Taking up a taste for crab and other goodies!

We decided while in Washington we mine as well obtain our fishing and crabbing license. The biggest thing is gathering the materials for the crab pots and making sure you know what you are doing. The crabs out here are definitely bigger and different from the ones of the Eastern Seaboard. With the help of some new friends and their advice, we succeeded in our first crabbing adventure.

In addition to crabbing we have enjoyed spending time with new friends and faces in the area. I, Shannon, was able to spend time with the one connection I had to the small town of Oak Harbor, WA. The wonderful new family and friend, Kathryn, is a woman Nana babysat back in Portsmouth, VA. She also happens to be the music teacher at Oak Harbor Elementary where I will be teaching second grade this year! Her girls are adorable and know stories about Nana. Nana's ceramics are all around her house here in Oak Harbor and she has told me stories of Nana from their times spent together in Virginia. There is NO doubt in all of our minds that Nana has been looking down with a smile on us and watching over us here on Whidbey Island.

Robert spent this past Saturday evening at a men's Poker night and I am happy to report he won some $$$. While he was at poker I popped over to our neighbor's house and spent time meeting their friends and family at their "Italian Dinner" party. They certainly are warm and welcoming people here on the island. Lastly, Bentley had his first play date with an 11 week old German Shepherd puppy who is absolutely adorable. Unfortunately, Bentley can be a little intimidating and overly outgoing which made befriending the smaller puppy more difficult. He is still learning how to interact with other puppies and we enjoyed spending time with some new friends over a delicious steak and salmon dinner. We are certainly starting to feel at home in Oak Harbor, WA.

A small view at the beginning preparation of my
new second grade classroom

The desks are certainly smaller than my old
fourth grade classrooms, but I still overlook the
playground and am across from the bathrooms!

I grabbed tea at the local tea room downtown with Kathryn
and her beautiful girls!

Preparing our first crab pot

Bentley and Koda at their play date!

The adorable town of Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands.

Robert did a fantastic job docking the boat at the marina. We had to
travel over rough waters to arrive at the San Juan Islands, but it was
well worth it and only took 45 minutes.

We were able to see many sea lions and even some dolphins
on our trip back home!

Bentley was a trooper through the rough waters!

Preparing for crab pot #2 and hoping no one steals the second pot!

Excited and eager to see what our crab pot has brought in! We waited and watched for any poachers.

The pot certainly weighed more and we were sure we caught some crabs before
even seeing into the pot. We had to quickly figure out what to do with all the crabs.

Time to pull them out, size them up, and either throw them back or keep them!

We were able to take home three large Dungeness crabs!

Life is always BETTER while on the water (or so we think)!

Our first look at the boat and Bentley approved!

We even have a place to spent the night while anchored
around the various islands.

We did it!!! Very excited to spend our weekends cruising around Washington and
British Colombia. Our 21 foot Bayliner 2152 will be great for catching salmon, cruising around, and crabbing!

You can't beat the views you see from the water in Washington.
We love the fact that we have mountains, water, farms, and hills all in one place!

Beautiful day to take the boat home!

Ending our first day out on the boat on a high! 

Deception Pass

Bentley is ready to go and looking safer than ever!

There are many swells you have to travel through when going under
Deception Pass. The boat certainly rocks and jumps, but as long as you hold on
and enjoy the ride you are fine! 

One of the most interesting homes we have ever seen!  Which one do you think it is?!!

On our way to Port Townsend

Port Townsend

Port Townsend Lighthouse standing strong!

So long Deception Pass, until next weekend when we visit the San Juan Islands!

Ringing in YEAR 2 of marriage Seattle Style!

Just in case y'all decide to visit Seattle below are some links to amazing places to see and stay :)
Pike Place Market
Space Needle Restaurant
Ride the Ducks of Seattle
Seattle Monorail is a great way to get around!
The Pike Brewing Company

Now for the pictures...

Taking the ferry over from Whidbey Island to the mainland. We
had to laugh as the GPS displayed us riding on the water!

Bentley loves to feel the breeze in his face and is
certainly a people watcher. He was able to spend
the weekend in the "Doggie Salon and Spa."

Checking in for our weekend stay at the Alexis Hotel in Seattle

As always, when we visit a new place, we like to try their cupcakes. We both agreed they were delicious and worth
the $$$.

We had a short walk to the Pike Park Market and LOVED the experience.
Luckily, our anniversary happened to fall on a gorgeous weekend in Seattle.

The well-known Pike Park Fish Market where you can order or just watch the "throwing of the fish."
The fish that they throw are not small, but large fish that can cost up to $300.
We thoroughly enjoyed watching them at work and the crowd certainly joined in with the
traditional singing and sayings.

That is one BIG fish!

Robert was thrilled to find these "Redneck Wine Glasses" and is
currently working on finding a way to make them himself.

We wanted a chance to see all different views of Seattle and learn about the history of the city so the
 Seattle Duck Tour was a must!

We had to put our wheels up and prepare to get wet in the water!

Our tour guide was fantastic and his energy made the tour extra fun! He had a
new hat for each different section of the tour.

Just one of the beautiful house boats located on Lake Union. Many people were
out paddle boarding, canoeing, and boating in the lake.

For those of you, like myself, who loved the movie "Sleepless in Seattle"
you will recognize this house. In the movie, Tom Hanks lived in this house, and many
scenes were filmed with him sitting looking out at Lake Union.

Now, we did not have the chance to taste the Frankfurter, but are certainly
adding it to our list of things to do. Apparently one of the appropriate toppings
is cream cheese!

Sampling some of the delectable beers at The Pike Restaurant. 

We wanted to have the Seattle experience and take the monorail to dinner.
We were surprised at how clean it was and loved the views along the way.

Taking in the views of Seattle from the observation deck of the Seattle Needle.

There is a reason why people who live in Seattle absolutely LOVE it!
After visiting for just a weekend we can see why and feel blessed to have the
opportunity to live near such a great city!

Celebrating our One Year Wedding Anniversary with dinner
 at the top of the Seattle Needle. We could not have guessed that a year ago
we would be moving across the country and living on an island in Washington State!
What a wonderful gift we have been given as it is not everyday you get to meet new people, learn
about a new state, and experience adventures as a newly married couple.

Champagne and strawberries to cap off the night!

We certainly enjoyed having breakfast in bed and the french toast was delicious!

Since our original wedding cake did not make the move, we
decided to ask our local bakery to recreate the top tier.
Not only was it exciting to bite into a fresh, delicious cake, but
we now have a new yearly tradition!

The beautiful flowers that Robert
brought home on 8.6.2012

Bentley made the celebration extra special!