving a car, so most of the time, they just take their bikes to save money. That means that they are riding all over the islands every day. They are going to be super fit when they get home.
We drove down to the ferry station, which was only a couple miles from their house. We arrived a little bit early to ensure that we would be able to get on. While we were waiting for the ferry to arrive, we walked down by the water. When the ferry arrived, we drove on and then went up to the top level to watch the trip to San Juan Island. It was quite exciting to ride a ferry for the first time, and the kids particularly loved watching it dock at the ferry terminal.
Friday Harbor is the main town on San Juan Island. It is such a cute, quaint little town. We walked up and down the streets, slipping into antique shops and book stores as we went. Next we drove to the other side of the island to a town called Roche Harbor. It was a lovely little tourist area right on the water. There were fancy bed and breakfasts and plenty of sailboats out in the harbor. Grandma got the boys ice cream, and we ate lunch right on the water.
Next we headed to English Camp. We learned a cool little tidbit about history there. Apparently, the British and Americans both laid claim to the islands, so there were soldiers stationed there. One day an English pig ate the Americans crops, so they shot it. This caused a skirmish that very nearly started a war. Colonel George Pickett was in charge of the American soldiers. He later gained fame in the Civil War. Luckily, the British and Americans were able to work out an arbitration deal before a war started. The deal split up the sound and gave the San Juan Islands to the U.S. and some of the other islands to Canada.
Then we headed back to Friday Harbor to rent a 3-wheeled moped. Mom Hill paid for us to ride for an hour. Jonathon acted as the driver, and he took each of us for a ride around a scenic loop. It was so much fun! The route was beautiful and it was so energizing to drive around the little island.
Soon it was time to board the ferry again to go to Lopez Island for the night. A member couple had a house there that they let Mom and Dad use while they were on the mainland over the winter. Apparently, that is a very common occurrence. Life on the islands can be difficult, so many people choose to spend the colder months in warmer areas of the country. It was so nice of them to let us all stay there. It was a nice home with beds for all of us and a nice kitchen to use. We made dinner and had a fun time chatting and catching up.
The next day was Sunday, so we attended the Lopez branch. Church was held in an old little two-room schoolhouse. It even had an outhouse for the restrooms. There was a school room at one end, and there was a little open area at the other end where we held church. With several of the snowbirds gone, the branch was down to about 6 regular members. We pretty much doubled the branch with our attendance. They hadn't had a real piano player in many months, so they were all so appreciative when I volunteered to play.
We actually started with Sunday School because the ferry carrying the Stake President was running late. It was just one class, so our kids participated right along with the other adults. Hyrum even volunteered to read some of the scriptures. I was so proud of him. Then we started Sacrament meeting. Jonathon and his dad blessed the Sacrament, Andrew passed it, and Christian helped clean up afterward. The Stake President finally arrived and spoke about his love for the members and how they could be better disciples. It was a very memorable and motivating Sunday. I thought it was a great experience for the boys to see what the Church is like outside of Utah and in a small branch.
After church, the new Branch President, who was sustained that day, invited the entire branch to his house for lunch. He and his wife were so kind and generous. They were super wealthy, and their home was basically a huge mansion. It was one of the coolest homes I have ever had the chance to explore. He is an avid hunter, so he had taxidermied animals from all over the world. I'm not a fan of that kind of decorating per se, but it was still fascinating. One of the coolest things was their hidden Narnia room. They had a wardrobe with a secret panel that opened up into a small room with white carpet that looked like snow. It was so fun for the kids. The lunch was delicious, and it was neat to be able to converse with the members there.
When we arrived back at the house, we played games with Grandpa and Grandma, ate dinner, and then went to bed. The next morning, we went to the only real town on the island. It had some little shops where we bought souvenirs, a beach to skip rocks, and a food truck that sold poutine. We bought a few different kinds of poutine and enjoyed the fun new food. Then Mom and Dad took us on a hike to Shark Reef. It was such a fun nature walk. The plants were so green, and it felt like walking through a rainforest. When we reached the coast, we hiked right along it for a while and enjoyed the cool scenery.
Then it was time to head to the ferry to go back to Anacortes. When we arrived, we were told that the ferry was cancelled. Mom and Dad said that the pandemic had caused major disruptions with the ferry service because they couldn't find anyone to work. The next ferry wasn't for 2 more hours, so we drove over to the supermarket and got some stuff for dinner.
The ferry finally arrived, and we all boarded. We ate our dinner and snacks and then went outside to enjoy our last ride. Suddenly, a bunch of crew members ran by us and started pointing and shining lights out on the water. We were curious, so we listened as they discussed a sailboat that was in distress on the water. The guy on the boat had a flare signaling for help. After trying to communicate with him for a few minutes, a guy on the ferry came up top and said, "I know that guy! In fact, he asked me if I wanted to go on a boat ride today." When the crew asked him if his friend knew what he was doing on the boat, the guy said "Absolutely not!" We all got a good chuckle out of that. Apparently, the stranded man had just bought the new boat and couldn't figure out how to get back to shore when it got dark. The crew decided that they would send out the rescue boat. We got to watch them lower it and motor over to the man. They had a big spotlight on it so they could see while they were hooking the boats up. It took a while to get everything done, but it was pretty exciting to see.
We got back to Anacortes late and had to catch an early flight, so we went to bed. We were sad to leave Grandpa and Grandma the next morning, but so happy that we had such a great opportunity. It was a blast, and we made such good memories. We love our missionaries!
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