The Weekend Edit No. 5: Behind the Scenes of an Influencer Trip to Seattle

A little peak at one of our favorite trips ever, plus a few fun things and a cute movie to watch this weekend.

The Weekend Edit is our little sendoff as we head into the weekend, with a few updates and recommendations from the week to bring some joy to your inbox, and is for all subscribers. Happy Friday!

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Dearest reader,

Happy Friday! How was your week? This time last week, we were at airports all day as we made our way home from Seattle, where we spent three wonderful days with the Amazon Kids+ team and the influencers they brought on the trip. But can I share something with you? We almost didn’t want to go.

We’ve been traveling more than we thought we would be this summer, and it feels like we haven’t had a chance to just be home in our regular routine with the kids. So when we got invited on this trip, we were naturally very excited but had some hesitations. We had just gotten back from the beach with our best friends a week before, and here we were about to have to leave the kids and the farm and all the animals all over again.

But this was for business, so we psyched ourselves and hopped on the plane, and we are both so glad we did. This turned out to be one of our favorite influencer trips ever. The people Amazon Kids+ brought, all parents (though this was a no-kids trip), were so much fun and so kind and we had a blast getting to know them. We laughed so hard we cried, and even though it was only three nights, we somehow all really bonded during that short period of time, and by the last night when we were all heading up to bed after staying down in the hotel for two hours sharing leftover cake on an ottoman in the lounge (truly), we found it hard to say goodbye.

What we found fun and surprisingly easy, though, was how nice it was to get out of town for a few days and spend that quality time together. It felt romantic and sexy to stay in a nice hotel, eat good food and explore a big city for a bit. We FaceTimed the kids every night, so they never halfway across the country, and the weather was in the 60’s or 50’s the whole time, a stark contrast from the almost 100 degrees it was back home.

Here’s a short little recap of our short little trip to Seattle:

Day 1:

We arrived in Seattle and checked into the Fairmont Olympic hotel, which was absolutely gorgeous. We walked into our room to find a bunch of Amazon goodies for our family and it took our breath away. How cute are the sweatshirts? After we showered, we headed down to this speakeasy bar that was hidden behind these bookcases in the lobby and had a cocktail before we had dinner with the whole group later that evening at The George, the hotel’s restaurant. I tried oysters for the first time in my adult life and, breaking news, I loved them. We all took turns standing up and saying a little bit about ourselves to the group, which was a really fun way to get to know everyone.

Day 2:

We woke up excited to start the day, because it was beginning at Day 1, Amazon’s headquarters. After settling into our “classroom” for the day, they served us breakfast as we listened to Michael Rich MD, MPH discuss his new book The Mediatrician's Guide: A Joyful Approach to Raising Healthy, Smart, Kind Kids in a Screen-Saturated World, which was such a treat. We also heard from other speakers, such as the inventor of the Amazon Echo Show, who also created Amazon Kids+. SO cool.

After class, we had lunch and then walked over the The Spheres to take a tour of these incredible structures. The living plant wall is the largest in the western hemisphere, and second largest in the world. There are over 50,000 types of plants there, and Amazon workers are free to come and go as the please to work and relax, grab a coffee, and enjoy the spheres.

Later that night, we all got on a boat and took a ride on Puget Sound as we ate the most delicious dinner, listened to music, and chatted with the PR team and other influencers. It felt like a dream. The views were stunning, the conversation was perfect (a lot of Taylor Swift talk and some behind the scenes discussion with the PR team, which was so fascinating to hear because we only ever hear the content creator’s side), and though it rained a bit, it felt cool enough for jackets. It honestly felt like fall outside, so you know we were in heaven.

Day 3:

The day began with a yummy breakfast and a meeting with the PR team to discuss the year’s partnership. This trip was so well planned, which was one of the reasons we loved it. We’ve never sat down and had an actual meeting with the PR team like that before, and it was so refreshing and nice to talk face to face about the content we will create for them this year.

After that, we made a little keychain for each of our kids for the new backpacks Amazon Kids+ got for them (they have their names on them!), before heading out and walking to Pike Place Market. It was a cloudy day, but you could feel the energy all around as the guys threw the fish back and forth and the crowds bustled with people buying flowers and fresh food and gifts to take home. We stopped at Piroshky Piroshky and had the most buttery, delicious almond pastry, and wanted to stop at the first Starbucks store like we did back in 2016 when we visited, but the line was too long. We did stop for a coffee at another Starbucks, though, of course.

When that was over, we went glass blowing at Seattle Glassblowing Studio, which is a sentence I never thought I would type. It was such a treat. We had lunch there while we all took turns blowing glass. I made a bowl and PJ made a sphere, and they should hopefully be mailed to us in the coming weeks. It was a very fun, unique way to spend an afternoon.

That night, we rode over to Climate Pledge Arena (which was mind blowingly cool with how sustainable and well made it is) to watch our first WNBA game! We saw Caitlin Clark play, and after seeing her all over the news the last few years, I had to admit, I was a little starstruck. Amazon Kids+ put us in their Amazon suite, right next to where the team runs out, and we had all you can eat food and drinks, so naturally we had an absolute blast and felt like kings for a night. I texted our family group chat saying how you could feel the electricity all around the arena because of Caitlin Clark, and my brother responded saying, “Thomas, all live sporting events are like that.” I guess I should start going to more of them, then!

By the end of the night, we ended up in the lobby lounge of the hotel all eating leftover cake from lunch, none of us really wanting to go to bed because we knew that meant the trip was over since we were all flying home the next morning. And I can’t think of a better way to end the trip.

Overall it was a magical three days spent in a magical city with some magical people. I think we’ll be talking about this trip for a very long time.

A FEW FUN THINGS

1. After talking about it for years, we finally started an Amazon Storefront to keep all of our favorite items in one place and easy for you to shop. You can view it here!!!

2. “Internet” and “pop” culture are synonymous. AKA, hearing TikTok songs on the radio.

3. We officially sold our first little beach shack! That’s right, the first one we bought two years ago (before buying another one right down the street, which is the one we fixed up and stay in now), is officially no longer ours after we decided to sell it in a never ending attempt to simplify our lives. It feels good to have one less thing to worry about, and I can’t wait to see what the new owners do with it.

4. The kids’ teachers and their school supplies list were released this week, and I am already dreaming about fall and the return of walking them to school as the weather gets cooler and we settle into cozy season. What is it about school supply shopping that is so fun?

5. PJ dyed his hair blonde this week and I am in love. He hasn’t done this since 2019 and I am fully here for it. Look for the reveal coming soon!

WEEKEND WATCH

A Family Affair on Netflix

I can’t tell you how much I enjoy a good romantic comedy. I love nothing more than to pop a big bowl of popcorn, pour a glass of wine, and settle in on the couch to lose myself for two hours. A Family Affair, however, is not technically a good romantic comedy. But it is highly watchable and enjoyable. It’s about an assistant (Joey King) to a super famous, self-absorbed actor (Zac Efron), and her mom (Nicole Kidman), as they all try to navigate the fact that Zac has fallen for Nicole, setting them all up for funny and awkward situations. It’s a cute little button of a movie, with some funny lines and the most Zac Efron has acted like himself (or what I imagine himself to be IRL) in a long, long time. Though I will say, I was a bit distracted by his face. I don’t know what he has done to it, but he looks almost nothing like himself anymore :(.

THE TUESDAY ISSUE

We’ll see you on Tuesday. Have a wonderful weekend, loves!!! xoxo