Because it is his absolutely favorite thing to do (as I’ve probably told you a dozen times before), we celebrated Zack’s birthday by taking the ferry boat from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island and back. Jay and Zack were near the landing a few days ago and Zack was terribly disappointed not to take a ride then, so we promised (and counted the days) all week until Friday after Mom got home from work. Then we took off from home, driving about 20 minutes to downtown Mukilteo and the ferry landing.

Excited to ride the ferry!

I wish I could have captured Zack leaping down the sidewalk when he got out of the car near the ferry dock. He is so wonderfully uninhibited and expressive of his emotions! It was adorable. His expression in the photo to the right somewhat captures the feeling.

We live in such a beautiful place! I am forever grateful that, even when overcast, it truly is lovely.

Mukilteo Lighthouse

Okay, so this photo of the lighthouse and ferry boat is a bit uhm … well, as a photographer friend would say … “Elizabeth, you need to make sure the ground is level before you take the photo.” And yes, I do know how to edit and make that so. But as I considered doing that, I thought Why change it? We’re … as in Jay, Zack, and me … a bit slanted, and this represents us very well I think. I mean, what’s wrong with seeing the world at a tilt? We all do, you know. It’s called personal style.

Oh, I just noticed that my threesome selfies are all tilted! Just the other direction ha ha …

Note the tilt!

Is Zack looking at a seagull here? Or the looming rain clouds? I have no idea.

And we finally got a smile!

On board, with ferry schedule in hand.

Once onboard, we made our way to the sundeck where we watched the boat take off from the ramp and then Zack ran like the wind … in the wind … leaping around the upper deck and loving the sea life for a blissful 20-minute ride over and the same back.

Our excursion continued with dinner at Azteca’s. There, our son displayed much independence and resisted when I tried to cut his food for him (isn’t that just like a mother?). He did very well on his own, thank you very much, and ate everything on his plate. Homemade sorbet was dessert, along with opening cards from family.

It was a great evening, and the perfect way to celebrate this excellent 22 year old.