When the idea of hopping over the Pacific to hang out in Washington for a while was first conceived, it was just to visit Max.  Then Susan wanted to come and we turned it into the BFFLs-visiting-Max-in-Olympia adventure.  Then Max and Susan wanted to go to Canada too and it became the Olympia Canada adventure.  Then I said I wanted to actually get to explore Seattle and it became the Seattle-then-Olympia-then-Canada adventure.  Then Diane at Borders was a big bitch and Susan was kaputz, BFFL explorations of Seattle were dunzo, and Canada was 'x'-ed out of the plans because I was tired of planning this shit already, not to mention that I didn't want to sit in a car for hours on end and didn't want to go without my Korean.  But then somehow one thing led to another and it was OH HERRO I'LL BE STAYING WITH KEVIN'S FAMILY NOW EEE.  What—I mean...what?  Yeah, that was me too, pretty much.  Well, maybe it didn't happen exactly like that but who knows what all that planning business was about anymore, man.   Anyway, on with my tales...

No, wait.  If I'm going to be completely honest here, I have to say before anything else that I was kindasorta scared out of my mind about meeting Kevin's family.  It wasn't that I doubted that they were going to be super cool people or anything like that, but being Filipino myself I know all too well how things work.  First off, families are really really close and every person you meet equals another potential opinion of you and if they don't like you they will cut you.  Then you take that and factor in the knowledge that every one of these opinions count.  Then you have to make sure to remember that these opinions might be stealth opinions and get ready to analyze subtle reactions and comments and facial expressions (much like a ninja would).  Finally, you take all of that and put it together with the well-known tendencies I have to worry about things that shouldn't be worried about, to overanalyze things, and to go a little crazy under pressure (understatement!) and then maybe you'll kinda understand it.  I know, I know...it's not like we're slated to get married and have a million babies together tomorrow or anything like that, but I still want to be liked & approved of by the people he cares about most in the world, you know?  I mean, it was really important to me that my family like Kevin when they first met him, and when they did I was glad and I felt validated somehow, knowing that on some level the people who know me best trusted my skills in evaluating someone's character and choosing to be with someone who doesn't suck.  But that is not what this entry is about so I will digress.

Kevin's house didn't have a funky name like "The Custard Casa", but it was still cool (and had blue shutters!) and the people inside were really nice so that didn't even matter.  I don't know...the time I spent with Kevin and his fam is kind of all one big jumble really, so it's hard to pick where to start.  Honestly, I don't think there was a single hour of any day where I really got the chance to sit down and reflect with myself where I was half, just a few minutes here and there at odd times (laying in bed in the morning in that half-asleep stupor, washing my hair in the shower, climbing under the covers while completely exhausted, etc.)...you get the idea.  I think that might've been part of the reason for (or maybe the result of?) everything seeming so surreal for the first day or so.  Because, you know, it was a trip (no pun intended, ha).  We're usually supposed to be separated by miles and miles of ocean when school's not in session and suddenly we're snacking on pandesals together in his kitchen...?  I even remember asking him, "Is it weird having me here?"  the first afternoon I was there.  (And he said yes and understood what I meant without having to have me really explain myself so I know it wasn't just me being crazy.)  It was a good weird, though, for me at least.

So we did the obligatory touristy things like the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the waterfront, etc.—more or less all the major things in the Guide to Seattle that Linda insist I borrow...and that I purposely left at home, haha—as well as spending time with his family.  I'm trying to look for ways to describe things without sounding cliche or cheesy or trite, but I'm really at a loss right now.  And I'm not the queen of perfectly-worded LJ entries either, i.e. Susan or Alicia.  So I'll just give in and say that it was great and lovely and I'm glad that I went.  Seattle is a beautiful city that I'd love to explore further one, given the chance and more time.  The quirky artsy-ness found in everything, the strange-yet-somehow-it-works setup of metropolitan life in the midst of all that nature, and the complete absence of mokes and all things moke-tastic (arguably the best part!).  And it didn't hurt that I had someone I love being around with me the whole time. :)

So anyway, as I mentioned before, Kevin's family turned out to be great too.  They were all extremely nice, and just being able to see him interact with them and getting a sense of the roles they all play in his life was a valuable experience.  I could see the unmistakable closeness there, and being close to my family myself, I feel like I gained a new kind of understanding of who he is that could have never have been adequately explained through simple words.  I just hope they liked me.  After she bugged me for all the details of my trip, Linda said that I should have asked Kevin what they all thought of me, but I think I'm still afraid to know.  I guess for now I'll just interpret the fact that I haven't heard anything negative (so far) as a good enough indication that I'm in the clear.

The only thumbs-down thing about Seattle is that I didn't get a chance to pick out a cool new snowglobe for my collection. :(