Last Sunday, my cousin's husband, Ben, arrived and we had dinner at Red Fin sushi restaurant. I'd been there before and knew it was good, but this time it was really good. There are several pieces in each roll and they're not that expensive, maybe $6 to $10 each. Two rolls were definitely enough for me. We also had some really good Malbec-Merlot red wine bottled by Three Rivers Winery. We've been looking for it ever since then at all the grocery stores we pass by, but haven't found it.

My cousin, Laurie, arrived Friday afternoon and we went to eat at Red Mill Burgers and it was as good as always. After that we drove to Alki Beach and around West Seattle for the nice views of the city. The weather was really good and Mount Rainier was easy to see, which was nice to show off.

Saturday was a full day. We met them at Pike Place Market for the annual Seattle Cheese Festival. We made sure we got there early before the big crowds showed up so we wouldn't have to stand in long lines. There were so many different kinds of cheese to try. It was all completely free too, so that was very nice. I bought myself a t-shirt with the Cheese Festival logo on it.

Ben and Laurie bought some grapes and assorted berries from a fruit stand and then we went down to the waterfront to ride the ferry to Bainbridge Island. We had perfect weather all day, sunny with a high of about 75, which made it very easy to see the surrounding mountains, including Mount Rainier. Since there's not much to do on Bainbridge Island, we just rode the ferry right back to Seattle. We were kind of hungry, so we stopped and got some piroshkies and some mac n' cheese from Beecher's.

Then we went to the Space Needle to see the nice view. We were able to use our annual passes and get all of us to the top for free. We pointed out where our apartment is and where I work. It was pretty busy, so we didn't stay too long. After that, we stopped by Kerry Park for another great view of the city. After that, we went to the Ballard Locks and drove through a few neighborhoods, including Ballard, Wallingford, the U district, and Fremont.

We went to Volunteer Park and went up in the water tower and stopped by the gigantic tree. Then we ate dinner at the Icon Grill, which was excellent. We started the meal with artichoke gruyere dip, which was to die for. I had the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and Troy had the mushroom ravioli. We all shared a side dish of their famous macaroni and cheese, which was also incredible. We also shared some red wine and some carrot cake for dessert. We were all stuffed! Ben and Laurie were very generous and paid for our food too. I can't wait to go back to Icon Grill sometime.

It was nice to spend some time with my cousins, since we don't see them that often, and when we do, the rest of the family is always there. Since we were outside all day Saturday, we all got a little sunburned, but other than that, it was a really fun weekend and I'm glad the weather cooperated very well. I'm looking forward to them visiting again someday soon.