Winter

So I need to exercise. All this snow and staying indoors is making me bake which while is yummy is not good for my waist. I have however been making it into work. So far I've made a German chocolate cake (in defense it's my birthday cake) and lots of cookies. My house is now constantly stocked with butter, a rather unusual occurrence. I know it's the holidays and everyone is telling me that it's okay, it's the season. BUT I can't accept that. I've worked too hard to get to where I'm at to not stay here. I guess it's good that I'm maintaining.
Anyway the snow has been lovely (driving in it always stresses me out though)and I thought I would include some of the pictures I've taken of it from around my house. If you're interested I have more on my facebook. I'm going to go take more tonight because the trees down my street are incredible and I want to share them.
Love you guys!

Snow Preparation

So yesterday morning's Thundersnow was quite a shocker and scared my cats to death. I made it into work but left about three hours after I got there yesterday since it wouldn't stop snowing. All in all we had about 10 inches where I work and probably the same at my house (they're not that far apart).

But boys and girls that's not what I want to talk about today. No today I want to talk about jackets. As I was getting ready to leave yesterday I was perusing my jackets to see what would be suitable for this extremely cold weather. My Northface Denali was in my car and even in that I still get cold. So I found this really old and three sizes too big down puffer jacket. I have had this since high school and have I believe beaten the crap out of it. So I was talking to Carrie yesterday and she was telling me about her new puffer jacket (hers is purple and I'm jealous). So I started looking around but at this point they've been on sale (50% off) for a little while and supplies are running low. I luckily found one near me and they agreed to hold it until Saturday. I did not get purple but black which is another color for jackets I'm partial to. I actually went and got it yesterday when the snow really calmed down. I felt kind of bad because I had left work early due to snow but by 1-2 the highways were very drivable. Although (I'm reasoning with myself) I don't get paid for any missed time at work and who knew that the roads would be passable, right? However, I found out the coolest thing last night about my new jacket (thank you birthday money) when Isaac and I were taking a walk, it has thumb holes in the cuff so I can pull it part way over my hands. And as my friend Chris would say "Love it!"

Birthdays and Bears

So I have to say that having sunshine on my birthday is a present all in itself. The snow and ice however postponed me going to see my friend Rachel and I missed out on Tuba Christmas. I consoled myself by watching it on youtube though I know it's not the same. Why oh why do all the bad storms always seem to fall within a couple days of my birthday? Yes I know that my birthday is in December, I'm not deluding myself that much. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE snow but when I want to go somewhere it doesn't make it easy.
Instead this weekend Isaac and I ran some errands and I baked cookies. Okay correction I made the dough and I'm going to make them tonight. I'm glad I didn't need sugar yesterday because when I went to the store for other items there was absolutely none! Apparently everyone had the same idea I had yesterday. Isaac is also in the middle of redoing our back room so he can move his business out of our dining room (which I will be SO happy to get back) and he is developing a par system. Where he has it now is makeshift and rather chaotic and stresses him out. I think I'm rubbing off on him.
I'm also trying to convince my sister Carrie that every year from now on Eamon has to have a bear snow outfit (who cares if it scars the kid for life, it's hilarious) at least until he is 18. Look at how cute he is.

Fast Cleaning

So my house has been very messy lately. It's really bad. So last night when Isaac and I were getting ready to go to bed (I was doing laundry, for some reason the perfect time for me to do it is right before bed)we heard these really loud noises (like a drill or saw) below our bathroom where Jimmy's shop is. We thought it was kind of odd for him to be working out there so late. Then we had someone knocking on our door which turned out to be Dee. I guess that the faucet on our tub/shower is leaking water into Jimmy's shop. This is through no fault of ours. There have been multiple issues with water and pipes through the years that we have lived in our house and they have been all over the property. So Jimmy asked if he could come up tomorrow (that would be today) to check out our tub/shower. All I could think was, "Oh crap, I need to get up stairs and clean my house tonight." So that's what I did until 10:30 last night while Isaac went to sleep. Not everything is done but a HUGE dent was made. A lot of it is piles that Isaac makes and then leaves, never to clean up again which is frustrating me a lot lately. But I'm over it and instead of waiting for him to clean it up I was sorting and putting away or junking his stuff last night. But at least it's presentable for Jimmy to come in our house today. I just wish I would have asked for a double shot instead of a single this morning...

We also had another set back. Isaac was finally going to get a sleep study for his sleep apnea. He was due to go in tomorrow night and we found out yesterday (without them telling us)that our insurance had not approved Isaac's sleep study. They require that you be on the insurance for a year. Well, with Isaac switching jobs we changed insurance, sort of. We still have the same insurance just a different branch. Our insurance ignored this information. Our old branch now has to send us a letter saying that we had their insurance so we can give it to the new branch of insurance and THEN he can I have his sleep study. Oh yeah, they will only mail the letter too. Sucky. So here's to more crappy sleep for Isaac.

Wicked

So Isaac and I have wanted to see Wicked the Musical since it first debuted. We have been mystified by the fact that it has never come to Seattle. So it is making another round and we are going to go see it in Portland in March. I'm so excited! I booked the tickets tonight but I wish it were tomorrow. With how time flies it probably will. :)

Who's Ready for Christmas?

Cause I'm not. One thing that sucks about getting older is how fast time goes. If they would have told me this when I was a kid (I'm sure they did) I wouldn't have believed them (and I'm sure I didn't). So this is even more annoying when it comes to Christmas shopping. I mean we're already at December 9th. I only have half of my shopping done, and I did that yesterday when I saw it was the eighth. I still need to get my tree up (need to clean the house first) and decorations hung. I guess at least I have my new kick ass advent calendar (I still have to hang that too obviously).
A bright and dark note is that it is supposed to snow all weekend. I love snow and it makes me believe that it's Christmas all the more. But the climate in the Northwest has really changed over the last couple years. It used to never snow and it has for the past couple years. The reason why it would be a dark note is I was planning on going and seeing one of my really good friends Rachel this weekend and if I snows I don't think I'm going to go. :( I haven't seen her in quite a while and I really want to see her. But I don't want to drive in snow and ice. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Good luck with your Christmas shopping!

Advent Calendars

So ever since I was little I've always loved Advent Calendars. One of my grandmother's made the one I grew up with and over the years we've lost a few pieces. So I've lately been looking for a fun advent calendar that I can use in my house for Christmas. Here's the one I found. I'm in love with it. I still have a lot of shopping to do though. Only 23 days left...

Home Again

Thanksgiving was great! It's always nice to see family and hang out with everyone. Besides give Corey a hard time about CTV (sorry Corey :( I love you) we had a lot of fun. We got to play with SCOUT!, see some stuff, eat wayyyyy too much and bake. We talked to Brycie in Japan through Skype and he showed us some really amazing colored pencil chopsticks that Lily had gotten for him. I did further research today and they're rather expensive. I told Bryce I wanted some but Bryce, please don't. I think they're too expensive from what I could understand. The website is practically all in Japanese and I don't even want to know what they would charge to ship to the States. I think the only practical way I would want them is if they really went on sale.
Corey and I had fun horsing around and Cor I am sorry if I came across as harsh I was just trying to play and tease you. You're so important to me and I adore you (I feel the exact same way about you too Bryce). I know I don't always do my best in getting it across and without getting too mushy I love you both so much and I get so excited when I get to see you. I just wish it were more often.
Getting to see my Dad and "Mom" was a lot of fun. There is always a lot of joking that goes on and a lot of laughter. There is also a lot of caring that I get from them that I didn't get (my perception) growing up. It makes me feel very special and loved. Okay, oh so done with the mushy stuff...
So I'm including a picture of Isaac and I at the Monument in Grand Junction, and a book that I just started reading. Bryce I know you would get a kick out of this book (you might already know a lot of this info too though). It's really well written and fascinating. It's called "The Story of Sushi" and that's exactly what it is. I had a hard time putting it down yesterday so it's a good thing I was in airports and on planes all afternoon and evening.

Bryce!

Okay sorry it's so late. I FINALLY found a nice size box that I don't think will be too expensive to ship. I will hopefully ship it today. I just need to write you a note. You know it's only about a month late... Here is your pictogram.

This:


Plus this:


Plus this:


Equals this:

Corey!

You:


Me:

Meh is now a word

I've been waiting for that but at the same time I thought it was already a word. Anyways...
Work is work. I know that that is hardly a revelation but I bring more work on me than I think I can do, even though I love and thrive on being busy. Everyone finds out that I'm a fast, dependable worker and then I'm constantly volunteered to do things. Again not that I mind but it gets a little tough sometimes. I also have this cool benefit at work where I earn 15% more an hour than I normally would. The down side is that I don't get any vacation or sick time and no health benefits (don't worry I have them through Isaac). So when a holiday comes up it's kind of stressful but helpful that I am entrusted with this extra work. I guess I'm saying that I feel a little overwhelmed. The good thing is I know it will pass.
I had a very nice conversation with Carrie last night. She's feeling a little overwhelmed with Keith being gone and being the only one to take care of Eamon. Eamon is also a little out of sorts with his Daddy being gone. She let me talk to him and she said that he was grinning and giggling when I was talking to him. I hope that means he remembers me and doesn't just think it's funny to hear voices coming out of a phone. Hope everyone's having a good day!

Who wants some TB?

So every year I go through this. I am allergic to the skin test for TB that I have to go through every year. At my last job they understood this and told me I was negative. I don't know if my reaction gets worse every year or if it remains the same. Basically the skin test works like this. They inject a little bit of a serum just under the skin and wait two days to see if your skin swells up or not. If your skin swells (a lot) you have TB if it does nothing then you're negative. Well my skin doesn't swell but it looks like a humongous spider bite that itches like crazy. Hence, allergic. Also I have a purple/pink mark the same size on my arm for about two months afterwords and then it finally fades. But now I work some where else. And at first they believed me but then yesterday they came back and said that I actually needed to go get a chest x-ray. Great, just what I need. So I went, got a chest x-ray and well looky there no TB. Oh well at least now I guess I won't have to find out if down the line I'll have an adverse reaction and have my throat close up and die. Yay for TB.

They're Here!!

I'm so happy that my Murano glass rings are here!! Pictures of the exact ones I got are posted below. :)

Daylight

I know I should have talked about this before the elections but I had a busy weekend. Daylight Savings Time... Okay so I like the light in the morning but it always catches me by surprise how dark it gets in the evenings so quickly. I am making sure I workout more to help combat this, you know endorphins and all. And another thing I do (but I do this year round)is go to work early so that I am able to enjoy the light at least a little bit in the evenings. But also with working out 5-6 days a week I leave the gym at 5, so no light... I know I've lived in the Northwest for a great many years but every year the darkness gets to me and I just want to sit on the couch which I resist for the most part. I guess I'll just have to start hoping for sun (that's like thinking that pigs fly). :)

Obamaland

Did you know there is actually a place in Japan that is called Obama?!?! How cool is that? I'm so excited that we as a nation gave a resounding answer to who we would like as our President for the next for years. I'm also glad that we as a nation now have hope and that we can ALL say to our children you too can be President and not have it be a myth. This was the largest voter turn out in a very long time and that excites me because it means that my generation is finally voting! Yay! Go Barack Obama!!



As a side note Isaac has a video on MSN that is really cool, you should check it out. :)

Apparently today is a VERY good day!

Quests

Okay, so I've been on a quest if you will for about the last two years. I have gotten it in my head that I want a ring that is entirely made of rose quartz or a murano glass ring that would be the same color as rose quartz but I could never find it. That is until I found The Carrot Box. They have the most amazing murano rings and they have the ring I have been looking for. It's in their murano glass dome rings section and it's called blush. I was floored when i finally found it. I hope that you all enjoy The Carrot Box as much as I know I will. Sorry Corey I think I just gave you a new obsession.

Howdy Doody Monday

Okay so normally I don't mind Monday's but today is a little different. So this weekend a co-worker of mine (Noop's) gradmother died, quite suddenly I might add. Noop and I work quite closely and I am very sad for his loss. His aunt called him on Friday and said that it was nothing to worry about and the next thing you know his grandmother had passed away. So I knew that coming in today I was going to have to work his shift which is fine because it gives me over time. The part that I don't like (yes this is selfish of me) is that Isaac and I were planning on leaving early (like noon) on Friday for a little trip south and Noop's grandmother's funeral is on Friday. So I have to work late (like five). I don't mind working at all for Noop, I know how I would feel if it was me. My let down is that Friday is Halloween and Isaac is gung-ho on handing out candy to little kids. His previous jobs never gave him holiday's off and his new job specifically gives holidays off. So needless to say he's super excited and has wanted to do this for years. And now I have to tell him that he possibly can't because (oh the irony) now I have to work late. Hopefully the weekend girl can cover but she has class so it's not guaranteed.

Not to mention a lot happened over the weekend at work that I had to sort through this morning so I didn't really get a breather until late afternoon at work. The good part is that it makes time fly. The bad part is that it makes me kind of stressed. So my therapy today (aka weakness) was that I bought a pair of really cute Keen shoes. That made me feel a lot better. Oh I also really improved my disc golf scores this weekend so I am stoked to see that. It's really nice to have the encouragement of our friends who we play with.

Platforms

So I read something yesterday that really ticked me off. Up until now I just found Sarah Palin funny and maybe a couple fruit loops short of a whole bowl. But now, now I don’t like her. She did an interview on Dr. Dobson’s radio show (this is a Christian radio show) this is not my issue. Nor do I have an issue with her describing herself as a hard core pro-lifer. I don’t even have an issue with her being a very forward evangelical Christian. What I have an issue with is how she talks about her newborn baby son Trig. She said that she was glad that she had him so not only could she talk the talk but now she could walk the walk. My personal view of this statement is that she only had Trig so that she could make an example out of him to show what a good person she is. Who does that!?! Why would a mother be more concerned about showing people that she is following what she says? To me even uttering that statement turns Trig from a little boy into a thing that further promotes herself. I have been told in another interview she said that her and her husband decided to have Trig despite him having downs syndrome. If you’re a true pro-lifer this wouldn’t be an issue right? Because I thought that all pro-lifer’s kept their babies because they believe that they are people from the moment of conception. Silly me.
I don’t know maybe I have my nose out of joint but something about those statements just struck me as wrong. If I had a baby born with a disability I would never talk about how by having the baby I could now show people that I could walk the walk. Rant over.

Thanksgiving? You? Me? The turkey too?

Okay so I finally ponied up. No one would help Isaac out and switch shifts with him. So we are flying into CO on Thanksgiving day. Not what I wanted but hey, it was that or I went by myself. Besides, Bryce is in Japan and Corey was all excited about me being his proxy (C I'm excited too, I love seeing you when I can). I think she was really just concerned about having less food, or the possibility of Chinese takeout in her future. But Corey, worry no more Isaac and I coming will ensure more than enough food. Okay, so all kidding aside I'm also really excited to finally have concrete plans for CO. Although the representative I talked to on the phone (I won't name the airline) was not very bright. He was telling me that he was looking at the same flights as me (he wasn't) and that I needed to pay eight hundred dollars per person to change the tickets. I finally asked to talk to a manager and after that he caught on that, oh I was looking at the cheap flight. Don't worry I didn't pay the close to eight hundred per person that he was telling me I needed to.

As a side note my new purple disc golf bag (that I mention in a previous post) is a tad bigger than I thought it was going to be. So the puny strap that came with it which, while it's nice, was not up to the job so Isaac stopped by Mando's and got me some quad shocks (picture below). Now it feels like I'm carrying nothing (whereas before I could feel all 15-20 lbs. I was carrying). He's a good husband. Oh and I know it's going to be cold but C if you want to learn disc golf I can bring some discs and teach you. I think you would like it. :)

Panera

Okay, so it's really sad when I can walk into Panera and (okay so it's always the same girl working) I don't even have to tell them my order. I was teasing the girl who works there yesterday about stalking me, luckily she found it funny too, or at least she pretended very well.

Still no word on the Colorado visit. Isaac is having a really tough time trying to get coverage. Worse case senario we fly in on Thanksgiving, as long as they have tickets and the price doesn't sky rocket.

Happy Birthday Bryce!

Yay for Ray!

So I'm very excited today because Ray LaMontagne has his new cd out. And while that makes me very happy it's not the main reason for my excitement, no. On the cd he has a song called Sarah. :) I always like to find songs that have my name in them (especially the title) but I haven't been so excited about a Sarah song since JT's Sarah Maria. I don't really care that my middle name is not Maria. I have a repulsion towards the 80's hair bands Sarah songs because I have been sung them waaaayyyy too many times. I know people think it's cute but also like being born in Witchita, KS I'm tired of people asking me where's Toto, or do I have a Toto etc. Okay, enough ramble.

Who said Airports were hard to get through? I just need a flying partner...

So last December I bought plane tickets to visit the folks back in Kansas, for a fair price I might add. I based the dates to go on Isaac's schedule and all was good to go... Or, so I thought. I guess it just goes to prove to me that when you think something is going to be easy it never turns out that way.
So anyway, my Dad earlier this year decided that he wanted to move to Colorado where he wants to retire. Even though he's not retiring yet. So the tickets were moved to Colorado, no big deal. Then Isaac received offers in the mail from cooking schools in the area to come interview for teaching positions. He was burned out from work and it's been a dream of his to be a chef instructor for a long time and hopefully we'll end up in New York so Isaac can teach at the CIA. That wouldn't be for a while yet, but knock on wood. So now his schedule has changed and he doesn't get vacation like the rest of us. He only gets paid for the breaks that the school takes (spring, summer, thanksgiving, and winter). So now the problem is changing the dates. Well, school breaks are the most expensive times to fly, so now the tickets that were bought rather cheaply are now expensive tickets and if I have to change them one more time I might as well have tried to purchase a trip to Europe in the first place.
One solution was to have Lindsay my sister go with me. She was excited to go and it was the cheapest ticket change available to us. However I'm sure you can surmise from the tone of this post that that option didn't work out either. Lindsay was sad and so was I. And I feel like I'm back at square one. The tickets are for next month and I don't know what to do. I can go by myself and take the other ticket and change it to visit Carrie and Keith in the spring. (Carrie if you're reading this let me know when is good for you) Or I can buck up (hahaha no pun intended) and change the tickets AGAIN.
Whomever reads this let me know your opinion. I don't know what to do. Isaac and I regardless are going to drive out there to visit during his spring break. Dad, I'm calling you today to let you know this. :)

Sarah Palin

So last night Isaac was on a regional disc golf forum and found this amazingly funny disc of Sarah Palin. Ironically it's a pink destroyer disc. I contacted the guy who made it and guess what!? It's going to be mine! I love it, it's hilarious and who wouldn't love to throw Sarah's face and see it whack a tree? After all I think that's part of her values. Just kidding. I know some people will take me having this disc as being republican or that I support Sarah Palin, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I find her highly amusing what with all her flub ups. I am also adding a picture of her stumping for her campaign with her daughter Piper flipping off a boy next to her. Who wouldn't love that? And her (I hope by now) infamous V.P. debate flow chart.

Just About the Funniest Thing Ever...

My nephew Eamon in his natural environment.
I laughed so hard I cried when my sister sent me this today.

Oh and this was too funny too. :)

Game Farm Wilderness Park

Yesterday Isaac and I went and played disc golf with the owners of a local disc golf shop (Tom and Mary) called Mando's to help us improve our game. Tom always offers to go play simply because he loves the game, after all he owns his own shop. Well this is where it get's interesting folks. Because Tom asked another guy Jason to come play with us who Isaac and I think was high the whole time, smoke profusely and drank a healthy amount of beer he had poured into his own water bottle containers. I do have to say in Jason's defense that he was very nice, very helpful (mainly to Isaac) and rather quiet. When he told me that he was a cook for a living everything snapped into place for me. I know that sounds harsh but hang around with enough cooks and you'll understand the stereotype usually rings true. I found it really funny when Jason kept calling Tom by the name of Ron and kept saying it louder when Tom didn't answer. Hmmm, go figure.

When Isaac set up the date and time for us to play he had asked if Mary would come play too so she could help me. We assumed (and you all know what assuming does) that Mary would be as good as Tom, we were sadly mistaken. Mary was about as good as I am normally, which is okay (lets say six shots on a par three hole) but she's been playing for over 4 years. Tom was great though. He is a very enthusiastic person and really helped me figure out how to shoot. I wasn't lining up correctly at all (standing straight and I needed to be completely parallel) and my grip was too loose. He really helped me with my nervousness (I always want to be perfect on my first try) and was very encouraging. Mary was very sweet and fun to talk to. I also think it helped me lose some of my anxiety to have another girl there. Tom also helped Isaac but Jason helped him more and would jump in to help Isaac when he wasn't doing it right, which I thought was very sweet.

Needless to say my game improved A LOT and I really had a lot of fun. Oh another interesting moment was when we were at a tee, Jason walked a few feet away into the trees with his back to us and I am pretty sure he was peeing but I didn't ask. I don't really want to know. It took us three hours to do all eighteen holes which isn't too bad with a group of five people. Mary was bitten pretty badly by an insect on the last hole but luckily she had some benadryl with her. Aaannd I'm pretty sure when we got back to our cars Jason and Tom went back to Jason's house to smoke the hashesh, if you know what I mean. All in all an interesting couple of hours.

This weekend I also made pesto and froze it for the coming year which I do every fall. I was going to make an angel food cake last night but Isaac used some of the eggs so I didn't have enough. Maybe I'll make one tonight.

Isaac told me that because of when my birthday falls I should go ahead and get my birthday present now. I teased him that he was trying to deprive me of my birthday. But anyway I got my birthday present and here's what it looks like but the one I'm getting is purple, it's my favorite color.

My, Oh, My

So I'm having a tough time with disc golf. I enjoy playing but I want to throw farther. This is problem is compounded in two ways. One is that guys throw farther than girls so even though I am rather strong for a girl I still can't throw as far. Also I don't think I've really tapped into how to put all my power behind my throws. The other issue for me is that this is a male dominated sport, so I walk out there usually the only girl and I get a lot of looks. And some occasional comments. While I don't think myself anything too special it unnerves me and makes me throw even worse than just throwing short because I'm a girl. Which compounds my frustration. Fun. 

This past weekend was my 10 year high school reunion which I chose not to attend. My personal outlook on high school reunions is that the ten is all about how much status you've accumulated but after that I think it relaxes. I think I'll go to my 20th though. The good thing about not going (and missing the drama that I'm sure ensued) is that I became really sick on Saturday and I wouldn't have been able to go anyway! So for me it's better to feel relieved that I didn't spend a lot on tickets to an event I wouldn't have been able to attend anyway. 

And one disturbing thought for the day. I was in Safeway today and as I was leaving I witnesses an eight year old boy push the garbage can lid in stick his mouth on the rim of the garbage can and try to spit out his gum. I say try because he ended up spitting it on the mat they had by the door. He then scooped it up and threw it in. I guess he at least had the good sense to still throw his gum away even if it fell on the floor. 

Fore!

So I've taken up golf. Yes the putter, driver and fairway kind. But...I have to explain that the type of golf I've taken up is disc golf. Growing up I played ultimate frisbee but this is nothing like that. The only experience that gave me was on how to throw a frisbee (disc). I have to admit that I didn't think that I would like it or enjoy it but this past weekend Isaac and I went out with Mitch, Amy and Lee and we had a really good time. I guess when Isaac was in college he and some friends would play but they always created their own courses. So this week Isaac and I went out and got our own gear. Here's what my disc's look like. I can't wait to go out this weekend. :) And if any of you come to my neck of the woods and want to play just let me know!

Bridges

So as of September 11th Isaac is now down to one job. Which is very nice but it's really weird to see him during daylight hours. I am excited to have him around a lot more often but I also need to get used to it. Anyway, since he was home Friday when I got home from work we decided to go get some sushi and the best place we've found is in Seattle. And if you've been to our house the best way to go to Seattle is 520 but traffic on a friday? We were stupid and decided to go anyway. :) The going wasn't bad but the coming home was excruciatingly slow. I think it took us 45 minutes to cover ground that normally takes about 7 so you do the math. Not to mention there was no real waiter/waitress to cover our section at the restaurant so we just had to flag down anyone that came by. I just need to be grateful that it was such a beautiful day.

Not to mention that the Breast Cancer Three Day Walk is happening this weekend and apparently they walked through Bellevue on Friday. I know I have gotten sappier in my old age but as I was driving home I just kept seeing hundreds of people walking. It choked me up a few times to see that kind of dedication and to also know that all those people have been touched by just this one kind of cancer. It made me sad but also very happy to see all these people in a sense "fighting" for their loved ones by raising money for research.

Apparently Isaac and I know when to cross the 520 this weekend because everytime we've crossed it one way or another we've seen the UW Husky football team's buses. Kind of interesting but also weird. Maybe they'll do better at their next game...

Providence, Cape Cod, Boston and Roger Williams University...

So apparently this is my year of travel and I just got back from my third trip this year. It was a highly anticipated one which like all trips never seems to arrive but once it has it passes too quickly. I went to Providence Rhode Island to visit Carrie and Keith and to meet Eamon. We had an amazing time. I hadn't seen Carrie and Keith for about 2 years and since Eamon isn't even that old I obviously had never met him. Carrie was very sweet by letting me spend as much time as possible to get to know him and it was nice that Eamon felt at ease with me very quickly. I taught them how to make an angel food cake (it's all in the whisk) and we saw A LOT. We also played with Eamon and his toys a lot which was a lot of fun, except when he hit me in the mouth with his giggle stick. I didn't see that that one coming...
Carrie and I took Eamon to the Aquarium and the Zoo where he was fascinated by everything but mostly people. :) Then we spent the weekend in Cape Cod where some of their friends very graciously let them spend time. We took Eamon to the beach where he wasn't too thrilled to get his feet in the water but he sat playing on the beach with us for a while.
And then on Sunday we went to Boston where we met up with my Aunt Ruth and walked the Freedom Trail which is a red line that runs through part of Boston highlighting it's history. We walked about 8 miles which we weren't expecting and Carrie saw that we were going to be sunburned in the nick of time so the next day we were just slightly red. I took a ton of pictures of Boston that I need to ask Carrie to send me since I took them with her camera. Carrie took me to see Roger Williams University where she is going to teach this year. We had a lot of fun perusing the book stores and walking the campus and then we ate lunch at one of her favorite places. I was very sad to leave when Monday evening finally rolled around I was having such a good time. It sucks that time moves as quickly as it does.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention that many a night Eamon would finger paint which was very funny and Eamon like not only making art but eating the paint, as all good painters do. Also in Cape Cod we got some HUGE lobsters, okay well we could have gotten some ten pounders...

Proctor Fest

So this past weekend we were in Tacoma on Proctor Street for Proctor Arts Fest. It's such a fun festival that is also conjoined with a Farmer's Market. It was crazy busy and Isaac and I didn't really get to take a break for the first five hours. We even had people wanting to buy from us before we even opened.

Some of my pet peeves are when people come up and just start eating our pretzels without using them to try the honey and when parents don't watch their kids so they get honey all over the place and they just sit there eating pretzel after pretzel and then the parents walk away. Why do parents not watch their children?


So anyway I had a busy weekend and now a busy week/this coming weekend (need to work more) because I am getting ready to go visit Carrie and Keith and meet Eamon who I'm sure is a roly poly wriggly worm about now. I can't believe I leave in six days! It's come up so fast!

American Dream?

Bigger, Better, Faster, More... Isn't that the motto we are raised with?

I have to say that I have been having a tough time (mentally) lately. I know I have a good job and Isaac does too but I still feel like I'm falling short. I know I have a lot and I know that I am blessed. But... Then I look around at some of my friends and I see that they have houses and better jobs, etc. I currently struggle and I know I'll always struggle with materialism. It's all around me, especially where I live and I feel like I'm always trying to catch up. But I also need to be better at realizing that I don't need to be a part of the race. To stop myself and slow down and see all this stuff for what it is, stuff.

I think a part of it is too that I need to accept and fully realize my potential. I need to be my own advertiser. After all if no one else believes in me who will. I have to say that where I currently work is really helping me on this front, and I know on my own I've come a lot farther than where I was a few years ago. But I know that what I currently do (even though I like it a lot) is not what I am going to do for the rest of my life. I also feel like I should have gotten to where I need to be (aka where I want to end up) sooner. I know that life is a journey and I'm making my own path and nothing is right or wrong. And I know it's ridiculous that I feel like I have to have everything figured out and to have it all now. My mother would call this my need for instant gratification but I know it's not. It's more that I want to feel like I have accomplished what I need to and to feel like I fit in with my peers.

On another note, I'm thinking of growing my hair back out and since it's naturally curly to make a vow to myself to keep it that way everyday. Any thoughts?

Enumclaw

So this weekend Isaac and I were in Enumclaw (pronounced e-numb-claw) doing a "show". No one really ever knows what I mean when I say that so I thought I would post on here about it so people get a better picture of what it is we do. Isaac decides through the year what shows he wants to do and then we go through the whole rigamarole of getting everything ready, setting it up and working. I like doing a show but it takes a lot out of us because we also both have full time jobs. It takes about a week before hand to get everything ready in the evenings and even then we don't always take everything we would like to.

Then we go to the show and we have to be there early to start setting up by 7am to be ready by 8am. Then there usually is a lag time of about an hour. All of this is prefaced by getting up at 5am to be ready to leave by 6am because we usually do shows that are about an hour away from us. I have mixed feelings about the lag time because it does help us if we have things we need to get done but at the same time we've been up since 5am and the street fairs are usually open anywhere from 8-10 hours. You have to be at your booth the whole time, well at least one of you. And then there is the breaking down and going home and unpacking. We just got done with two days of this. Not that I'm complaining but after two 16 hour days of being "on" I'm rather tired. Street fairs are a lot of fun and getting to see a lot of the small towns in Washington is really cool. I really like to see all the people that know each other as they meet on the street, it goes on all day long and it's really cute. It makes me want to live in a small town.

flying eggs

So this weekend I went grocery shopping, which isn't anything out of the ordinary. However, I bought eggs and as soon as I got them to the car I kept knocking them around. After I did this several times I kept thinking to myself that I was going to break them. After all I was having one of my clumsy mornings. So I get home and I start walking up the steps with my groceries in hand. I was wearing flip flops and the front of my flip flop grabbed the bottom of the step and needless to say I went flying... with eggs in hand. But you know what? None of them broke and I was so sure that they had. I an now amazed at the simple but effective construction of egg cartons. I still need to make that angel food cake though.

Oh and as a side note, I slept in this weekend (8am) and Finn (my cat) got so pissed at me he chewed 2/3rds of my FM radio antenna off my alarm clock. I woke up after he did it so I couldn't punish him. Some days...

Supply and Demand

I just want to start out by saying yes, I love babies. But can people PLEASE stop asking me if I'm pregnant, going to be pregnant in the near future or when I am going to have kids. If you know me and know me well you know I adore children, and they like me pretty well too. Yes, I know I've been married for a few years and I'm able to have children but that doesn't mean that I want them yet. I will make this promise though, that by the time I'm 30 everyone can start asking if I'm pregnant but please give me until then. So like another year and a half, m'kay?

I kind of feel like it's been a long time coming and it feels like it's an underlying current in a lot of my conversations. I'm not saying that I mind talk about babies and I've had a lot of funny conversations about babies (and with). I just feel that people over the past year or so have been coming out of the woodwork asking me when, if, how soon, how many, etc. And I mean even people I don't know. I agree babies are exciting and oh so fun, but I need to be ready after all I (okay, well Isaac really since he's a light sleeper) will be the one getting up in the middle of the night with them. I will be dealing with them when they are crying, etc. I know that parenting is rewarding and challenging and I am excited to become a parent but I'm still mulling it over in my mind. It's a huge undertaking and I want to think through all that I would be getting myself into. Also I want to make sure that I can provide my children with everything they need (emotionally and financially), and that's the scariest part. I don't feel like I can yet and I know I may never get to a point where I feel that I can but I at least need to get comfortable with that. I think that's my biggest hold up.

I find it funny that I wasn't even this cautious about marriage. I think the difference for me though is that I will be shaping a child and in marriage you're marrying a person that is/should be pretty formed in their ideas and values. I know that whom ever you marry will change as they grow as a person but that's different. They have set and are setting the path for their life (you obviously have influence) but with a child you have absolute influence. Your spouse will make decisions on their own and children especially small children have to have decision made for them and I don't want to screw it up.

So that's my rant. I don't want anyone to think that I don't want to talk about babies or my future with babies. I just don't want to be put on the spot as to when I will be giving the world one and all the aspects that come with that. As for now the only babies I have say mreow and they don't even listen to me that well. :)

Lazy days of summer

So summer has stayed, finally. I know that we will eventually move away from the Seattle area but the weather in the summer will be one thing I'm going to miss. It rarely get's over 85 which is perfect AND I can swim. Everywhere else these days gets wayyyy too hot. I just need to remember to enjoy it and appreciate it while I live here.

Either I need to change my name or my shirt... Do I look like a Nancy or a Linda?

So I have found another new artist. Her name is Brooke Fraser and her album is Albertine. It's more of a Christian bent which is always nice and uplifting and she doesn't get too preachy. I am listening to it as much as I can but that's pretty common for me when I get a new album. She has an amazing voice to boot.


I also want to mention a comic I read by Christopher Baldwin. It's called Little Dee and the website is www.littledee.net. It's a very cute and endearing comic and I've been reading it for a few years now. He also posts a blog under the comic and he has started a comic about his life lately (there's a link on the page) and since I feel like I kinda know him (but not really) I have enjoyed reading it. I also think it is courageous of him to put his life out there like that. I know it's just snippets but I really enjoy reading it. I should also mention that I think he's extremely talented.

Okay, I'm off. Have a great day everyone!