Black Friday 2018 - Everett, WA

Black Friday 2018

We are staying at the Best Western Navigator Inn and Suites. This isn't the first time we have stayed at the Navigator Inn and I'm sure it won't be the last. Some features:
Indoor Pool
Continental Breakfast
Evening Appetizers
King Suites with Jazzuci tub
Pet Friendly

We have stayed here for the last couple of years for Black Friday shopping and normally have stayed on the 4th floor (RM 410). This year we are staying on the third floor (RM 309).

We get the jaccuzi suite as it includes a kitchenette and pull out sofa bed, two tvs, bathroom with shower.

We stayed from Wednesday night until Saturday morning. The stay was fine until Friday night. The a/c unit the bedroom started to tick. We didn't have a good sleep.

Wednesday night we ate at Olive Garden.

Thursday night we ate breakfast at hotel - they offered sausage patties, egg patties, hash browns in the hot section.

We hung out in the hotel most of the day and didn't eat lunch because we were going to eat at the Tulalip Casino buffet. HUGE MISTAKE! The line up to get into the buffer wrapped around the whole casino. We left Kahlua at the hotel. We ended up finding a Pho place that was open and had some really good pho.

After dinner we went to Walmart, then Game Spot, then Target then back to the hotel.

Friday morning breakfast at the hotel was scrambled eggs, hash browns and sausages in the hot section.

Kahlua had vet appointment at 11:30 so we headed to Everett mall to take her to PetSmart. After there we went into the mall and hit Ulta, Torrid, and Hot Topic. We then had lunch at Olive Garden then drove to Fred Meyer and Costco.

We just grabbed a pizza from Costco for dinner.

Saturday breakfast at the hotel was diced ham, potato hash and cheese omelette in the hot section.

We checked out of hotel at 11:30 and drove straight to Mount Vernon to return some things and pick up 2 online orders. We shopped some more there and had lunch at the Royal Star Buffet.

November 3 & 4, 2018 - Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, WA

Arrived @ 3:15pm and got to check in right away, no waits at check in, but lobby was busy.

RM 4033- Kid Kamp Suite - comes with bunk beds in separate "suite" area (B already claimed the top bunk), pull out couch, 1 queen bed. TV in Kid Kamp & main area. Coffee table, table with two chairs, microwave, mini fridge, coffee maker. Came with some treats in the coffee bar.

Got gift bag that includes 4 waters, 2 towels, 1 cooler bag, meal for four at waterpark.

B got a pup pass that includes 1 magi quest or shadow quest game, 1 wand or topper or belt, 1 stuffed character, gem stone mining experience, peaks rope course, arcade card with 20 points ($5), 1 serving bulk candy, pair of goggles, tattoo, leather treaty name bracelet. The best part of it, is it comes on a cute lanyard!

We also said it was B's birthday so he got a pair of birthday wolf ears.

Spent Saturday afternoon/evening getting all the free stuff that came with the Paw Pass, having dinner, then arcade.

Had Seafood Saturday Night Buffet. $30 for adults, $15 for kids. B and I ate lots of shrimp and crab. They had all the salads in little dishes and the desserts and fruits were set up the same way. It was expensive. I don't think we will do it again, but food was good.

We went back up to room for about an hour after eating to relax. B and I decided to go to they arcade while A relaxed in room.

Northern Lights Arcade - open 24 hrs, and we went there around 7:30 or so. We spent $100 on our reloaded card and set to trying to win tickets. At about 8:30sh it started to really get busy, uncomfortable. B took off back up to the room and both A & B came back down. At that time there was about 170 paw points left on the card ... we started with 400+100 bonus. A&B stayed down in the arcade, I heard back up to the room.

About 30-40 minutes later, they came back up, having spent all points and bringing ice cream. We stayed up in the room until about 11pm when B and I took another $20 and went back down to the arcade. It was much quieter and easier to move around to play games.

Went to bed around 12:30am. B&I slept in the Kid Kamp bunk beds (never again will I sleep in a bunk bed) A slept on the bed. Woke up around 9:50 ... then realized that time went back and it was really only 8:50.

Sunday we were at the waterpark just after 10 am and it was packed already. Most of the tables and chairs were already taken. Finally found some lounge chairs and set up there, B&I went I into the wave pool, A stayed behind. She found a table for us. Ate lunch around 11am, finished around 2pm.

Spent another $20 in the arcade. Ended up with 2378 tickets. B got a GWL pillow and wolf. A&I got coffees from the Starbucks located in the lobby. We walked through the gift shop but nothing really grabbed our attention.

Left about 3:15pm. Had a good time.

B rates:
Waterpark 6/10
Room 7/10
Wifi 3/10
Arcade 10/10
Other activities 5/10

A rates:
Waterpark 5/10
Room 5/10
Wifi 2/10
Arcade 4/10
Other Activities 5/10

S rates:
Waterpark 6/10
Room 6/10
Wifi 5/10
Arcade 9/10
Other Activities 6/10

Overall:
Waterpark 5.7/10
Room 6/10
Wifi 3.3/10
Arcade 7.6/10
Other Activities 5.3/10

November 3, 2018 - The Melting Pot, Tacoma, WA

Had lunch at Tacoma Melting Pot.
Loaded Baked Potato Cheese Fondue
Melting Pot House Salad w/ Ranch
Strawberry Almond Salad
Soup base
Chicken, steak, pork, shrimp, potstickers
Flaming Turtle Chocolate Fondue
Server Alex was great. He was friendly and approachable with the right amount of banter.

May Long Weekend, 2018 - Home 2 Suites, DuPont WA.

Our May long weekend plans changes almost last minute.

We had originally booked a hotel in Osoyoss but the flooding was so bad that the hotel cancelled our reservations. A was able to find this hotel after talking to a bowling family we know.

The hotel was a little far out but well worth the drive. It's new and you can tell. Bright paint, eager staff. Located beside (or on, we aren't quite sure) a military base, it was busy with people coming and going constantly. But it wasn't noisy in our room.

The pool was nice, the room well stocked and CLEAN. The breakfast was different than we ever had before. It had the usual suspects: toast, cereal, coffee, juice, waffles. But then they got creative. They had all these fancy toppings like fresh berries and chocolate sauce for the waffles and there were these packaged breakfast sandwiches. The staff were basically giving us to them to get rid of them.

We've come home with some ...

All in all, a really great hotel stay and one we will be sure to stay with again!

November 2, 2018 - Comfort Inn Auburn

We stayed here on our way to Great Wolf Lodge. Good beds, okay breakfast, free wifi, indoor pool & hot tub. In industrial area, by train tracks. Stayed in room 100 on first floor by an exit. Quiet night not busy. Spent $79 US with corporate discount.

September 15, 2017 - Sushi Mori - Better late than never, amiright?!?

We were kid free on September 15 and decided to go out to dinner. The first place we tried was CRAZY busy ... we had to scramble to find somewhere else to go.

Finally decided on Sushi Mori - we had not been here in a LONG time. Last time we had been was when it was in the old location, before it had burnt down. It's in the same complex in Eagle Ridge, just tucked into the corner, where a gym or MMA place used to be.

It was busy as well, but not as busy as the first place (thankfully). It took maybe about 15 minutes before we were seating a lovely little table that fit both of us nicely ... would probably squeeze three in a pinch. The decorations and lighting I think is what really makes this place special. They have a big giant cherry blossom tree in the centre that is lit and then lighting all throughout. This is similar to the original restaurant.

A ordered the following:

Dinner Plate A
8 piece Yam Tempura
8 piece Spring Roll
Side of rice

I ordered the following:

Ebi Mayo
Green Dragon Roll

The dinner plate came with chicken teriakyi, california roll, dynamite roll, gomae & miso soup. Since A doesn't like the rolls, I pretty much ate her rolls, her gomae and her miso soup.

The food was delicious. I'll post pictures of what I've got.

We will definitely be going back again, maybe bringing the boy with us (MAYBE) and will try to make a reservation as well.

Until next time
~ S

Spontaneous Picnic - September 12, 2017

A decided that we would have a nice impromptu picnic at Barnet Marine Park tonight. We didn't tell B we were going, so he was nicely surprised.

https://www.burnaby.ca/Things-To-Do/Explore-Outdoors/Shorelines---Lakes/Barnet-Marine-Park.html

This park really is a hidden jem. I don't think enough people either think to come here or just don't bother to come here. The views are absolutely gorgeous and there is so much space. Lots of picnic tables and area for blankets. They even have bathrooms!!!

Two downsides ... parking sucks. It's a bit of a walk and the closer parking fills up fast. But, if you are used to White Pine Beach across the water ... you'll know about parking congestion.

Second is the geese. There are geese and then there are CANADIAN GEESE. These suckers ain't afraid. Ain't afraid of sh*t, so don't think you can scare them off. I found it was much easier to just kinda let them meander around us. If one got too close, a quick "HEY" was all it took to move it back.

All in all a great evening spent in just outside our own city, (as the park is technically in Burnaby) enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Until next time!

~ S