I Kidnapped My Husband (A Weekend in Port Townsend)

Last month, I 'kidnapped' my husband for a surprise trip I'd been planning for weeks. It was the anniversary of our first time talking (so much has happened in a year!) and I wanted to celebrate that.

We left on Friday night after work in our little Geo convertible. (It's a fun little car, but unfortunately the rainy weather for the trip meant that we never got to put the top down.) Our destination: Port Townsend. Jay had never been there. I kept asking: "Can you guess where we are going yet?" But even as we passed road signs pointing the way to PT, he still was unsure. It was fun teasing him!

Port Townsend is a neat little town, with a thriving artistic community. I went there several times on family vacations, but of course being there as an adult is much different. I loved researching places to eat, visit and drive. I had the whole weekend planned downed to every meal!

Our hotel was a neat, old Victorian building with a lot of character (and a lot of stairs). One of our favorite features was the claw-foot tub. We love those!

We got up early on Saturday morning to eat breakfast at a cafe at the local airport with great reviews. The food was, as expected, delicious.

Then, we left for a whale watching tour (after a brief stop to pick up a few necessities at the store).

The tour took the entire day, with a 'layover' at Friday Harbor. We didn't see any whales in the morning, but took note of seals and birds, including a bald eagle nest. The stop at Friday Harbor was nice - we wandered through some shops, ate lunch at a farmer's market and sat on a bench enjoying the view.

After heading back to the boat, we took off again in search of whales. We ended up pretty far north in Canadian waters trying to find them. Finally, at the end of the day, we saw several transient orcas. While we didn't get to see as much of them as I have when I've gone whale watching in the past, it was still an impressive sight. Seeing such powerful animals in their natural environment always makes me thankful for this wonderful earth that we live on.

After docking, we went back to the hotel to change and then head out for dinner. We ate a a pub and had some of the most delicious jalapeño poppers in our lives. Of course, anything covered in bacon is good! :)

On Sunday, we slept in and took our time gathering our things to check out. We ate breakfast at a little cafe. The food was delicious and presented very nicely! We both ordered mochas that came in cups the size of bowls. I didn't like mine very much and so my sweet husband traded me (despite my protests). His coffee was delicious.

After breakfast, we meandered around PT, checking out some scenic spots. We toured a local cidery, where we sampled several kinds of cider and went on a tour of their grounds. We liked the cider so much that we bought several bottles to take home.

Our time in this little Victorian city ended at a local pizza place that has great reviews but lacks in the ambiance department. It's tiny, has folding chairs and no view. But the pizza was delicious!

After we finished eating, we got in the car and began the drive home.

It was our first trip since we got married (aside from our honeymoon) and the only one that I've planned so far. I loved it. It was a very memorable weekend.

We recorded some highlights and put them together. Since the trip, I've watched the video several times... usually when Jay is gone at work and I'm missing him. The first time we watched it, we both cried.

Love is wonderful. Memories together like this are priceless.