Mama and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary last weekend. (It actually took me a week to finish this blog, so technically it was 2 weekends ago).

I was going to write up the story of how we got together, how I proposed, and the insane party of a wedding and a recap of our first 5 years of marriage, but I can’t find that kind of time anymore and most of you know it already.

BUT…it is on my to do list. Look for it in the near future.

Anyways, quick story, for our 5-year anniversary Grammy and Papa came over to watch Jonny while Mama and I took a cruise aboard the Royal Argosy around the Puget Sound. Let me first preface this by saying I ABSOLUTELY detest driving in Seattle. I abhor it. I really do. Too many cars, too many people, too many hills and one way streets, random trolley tracks and just too much stuff.

But aside from renting a limo (which I may do in the future) or taking a cab, there was really no other way to get to the cruise ship which left from pier 56 downtown.

The boat (ship?) boarded at 6:30 and departed at 7:30. At 6:25, as we were driving up I-5 towards our destination approaching downtown Seattle, I was looking for any off ramp that would take me to the waterfront.

I arbitrarily chose 4th Avenue, (which is just after the exit labeled “Safeco Field/Ferry Terminal”) intending on jumping on any street and navigating the downtown spider webs they call streets towards the piers. I was thinking as long as I am headed west, I can’t really miss the waterfront right?

What I didn’t count on, was that the 4th Ave exit does not take you to the waterfront and actually takes you DIRECTLY to Safeco/Qwest field (taking you right between them) AND the Mariners happened to be playing a 7:05 game that night.

Right about here is where I began finding all the positives I could think of about the day, intent on NOT letting this slight delay spoil our anniversary. “It is sunny out, not a cloud in the sky, I’m sitting in the car with the most beautiful gal around, and we are spending some quality time together.”

Yes, we spent a half an hour of quality time on that off ramp behind a line of at least a hundred cars. Half an hour of, “Boy, it’s sure nice out…What a great view…I hope the Mariners can win (I may have been stretching it a bit there)” But we did end up making it off the ‘off-ramp’ eventually.

From there, it was just a matter of finding a parking spot once we made it down to the waterfront. We had kind of a tough time. We prowled pedestrians walking towards cars underneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct with grim determination that yes, one of these people WILL BE getting in their car and leaving and WE are going to have their parking spot.

It took a little while, but we found our prey eventually. We stalked a couple walking suspiciously close to a 4-door sedan and we sat there watching, waiting. When they started unlocking the doors, immediately my blinker went on, I came to a dead stop and everyone else behind me would just have to wait.

They backed out and I pulled in and we were on our way. Half way to the pier and I remembered, “OH NO, I had forgotten our confirmation number to pick up the tickets!” I DID bring them, but they were back in the car.

So we had to turn around and walk back to the car. After I unlocked and opened the door, at least 2 or 3 cars came up to me asking if I was leaving, hoping to grab my hard-earned parking spot. I almost felt bad. Almost.

Anyways, after the fiasco on the freeway and finding a place to park, we made it, with 20 minutes to spare, and it was only 2 blocks away from the cruise ship.

The ship was huge. The floor above us was hosting a prom, and the floor below us was hosting a wedding. Our package was the “dinner/dancing” sunset cruise.

The cruise itself was fantastic, complete with a 5-course meal, a live 4-piece band and ballroom dancing to boot. The food was terrific, the music was perfect, and the company was as pleasent as they come. We cruised from Seattle, up to Shoreline, out to Alki (West Seattle) and back. It lasted from about 7:30 to 10:00pm and we never saw a single cloud in the sky.

I thought we might have a tough time leaving Seattle after it was over since the Mariner game usually got out around 10pm, but it was smooth sailing the whole way home.

It was a good day. Happy 5 years honey!