Lines on the Road

I want

2012-02-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

I've been really into bedding lately. Strange, considering my penchant for messy beds. As Mark said, "But if you get nice bedding, that means you'll actually have to MAKE the bed." Maybe this will inspire me?

Our current duvet cover has been looking a little tired so I've been browsing for a replacement. A store recently opened up in downtown Seattle called West Elm, and they have some cute offerings. Kind of like a Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn. You should check it out!

Tomato, toMAHto

2012-01-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

So. Remember that time I told you about my Le Creuset pot? Turns out I don’t have one.

I took in said pot to BB&B like I said I would in my previous post and said I needed to exchange my Le Creuset for another one.

Sales Associate: “Oh we don’t carry Le Creusets in the store but I can do an exchange online or an in-store refund.”

Me: “Really? But I got mine in the store last time.”

SA: “Maybe someone else returned theirs and that’s why it was here.”

Me: “But there was a whole selection of them in the cookware section.”

SA: “… Oh, well you’re welcome to go check!”

Then I handed her my pot and set off for the cookware section to prove myself right… where I found a selection of Fontignac dutch ovens, which was obviously the brand that I bought since I remembered the packaging. Where I got it in my head that I had a Le Creuset I have no idea. I didn’t even look at my pot because I was so sure it was a Le Creuset. So then I had to shuffle back to the front with my Fontignac and face the SA.

Me: “So… I apparently didn’t have a Le Creuset! Sorry about that, I don’t know where I got that.”

SA: “That’s ok! They look exactly alike so I understand how that happened.”

Me: “And all this time I’ve been telling people I had a Le Creuset… how embarrassing.”

They still exchanged it for me free of charge but I’m sure I looked like the annoying know-it-all customer… ah well! To the SA’s credit, she did an excellent job of giving me the benefit of the doubt and not smirking, at least to my face. They have a tough job sometimes!

Bring on spring

2012-01-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Since the winter blues have grabbed me in full force, I’ve taken to stalking my favorite clothing websites since their spring collections have been released. Nothing like a pop of color to brighten my day and forget the drizzles outside!

I’ve been prepping my spring wardrobe a bit early this year to take advantage of the sales retailers have been offering – New York & Company recently had a sale for 50% off their new spring collections so I headed over to take a gander. I wanted some colorful pieces and NY&C usually has some great options color-wise.
I LOVE the recent trend of colorblocking so I got this top, a combination of deep navy, gray, and a pretty mint green.

They also had a great selection of royal blue, which I want to incorporate more of in my wardrobe. I picked up this cute patterned top; my new goal is to not be afraid of patterns! I normally prefer solid colors but that can get boring after a while.

Bring on spring!

A spring wedding

2012-01-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

Not only do I get to be in a wedding that takes place here in gorgeous Estes Park, CO:

But I get to wear this cute little number!

Who's excited? This girl. I love weddings! I can't wait to celebrate in June with my three best friends from home - the lovely bride Breanna, and Megan and Sarah. Together forever!

Snow days

2012-01-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

Proof that all you need to have fun is a cookie sheet.

We got not one snow day this week, but two. Seattle tends to become immobilized during bouts of snow due to the steep hills and I was grateful for a chance to stay home and enjoy the beauty of the snow! By now though I'm going a little crazy and am almost looking forward to going to work tomorrow.

Almost.

The fun thing about Seattle snow is it brings out pedestrians in droves. Nearly everyone and their dog goes out for a walk during snowstorms and our local pizza joint, Pazzo's, was evidence. They were stocked to the brim with customers and we were lucky to get in our order for calzones before they ran out of ingredients since their delivery trucks couldn't make their deliveries.

Plus you see any kind of device substituting as a sled. I saw a girl try to go down a hill while straddling a snowboard like a sled. And no, I didn't say, "Um, sweetie, that's not how it works..."

Because she could've said the same thing about our cookie sheet!

Snowmageddon 2012!

Snow much?

2012-01-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

I'm convinced that no one likes to talk about the weather more than Seattle.

After stories like this one predicting Snowmageddon the likes of which we haven't seen in decades, I was REALLY hoping for a snow day today.

And then I woke up to a rainy 36 degrees. So I got dressed and here I am. Cliff Mass says there's still a chance ("so you're saying there's a chance??") for Snowmageddon and the Coloradoan in me says, bring it on! But the Seattleite in me says to please wait until I get home... thanks. No one wants another commute from hell.

My lucky day

2012-01-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

Moral of the story: you never know if you don't ask!

Example number 1: I bought a Le Creuset pot about a year and a half ago from Bed Bath and Beyond. The pot worked splendidly until a couple of months ago, when I noticed a small ring on the inside bottom of the pot. I continued using it since it only looked like a slight discoloration. Well, the slight discoloration became worse until the enamel gave way and cracked, revealing the cast iron beneath the enamel. I treat the pot very well and knew there was no way I could've caused that kind of damage - it's not like I hit the pot against something to cause any internal damage. Since I didn't have my receipt or even the original packaging for the product, Mark checked out Le Creuset's website to see if they would replace it - they will, apparently, but only if you ship it at your own cost. And those pots are HEAVY! So I've put off doing anything about the pot for a while because I was dreading repackaging and shipping it.

Then my co-worker suggested asking BB&B if they could ship it to Le Creuset for me since I bought it from them. I said I doubted it since I had nothing to prove I had bought it from BB&B, but I'd try anyway. And what do you know, BB&B offered to exchange it for me in-store since it had a lifetime guarantee, regardless of whether I had the receipt or not! Win!

Example number 2: I've been struggling with some issues with my contacts for a couple of weeks now. I use Acuvue Oasys contacts for Astigmatism and have been for years now, and have only had these problems within my most recent two boxes. I started developing oil spots on a pair that I'd had in for about a month (that's a short wear time for me - I usually stretch them for at least two months). I could rub off the oil spot with saline solution and it would remain clean for about five minutes, but cloud up again. So I threw that pair away and put in a brand new pair. Same problem. I've gone through four pairs now and experienced the same problem each time. With my most recent pair, my face was completely washed and make-up free, and I'd also flushed out my eyes: I put in a contact from a brand new package and within five minutes, a cloudy spot had developed on the contact.

I refuse to believe that my eyes are the problem. I've never had this issue before and it conveniently started with this new batch of contacts. So I called Costco, my provider, and asked if they could refund me or do an exchange since these seem to be defective. At first she said no. Then she asked if she could order me a trial pair since I had no contacts at the moment. I agreed (something is better than nothing), and she went on: "How about this - I'll order you two new boxes of contacts, free of charge, and you can test those out?" Sounds like an exchange to me, I'll take it! I don't know if my problems will stop with these new boxes, but it's the logical next step to take.

Who else can I call today to ask for favors??

House hunting in the snow

2012-01-16T10:43:00.001-08:00

Leave it to us to go house hunting on the firstday of snow in over a year in the Seattle area. I don’t know which is moreshocking, that we’ve started looking for a house or that it actually snowed! Youheard right – we’re on the hunt for a house with a real live mortgage. The goodnews is that we aren’t in any rush. If we find something, great; if we don’t,we’ll live. No pressure.

The first day of house hunting was eye-opening,to say the least. Most houses (townhouses are on the table too at this point) inthe Seattle area are in our price range for a reason, and we encountered ourfair share of places situated on top of busy arterials or overlooking thefreeway. We’ve also discovered that we’re going to have to at least be open to makingsome compromises on factors like the area we want to live, or the amount ofwork we want to put into the acquisition. I keep reminding myself that this isa starter house and we likely won’tbe in it forever. People buy and sell houses all the time! But it’s hard for meto think in advance and keep my eyes open for a house that we can grow into,rather than one that fits us now.

So we’ll see. I’m grateful we aren’t in a rush –I imagine it must be stressful to look for a house when you’re under adeadline!

Gaston

2012-01-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

My friend Megan and I used to play a word association game where we started off with a single word, say, "lamp", then shut up for 60 seconds and let our minds wander. After the minute was up, we'd shout the new topic our mind had stumbled onto (Bruce Willis!) and then describe the path our minds took to get there. Yes, we led very interesting lives.

Mark walked in on me singing a song from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" today (the one Gaston and company sings in the bar) and asked how I had started singing that song in particular. I was putting away laundry when I saw a brochure for the musical "Oklahoma" (playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre) and thought that maybe I wanted to go for my birthday. That sentiment sounded familiar and I then remembered that some time last year someone told me that "Beauty and the Beast" was coming to the Paramount Theater around my birthday. I should check that out, I thought. Then my mind flashed back to an online chat I was having with a friend yesterday. I said something about how I was thinking about such-and-such and my friend quipped, "Thinking, that's dangerous," which brought me back to "Beauty and the Beast":

Gaston: "Le Fou, I'm afraid I've been thinking..."

Le Fou: "A dangerous pastime-"

Gaston: "I know."

Which brought me to thinking about Gaston "persecuting harmless crackpots" (seriously, how genius are those lyrics?) which brought me to my current state of waltzing around singing about Gaston, which is where Mark found me. Yes, I lead a very interesting life.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T16:40:00.001-08:00

Last night we rang in the warmest New Year in recent memory with some friends and champagne at our apartment. The night flew by and we almost didn't get the champagne poured in time for the midnight fireworks show atop the Space Needle! Our friends stayed until 1:30 before everyone decided it was time to turn in for the evening. Happy 2012 everyone!

Host and hostess

The ladies of the evening

The fellas, who really impressed me this year with how well they
dressed up.

Christmas Break

2011-12-29T09:05:00.001-08:00

Mark and I were treated to another white Christmas this year in Colorado! Good thing we didn’t fly in on the 22nd or my family might not have been able to pick us up from the airport because of the snowstorm. Either that or the flight might have been cancelled! And did I get any pictures of all this beautiful snow? Nope. Classic.

We flew in Friday and stayed with my brother for a night in Denver before driving to Greeley on Saturday to spend time with my mom, aunt and uncle. The customary Christmas Eve dinner at my aunt’s and uncle’s place is my uncle’s famous spaghetti, accompanied with tiramisu and of course pumpkin pie for dessert! It was all fabulous, especially because a neighbor brought over a pumpkin pie made from scratch (crust and all) that she removed from the oven minutes before walking over to deliver it. Don’t mind if I do.

Seeing family is always so refreshing to me. The good news: we get to go back in June because my friend Breanna asked me to be in her wedding! So we get to see everyone again in only six short months. :) Love.

The only picture I got this break:

Twins!

Mission Impossible

2011-12-23T08:56:00.001-08:00

Here’s a cell phone shot of the Space Needle as we waited outside the IMAX at the Pacific Science Center to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. At least it wasn’t freezing outside. OH WAIT. But no snow on the ground so I suppose we can’t complain too much!

Back to the movie: a weak plot but what’s a plot anyway for an MI movie but a vehicle for cool gadgetry and terrific stunts? The shots of Tom Cruise climbing a half-mile high building in Dubai were absolutely breathtaking – I thought I was going to fall over. It’s a great movie to watch in the IMAX if you get the chance, if only for that scene.

Hearing that Mission Impossible music gave me flashbacks of playing laser tag in high school, and also of watching the MI television show reruns with my uncle. Good memories!

This year's gift exchange haul

2011-12-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

We participated in two nice and/or white elephant gift exchanges this year and fared well for the most part! The first was my company Christmas party, which not only saw the return of the gift exchange (which had been nixed the past three years) but also the return of a popular piano player who apparently used to appear at our Christmas parties years and years ago. He played beautifully and also passed out caroling song books and led us all in Christmas carols around the piano! :) I don't know about you but that's my perfect Christmas party. The gift exchange rules dictated that your gift could be either nice or gag as long as it was under the $15 limit. We took a growler of Interurban Pale Ale from the Fremont Brewery and ended up with this solid glass vase from Crate and Barrel! I'm not too jazzed about the color but it'll look pretty with fresh flowers in it.

The second gift exchange was at a house party where the rules made it clear that the gift exchange item must be an item found in your house - no buying allowed. I got a glass fish bowl with all the fixings - fish food (partially opened - the previous owner's fish must have met an untimely death), pebbles, miniature castle, and fake plant! Mark didn't end up with anything great though - an Asian themed faberget egg complete with a wooden stand. It might make its way to a gift exchange next year...

#59: Decorate a themed Christmas tree

2011-12-13T07:39:00.001-08:00

Since this is as themed as it's going to get, here's my submission for 100 List #59: decorate a themed Christmas tree. Our tree is (mostly) red and gold with a few accents thrown in, and this also marks the first tree of ours that has sported white lights instead of colored lights. Every year I forget to take stock of our Christmas decorations and every year I find myself making a trip during the actual decorating of the tree to Walgreens/Target/wherever to pick up additional decorations I thought I had! This year was no different - I thought I'd finally amassed enough white lights but I ended up buying three more strands. And I still think it could use more lights!

The tree is a noble fir, and I think it's about 7 feet tall. I struggled to get the star up there, even with a chair, because I was too impatient to wait for Mark to come home and do it. This is also the first year we've had a topper on the tree and I love it!

On my bookshelf

2011-12-08T10:12:00.001-08:00

“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say something radical. I believe everyone should read this book. And no, don’t try to get out of it by saying you’ve watched “A Muppet Christmas Carol”. The book, while very short, goes much deeper than the movies can and will make you pause and consider the role of generosity in your own life. It’s quite excellent.

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

I’m only 70 pages in but I’ve been thoroughly captivated by the tempestuousness and passion of little Jane Eyre. This is one of the few books that I’ve picked up without reading any summaries or picking up any clues at all on what the book might be about (save that it’s about a girl named Jane) and I’m enjoying discovering the plot on my own. I’m an “advanced notice” kind of person in that I like to know what I’m getting into, so I always research movies we watch or read the summaries of TV episodes before I watch them. I just like to be prepared, I guess!

So why am I into the classics at the moment? I downloaded the Kindle app to my iPad and searched their free collections for classic books I’ve never read that have made it into the public domain. Also waiting for me in my virtual bookshelf: “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells and “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo.

Madame Tussaud's wax museum (pic heavy!)

2011-12-01T08:06:00.001-08:00

While we were in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago, we got to visit the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Hollywood. They were having a Veterans Day special (11/11/11) where you could buy admission for only $11 instead of the normal $25. Some of the wax figurines were disturbingly lifelike, like the Robert Pattinson statue outside the museum that kept getting moved around Hollywood to entice people to visit the museum. I kept expecting him to break character and start high-fiving people or something. Or biting their necks.

Here are some of my favorite pictures we took in the museum. (Click the link below Robert to see more pictures). Warning: this post is picture heavy!

Britney Spears was nice enough to take a picture. Disturbingly lifelike, no?


Brad wouldn't give me the time of day.

Conan.

Mark and his hero, Daniel Craig.

Get outta my face, Bruce!

I'm telling Ryan Seacrest how amazing it is to be the next American Idol.

Charlie Chaplin.

Being cool with James Dean.

Mark in a scene from one of his favorite movies, "Lawrence of Arabia".

Look close, I'm behind the shower curtain! Eek!

Do you feel lucky?

Another scene from one of Mark's favorite movies, "The Great Escape".

Just Patrick and me, dancing.

Star Trek!

Chillin with Cameron Diaz.

In defense of the neti pot

2011-11-29T10:00:00.001-08:00

Yep, we’re about to veer into TMI territory. Put yo’ hat on.

I’ve had troubles with my sinuses off and on for about a year and a half now and at one point was subsisting on daily Sudafed to alleviate the pressure in my face. My eyes would hurt and get red, and it felt like something was pushing from the inside of my cheeks and through my gums (I even thought I had a cavity for a while). Never having had allergies or even a sinus infection, I didn’t figure out what the problem was for a couple of months – all I knew was that my face hurt.

I hated to depend on Sudafed to feel better so I started eavesdropping on my sinus-plagued co-workers for a more natural solution. The clear frontrunner in the fight against sinus trouble was something called a neti pot. I’ll spare you a demonstrative video and give you the written rundown: you fill the plastic pot with a saline solution (provided in most kits but you can also make your own solution), fit the spout against one of your nostrils, lean over your bathroom sink, and then tilt your head so the water runs up one nostril, through your sinuses, and then out the other nostril. It’s perfectly safe, I swear. You might feel like you are drowning the first couple of times but as long as you breathe through your mouth, you’ll be fine.

The best part is that the pressure relief is immediate. As in right that second. You might hear a popping sound comparable to the popping you hear in your ears when pressure is released, and MAN does it feel good! I’ve read that you shouldn’t use the neti pot more than a couple times a week because too much “irrigation” can lower your immunity, so I’ve been using it about twice a week or when needed, and to great success. I highly recommend it if you have nagging sinus issues and you’re sick of feeling like your face is about to pop off.

#26: New Bride Chicken Curry

2011-11-28T14:40:00.001-08:00

After convincing myself that after this holiday weekend’s food extravaganza I REALLY shouldn’t be ordering us pizza (especially considering I did no cooking at all), I decided to tackle another recipe from my Indian cookbook last night. The curry, made with onions, tomatoes, garlic and an assortment of spices, turned out a little more soupy than I thought it would but that could be because I decided to use boneless chicken instead of bone-in chicken like the recipe said, cutting down the simmering time by about 20 minutes. I used boneless because that's what I happened to have on hand. I thought the broth had excellent flavor but all that flavor was lost in the brown basmati rice I made to accompany the curry. So maybe the curry would be better all on its own, sans rice? It still tasted okay on the rice, just very mild.

Substitutions/omissions: I used one onion instead of two so Mark wouldn’t be completely overwhelmed, and I also cut back the cayenne pepper since a teaspoon and a half seemed like a whole lot of spice to me. I think I could’ve thrown in the extra half teaspoon though, especially since I’m now nursing a cold! And as mentioned earlier, I subbed out bone-in chicken pieces for boneless thighs.

Mistakes: I don’t think I made any!

Repeat: Probably but without the rice. Maybe next time I’ll use rotisserie chicken to save more time.

Sweetness

2011-11-15T18:52:00.001-08:00

Crazy day, y'all.

Our office manager is out on vacation so I'm covering her position for a couple of weeks; meanwhile our server decided to FREAK OUT today, which never makes the office very happy. Quite antsy, in fact. But you know what made this day better? My sweet, sweet co-worker brought in the most amazing almond cake about a month ago and I begged her for the recipe. She said I needed a special pan for it so she'd track down what type it was and bring me the recipe. I forgot all about it until today, when she showed up PAN IN HAND all the way from Minnesota (her sister shipped her one just for me) along with the recipe card. I'm so thankful to work with such sweet people. :)

More things to be grateful for:

My bestie Jess should be showing up in five minutes so we can watch yesterday's episode of the Sing-Off.
Pizza Hut should ALSO be showing up in five minutes.

And the doorbell is ringing. Happy day.

California love

2011-11-09T12:52:00.001-08:00

Looks like the Seattleites will be bringing the rain with them to California this weekend. Here’s hoping it will keep the locals out of Disneyland so we can run around and have some fun! We’re attending a friend’s wedding on Friday in Los Angeles and will be free to roam the rest of the weekend. My brother went to college in L.A. and I loved having an excuse to visit California – sadly, that excuse moved back to Colorado four years ago so I haven’t been back since. Hurrah for four-day work weeks!

#14: Visit the San Juans

2011-10-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Mark and I took a mini vacation up to Orcas Island last weekend to celebrate our third anniversary, so I got to cross #14 off my 100 list! I've heard such great things about the San Juan Islands and I can't believe it has taken me eight years of living in the northwest to visit one. I didn't have a specific reason for choosing Orcas other than I had some friends who had gone before, and I secretly hoped to see an orca whale while we were there. That didn't pan out unfortunately but I have no regrets. This little trip reminded me that while we talk a lot about world traveling, there are still plenty of locales worth visiting that are close to home!

I've posted more pictures after the jump: click the link below to expand the post.


On the ferry over to Orcas. The forecast called for rain all weekend but we got lucky with plenty of sunshine.

The Outlook Inn, our little home for the night.

This little beach had the most shells on its shore that I'd ever seen on a
beach! Most beaches are so thoroughly combed that you can't find any
good shells.

We drove up Mt. Constitution for its famous view - the receptionist
at the inn told us that the view had been chosen as the second best in
the northern hemisphere. I'm not sure who did the choosing but it
certainly did have a fantastic view. We could see to Canada.

Three years!

My new friend. She looks a little afraid? Probably because I was talking
to her.

Sewing projects?

2011-10-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

For some reason I thought learning to sew was on my 100 list but I was apparently wrong. Regardless, my mom sent me her sewing machine but it's been sitting in my closet for a couple of months while I figured out an easy project to ease me into it. Then my friend Sharon suggested we sew some scarves and I jumped at the chance! So I can now thread the bobbin and thread the machine all by myself, and sew in at least a semi-straight line. Above is the photographic proof. Funny thing though: we set up the machine on a coffee table and sat on the floor, but you can't really operate the foot pedal while you're sitting on the floor. So our sewing was a dual effort with one of us guiding the fabric and the other one operating the pedal. Cooperation makes it happen!

So if you have any *easy* projects to send my way, please do!

At season’s end

2011-10-19T09:14:00.001-07:00

I didn’t end up with the winning season but I didn’t end up with a losing season either! I came out in the middle of the pack: four wins and four losses. Unfortunately, my last win had to come as an opponent forfeit but hey, I’ll take it!

The league standings haven’t been updated as some aren’t done with the season yet so I’m still waiting to hear if I’ve made it into the end-of-year tournament, which is similar to the season where you get the schedule in advance and organize the matches yourself. I hope we hear soon because I have a feeling our prime weather may be waning, though we’ve been lucky to have had such a streak of sunny days this October.

So we shall see, tournament-wise. One of my reasons for joining the league was to meet some other tennis players in the area and since I now have a list of girls I can call up for a friendly, I consider the whole thing a success. :)

A tennis update

2011-10-12T15:55:00.001-07:00

Remember that time I told you I joined a tennis league? I’m now six games into the eight-game season with a record of 3-3, though one of those wins occurred because of an opponent’s forfeit due to injury. I’ve so enjoyed being a part of this league and I’ve had a great time meeting other tennis players in the Seattle area and playing a friendly but competitive match.

My most challenging match so far came earlier in the season where I lost the first set 2-6, then was down in the second set 2-4 but came back to win the set 6-4. We called the match in the third set while I was up 2-0 because we were playing by the light of one streetlamp in the parking lot and both of us were practically playing blind. It was getting dark by the time we started the second match and at one point I suggested we reschedule since the courts didn’t have lights and it was getting hard to see. My opponent didn’t want to though (she was up 4-2 at the time and was probably hoping to finish me off) so we continued and I kicked my competitiveness into high gear, unfortunately for her. Even though we did have to eventually call the match and I took the win, I felt that it was more of a mental victory – you can always come from behind for the win! I just figured, hey, if I’m playing blind then so is she!

The only downside to a fall tennis league in the northwest is the weather. So far I’ve been able to play all my matches outside – it’s my personal goal to get through this season without having to reserve an indoor court. Nothing against indoor courts, but man are they expensive here! There are only two options in the Seattle/Bellevue area and the Seattle court takes the cake for most expensive at a hefty $36 per hour. The Bellevue courts aren’t much better - $32 per hour. But I hear we’ve got a spate of sunny days coming our way so I’m going to try to get my last two matches scheduled during them. The goal is to end the season with a winning record of 5-3, so I’ll let you know how that goes!

Lost and found!

2011-10-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

I was THIS close to ending up with a dog this weekend.

And when I say THIS close I mean I could’ve kept him for a couple of hours and then had to whisk him away to an animal shelter. But fortunately for little Helmud, it didn’t come to that.

I had dropped off our car for its oil change and was jogging back to our house when I nearly stumbled over a collarless chihuahua wandering the sidewalk alongside a busy road. If it were any other dog, I wouldn’t have stopped. But everyone knows that chihuahuas can’t really take care of themselves and I was afraid he would get hit or die from cold, so I stopped and looked around for his owner. No one was in sight so I knelt down to the dog and tried to get him to come to me, to no avail. He wasn’t interested in me at all, only in peeing on everything he could see (no joke). He seemed skittish when I reached out to pet him so I gave him some time and he eventually warmed up to me. So I scooped him up and headed to the apartment complex we were in front of since I thought his owner probably lived inside.

We hung out around the front of the complex for a while as I waited for someone to come out (stalker) but no one did, so I headed around the block to the alley behind the complex and made up my mind to talk to the first person I saw. As I walked down the alley, a garage opened and I saw a couple heading from their house to the garage. Before they got in their car, I approached them and asked them if this lost dog looked familiar. Imagine my shock when they told me they did, and that they were pretty sure the owner lived in the apartment building I had just been stalking and also pointed out her apartment (her balcony faced their house).

So I did what any good stalker would do – I went back to the apartment building and started ringing doorbells! A guy and his dad came out to look at the dog but told me it didn’t look like the chihuahua that did live in their building, which disheartened me. What on earth was I going to do with this dog? I couldn’t just put it back down and walk home but I also couldn’t take it anywhere since I didn’t have my car and I didn’t want to bring it to the apartment because dogs are not allowed. So I stood outside the building for a while and looked lost.

Then, miracle of miracles.

A family parked in front of the building and got out of their car. The man looked at the dog and said tentatively, “Helmud?”

Turns out the chihuahua was his mom’s dog, who did indeed live in the unit pointed out to me by the couple in the alley. And her son just happened to pull up outside while I contemplated what to do with little Helmud. So I turned him over (somewhat reluctantly by this point but I’m pretty sure Helmud peed on me) and said my goodbyes. Then I called Mark and said he was darn LUCKY that I didn’t come home with a chihuahua. And that I wanted one.

I’ve Seen You Somewhere Before… part three

2011-10-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

If you watched last week’s “Community” on NBC you saw a cameo by Martin Starr as the college political science professor. I couldn’t place him at first (he looked SO different) but a little IMDB search proved he’s the same guy from the since-defunct Starz product “Party Down” as well as from the older “Freaks and Geeks”. I couldn’t find a good screen shot to include here to show you what he looks like, so instead I found this hilarious image of him with fellow “Party Down” co-star Jane Lynch (better known as Cheerios coach Sue Sylvester from “Glee”). It’s not really the best shot of him but I just thought it was too funny not to include.

In other cameo news, I was delighted to see David Cross on this week’s “Modern Family” episode, especially after hearing that there will be one more season of “Arrested Development” leading up to a feature film based on the series.

I’ve Seen You Somewhere Before… part two

2011-10-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

I used to be a big SNL fan. And when I say that, I mean I watched it post-Will Ferrell and that crew so I know I missed the golden years, but still. Sometimes I still watch it on Hulu but I’m no longer willing to stay up late to watch it, especially since someone *ahem, Mark* just falls asleep during it anyway. Nonetheless, I remain a huge fan of Kristen Wiig’s and feel like I’m supporting Kristen by supporting her former castmates so today I’m throwing the spotlight on Casey Wilson.

Casey was only on SNL for a year and a half, but that’s long enough to help me recognize her when she’s moved on to greener pastures, namely ABC’s “Happy Endings” where she co-stars alongside Elisha Cuthbert (“24”) and Damon Wayans, Jr., among others. I probably won’t watch the show (I’m following way too many shows at the moment) but I saw the first 10 minutes of this season’s premiere and was entertained.

Tomorrow: Martin Starr!

I’ve Seen You Somewhere Before… part one

2011-10-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

Fall television is finally back! Now I have MORE excuses to not clean the apartment. And with new shows come new faces and perhaps some old ones, to which this post is dedicated.

Exhibit A: Max Greenfield

Viewers of FOX’s “New Girl” starring Zooey Deschanel may see familiar face Max Greenfield, best known (at least to me) as Leo D’Amato from the CW’s “Veronica Mars”. Mark and I went through a huge “Veronica Mars” phase last year when we discovered the series on Netflix and burned through all three seasons. Max played Veronica’s love interest, a sweet-talking, small-town cop. I’m always glad to see anyone at work after “Veronica Mars” since it was canceled WAY too soon.

Speaking of FOX, mind if I go on a little tangent? I didn’t think so. FOX locks their episodes online on Hulu and on their website so you can’t watch them until eight days after the air date. An eight-day delay means that now I can NEVER watch their shows when they actually air because I missed the series premieres, and now I’ll always be behind with no way to catch up. The only way around this is to watch it online through Comcast but you have to be subscribed to their cable service, which we aren’t. Does anyone else think this is ridiculous? No other network does this. So now if YOU wanted to check out “New Girl”, you’re doomed to only watching it online because you can’t get caught up. FOX is missing out on potentially higher ratings here. I wish I could say I’m boycotting FOX in protest but Zooey Deschanel is too adorable and I need my “Glee” fix. Dang FOX and their addictive programming.

Tomorrow: Casey Wilson!

Spicy tomato basil soup

2011-10-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve been a little under the weather this week, which always means it’s time to dust off the trusty soup recipes. I found a great recipe last year for tomato basil soup that I use and tweak depending on what ingredients I have on hand.

2 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
2 cups of chicken broth
2 TBSP sugar, more to taste
1 cup of cream or half-and-half
1/4 cup of butter
20 leaves of basil (or dried basil to taste)
1 tsp cayenne pepper, more to taste

I puree the tomatoes beforehand to make a smoother soup but you don’t have to if you prefer your soup a bit chunkier (or don’t want to bust out the blender). Add the crushed tomatoes and broth to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and stir to melt. Reduce to a simmer. Add the cream, butter and basil and stir to combine. The soup is ready when the butter is melted!

Some notes:

I’ve used diced tomatoes as well as whole tomatoes in place of the crushed tomatoes and haven’t been able to achieve the same texture that crushed tomatoes give. I’m not sure what’s so different about the crushed tomatoes but I think they make the best soup. If you go the whole tomato route, a good starting point is a peeled and seeded tomato. That was the problem with the diced tomatoes: all the seeds.
You could probably use milk in place of the cream or half-and-half, but the soup will be thinner. Don’t look at the calorie count of cream – it’ll make you faint! Or go look but you might never eat it again! You’ve been warned.
I prefer my soup spicy so I use a healthy sprinkling of cayenne pepper. This may be too much for some people but if you like spicy food then I completely recommend it.

Zedonk?

2011-09-23T12:17:00.001-07:00

How.adorable.is.this.

It’s a zedonk! A zebra-donkey hybrid.

Pretty sure I want one.

A lesson in patience

2011-09-21T14:54:00.001-07:00

I received a voicemail today informing me that my doctor’s appointment this afternoon needed to be cancelled due to an emergency, and asked if I could please call back to reschedule.

First of all, let me just say that voicemails and I do not mix. We are not friends. I hurriedly memorized the number they gave me to call, deleted the message and called them back.

Me: “Hi, I received a voicemail from your office asking me to call back and reschedule my appointment from this afternoon?”

Receptionist: “Oh, I wasn’t the one who called you, do you know who left the message?”

Me: Shoot. “No I don’t remember… sorry.”

Receptionist: “That’s ok, what’s your doctor’s name?”

Let me explain. My primary doc isn’t at the clinic anymore so they scheduled me with a different one. Did I write the name down? No.

Me: “Actually, no… my primary doctor left the clinic so I was scheduled with a different one but I don’t remember her name… sorry.”

Then Ms. Receptionist got huffy.

Receptionist: “Well I’m going to have to ask you to go back and listen to that voicemail and call back when you have more information.”

Me: Um, rude much? “Well, my appointment was supposed to be at 4:40 today, is there no other way to look it up?” You called ME, people!

The story ends with them figuring it out and rescheduling me. But then I started thinking about all the times people call into my office saying they saw one of our real estate signs in Auburn, or wait maybe it was Kent? I guess it could’ve been Auburn though? Then we go through the rigmarole of me asking them if they saw an agent name on the sign (“There was no name!”) or a more precise location (“Well how many signs do you have??”), to which my responses would be that I MAKE these signs so I know they all have agent names on them, and that we have over a hundred properties which makes the sign count at least 200.

… ok, so I don’t really respond that way. But I think it. Anywho, I just wanted to say that I identify with today’s receptionist and can sympathize with how annoying it must be to deal with people who can’t hang onto the simplest of information, myself included.

To which I respond, maybe next time they could just send me an e-mail? Then we could all have the information in front of us? Send voicemails to the grave, I say!

Now and then

2011-09-19T16:19:00.001-07:00

Isn’t it funny how your tastes and preferences change from when you were a kid?

Then: I absolutely couldn’t stand tights. If I had to wear hosiery then I wanted it to be sheer – opaque was like a bad word to me. Methinks I just wanted to grow up too fast. :)

Now: Tights are all I wear through winter! Well, that sounds bad. But I LOVE them and think they’re the answer to any outfit. I now balk at sheer hosiery and refuse to wear it, inspiring the ever-ongoing argument in my office (between the women, that is) of nylons vs. bare legs. Though I have heard that some offices require nylons… isn’t that strange? I might revolt. I could also say this about turtlenecks in that I was adamantly against them as a child but now think they are genius.

Then: Our Whole Foods outings as kids usually included an 8 oz. cup of carrot juice preceded by a shot of wheatgrass juice. I persistently fought against this infusion of antioxidants as only children do (“I don’t like it! It’s gross!”).

Now: Carrot juice tastes like candy! Ok that might be going too far but I think it’s tasty. On the other hand, I still refuse to touch wheatgrass juice. Superfood or not, it still tastes awful. In other news, I accompanied Mark to his first visit to Whole Foods a couple months ago. When he said he’d never been there before, I said, “Really?! I feel like I was raised in one!” Turns out they have quite the microbrew selection, too! I never picked up on that as a kid. :)

Beauty Picks

2011-09-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

I’ve actually been working on this post since Monday but things have been so crazy that I haven’t had much time to put some effort into it! I’ve been loving some new (and old) beauty products and wanted to share them with you.

1. Eyebrow kit by E.L.F.
I’ve always been under the impression that my eyebrows have never needed any help looking more full but a recent makeover I received for a wedding showed me what my brows could be with just a little fixin’. I heard of this eyebrow kit through a makeup tutorial on Extra Petite and the best part is it’s only $3 at drugstores. The left side of the compact contains a brow gel you comb through your brows and the right side holds a setting powder. If I was in a rush and could pick only one makeup product to put on my face before I run out the door, this would probably be it – your eyebrows frame your face and give you a look of completeness.

2. Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer
I’ve always been a huge advocate of finding a daily moisturizer that has SPF in it, and this Neutrogena pick hits the mark at SPF 30. If you’re going to protect anything, it better be your face! This moisturizer applies like silk and I sometimes use it for my hands too since your hands can never escape the sun. Of course, the only downside of using a daily moisturizer with a higher SPF content is your face frequently doesn’t match the rest of your body – but when I’m 40, hopefully my face will thank me. In the meantime, there’s always bronzer. You can find this product in drugstores for about $12.99.

3. Target brand nail polish remover pads
I change my nail polish quite frequently, so I need a heavy-hitter for my remover! Bottled polish remover is a better bang for your buck but I also like having these pads in my purse or car just in case a nail disaster occurs (oh it happens) or I just can’t take the chipping anymore. I can’t find these on Target’s website but I think they run around $3.99 for a pack of 10, and one pad can usually take care of all your nails (stubborn glitter may require two).

4. A blending brush
After watching the tutorial on smoky eyes I referenced above, I became obsessed with blending! I always wondered how people get their eye shadows to look so flawless and the key really is to blend, blend, blend. But you need a blending brush first! I don’t have this exact brush (actually, I don’t even know what brand mine is) but here’s one from E.L.F. At $1, it’s an excellent investment. You can use your fingers to blend as well, but I find a brush works better and is less messy. A tip: don’t be afraid to get a lot of shadow on your eyelids – it’s ok for it to look bad before you blend! That’s what blending will do: even out the shadow “edges” and create natural-looking gradients. Practice makes perfect, I promise.

5. Blush
My cheeks are not naturally rosy so I can’t live without a blush compact. I think this is a step a lot of people skip but blush is instrumental in livening up your face and giving you a little glow. I can always tell when I forget blush because my face looks so BORING. A little blush makes you look alive! My all-time favorite blush was by Bobbi Brown but I have no idea what shade it was so I’d have to go back and get re-matched. I prefer trying out blush before buying because it’s hard to match a packaged shade to your skin tone, no matter what the marketing people tell you (warm tone, cool tone, olive complexion). I’ve had many more fails than wins with blind drugstore buys so I’d rather save myself the guessing game and let the professional match me with a color with which I know I’ll be happy, because once you have the compact then you’re stuck with it!

Now that this is a novel, I hope you’ve gotten some ideas! What are your current favorites?

Contagion

2011-09-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to see the movie “Contagion”, a thriller about the worldwide spread of a virus and what that might look like. I had a little scare courtesy of Mark before we left for the theater – he tried to capitalize on my zombie fear.

Mark: “I’m surprised you wanted to go see a zombie movie.”
Me: “I don’t think it’s about zombies, I think it’s like a flu virus.”
Mark: “No, it’s a virus that turns people into zombies.”
Me: “No… I think it’s the flu?”
Mark: “It’s zombies.”
Me: …
Mark: “Just kidding, it’s the flu.”
Me: “GOOD because I was about to ask if it was too late to get someone else to go with you.”

It was a great movie though and I definitely recommend it, if only to get everyone to wash their hands more and stop touching everything! I know I’ve been a lot more conscious about touching my face – according to the movie, we touch our face three to five times a minute. But if you’re borderline OCD then don’t see this movie – it might send you over the edge!

Kayaking!

2011-09-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous day...

Self-portrait


I just thought this was funny - my attempts to take a picture of Mark over my shoulder. Third time's the charm!

Our friends Fabio and Sharon joined us.

(non) Labor Day

2011-09-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

What a great Labor Day weekend! We made it outdoorsy just like last year’s Labor Day weekend and got to enjoy the late summer sun we’ve been graced with as of late.

Saturday we went hiking off Highway 2 up to Serene Lake, a mountain lake nestled below some craggy peaks. Our friends Maile and Brian accompanied us – they are great hiking buddies!
Sunday we finally did something I’d never done before: kayaking on Lake Union! Mark had taken out a kayak on the lake before but we’d only had a single kayak so this time I got to join in the fun. I suppose one time we took out a little yellow raft together but it isn’t quite the same. :) We went through a company called Moss Bay, which cost $18/hour for a double kayak – not bad at all. Pictures forthcoming!
After kayaking, the boys decided they needed some more water time so we headed to Madison Park Beach to lay out and do some swimming.
Monday was a bit more chill – an unsuccessful shopping trip to look for a new dining room table set and a barbecue at a friend’s apartment where I feel like I ate my weight’s worth in Skittles. Time to floss.

What did YOU do this weekend?

Pioneer Woman to the rescue

2011-09-01T09:43:00.001-07:00

I just finished Ree Drummond’s book “The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels” and it was HILARIOUS. I totally recommend it to all those women out there looking for a funny and sentimental read. Some notes:

STEAK. That is all.
The book simultaneously made me want to have a baby yet NEVER want to have a baby. That’s skill.
Ree made me want to try more recipe planning and cooking – I used to be at least halfway decent at meal planning but lately I’ve really fallen off that wagon. So this week I’ve tried to be on the ball with planning out our meals and trying new things like pasta with a thyme-mint cream sauce, a steak marinade, and chipotle-honey chicken. The steak marinade was amazing and I’ll definitely be keeping it in my stash. I’m sure the 24 hours of marinating time also helped!

Family reunion

2011-08-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Mark and I went down to Portland this weekend for a family reunion with GREAT food and awesome people. I got so lucky - I love Mark’s family so much! This reunion was a bit different because Mark’s parents and sister/brother-in-law couldn’t make it, so we were on our own from our side of the family. We spent the afternoon chatting it up, dodging bees (maybe I was the only one running from them? Has NO one else been stung before??), and eating tons of food.

And maybe ogling some turkeys.

Christmas and Thanksgiving. Really!

Weekending

2011-08-26T15:09:00.001-07:00

This weekend we’ll be heading to Portland for a family reunion and some fun in the sun. Though… I just remembered we’re supposed to bring a dish to share at the potluck. I guess we’ll be making a quick visit to Safeway tomorrow!

Another thing we’re doing this weekend that I’m excited about is going to see Mark’s cousin play in a wheelchair tennis tournament. I can’t wait to go support her!

Not much else going on, really, besides staring out the window and wishing I was anywhere else… I could go for an oceanside dock right now. I’d love to be back in Utila, Honduras, jumping off the dock into the blue!

Lake Union 10K

2011-08-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

Me, Karen and Kim after finishing, chugging water like crazy

I've decided that the 10K is the perfect distance: long enough to require focus and training but short enough so you don't feel like your legs will fall off at the finish line. Yesterday was a gorgeous morning for the run around Lake Union, and it was a good thing it started at 7:30 since it got HOT yesterday. Although that put me up around 5:45 to eat my bowl o' oats, and I don't remember the last time I got up that early.

The post-run breakfast was provided by Portage Bay Cafe but we didn't stick around for it since the line was so long. Plus I'd just eaten at PBC the day before so I didn't feel like I was missing out too much. Blasphemy, I know.

Serve it up

2011-08-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Now I’ve gone and done it.

I’ve been itching to start playing tennis more regularly for years now, so when LivingSocial offered a 50% discount for entry into a Seattle tennis league, I just had to do it. The problem is I’ve never really played tennis competitively before! I’ve had lessons and camps here and there but have never been part of a team or an organized league. The camps were in middle school and the last organized lesson I took was right out of high school. I haven’t hit around regularly since the summer of 2004 when I lived with my mom in Kansas City, but “hitting around” literally meant just hitting around and not playing a regular match. Even when I tried to play a match with my mom (who has taken up the sport and is quite good), I didn’t have the stamina to play through the whole match because my fitness was so poor.

Cut to 2011 and my fitness has improved drastically, but my tennis experience is still lacking. However, I can’t keep hoping that someday I’ll make the time to get better without actually making the time to take some steps to get better. So this is my first step. True to form, my second step was panicking about my unpreparedness and asking a friend of ours if he could hit with me so I wouldn’t feel completely out of place when the league starts in September. He had some great pointers and it felt SO good to be able to work on my form and rally consistently. Of course, also true to form, I’m now sore from using these muscles that haven’t seen consistent action in years. But I love being sore because it means you’re actually doing something! Plus, I love the forearm muscle you get from playing tennis, even though I only get it on my right arm. Unbalanced arms, what can I say.

And I may also be sporting a Transformers Band-Aid on a monster blister I got from my racket (nice to see you too, racket). Hopefully it’s a one-time-only kind of thing.

Sprints?

2011-08-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do one more tempo run yesterday before the 10K on Sunday so I could get in a few days of rest before the race, so I set out to the Burke-Gilman with MiCoach to do some sprint intervals sandwiched between jogging.

Sad that I still got passed on one of my "sprints" by a loping 6'4" male who didn't even look like he was trying. I'm gasping my heart out trying to get into my red zone and he just breezes by. I think I detected a pity nod. So... as I like to say, A for effort! Even though my grade for the workout was only 72%. Dang you MiCoach and your red zones!

You shall not pass!

At least I got a brief reprieve when the University Bridge went up. Oh darn, I guess I'll take a break.

MiCoach!

2011-08-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

I made a friend!

Her name is MiCoach and she’s a free app I downloaded on my phone to help with my running workouts. The MiCoach app is made by Adidas and has an online component you set up where you can make a workout schedule, say, plan to run a 5K, which syncs to your phone. Then you can open up the app on your phone, select the day’s workout (or any workout from the schedule) and go! It also works with the playlists you upload to the app, turning down the music when your coach tells you to speed up or slow down, depending on what your goal pace is at the moment. The GPS feature tracks you, updating you at every mile as to what your time and average pace were for that mile.

I love it so much. I may not be able to run without her anymore! I’m doing a 10K plan right now (a very ambitious plan that is supposed to have me running four times a week – yeah right) and I’ve found the interval training to be most beneficial. The longest I’ve ever been able to do sprint intervals on a treadmill is 15 minutes (counting the warm-up and cool-down), and they’ve been sprint-walk intervals at that. But using MiCoach, I’ve been able to double those interval workout times and improve my pace. One goal on my 100 List is to lower my mile average to 9 minutes, which I now see is quite lofty. I’m a slow runner, you see, and my fastest mile I’ve logged on MiCoach so far is 9:05. This may sound good, but that was the first mile on my run that day – the next mile took 10:19 minutes. Maintaining that nine-minute pace is hard! But that’s why I have a coach to tell me when I’ve fallen out of my target pace and to get my rear back in gear.

Another cool thing: all the pretty graphs! I’m a sucker for visual data and the website and app provide charts galore. I can analyze my stats and admire the pretty colors to my heart’s content. One thing I haven’t been able to figure out is how to easily view my mile splits on the website. The app gives you a simple table with the information but I haven’t been able to find it on the website yet.


The dips you see are when I had to slow down for lights and bridges, then get back up to speed. I'm not sure how I got into the red zone a few times - the music must've been good.

One more thing: your workouts get graded. To some that may seem like a nightmare, but I always loved when grades were posted in school! How do you know how to improve if there’s no benchmark? I perform best under pressure. My best workout to date is a 95%, which was a huge improvement over my previous best of 86%. I’ve never failed a workout but I don’t think I’ve gotten above a C+ in interval runs… see, always room for improvement!

So if you need a little motivation, I completely recommend the app. And it’s not just for running; it can be used for biking, walking, and weight training, as well as give you personalized fitness plans to improve your tennis game or soccer physique. It’s pretty sweet. I swear they aren’t paying me to write this. So go get active!

Visitors: continued

2011-08-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

We took Megan and George to the Fremont Brewery, a real kid-friendly
place close to the Fremont Troll.


The weather did not cooperate the day we took them to Alki Beach. Yes, I'm holding a manta ray... Lily's souvenir from the aquarium!

George and Lily

Friends since '93... yay. :)

Visitors

2011-08-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

Lily having a grand time at Chinooks

I’ve known Megan since third grade and I could tell you SO many memories that involve her…

An unplanned trip to the pool involving bikes and, uh, fibbing, that landed both of us in big trouble
Goldfish crackers and glow-in-the-dark silly putty
dc Talk and Sarah McLachlan. LOTS of Sarah McLachlan.
Riding the Zipper at the carnival over and over and over. And over.
Getting to be in her wedding to George nearly five years ago
I could go on!

And now she and George have a baby! Lily is 15 months old now and a bundle of energy. Which brings me to how “baby illiterate” I am. When Megan asked me if I might be able to procure a portable high chair and a pack-and-play for their stay, I said, “Sure!” Only later did I think, “What in the world is a pack-and-play?”
I’m really not joking when I say I know nearly nothing about babies. My (twin) brother and I were the babies of our extended family so we never had younger relatives around to take care of on a regular basis. The youngest child I’ve ever babysat was two and a half, well past those infant months. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve held a baby. I know. I told you I wasn’t joking! I was also never one of those kids who played with baby dolls – I jumped right into Barbies and paper dolls and completely skipped anything having to do with babies. Just never struck my fancy. Nor have I ever been someone who is fascinated or entertained by babies. I’m not really sure why, but I think it must just be because I’ve never been around them for long. Maybe at some point in my childhood I decided I wouldn’t be stereotyped into the typical female who loves babies? I don’t know! All I do know is that at some point we’ll probably have a baby and I’m sure I’ll be in love with her/him. I’m not worried. :)

Patience pays

2011-08-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Adorable, no?

I fell in love with these Target wedges about a month ago but couldn't bring myself to pay full price for them - a whopping $29.99. On a side note, that's what the economy has done to me - I now expect more from my retailers for less. Charlotte Russe absolutely ruined me by charging $2.99 for some cute embellished tank tops that I now wear at least once a week. So now when I see a tank going for $15 or more, I think, *gasp* robbery!

Back to the wedges, it's a pretty good bet that you'll see cute summer fashions on clearance in a month or so after they hit the shelves, and since Seattle summer doesn't start until August anyway, why not wait? I found these on the clearance rack for $14.98. A worthy deal.

The only problem with waiting to purchase is your size might not be available anymore - these wedges also come in beige but they sold out in size 6.5 faster than I could search for them. I'm hoping for a restock at some point!

In other shoe news, I just had to return my second pair of Nine West pumps to Nordstrom. I know I wear shoes hard and fast, but I expect better from pricier (not to mention real) leather. The leather along the bridge was ripping on the inside, which I consider unacceptable since I'd only had this second pair for less than two months. The first pair started ripping in the same place after three months and I exchanged them for a new pair, hoping it was a one-time-only defect since the shoes fit me SO well. But alas, not so much. I hate to continue taking advantage of the generous Nordstrom return policy (anything can be returned at any time, no questions asked or receipt necessary) so I didn't exchange for a new pair and am now on the hunt for some new classic blacks.

Motorcycle ride #1

2011-08-01T10:25:00.001-07:00

The scary part is over – I went on my first motorcycle ride with Mark. It was a bit nerve-wracking for me but I tried to get over my fear enough to look around and enjoy the scenery. Our friends were nice enough to loan us a jacket and helmet that fit me perfectly, even down to the purple flowers. :) No doubt Mark’s passenger was a girly girl!

We drove from Seattle to Issaquah, a 25-minute freeway drive that crosses Lake Washington. As I watched the road pass beneath my feet, I had to make myself pretend I was in a car so I didn’t get overly nervous. And yes, at times I just closed my eyes and held on. But I couldn’t get too close to Mark because if he let off the gas or braked, our helmets would bump into each other – so every once in a while he’d get a bump from behind and an “Oh, sorry!”

Being on the motorcycle reminded me of ocean snorkeling, and here’s why: you’re out in a vast environment with very little protection against the elements. It sounds dramatic but that’s what it felt like, especially to a newbie like myself. Now that I know Mark is more comfortable with the extra weight on the back, I bet our second ride will be a little less white-knuckled on my part. And hopefully I’ll be less sore next time! My inner thighs were aching the next day from holding on. Who knew?

It’s Friday, Friday, Friday

2011-07-29T14:15:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday lovelies!

Have you discovered that once someone forms an opinion of you or your behavior, that opinion is quite hard to break?

I gained a reputation early on in my nearly four-year tenure at my current company that I’m a healthy eater, which is certainly not a bad thing. But I do consume about three small cups (probably equivalent to a mug and a half) of coffee in the morning and have for quite a while. I remember going through a green tea phase shortly after starting here, which must be the reason that nearly every time a certain person catches me filling my coffee cup, I hear, “YOU’RE drinking coffee? That’s pretty unusual!”

I’m not kidding – nearly every time. Of course, I don’t really have the heart to correct him so I usually just laugh or say something like, “I know, right??” Which obviously doesn’t help at all. But I do still drink coffee every day and I heard somewhere that actions speak louder than words? Or something. :) Ah well, I’ll take the health nut pigeonholing!

Side note: the reason I got into the green tea phase was because my office has – I kid you not – at least 15 varieties of tea to choose from in the kitchen. Which begs the question, why am I even drinking coffee? I know, right??

#46: Pop popcorn on the stove

2011-07-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I've never actually done this before? I didn't know I was such an anomaly until we had some friends over for a movie the other night and I asked them if they wanted some popcorn. Claire, a vegan, said she normally pops her own so she can omit the butter, and another friend said she was used to popping hers on the stove, too. Then last night, someone ELSE said, "Oh yeah, we always pop it on the stove - it's way cheaper." How have I never known this?

It's pretty easy, really. You all probably know how to do this already.

1. Coat a pot with some cooking oil and spread corn kernels on the bottom in a single layer. Good thing Claire was with me when we did this or I would've put FAR too many in there and made a huge mess. A certain Calvin and Hobbes strip comes to mind where they pour in a load of kernels and pop them without a lid, so the kitchen is buried in a few feet of popcorn. Anywho.

2. Cover said pot and wait for the popping! Once the popping starts, gently lift and shake the pot to get the kernels moving so they don't stay in one place and burn. Set the pot down for a few seconds, then shake again. Repeat until the popping subsides.

3. Pour and serve with desired accoutrements.

Still shocked at how easy this was.

Emily assisted. :) Claire played photog and coach.

And since we were talking about Calvin and Hobbes:

Courtesy of: GoComics

Sailing on the Sound

2011-07-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

The (belated) birthday boy on our sailing excursion Saturday.

Mark and I were lucky enough to spend an hour and a half out on Elliot Bay on Saturday sailing on a 70' boat named Obsession through a Seattle business called Let's Go Sailing. Mark used to work at a sailing club during college so I thought this would be the perfect birthday gift for him, even if he didn't get to sail it himself. There were probably 30 other passengers on the boat but I didn't think it felt crowded, and 90 minutes was the perfect amount of time to be out on the water.

Happy birthday Mark!

The Olympics on one side.

The Cascades on the other.

Hello Seattle.

Mount Rainier behind the dinosaurs.

Sun dance

2011-07-22T10:33:00.001-07:00

In light of the heat wave sweeping the central and eastern parts of the U.S. (which even made BBC News), it’s hard to complain too much about the cool, gray weather we’ve been having, though much has been made about our 78-minute summer.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t do a little dance about THIS:

The best part is we get to sail in Elliot Bay tomorrow, a little trip I got for Mark for his birthday back in June. This is the first sunny weekend we’ve been able to use it!

Our new wheels

2011-07-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

Mark's new ride - I call it his Sounders bike!

I had to give up my beloved car a week ago because the three-year lease term was over, and I wasn't about to buy it after the hit it took to its back rack. It's strange going down to one car, even though we know multiple couples who get along fine with only one car (and not even a motorcycle). Mark has had the opportunity to ride his new bike frequently since we've both been busy separately lately with wedding itineraries and church things, but I won't be riding with him until:

he is completely comfortable on the bike. Adding another person on the back changes the bike's maneuverability and I want him to be competent before I get on.
we get me some gear, like a helmet and a jacket. Can't ride until we have those!

One last picture of my car, which served me well over three years.

The view from the University Bridge on my walk home from the Mazda
dealership after I'd turned in the keys. What a lovely morning for a walk!

Weekending

2011-07-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

Mark, after shaving off his goatee but leaving the mustache
for a (brief) picture.

What a busy week! Our friends Brian and Maile got married on Friday and both of us were in the wedding, making for a great week of parties, errands and FOOD. Sadly, I have no pictures from the wedding since I was separated from my purse for the majority of the evening, so I'm counting on everyone else to post some. The professional shots will come soon enough though, photographed by the ever-talented Lucas Gray! He did our wedding too and I'm always impressed by his creativity and beautiful photographs.

Back to Brian and Maile, we like to say we set up this whole wedding extravaganza since it was on a hike last year with us that the first sparks began to fly between them. Yes, a hike. It's all very Northwest, isn't it? :) Congratulations to both of them!

Garden 2011

2011-07-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned I have a small garden again this year?

"Small" being the operative word.

Anaheim pepper #1

For whatever reason, the garden just did not take off this spring. I started later than I did last year plus the weather was awful during May and June, and I just can't get anything to grow. I pulled up the cucumbers because they had stalled, the first-round zucchinis didn't sprout at all, and only one seed of the second-round zucchinis sprouted but was killed shortly afterward by a slug. Last year I didn't have to do anything - I just planted and the plants shot up by themselves! The only veggie this year that appears to be thriving is my butternut squash, which is apparently impervious to nature's attempts to kill it. I also planted two anaheim pepper plants and a jalapeno pepper plant, all three of which have survived though they look sickly and droopy. Both anaheim plants are sporting little peppers though, so I can't complain. If anything, I'll have anaheims!

There and Back Again: Mount Pilchuck

2011-07-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

Destination: the peak in the distance

As much as Mark and I say we love hiking, we don't actually make it to the mountains all that much. Part of this is due to the difficulty in finding a completely free Saturday where the weather is half-decent, not to mention mustering the motivation to drive nearly two hours so we can avoid the crowds at the nearer hikes off I-90. But trust me, long drive aside, the views from the hikes in the north Cascades off the Mountain Loop Highway are unparalleled.

The vertical paths cut straight up
the slope.

Mount Pilchuck is a very doable day hike (5.4 miles roundtrip) but it still has plenty of lingering snow even in July, so I'd recommend it in August or September. Apparently there is an actual trail with switchbacks most of the way up but as soon as we got out of the trees, there was no trail in sight. Only heaps of snow! We lost the trail for a bit (actually, we were misled off the trail by another group of hikers) and ended up on an outcropping of snow and rock that we had to carefully backtrack down once we figured out we weren't on the correct path. We did see later that if we would have kept going then we would have intersected with the main trail, but as that wouldn't be advice we would give anyone under ANY circumstances, we played it safe and backtracked. We didn't want to be the *stupid* hikers who had to be rescued out of the Cascades because we thought we'd come out on the trail any minute now! So since there were no switchbacks to follow, everyone forged a path vertically up the steep slope. We were told that this cut down the distance considerably (obviously the shortest path is the most direct one) but boy was my butt killing me by the end.

But oh the view. You could see to Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, Glacier Peak, and all the other craggy peaks of the north Cascades and on the other side all the way to the Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains. Incredible.

So how did we get safely down these steep slopes? Someone had the bright idea to create a slide (four, actually) so we just had to sit down and push off. We unfortunately didn't get any video of the slides (our phones were safely packed so they didn't get wet on the way down) but they were SO fun. Time-saving too! But snow slides are one of those ideas that are great in theory but less so in practice - we were soaked for the rest of the hike. But it was worth it!

Le sigh

2011-06-30T09:33:00.001-07:00

I haven’t been very bloggie myself lately, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been following *other* blogs.

One of my favorite bloggers I’ve been following is Lee over at Fit Foodie Finds – she inspires me to eat well and exercise!

My newest Internet blog obsession has been personal style blogs, specifically for petite people such as myself. I’ve long noticed that plenty of clothes just don’t seem to be “built” for those of my stature, even the small or extra-small sizes: the straps are too long, the darts are too low, the V-necks are too deep. The clothes don’t need to be smaller, they just need to fit better. These blogs have lit the fire under me to attempt alterations so my clothes will fit better – I’ve already shortened the straps on one shell and have a couple others on my to-do list! A couple of my new favorite style blogs are Extra Petite and My Dressy Ways.

In other news, I got a deal off Tippr for a discount off a box of organic produce from Pacific Coast Harvest. The good news? They deliver it to my door! Time will tell if I’ll actually USE all this produce… we’ll see.

#60: Go on another mini-vacation with my brother

2011-06-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I got the opportunity to drive down to Portland with my brother, Richard, to watch the Colorado Rapids play the Portland Timbers. The original plan was for Richard to fly into Portland and I would drive down and join him but we decided that was silly since he could fly into Seattle and join me on the drive! Saturday morning we met up with a friend of his from college and then hit the road south. We arrived in Portland with enough time to roam around downtown for a bit and gather with the rest of the Rapids fans at a tailgating event and then a pub near the stadium.

The Rapids boasted an excellent contingency of fans considering they had to fly two and a half hours to get to the game, and their energy made the match a lot of fun. My only concern was the setting off of smoke bombs near the end of the game, one of which exploded into the back of my legs - it felt like getting snapped by a giant rubber band. My jeans still reek of smoke too, even after a round in the wash! Maybe the Rapids owe me a new pair of pants. :)

We stayed at Mark's parents house outside of Portland and spent Sunday relaxing before we had to drive back to Seattle. Then Richard got to hang out with me until Thursday, when I had to take him back to the airport. Richard, it was so much fun getting to spend time with you!

From our first mini-vacation together in Toronto, July 2008.

#26 Double Feature: Roasted Lamb with Burnt Onions and Punjabi Red Beans

2011-06-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking. Mark and burnt onions? Can it be??

Oh it can. And yes, burnt is a word.

In case you haven't made burnt onions before, the process goes like this: slice up a bunch of onions, throw them in a skillet, and cook them down until they look like tiny brown matchsticks. The apartment probably reeked like onion for hours. Then I added them to the lamb I'd been marinating in a yogurt/spices mixture, transferred the whole concoction to a baking dish and left it in the oven for two hours. It smelled like lamb heaven when Mark came home (my apologies to the lamb).

Meanwhile, I'd soaked dry red beans overnight which TOTALLY reminded me of those grow-a-date or grow-a-pet toys that you can get for a dollar. Anyone? No? I know I grew one of those at one point but I can't remember what it was! *Edit: I do remember what it was! It was a grow-a-groom and I got it at a friend's bridal shower! Anyways.* After the beans had expanded, I simmered them as instructed. I was not instructed to drain the beans but I think I should have, since I ended up with more of a chili consistency instead of a drier dish like I expected (although there was no picture accompanying the recipe, so maybe it was supposed to be like chili). Chili was fine with me though - I'm still lunching on it!

Roasted Lamb with Burnt Onions
Substitutions/omissions: None
Mistakes: Due to time constraints, I only marinated the lamb for an hour instead of the recommended four hours. Still tasted great to me!
Repeat: Yes but I'd serve rice with it this time. It only occurred to me as I was serving it that rice really should have accompanied. Brown basmati!

Punjabi Red Beans
Substitutions/omissions: I don't think I made any subs... but it was almost a week ago so I might not remember.
Mistakes: I did everything as written, so none!
Repeat: Yes - next time I'll try draining the beans and see what happens.

Nighttime Parades

2011-06-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

My favorite shots from the processions after the sun went down...

Too bad I never got any pictures of the roving generators!

Alfombras

2011-06-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

Rather than post a TON of pictures of alfombras on here, I'm posting a slideshow so you can scroll through at your leisure. The majority of these were made with colored sawdust and some creative stencil work. Good Friday is a big day for alfombras so lots of people stay up through Thursday night to finish their alfombras, which is why some of these pictures were taken in the dark.

Daytime parades

2011-06-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

None of these pictures really show how many people were at these events but I heard someone in the crowd compare it to the streets of Vegas on New Year's, which I can confirm since we were there in 2007 (SO fun, everyone should do it).

Here are a couple more shots of Semana Santa floats during the daytime.

The participants had changed to black robes since the float depicted
Jesus after the crucifixion.

Mark and I tried to get onto that upper level but we weren't allowed...
I'm not sure how those people got up there!

Return to Antigua

2011-06-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

Our original plan was to travel to El Salvador after Lago de Atitlan, but the more we talked with fellow travelers the more we discovered that everyone and their mom was heading back to Antigua for Semana Santa. After debating what we should do, we decided to head back to Antigua as well since it would be our only chance to participate in a world celebration and a unique cultural experience. So the Tuesday before Easter, we packed our bags and left the lake for the four-plus hour ride to Antigua. I had the misfortune to pick up some sort of stomach bug in San Pedro which made the ride uncomfortable to say the least, although there were some sicker people than I on the ride (our caravan of two vans pulled over about four times so sick people could get out). I'd never been so glad to arrive at our destination! Mainly because the majority of the roads down the mountains looked like this:

Windy beyond belief.

We stayed in Antigua until Saturday - we would have left Friday but couldn't get a ride out of town because of the festivities. Since we came back so early in the week, we had no trouble getting a reservation at the hotel we'd stayed at previously. The days that followed were filled with religious parades and the creation of alfombras, or carpets, made of colored sawdust or greenery and flowers. Antigua residents made the alfombras in the streets so the processions would walk over them. Each procession was similar: the men would carry a float with a depiction of Jesus, and the women would follow with a float with a depiction of Mary. Most processions were several hours long, as they'd pass from one side of the city to another and frequently pause to change out the carriers of the heavy floats.

This float (probably an 80-person float, 40 on each side) was one of
the larger ones. The nighttime processionals were always followed
by generators on wheels.

A typical display of the Virgin Mary.

Early Friday.

This procession passed in front of our hotel so we were able to watch
from the rooftop.

INCENSE.

This picture doesn't do the size of this float justice but they had a lot
of trouble rounding the street corner!

Leg 3: Antigua to Lago de Atitlan

2011-06-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

A week into the trip, we took a bus from Antigua, Guatemala, to Lago de Atitlan, a beautiful lake ringed by mountains and volcanoes. We got a slammin' deal on our hotel room, which was just off the lake with a great view, for about $10 a night. There are multiple small towns you can travel to around the lake but we stayed in San Pedro, which was probably the most touristy of the bunch. This was one of my favorite legs of the trip - nothing to do but stare at the lake, read books and watch soccer games!

More pictures after the jump:

The view from our hotel - the weather was very hazy the whole time
we were there.

Haze!

We rented a kayak one afternoon and took it out on the lake!

The courtyard of one of the churches in San Pedro.

Early Semana Santa

2011-06-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

The first sign of Holy Week (besides the purple banners everywhere) was a children's parade that took place on the streets of Antigua. Kids dressed up in the traditional purple robes and swung incense in front of their parade floats. And can I just say that if I never smell incense again, I will be a happy, happy woman.

Kids carried these floats down the streets - the base was wooden and the
display was made of paper mache or some other light material.

Volcan Pacaya continued

2011-06-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

Near the top of the volcano, you could lay sticks across this entrance and the vapors were so hot they caused the sticks to catch fire! After a demonstration, everyone backed slowly away from the ledge. Some groups brought marshmallows and roasted them but our guide wasn't that prepared.

We could enter a cave at one point, which was like being in a dry sauna - the walls were hot to the touch and some rocks on the ground were too hot to touch. I could only stay in there for a few minutes before the heat drove me out.

You can see the cave entry. And of course some stray dogs.

Volcan Pacaya

2011-06-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

One Antigua morning we woke up early to join a group to hike Volcan Pacaya, an active volcano about an hour and a half away. Pacaya's last eruption was exactly one year ago today, covering the surrounding areas in ash. We experienced no such excitement when we were there, though we could see smoke coming from the crater. We'd heard from others that you could hike all the way to the crater and peer into the lava (if you dare) or at least take some pictures standing next to active lava flows, but the upper hike to the crater wasn't allowed by the time we got there and the lava flows had stopped since the last eruption. The hike was still fun though and our guide was entertaining - he had a pet name for our group (the Pumas) and spoke limited English save for phrases like "OK Pumas! Let's go Pumas! We're running DOWN, lean back Pumas! Lean back!!" Then he'd take off down the gravelly path, dividing our group into the downhill runners or the I-prefer-not-to-break-my-leg people.

This one followed us up.

Stray dogs were everywhere. They'd figured out that hikers eat their lunch at the top of the volcano so they'd attach themselves to the first troop heading up and then stay at the top until the end of the day, waiting for scraps.

We got to hike over sharp lava fields, which made me worry how my hiking shoes would hold up - these are some rocks you definitely wouldn't want to fall on.

A volcanic specimen.

Night lights

2011-05-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Antigua sure knew what to do with their churches at night -
most of them were beautifully lit up like this.

My favorite tree in Antigua

2011-05-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

This tree resided in the ruins of a convent -
I loved it so much that I made Mark take multiple pictures of it!

Church Ruins

2011-05-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

Many rebuilt churches in Antigua still had the ruins of the previous church behind the new one. Some sites were cheap to enter (I think it cost us around $0.50 to get into these ruins) and stunning to see.

You can barely see the moon in this shot.

Some of the detail in the original stone carvings.

Antigua snapshots

2011-05-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

The Arch


A typical Antigua street: multi-colored building facades with a volcano in the background.

More pictures after the jump:

A very old church

Relaxing in Parque Central


Catedral San Jose

La Merced Church

2011-05-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

La Merced Church is easily one of the more stunning cathedrals in Antigua because of its bright color. The details on the building facade blew me away – you can see the intricacies in the photo below. At night, the courtyards of the churches became a festival ground of sorts with plenty of food carts catering to hungry tourists and locals in town for Semana Santa.

San Francisco Church

2011-05-16T10:16:00.001-07:00

This was one of the first churches we came upon on our inaugural exploration of Antigua. Since Antigua used to be the Spanish capital of Central America, you can’t walk a block without encountering a cathedral like this in some sort of state of ruin or repair. Most churches have been destroyed by earthquakes at some point since their original construction in the 1500s or somewhere thereabout. You can see on the right side how the church has been damaged.

Central America: Leg 2

2011-05-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

After two days in Flores, we took an eight-hour overnight bus to Antigua, Guatemala. These kinds of buses should be treated the same as airplanes – bring a jacket because it’s going to get COLD. At first this was a blessing: AC in the jungle? I’ll take it! But after a while, my knees turned to ice cubes. And then when I wasn’t freezing, I woke up sweating during rest/pit stops when the bus was turned off and the temperature rose to match outside. My body couldn't figure out how to regulate itself!

When we did get to Antigua around 8 in the morning, we were dropped off at a park in the middle of town. This also became a familiar routine: arrive at your destination, pull out the guidebook and figure out where you'll find a hotel (or just walk a block - hotels are literally on every corner).

The upstairs courtyard in the hotel where we stayed, Hotel Dionisio.

Central America: Leg 1

2011-05-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put in a travel line, Indiana Jones style, but I would be completely guessing at the route (Google wasn’t any help).

So we flew into Belize and then bused 5+ hours across the country and into Guatemala, ending in Flores. We shared the 18+ person shuttle with only one person: a traveler from Japan named Taka who showed us some incredible underwater photos of his diving excursions in Belize. He was also the tannest Asian I’d ever seen – we ran into a group of Japanese tourists in the Belize water taxi and bus station who didn’t even recognize him as Japanese and asked him how he spoke Japanese so well (“Um… I AM Japanese.”)

We parted ways with Taka upon arrival at Flores and encountered the first test of my Spanish: finding our first hotel. We’d made absolutely no reservations in advance: we didn’t want to be tied to a set schedule and figured we wouldn’t have a problem. Then the first two places we tried happened to be full. I asked one of the workers if she had any hotel/hostel recommendations and thus commenced what would soon become familiar: an explanation in Spanish that I was unable to translate, sparking a confused exchange of hand gestures and broken Spanish and/or English.

We ended up in a small but clean hostel with a bonus: a couple from Vancouver, BC across the hall. Friends!

Tikal

2011-05-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

While we were in Flores we paid a visit to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, one of the largest archaeological sites of the ancient civilization. Pictures don't really do the temples justice - it's hard to grasp how grand these structures really are unless you're standing right next to them. We met a Polish couple on the bus ride there, who kept us company through the ruins.

More pictures after the jump:

Animals!

2011-05-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

He looks innocent, but don't let that fool you.

We spent some time in the Flores Zoo, incomparable to well-funded American zoos but fun nonetheless. We had to take a boat across the lake to get there which was a welcome reprieve from the stifling stillness of being on land.

For more pictures, click the link for the jump.

There were CAUTION: ALLIGATOR WARNING signs around the zoo, but these guys were part of the exhibit.

The jaguar that we could only see by climbing over the railing and peering over the edge.

The baby monkey looks like an alien.

The boat we took to get there.

Flores

2011-05-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

We landed in Belize City and took a bus a couple hours later to Flores, Guatemala. The above is a view from our hostel, Dona Goya. Flores is an island in the middle of a lake and the surrounding views were beautiful - water and jungle! Since it was the jungle, it was flippin' H-O-T. I think my body went into shock from coming from such a cool climate to a stifling hot jungle. My fingers swelled up like sausages! Gross. The best part about our hostel was the rooftop deck, which housed a few hammocks.


Comfy!

The city was doing construction on our street so we couldn't exactly sleep in even if we wanted to, the noise was so bad. But the waterfront of Flores was very nice and walkable. Mark visited Flores a few years ago and said the waterfront wasn't nearly as built up as it was now.

The construction zone outside our hostel.

We spent two nights in Flores and ended up visiting a zoo that was on a different island a short boat ride away. Zoo pictures in the next post! Meaning... monkeys. And a hefty-looking jaguar.

#11: Backpack in Central America

2011-05-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Tikal, Guatemala

In no way did we cover all the ground we wanted to (our preliminary itinerary before we booked the tickets took us through all seven countries in three weeks – what were we thinking?) but I can partially cross this goal off my list! We trekked through the jungles, mountains and beaches (though briefly) of Guatemala and Honduras; we originally intended to hit up northern El Salvador as well but decided to partake in the world celebrations of Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Antigua, Guatemala, instead. Everyone else seemed to be heading to Antigua for those crucial days leading up to Easter so we decided that maybe we should, too. I’ll be posting some pictures and anecdotes over the next couple weeks as I try to get back into a routine.

#67: Take a red-eye flight

2011-05-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

Done: Seattle –> Houston –> Belize City

I see the appeal about leaving in the middle of the night so you can hit the ground running in the morning, but I can’t say I’m a huge fan. After all my talk about being able to sleep on flights I still had trouble staying asleep (falling asleep was no problem). I blame the documentary about the Foo Fighters that I was watching during the 20 minutes of free TV the flight allowed us. Once the TV was shut off, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Foo Fighters or their music.

Then of course the sleep disrupted by a layover in the Houston airport, where we found a quiet terminal where we could fall asleep on the floor for a couple of hours.

But it was worth it.

We’re baaaaack

2011-05-03T08:27:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the dearth of posts, but I didn’t want to post anything without also including pictures – we’ve finally sorted through them all (800+ AFTER sorting) so I’ll be putting together plenty of posts with corresponding pictures as soon as everything is more organized. But to tide you over, here are some short highlights from our excursion through Guatemala and Honduras.

Meeting fellow travelers from all over the world: England, Germany, Ireland, Holland, Canada, Scotland, Wales, etc.
Climbing over the bars of the jaguar pen to peek at the sleeping jaguar 25 feet below.
Snorkeling at Utila, one of the Bay Islands north of Honduras.
Experiencing the Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations in Antigua, Guatemala, some of the largest Holy Week celebrations in the world. Lots of Catholic parades!
Kayaking a mountain lake in Guatemala.
Visiting Chichicastenango, a world-famous market in the mountains of Guatemala.

The trip was such a whirlwind that I can’t believe I’m back at work, wandering around in a daze trying to remember what I was doing three weeks ago.

Hours before departure

2011-04-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Is this really happening? Our bags are packed and ready to go! By this time tomorrow we'll be in 90+ degree weather in Flores, Guatemala, which really couldn't be any better timing because my frustration at being cold is at an all-time high. And being cold is making this girl uber-cranky. I'll probably be saying that about the heat in a couple weeks but at this point I really don't care. I just need some warmth!

First stop: Houston. Second stop: Belize City and then trekking through Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras!

Terry? Seymour?

2011-04-06T08:41:00.001-07:00

Did I mention I almost ruined our trip to Central America?

I remember having a conversation with Mark when we got back from Belize in 2008 on whether I should change the name in my passport to Heather Seymour from Heather Terry. We decided at the time that it could wait – when you use your passport, it’s the only form of identification they check so the only name that needs to match is the one on your passport and the one on your airline ticket. So I never changed it.

Fast forward to Sunday night when Mark realized that my passport still read Heather Terry but he’d bought my ticket under Heather Seymour. Cue panic. I got on the phone with Continental first, heeding Mark’s advice to say as little as possible about the situation and only say the name was wrong and needed to be changed. The conversation didn’t go well -- “Why is the name wrong? Is it only misspelled? What name is on your driver’s license? These tickets are non-transferable.” My call was then transferred to an international agent, at which point I handed the phone to Mark and escaped to the other room.

I don’t really know how Mark did it, but 20 minutes passed until he came in triumphantly and said they’d changed it for us. I was a mess by that point, sitting in tears on the couch clutching a pillow and telling myself everything was going to be OK and trying to watch “Celebrity Apprentice.” (And no, “Celebrity Apprentice” is not part of me being a mess! We love that show!) Mark had seemed fairly confident the whole time that they’d change the name (unlike myself) but couldn’t resist throwing in “I would’ve been sad to go to Central America without you!”

Can you imagine if we’d gotten to the airport and realized our mistake? I don’t think I would’ve been going anywhere. Thank goodness Continental has the foresight to send a “check your personal information” e-mail a week ahead of time.

From depressing to awesome

2011-04-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Seattle, Washington

Flores, Guatemala

Life’s a gas, laugh it up

2011-03-30T14:42:00.001-07:00

Don’t you hate it when you pass someone on the freeway who’s been pulled over and think to yourself, SUCKA, and then you get pulled over yourself?

Before you ask me how much my ticket was, this didn’t actually happen to me. But I was in my gym’s parking garage the other day waiting to exit when it became apparent that the guy in front of me hadn’t gotten his parking pass validated by the gym. Since the cost of the garage without validation is a solid $8 (yes, I’ve forgotten to get my ticket validated once too), I could see that he was attempting to talk his way out of the parking garage. And from experience I knew there was no way he was getting out without either paying the $8 or reversing out of the lane, parking again, and getting the ticket validated.

We (the car behind me and I) sat there for a few minutes while he waved his arms around and the faithful parking attendant shook her head and pointed to the adjacent lane where he could pull over if he wished. He finally acquiesced and sent his significant other to me and the car behind me to ask politely if we could back up to which I replied cheerily, ‘twasn’t a problem, I’ve been in the same situation.

Then I pulled up to the attendant and handed her my validated ticket.

“Your ticket isn’t validated either!”

I’m sure I looked shocked as I exclaimed, “What?!” and took it back from her, sure she’d made a mistake. But she hadn’t. So I bit the bullet, reversed (by this time the car behind me was getting frustrated), pulled in behind the first offender and ran for the elevator. I’m not paying $8 just for a work-out!

This wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t actually realized at the BEGINNING of my gym session that I had left my parking ticket in the car, ran out to the car to get it, and handed it to the front desk attendant to be stamped. She took it and did something with it, but apparently did not stamp it. Thanks for nothin’.

And the moral of this story is to never show your frustration or impatience when the person ahead of you is taking their sweet time, because YOU could be the next person wasting someone’s time! I ended up crossing paths with the first car’s passenger, she on her way out of the gym and I on my way back in, and we both laughed at ourselves.

You know you read too much Sounders news when…

2011-03-29T09:41:00.001-07:00

Qwest Field, taken from the Smith Tower observation deck.

You hear off-hand at a game that a defender is out with a concussion and respond with, “Really? I didn’t see that on today’s injury report.”

A post-workout dinner

2011-03-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

There’s nothing like a hearty bowl of pasta after a workout of squats and deadlifts! I’ve heard it’s important to nourish your body shortly after a workout so your body can recuperate properly and also so your body “learns” that you’ll give it what it needs to build muscle and burn fat. So I pulled together some foods from the kitchen to give myself the mix of carbs, protein and healthy fats (and some not-so-healthy ones) my body needed post-workout. And it included bacon – get excited.
Ingredients:

3/4 cup of bowtie pasta
1/2 cup of frozen shelled edamame
1 slice of bacon, diced (preferably the thick-cut slices from the deli)
Olive oil
Preferred seasonings: I used garlic salt, onion powder, and dried parsley (garlic and onion… I’m such a treat)

Start the pasta a-boiling. Fry the bacon (yummers) and dry on a paper towel. Next, I washed out the bacon pan and steamed the edamame in it. Drain the pasta and the edamame and combine those two with the bacon. Drizzle it with some olive oil! Normally I’d use butter here but since we ran out the other day, olive oil was the next best thing. Plus, it’s probably better to avoid the butter anyway if you are already going to have the bacon fat. Right? Fine, let’s be honest, if we had butter it would have totally made it in, bacon or not! Then season to your heart’s desire. Red pepper flakes would’ve been an excellent addition but I didn’t think of it until now.

Confession: I could’ve used leftover rotisserie chicken instead of bacon but, uh, the bacon will go bad if I don’t use it so, uh, say YES to bacon. The edamame’s the real powerhouse here: over 8 grams of protein in half a cup.

Voila!

#26: Butternut Squash and Green Bean Curry

2011-03-23T16:21:00.001-07:00

NOT my best night.

I’d planned on making this nearly a month ago and had bought a butternut squash at the time, so I fully expected the squash to be rotten by now. I wish it had been, for it would have saved me some time and frustration.

I wanted to use frozen green beans instead of the fresh ones the recipe called for because I knew I had some stowed away in our freezer. Of course, when the time came to add them after I’d steamed the squash, I realized they were completely and thoroughly freezer burned. I suppose I could’ve just eaten the steamed squash and called it a night, but I figured since I had the time then I might as well just find another vegetable to substitute – I settled on frozen shelled edamame.

Everything was going well until the moment came to add the specified spice to the dish: whole mustard seeds. I began browsing our steadily growing spice shelf for the mustard I was positive I had bought weeks before: hmm, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, pepper, cinmamon, turmeric, cayenne, thyme, oregano… where were those stupid mustard seeds? I took every spice off the shelf and still no mustard seeds. A faint realization came to me that perhaps I hadn’t bought those mustard seeds after all.

To the Internet! The Internet told me that powdered mustard could be substituted for mustard seeds but the flavor wouldn’t be quite the same. But what else could I do? I’d gone way too far to stop. I made the substitution and finished the dish, and it was kind of blah. I actually liked the edamame in it but without the main spice, there was nothing special holding together the mix of rice, vegetables and coconut milk. Of course, I ate the entire dish over a few meals so it wasn’t a complete wash. OH and I discovered that butternut squash is the MOST AMAZING vegetable ever. I think I’ve eaten it almost every day for a week – bring on the beta carotene! Soon I’ll turn orange!

Substitutions/omissions: the edamame for green beans and the powdered mustard for mustard seeds. The edamame worked but the powdered mustard lacked the pizzazz that whole mustard would have provided.

Mistakes: See above.

Repeat? I did like it though it was boring, and I will try again when I have actual mustard seeds in my possession.

Spring

2011-03-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Word on the street is that spring might finally be here at last?

It's been a LONG winter.

I cheer myself up by looking at cute springy clothes!

Hello?

2011-03-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Where on earth have I been?

Work has been exceptionally busy lately, especially since I've been preparing for our three-week trip to Central America in April. I want to get everything done and prepared before we leave.

Items I still need for our vacation:

Sunglasses (Nordstrom, I'm looking at you - BP selections are only $10!)
Higher socks I can wear with my adorable hiking shoes so they won't rub my feet and give me not-so-adorable blisters.
A new camera? My trusty Canon Powershot (4.0 megapixels -- top of the line at the time!) has been with me for six years now and is showing its age. The casing is coming apart slightly at the seams and it tends to get stuck on video mode unless you know exactly how to hold the slider that changes the mode from video to camera (I'm a pro at this, but handing it off to others to take a picture of you proves tricky). And it would be awful for it to die during the trip!

Less than three weeks until Central America! No puedo esperar!

A sunny Saturday (two weeks ago)

2011-03-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

I meant to publish this weeks ago but somehow I found it in my drafts?

The view from the Smith Tower downtown. You can see the Space Needle between buildings on the right, and the Olympics stretching out in the distance. I recommend the Smith Tower for views of Seattle rather than the Space Needle - the same view for half the price!

Dang bees

2011-03-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I discovered a drowned yellow jacket in our kitchen sink.

Let me back up.

Wednesday I came home with an armload of groceries and nearly stepped on a yellow jacket camped on our kitchen floor. We had a staredown for a few moments during which I tried to decide if he was injured or just trying to intimidate me. Since he didn’t try to fly away but was obviously alive, I grabbed the nearest large weapon – a kitchen towel. I slapped him a few times with it but he just buzzed along the floor and, most importantly, DIDN’T DIE. He was too big to squish but too injured to fly away, so I trapped him under a plastic container and left him on the floor while I made dinner and washed dishes. At some point I remembered that we had an invasion of yellow jackets during the summer due to a nest lodged under our deck within the house. After weeks of killing yellow jackets who had meandered into the apartment during the day through the open windows (we’d come home to five or 10 of them crawling on the floor or languishing in the window sills), we finally called the landlord to get rid of the dang thing (also our friends were starting to get nervous to sit near the windows). The nest was promptly removed because, as our landlord said, what if they came further into the house and found a way into our apartment from the inside?

I then dropped to my knees and inspected where the floor met the walls but I didn’t find any others. This one must have just gotten lost. After dinner, I decided to move him from the kitchen floor to the kitchen counter so I gingerly slid a piece of paper under the plastic container and transported him to the counter, where I left him while I went and visited a friend. Mark came home later and “discovered” him (“Why is there a yellow jacket on the counter??” “I told you he was there!”) and must’ve nudged him into a water-filled bowl in the sink and left him there, where I found him the next day.

I almost texted Mark, “Why am I coming home to a dead yellow jacket in the sink?”

But then I figured I’d probably get back, “Why did I come home to a LIVE yellow jacket on the counter?” Fair question.

Birthday flowers

2011-03-08T10:34:00.001-08:00

Courtesy of Mark and Metropolitan Market :)

Cupcakes and the Fifth Avenue Theatre

2011-03-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

My sweet friend Maile treated me on my birthday eve with a cupcake and a musical downtown, the Pulitzer prize-winning "Next To Normal." It was literally my last day to take advantage of the 5th Avenue Theatre's $20 ticket price for those 25 years old and under and the ticket guy didn't even card me. Which, really, is very odd considering every other time we've bought those tickets we've had to show our IDs before they'll even bring out the seating chart. We cajoled him into asking for my ID anyway, since I'd never be able to use the discount again.

Thus begins a new era of paying adult ticket prices. But first, a recap of the shows the 5th Avenue Theatre so generously let me attend for only $20:

1. Next To Normal, with Maile - thank you friend!

2. Into The Woods, which I begged Mark to take me to since we had done the show in high school.

3. Mame, the originator of the Christmas song "We Need A Little Christmas" (who knew?) and co-starring the man who voiced Gaston in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast", which sent me into a state of awestruck anticipation. My what a guy, that Gaston!

4. A Christmas Story, the musical version of the beloved movie of the same name, which we saw with our friend Nicole.

5. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - this one ranks well in our memory because we ended up with seats in the center of the fourth row for $20. Lucked out!

I wish I'd taken advantage of more shows at that price but I guess we'll have to pay full price like normal people now. But it was great while it lasted!

Estudiando espanol

2011-03-04T09:26:00.001-08:00

In preparation for our trip to Central America next month, I’ve been seeking out resources for conversational Spanish. I’ve been spending time on www.studyspanish.com, which has great basic lessons on grammar, and I’ve been downloading and listening to podcasts from Radio Lingua Network, which has a program called Coffee Break Spanish – 20-minute lessons great for my drive home from work or the treadmill. The only roadblock to Coffee Break Spanish is that the hosts have Irish accents, which confuse me at times! But I love their intro song, which includes the line “Mas cerveza, por favor! Cafecito, I want more!” I’m going out on a limb here, but I don’t think beer would help my speaking skills. :)

Studying Spanish grammar has made me realize how much I’ve forgotten (or perhaps didn’t know in the first place) English grammar. If you were to ask me what the present perfect tense or imperfect tense is, you’d get a blank stare and a shrug. My friend Melanie, on the other hand, can rattle off definitions of those tenses at the drop of a hat. But then she is an English teacher, so we expect that from her! Mel also told me about a site called www.meetup.com where people can schedule “meet-ups” to discuss common interests. I know it sounds sketchy, but my friend and I went to a conversational Spanish meet-up a couple weeks ago (at a bar on Capitol Hill no less) and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Well… to be honest, my Spanish-speaking level was just below being able to converse with most other people there, but it gave me a great guideline of what I need to work on and how much I actually know. I thought that most attendees would be from Spanish-speaking countries or perhaps students, but plenty of nationalities were represented – I spoke (marginally) with a French girl and a Ukranian man, as well as a guy from Mexico and an American girl who now teaches Spanish. I want to go back soon – necesito practicar! (I need to practice!)

Double-monitoring

2011-03-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

Like double-fisting, only completely work appropriate and much less hazardous.

Sci-fi night at the Seymours

2011-02-28T11:19:00.001-08:00

Sci-fi movie night at the Seymours looked a little like this.

Mark: “I’m in the mood for sci-fi! Here are our choices: ‘Blade Runner’, ‘The Fifth Element’, or ‘Mad Max.'”

Me: “Um… ‘Moulin Rouge’?

Mark: “Sci-fi.”

Me: “Well, I’ve already seen ‘Blade Runner’, and I saw five minutes of ‘The Fifth Element’ on TV once and didn’t really like it, so… ‘Mad Max’ I guess?”

Mark: “You don’t sound very excited.”

Me: “Well… yeah.”

For the record, I wasn’t a fan of “Mad Max” – should’ve gone with “Blade Runner”.

On my nails

2011-02-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

My newest obsession has been nail polish: uber-girly, I know, but I feel like I completely missed out on the nail polish train when I was younger. Thus, I've jumped on full steam ahead! I change my polish every two or three days for the following reasons:

The color starts to bore me. I need variety!
Sometimes my weekend shades aren't exactly work-appropriate. I feel like my co-workers are judging me when I wear a near-black on Monday morning. Come on, it, uh, matches my pants!
I enjoy the process of a manicure just as much as the end result. There's something about the precision and perfection required for a good manicure that appeals to me.

On my nails at the moment: OPI's Sweet Heart, a cotton candy-esque pink creme. I'm not a huge fan of cremes because the application has to be absolutely flawless or all your mistakes are evident (microshimmers and glitters are more forgiving when it comes to minor dents or scratches), but this polish came in a set so I had to try it out. It's a bit light for my complexion but it works for the office. I had to use three coats to get rid of the streaks, but I don't mind - again, I love the process. If it's worth doing, then it's worth doing well.

Parking Fail

2011-02-24T08:39:00.001-08:00

I couldn't see where the parking lines were!

Danish mid-century

2011-02-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

Mark has a continuous love affair with Danish mid-century furniture and he points it out everywhere - antique stores, commercials, building lobbies. I let him do his thing when it comes to furniture, so we came home with these two pieces on Monday.

Our new (well, old) coffee table

This table replaced the circular table we had by the window. The chairs are the next to go.

February snowstorm?

2011-02-23T13:21:00.001-08:00

Of course, the moment I post this, the snow has stopped and I can see blue sky out there. How strange.