The 4th on Whidbey

True story, we visited Whidbey Island for the 4th of JULY, and I thought that now would be a great time to share a couple photos from the trip. I've documented our 4th of July adventures for the last three years on this blog (2012, 2013, 2014)—so I couldn't pass over this one—and now is as good of a time to share it as ever!

If you click on the links above, we've been alternating years between McCall and Seattle/Whidbey, and being that this year was the 100th annual Maxwelton Day Parade on Whidbey—we stuck to tradition and just couldn't miss it.

We drove over to Seattle on the 1st, spending time with my sister, her husband, and my grandma on Wednesday and Thursday. We ate fish 'n chips at Ivars, overlooked the water over fine dining at Anthony's, sipped a cocktail and made Smore's at The Shelter, ate a huge plate of eggs & chorizo at La Carta De Oaxaca, enjoyed a couple meals with my grandma, and shoot—we even went to the Woodland Park Zoo. And that was in a day and a half, folks.

By the time we got up to Whidbey, we were ready for beach walks, sun, and more food—of course. We went to my number one all-time-favorite pizza joint in Langley, Village Pizzeria, and ordered none other than the infamous Pesto Pizza. Similarly to how Daniel raves over Walrus Ice Cream in Fort Collins, Village Pizzeria is like my place.

Whidbey Island is my favorite spot to visit. It was like my second home growing up—so many memories were made there. On the 4th, we enjoyed time with family, watched the Maxwelton Day Parade, I played in the post-parade games and won the little race they have (it's like a 50 meter sprint—ha—and I've won it every year I've gone back since I was a little kid!), and ate tons of delicious food. We snuck in a beach walk before the parade, and while I didn't find any whopper agates, it was more about spending time with family anyway.

Similarly to our Wyoming trip, I was rather unplugged and didn't bring my camera or phone with me anywhere. Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law, who hooked me up with these photos!

Hanging out at the Maxwelton Day Parade.

Some of the fam, catching rays & doing lots of people-watching.

The BEST pizza EVER—the Neapolitan Pesto Pizza. Mine is the one with the pesto spread all over so I could make sure to get a good amount in with every single bite.

We LOVE exploring on the beach.

Rex, my sister's pup, chillin' on the beach.

This year's Washington trip was short & sweet. I'm so glad we got to spend time with my family. I wish I'd have gotten a couple photos with my grandparents. Each and every trip is so special, so cherished. We'll be back sooner than later, anyway, so this is my mental note for next time! Whidbey—until we meet again...