stay for cake

2010-10-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

george. sun. musicians. jack johnson. vantage. unfortunate mullet. swaying. pot smoking (not us). zee avi. ukelele. katie. sunglasses. g-love. river. erin. starry night. little nugget. road trip. the gorge. lisa. wicked harmonica and accordion. carolyn and the crew. green and white quilt. wildhorses. parking lot dance parties. soda spilt. washington.

strangers on a bus

2010-07-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

scene from my bus ride home

he: stereotypical businessman, in all black, stuffy-ish
she: bright yellow short shorts, hole-y leopard print tights, roller derby-er

overhearing their conversation about iPhones and apps. they even swapped phones so they could check out each other's apps.

he: "wow, the wall street journal...I'm impressed"
she: "what, no music?"

it was pretty awesome. technology really can bridge all gaps and bring people together can't it? :)

hot lunch

2010-04-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

this was my lunchtime view today.

the sun was out.

it was not cold
(not quite warm but I'll take what I can get.)

and I'm excited about whitney and suzy coming to visit for a girl's weekend! they arrive this evening and get to stay until monday. there will be much eating, walking and thrift store shopping.

TGITaF
thank goodness it's thursday almost friday!

back to basics

2010-03-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

my walk on the wild side as a brunette was short-lived. it's hard to control shade and hue, it changes each time you wash. plus the financial outlay was too steep for me.

so it's back to blond for me.

oh, the price for beauty.

ah, everything is as it should be.

it's still a little redder/darker than I'd like but we had to do the re-color back in stages. this is the color of stage one. my next appointment should be the second and final phase.

ah, I think I just breathe easier now. :)

(ps: my stylist's response when I emailed her about going back to blonde, "it's about time." think she likes me better as a blonde!)

guess who's coming to dinner?

2010-02-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

our military man is home!

it's only a two week leave but it's nice to know he's close if even for a short time.

he was supposed to fly in today at noon but surprised everyone and showed up last night. it was the best surprise ever!

welcome home tony.

we love you.

sunday sunny sunday

2010-02-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

this weekend was all glory and sun and fun.

my friend carol's bridal shower on saturday followed by dinner with the girls at toulouse petit, a new restaurant on lower queen anne. FANTASTIC food! the parmesan grits will change your life.

and this afternoon brought peter and mandy for sunday dinner. the menu:

beef stroganoff with noodles
lilo's do ahead salad with avocado
trader joe's par baked bread
mandy's famous yellow cake with chocolate frosting
and lemon water served in the trusty gurgle pot

how lovely it all was.

I love paris in the springtime

2010-02-17T22:41:00.000-08:00

it's been so non-winter-like here in seattle, its causing me dream about the flowers in the tuileries gardens and my dear tower.

I wish I were there. want to come with?

a new me

2010-01-24T00:35:00.000-08:00

not really, just a new hair color.

before picture with my friend amy (m) and our stylist lani (r)

after

which do you like better, blonde or brunette?

kleenex and cold snap

2010-01-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

I am sick.

boo.

auld lang syne

2010-01-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

new years resolutions:

{1}update blog more often
I promise to write more posts and provide more entertainment than I did in 2009! it still won't be daily updates but I've decided to view my blog as my digital scrapbook (since I stopped traditional scrapbooking a few years ago). in fact, I will start back posting events that happened in 2009 so be on the lookout for those soon.

{2}explore more
my goal is to take a day or overnight trip quarterly somewhere around the puget sound area. I live in a "bubble" in my little world and don't move outside of it unless I have to. let's shake things up a bit. :)

love you all and my hope for you is peace and joy this new year.
make it good everyone!

the sisters of freckle-face haynes, the dog-faced boy

2009-12-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

staying true to tradition, my christmas gift to my parents were tickets to see a show in seattle.

this year's choice:

irving berlin's white christmas

the program

we had great seats in the balcony

isn't the theatre pretty?

group shot before the play started

the snow!

white christmas is my favorite christmas movie and to be honest, I was worried that the play might change things too much from the movie that I wouldn't love it as much. thankfully, things were enough the same I needn't have worried! the general's granddaughter, susan, had an annoyingly different role in the play but it was easy to overlook because of all the rest.

and it snowed!
in the audience, over all of us. well, it didn't quite reach us so high in the balcony but it was beautiful to see as it fell over the theatre in front of us. one of my favorite things!

how do you measure a year in the life?

2009-06-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

can you guess what show I saw by the title of this post?
yep, it was "rent"

my culture companion: danielle

the start of our evening: the paramount club
(complete with private bathrooms which was a super big score during intermission!)

the view from our seats

my review: AWESOME!
I sort of knew the premise of the show before going but wasn't familiar with much else. it was surprising how much I liked it, much more than I thought I would. there were even tears during portions...what? nothing of what I expected to feel.

a big thanks to shandel for passing along her season tickets for danielle and I to use. we truly appreciated it and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

..how do I prefer this face to another...

2009-06-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

my little sister got engaged last night!

congratulations katie and jeremy! I am so happy for you.

now it's on to the planning stage...my FAVORITE part!

why can't you be in a good mood?

2009-04-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

how hard is it to decide to be in a good mood and be in a good mood? ("say anything")

apparently, it's a little more difficult than I thought.

here's a look back at my calendar, it might explain where I've been.

march 2

my friend cindy was diagnosed with breast cancer; stage 1 but grade 9

march 2-6

my mom undergoes numerous cardio tests to find out why she's been so tired

march 7

my friend angie had little samuel jeffrey 10 weeks early; tiny but healthy

march 9-31

cindy struggles with making a decision between lumpectomy and mastectomy; I listen

march 25

my mom found out she might have had a heart attack; what?

april 1

cindy has surgery; I stay the night and make meals

april 4

my great aunt has a sore on her leg that the doctors thing might be MRSA; my mom is not allowed to go near her

april 6
aunt jean's sore is not MRSA or staph; possibly just a spider bite

april 6

cindy finds out the cancer was not in her lymph nodes; yea

april 8

but discovers the cancer was detected close to the chest wall; which opens up a higher risk of rogue cancer cells taken up residence in the chest muscle

april 13

my friend hailey has little levi abraham; 8 pounds 12 ounces

april 14

my mom has her first appointment with her cardiologist; he isn't convinced of the heart attack theory, but is worried about her EKG baseline numbers; she schedules a heart cath procedure

april 15
saw "say anything" on the big screen with friend erica; want to let you all know that john cusack is even dreamier in this movie on the big screen. LOVED IT!

april 17

I fly to palm springs to meet levi, get a little sun, and play auntie for a long weekend

april 22
mom has heart cath procedure; one stent successfully put in and no additional open heart surgery needed (PTL!)

april 24
drive home to spend time with mom and dad; monitor her recovery and just be

april 28
mom's follow-up appointment with cardiologist; he's happy but putting her on lots of medication that she'll most likely be on forever. she says it's a small price to pay. I agree.

april 28

exhausted

I'm working on getting my tank full up again. stay tuned for more stories of this adventurous city life!

candy, I call my sugar candy

2009-04-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

did you know...

1.
it takes six minutes to make one peeps chick

2.
original peeps have a shelf life of two years

3.
more than 5 million peeps are produced each day

4.
peeps have been the most popular non-chocolate easter candy in the united states for more than a decade.

I think they are disgusting but they remind me of my grandma kitty who LOVED them so they can't be all bad.

so you think you can dance?

2009-03-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

do you?

because the people camping out in preparation for the open casting call in seattle sure do.

there was an energy surrounding the moore tonight; people are dancing on the sidewalk and it feels to me like I imagine new york and broadway must feel like.

view on my walk home from work.

but I'm confident in my decision to stay home...and stay dry.

I definitely CAN NOT dance!

brown paper packages tied up with string

2009-03-24T21:09:00.001-07:00

I'm on a roll with the "sound of music" references aren't I?!
well, I know lisa appreciates it even if no one else does.

my mom is the sweetest. sometimes she sends me surprise packages. just because.

see what I found in my mailbox this week...

oh, how I've loved this green party dress! for over a year, I've admired it, taken pictures of it, fingered the tulle on it.

what I love about it:
soft, dreamy green color
poofy skirt with layers
ruched bodice with peeping tulle at neckline

maybe my wedding dress (one day, don't read into anything here!) will be similar? how fun would it be to have a retro, tea-length party dress to wear for your special day?

and look what I opened today...

I spotted this quilt the same shopping trip as the green dress. there are a few worn spots, a few holes. but the colors are bright and cheery still. I don't think it's been hand stitched but it's been well loved, and it shows.

I love that!

thanks, mom! you spoil me so.

snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

2009-03-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

this was the morning view from my window.

isn't friday the first day of spring? what is going on around here?

spring can really hang you up the most

2009-03-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

head over to danyelle's blog for a super fun, springy giveaway!

bake it pretty

2009-03-01T21:06:00.000-08:00

I discovered bake it pretty from oh happy day almost a month ago but just placed my first order this week. they have the funnest little things.

look at the darling things I just bought.

I've got to find a reason to use these. aren't they precious?

she was afraid to come out of the locker

2009-02-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

my friend amy is going on a cruise and she needed my help picking out a swimming suit.

such a thankless job but very, very important I realize.

she ended up with this spectacular suit. a bit on the expensive side but it looks stunning on her. seriously, this suit is one of the most adorable I've seen on in years.

it looks pretty low cut but it doesn't seem nearly so low when amy had it on. not sure how it manages it but it covers everything and is ultra flattering. I just love, love, love the pretty ruffle at the bottom. the "skirt" can be raised or lowered depending on where it fits/looks the best. how accommodating.

the good news is that I found something too! it's not near as amazing as amy's juicy couture but it fits, flatters and was on sale. my favorite combination! bring on august, I'm ready to go to the beach now!

amy, have a wonderful time on the cruise and I hope john likes the suit.

(oh, who and I kidding, he's going to LOVE it!)

friends are friends forever

2009-02-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

guess who I got to have lunch with today?

marilyn

she was in town and we took advantage of our overlapping proximity and met for lunch at pike place market.

it was so fun to see her and chat about everything...friends from high school, everyone we know who is pregnant, her kids/family, games, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

but we didn't even take a photo of the two of us.
how lame.

thanks for lunch marilyn! it was great to see you!

let's plan another visit real soon. maybe for a show at the triple door? or paper shopping at paper source in bellevue? I'm up for anything.

I heard it's your birthday

2009-02-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

my little sister is 26 years old today.

I love so many things about this girl...

1. she's hip and trendy
2. she even has her nose pierced
3. she knows the lyrics to every song
4. I wish she could teach that skill to me
5. she is an x-ray tech
6. and loves her job
7. she has many good friends that treat her well
8. she is a sweet sister
9. caring, generous, super fun
10. she is tall and loves it
11. her favorite band is jars of clay
12. but she listens to almost everything
13. like michael jackson, adele, beyonce, katy perry
14. are in her cd changer at the same time
15. she has already paid off her student loans from school
16. obviously she is better with her money than I am :)
17. she is always buying new perfumes
18. and I admire her sense of adventure
19. she has a love of coats
20. she owns about 25 of them
21. she loves to play games, any kind of game
22. she is on a bowling league
23. and owns her own bowling shoes and ball
24. she loves mexican food almost as much as me
25. I love it when she comes to visit me
26. I miss her

happy birthday, dear kate!

announcing the arrival of

2009-02-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

samuel jeffrey
born february 7, 2009
3 pounds, 7 ounces

my dear friend angie and her husband jeff added baby sam to their (now) family of five. big sisters abby and alex are ecstatic to try out their fine-tuned sistering skills.

he arrived a tad bit early at only 30 weeks but he's a fighter. off the breathing tube and doing very well. thank you Lord.

I cannot wait to meet him!

up and down around the gums

2009-02-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

this is primarily for hailey.

remember when you told me that you have trouble browsing a magazine because you are constantly sidetracked by ads and marketing?

take a look at this:

us marketers have no shame! now I can get coupons on my butcher buys.

crazy (shaking head).

ps: but I did need a new toothbrush so maybe this is for my better good?! :)

I love jesus but I drink a little

2009-02-07T10:23:00.001-08:00

that phrase could pretty much sum up my life. :)

gladys and ellen are hysterical, aren't they?

be aggressive, be be aggressive

2009-02-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

superbowl sunday is not usually a big deal in my house. I don't love football.

but I do love "football food" so party it was.

cindy and margaret came over to share in the bounty of new recipe attempts.

the view from the couch

the food table, it's small but it can hold A LOT.

the menu of champions:

guacamole - simply avocados with lots of fresh lime and salt
taco dip - recipe from my friend mandy
steak bites - recipe from pioneer woman
olive cheese bread - recipe from pioneer woman
warm chocolate chip cookies sundaes - cookies via classic toll house recipe

and we were stuffed and happy.

(but not with the game outcome, we were all rooting for arizona)

but all was well with the hour long episode of the office after the game.
dwight, you make me laugh...and cringe...and laugh some more. thank you!

lucy in the sky with diamonds

2009-01-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

my lunchtime today was spent sitting with my friend margaret and eating tomato basil soup (with homemade croutons and a sprinkling of cheese) and a freshly made grilled cheese sandwich at beecher's (yes the same place I went with my sister on monday, it's that good) down in the market.

then, we walked out to a concert. it was the 40th anniversary of the beatles' final public appearance at an impromptu rooftop concert in london. we listened to creme tangerine cover the exact set of songs the beatles played during that concert. read more about that here.

creme tangerine was surprisingly good and their placement on the copacabana terrace overlooking pike place market was pretty fantastic. you can read more on this anniversary event and the appearance of ken mansfield here.

this isn't the best photo but the band is on the right side of the terrace, under the "Y" in "sanitary" on the adjoining building

big lunch crowd which is good for market business

it was sunny and not freezing. in seattle, that's a beautiful day!

if only I had a deck chair, a blanket and a hot drink, I'd have been out there enjoying the music and the weather for hours. thank goodness it's friday!

no, and thank you please madam

2009-01-28T21:09:00.000-08:00

I now present to you the photos and video from one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

getting ready to rock.

james morrison:

you give me something

precious love

katie is now crushing a little on james' drummer, matt.

adele:

cold shoulder

chasing pavements

hometown glory. my personal favorite.

this one is for marilyn. we screamed really loud as requested, I promise.

we had a really great time. really, really great.

both james and adele were funny, chatty and just plain delightful.

what fun!

all kinds of weather, we stick together

2009-01-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

it was snowing the day katie got here, bright shiny sun the next, and snow when she left tuesday morning. I am so over winter.

but the weekend with my sister was fantastic! she did get here safely despite her severe lack of sleep. bless her heart.

part one of our shopping excursion began on sunday afternoon. katie had a list of all the stores she wanted to go to so we hit northgate mall so she could get her fix. then we met up with the family to eat homemade chop suey (thanks uncle ed) and visit for a bit before we braved the crazy snow and went to church.

when we got home, I made katie open her birthday present. it's not for two weeks but I won't be there to celebrate on the actual day and I wanted to see her face as she opened it. she was delighted with her own version of our late grandma's candy dish in the shape of a hen.

grandma kitty's was an amber color and while in phoenix, hailey helped me scout out a dish in a cool green color for katie. it will look beautiful with her decor! to add to the nostalgia, I filled the dish with these little pink mints that were ALWAYS in my grandma's dish. it was really fun to reminisce.

playing with katie's new camera

katie and her new candy dish

friday was cold but super sunny and gorgeous. I took the afternoon off and katie and I spent it all shopping around downtown. we went to H&M, sephora, anthropologie, urban outfitters and ate at beecher's for lunch (the BEST mac & cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches) and dinner/happy hour at umi sake house. I wanted katie to try my favorite seattle crunch roll and spicy ginger chicken. that stuff's so good I dream about it!

katie sitting on an old milk jug at beechers. we watched them making cheese too.

sweet birdies in the window at anthropologie. don't you just love the decor in that store?

fun sight in downtown seattle, police on horseback.

stunning sunset downtown and katie with her wares.

enjoying the spiciness of umi.

we ended the night with one of the best concerts I've ever been to. photos to follow soon.

I love my sister!

guess who's coming to dinner

2009-01-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

my sister

she's on her way to seattle as I type this. after a night of being on call, she's had about 1.5 hours of sleep so we've been talking on the phone periodically to keep her awake and she's been drinking venti coffees the whole trip. I was a little worried the snow that began yesterday would affect her travel but thankfully things have slowed down and the pass is pretty much clear.

and guess what we're doing while she's here?

going to her show

it's a sold out show and he is opening for her.

it is thrilling!

I can see clearly now

2009-01-22T22:19:00.000-08:00

today I picked up my new glasses.

the last time I got a new pair was back in 1999. it was about time don't you think?

the frames came all the way from france. charmant, non?

what do you think?

want some of my time?

2009-01-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

while perusing my november issue of real simple, I read something a reader submitted about giving the gift of time to her friends at christmas.

it got me thinking. can't everyone use more time? even if it's not their own?

enter, me.

a few of my friends received this certificate this holiday season. as hard as it will be with some of us living states apart, I've already received requests for time usage.

angie: time spent walking and exploring places she's never been when she comes to visit in may 2009.

chandra: seattle sightseeing trip in summer 2009

what can be better than sharing time with your closest friends?!

mini vacay

2009-01-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

I just spent a long weekend with my dear friend hailey. we met up for girl's weekend in phoenix. her last hurrah before her second baby comes. thanks to derek for watching vivien while we lunched and shopped and ate our way through one of our favorite cities.

our first stop, aunt chilada's. our all time favorite mexican restaurant. it was a little too chilly to sit outside on their fabulous patio but we made do inside with our flour tortilla chips, spicy salsa, and chingalingas. it was so good, we had to go back later in the weekend for another meal. heaven.

isn't the backdrop to the photo classy?

we stayed at a fabulous condo owned by a friend of hailey's. it was in scottsdale, near kierland commons. while it wasn't in an area well known by us, it was close to most of the major freeways. plus the condo was awesome! it had double masters which meant we had our own rooms and bathrooms. a big thank you to patti for her generosity!

we started our first full day out right, getting beautiful. we stopped in for a mani/pedi before starting our marathon shopping.

meet my new friend kosy.

then we hit hailey's favorite store. the proprietor used to have a booth at an antique mall frequented often by us (more on that later). since we've both moved away from phoenix, she moved out of the mall and opened her own store. the shabby look is so up hailey's alley...she was successful in finding some pieces for vivien's room.

not too shabby

inside shot

we spent the afternoon at the movies seeing bride wars (totally enjoyed it!) and four christmases (pretty funny in parts) and ended up at another favorite restaurant, my big fat greek restaurant. we dined on flaming cheese, spicy hummus and the best gyro pitas I've ever tasted. we were talked into dessert and it didn't disappoint. warm greek donuts topped with vanilla bean ice cream and honey.

the tzatziki sauce at this place is to die for. I've never found it as good anywhere else.

saturday was dedicated to the mother ship...

merchant square antique marketplace.

the best antique mall with the best prices and the best wares. don't get me wrong, I don't love all the booths there but I can find at least something I like in 85% of them! my prize purchase was a gift for my sister's birthday. sshhh, I can't tell you.

hailey and her box of treasures

I was needing to take a rest at this point. aren't these things fabulous?

quick trip by tokyo house to share our favorite orange chicken bowl and crab puffs after another movie showing,
this time bedtime stories (WAY cuter than I thought).

sunday morning was spent with my cousin justin eating a delicous breakfast at mimi's cafe and then I met up with my friend saundra and her husband for an afternoon of prosecco, pasta and prattle. this is where hailey and I split ways. she went with her friend karen and then took off for home. saundra and jeff were nice enough to do airport drop-off duty.

saundra and I worked together at NAI horizon while I lived in phoenix.

and just as quickly as it began, it was over. our time was wonderful and I am missing my friend already. thank you, hailey. for a wonderful weekend, for being a good friend, and for sharing my love of food, movies and shopping!

best buds.

love you.

revealed

2009-01-13T23:19:00.001-08:00

remember my christmas project from last year? my goal each year is to come up with an original idea for a fun gift for all the children in my life.

this year's project: dress up cases

I spent months hitting thrift stores all over the city, sorting through my grandma and great grandma's old jewelry, altering, customizing...and simply having a ball!

there is one case still on it's way, embroiled in transportation snafus, but here are the happy recipients so far..

I am so happy to know they loved them!
makes it all worth it.

christmas karoake

2009-01-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

without further adieu, please welcome the christmas karaoke that had us running to the bathroom and/or choking with laughter.

sorry for the bad rotation, I wasn't thinking clearly when filming this one.

the granddaddy of them all, hilarity ensued!

christmas 2008

2009-01-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

after being rescued off the hill (blasted snow had the city pretty much shut down), christmas eve was spent at my aunt's apartment with lisa and tony. we had grandma's traditional clam chowder, ate way too much and talked until bedtime.

christmas day was down in puyallup with the rest of the family where there was way funny christmas karaoke. it was sketchy getting down south because it was snowing so hard in seattle when we left. by the time we got back into town that night, they had plowed the hill and you could drive up queen anne ave for the first time in 10 days. it was a christmas miracle!

kicking it in my holiday appropriate socks, savoring family togetherness

this gift has such a long story attached to it, you'll have to ask ed sometime about it.
(short version: he likes to tease people and gets them to think that lights - in his office, on cruise ship - are operated by a clapper.
it's so much funnier when he tells it.)

brother and sister and dueling texting, a christmas staple

a girl and her new camera (courtesy of her son)

my sister was on call christmas day so my parents spent time with her in hermiston before heading over to seattle for an extended christmas weekend.

we had a second family dinner, in seattle this time, complete with mexican feast and games.

for their gift, I took my parents to a play at the taproot theatre and then dinner at the melting pot. I can honestly say it surprised the heck out of me when I loved the play so much I pretty much cried through the last 20 minutes. sheesh. I was a mess...but it was totally worth it! and none of us had been to the melting pot before so that was all a surprise. my favorite part was the cheese (wisconsin trio, my friend, I dream about the wisconson trio) with the chocolate a close second. I think mom and dad and aunt b enjoyed themselves so it was a success in my book.

our opposition in a rousing game of mad gab
(notice the chilled posture of ashley, she doesn't know what she's up against)

(she's realizing she's got to get with the program in order to win)

(they had to call in reinforcements)
but I'm not sure it really helped since I can't even remember who won!

I pray that everyone's christmas was as wonderful as mine.

god bless us everyone.

merry christmas from seattle

2008-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

from my heart...

...to yours.

christmas hint

2008-12-22T19:58:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a christmas project for months. here is a sly shot of the finished product.

won't you be excited to see all the details once they have all been delivered?

I can't wait to show you!

the first recipients were THRILLED with theirs.

that warms an aunt's heart for sure!

how well do you know mark?

2008-12-21T22:02:00.000-08:00

just for fun, wanna play a game?

here are the trivia questions we asked at my dad's party...

1. what is mark’s sister’s name?

2. what city did mark and sara live in when he first became a trooper?

3. what was mark’s first job?
a) meat packing plant
b) roofing company
c) janitorial
d) parts handler

4. how many years was mark in the army reserves?

5. what is marks’ favorite movie?

6. what was mark’s license and badge number with WSP?

7. where is mark’s favorite vacation spot?

8. how many times has mark jumped out of a plane?
a) 10 b) 30 c) 20 d) 40+

9. where did mark grow up?

10. what kind of car did mark drive when he met sara?

have fun!

here's what's happening in my neck of the woods

2008-12-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

it's crazy here. I'm not sure this much snow has fallen near downtown seattle ever.

I'll have to check the weather records to be sure but we've gotten about 4-5 inches so far and it's still snowing.

what is up?

here is the crowd standing at the top of queen anne ave watching the sledders and skiers make their way down. it's pretty fun to watch!

doesn't my building look pretty in the snow?

I don't think I will be moving my car for awhile.

is it snowing where you are?

birthday entertainment

2008-12-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

my mom, my sister and my mom's friends

my cousin...isn't her voice amazing?

chip and glen

my sister and her friend (now roommate) andrea

glen singing a pretty good johnny cash

enjoy!

tagged

2008-12-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

dear marilyn has tagged me. what fun!

I was to post the fourth picture in the fourth file of my digital photo storage.

this was fourth of july 2003. every year, my parent's host a big holiday barbeque in their beautiful backyard and then we all walk down to the river to set up camp for the river fireworks show. here we are getting set up for the big show. this particular year, we had a large group with us which included our cousins who had just had twins which meant LOTS of baby time. glory be!

what a fun tag! it's wonderful to look back and remember such happiness.

I'm going to tag katie, traci and hailey.

my new favorite christmas song

2008-12-19T23:33:00.000-08:00

my friend cindy called a month or so ago and told me to turn on pbs to watch faith hill's special christmas concert.

we were all getting along famously until she did this song.

then I started to cry.

isn't it the best song?

I do solemnly swear it is my most favorite christmas song this year.

what do you think?

happy birthday dad

2008-12-19T22:42:00.000-08:00

my dad just turned 60.

that's a pretty big milestone I think.

one that deserves a party, right? that's what we thought too.

the invitation

his menu choice: round table pizza and breadsticks
(with salad and fruit thrown in for healthy measure)

chip and glen battle it out in wii boxing

we had a short trivia game on all the tables to see how well people knew my dad.
some of the answers people came up with were priceless!

my mom and her girlfriends (for moral support) serenading my dad with "my guy"

he couldn't believe we really put 60 candles on.

happy birthday dad.

I love you all around the world and back.

remember this?

2008-12-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

after our vacation to cannon beach this summer, I posted about a painting I had found in a gallery while there. alas, the artist's original piece exceeded my budget.

to my surprise, I received my very own reproduction as a birthday gift this year!

my mom's friend susan is a very talented artist and my mom asked her to recreate my beloved scene.

she did such a great job, I've forgotten what the original even looks like. susan's version is softer and even more beautiful.

thank you susan. I will treasure it.

a rocking holiday

2008-12-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

our thanksgiving consisted of a small, family dinner at my parent's house, birthday dessert (ie: pie, and lots of it) for my cousin's birthday and much needed quality time with friends and family.

my dad and I worked on projects (some secret for christmas, some not), watched the family christmas classic ("christmas vacation") to get us in the mood and shopped only a little on black friday. (there was no way I was getting up early for that mob scene)

and in other holiday news, these kids rocked it with their dancing.

hunter gave us a private show at eddie's birthday dessert. my parents hadn't seen him dance in person yet so they were thrilled...and h was more than happy to show them them what he can do. it was a family highlight!

abby and alex (mostly alex) show off the moves their dad taught them.
(I think I need to talk to him...the "booty dance" might not be appropriate for a 3 year old!)
:)

this is fun

2008-12-04T23:13:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

veterans day

2008-11-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

since I haven't had this day off for many years, unfortunately veterans day is an easy holiday to skip and not really think of the reason we celebrate it.

my friend jaimi and danyelle both had good posts today and I'm reminded of the sacrifices made by our military personnel.

this post still sums up how our troops, past and current and future, should be treated at all times.

to the men and women of our military, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

my sweet grandparents in 1946.
my late grandpa was a POW by the japanese in the phillipines during WWII.

the peasant princess

2008-10-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

right now, my church is doing the BEST sermon series on the song of solomon (song of songs).

an excerpt from the sermon guide:
"the song of songs is a series of poetic love songs that not only describe the relationship between a husband and wife, but also serve as an illustration of the eternal heart of God, for those who are married to Christ, our beloved. and as the book title suggests, the song of songs is perhaps the greatest lyric ever composed—a warm dialogue between two lovers, a conversation of the heart that crescendos into a beautiful duet. this poetic exchange reflects the very heart of our trinitarian god from whom love, intimacy, and musical expression fl ow."

full sermon guide here

sermon downloads here

even as a single woman, there is much to learn about intimacy and marriage and I'm so thankful for this series. if you have an hour or so, grab your husband, boyfriend or friends and hunker down for an amazing sermon. seriously, it's beyond amazing. mark speaks from the bible, from the heart, and loves jesus.

the norwegians were here

2008-10-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

fourth and final installment: weekend two
north bend, twin peaks, family time

sunday was as bright and sunshiny as saturday, thank goodness. breakfast was at noah's bagels which is quickly becoming a tradition in our family. seems that mom and dad (or katie for that matter) can't come to visit without going at least once. it's that good. thankfully, the norwegians were equally impressed. I'm not sure what we would have done had they dissed noah.

it was just the fuel we needed to start our journey. we were headed for downtown north bend, home of twin peaks the television show. it was very popular in norway and the last time kristin and rune were here visiting in 1991, they double exposed all their photos of the twin peaks landmarks. thank goodness for digital this time around!

we also took in the grandeur of snoqualmie falls which is really beautiful. it is located very near the salish lodge which is where we did lisa's birthday brunch last year. there is a nice park with paths and hiking trails along the lookout point. great place to visit if you are ever in the area.

upon our return to seattle, we did a little shopping and headed back to my apartment. I took johanne and sofie to get their first pedicures which, of course, they loved! then it was just hanging out, organizing pictures and spending time together.

I said most of my goodbyes sunday night because I had to go to work and they flew out monday afternoon. dad was nice enough to drive them down by my office so they could stop on the way to the airport so I could kiss on everyone and tell them a proper, rushed, goodbye. at least doing it on the street made it easier not to cry. ugh. goodbyes are sad.

the saving grace was my promise to kristin to somehow figure out a way to meet them in paris sometime next summer. her dad has an apartment there and they want to meet me there for vacation. doesn't that sound divine? oui!

the breakfast of champions.

the falls.

twede's cafe, home of the famous twin peaks cherry pie.

goofing around with einar.

the massage chairs were a hit. as was the pink nail polish.

just hanging out.

goodbye my dear family. I relinquish you back to your country as long as you promise, promise, promise we don't go another nine years between visits.

love you.

I know you like to party

2008-10-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

one example of how my family parties when we all get together.

the shameless exploitation of children.

hunter's dancing didn't quite translate to the limbo and although his dad's suggestion of "touching his chin" was a tad patronizing, it made for good video. :)

einar couldn't care less if his skills were below par. he was just in it for the fun.

hailey on the other hand, came up to her mom after this and said that she thinks the limbo is "her thing." she might be right.

the norwegians were here

2008-10-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

third installment: weekend two
buca di beppo and a volcano

now it was time to head to our celebration family dinner at buca. besides celebrating the norwegians, we also had three birthdays among us. lisa, ashley and einar. we sat at the pope table which was pretty great. it wasn't totally private but we were off the beaten track a bit which was nice.

besides the fact we love this place, our experience this time didn't start out great. the group before us were VERY delayed in their exit which put us quite late in getting seated. about 6o minutes late. to be honest, I was disappointed in how the restuarant handled the situation at first but they made it up to us and I'm back to being a buca lover. who knew some cheesy garlic bread and a massive dessert platter is all it would take.

we were totally stuffed but we're a family that knows how to celebrate with food.

now it was volcano time.

this is a tradition my aunt started with the grandkids long ago. there is ice cream and many toppings. instead of making single personal sundaes, everything gets piled into one communal bowl and we all grab spoons and dig in. I think the kids are more about the gross factor and not so much into the actual eating of it. it actually wasn't too bad.

hey, don't knock it until you've tried it.

the group at buca. eddie was there, he's just hiding off to the right.

one of the birthday girls we were celebrating.

these two little boys had a blast playing under the table after dinner.

our dessert platter, compliments of the buca owner.
the cheesecake was my favorite.

this stuff is pretty good.

the pope. on the pope's table. funny and creepy at the same time.

einar and his birthday balloon.
they don't have balloons for birthdays in norway. it was a special treat!

these boys became fast friends.
who says you need to speak the same language to fall in love?!

the infamous volcano.

this was a long, fulfilling day. what could we possibly do tomorrow to top it? stay tuned.

to be continued...

the norwegians were here

2008-10-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

second installment: weekend two
pike place market and seattle center

saturday dawned bright and sunshiny and wonderful. we started the morning with a walk to kerry and marshall parks and then slowly made our way down queen anne hill walking residential streets and picking out our favorite houses.

we hopped on the bus and rode to downtown. we started at the north end of the market so kristin and rune could get their morning coffee at the original starbucks store. like all the other tourists, we stalked the store so we could get photos of them as they came out with their drinks. they loved it!

we strolled through the market, admiring the fall dahlia's and shopping for treasures. johanne got some jewelry and kristin and rune got some artwork to remind of them seattle. we watched the fish being thrown, rode the pig and ate the best corndogs EVER. and followed those up with a couple dozen of the mini donuts. who goes to the market without getting those mini donuts?

my advice of the day, always, always, always get the cinnamon sugar mini donuts when visiting the market. you can watch them being made and the guy working there always does these tricks and throws the donuts way high up the air and still makes it in the bag. they are a market must. you can thank me for the tip later. :)

after taking the monorail back to the seattle center, we spent the new few hours having the time of our lives at the amusement center. I have never before gone on any rides or spent any time in this part of the the center but it sure was fun. the lines were pretty much nonexistent and einar had the time of his life! totally worth it. but doesn't look like anyone was suffering does it? I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

us girls at marshall park overlooking magnolia and elliott bay.

very happy people.

I never tire of the market. ever.

a boy and his pig.

my norwegian family.

johanne and einar posing for me.

einar is just getting warmed up on the kiddle bumper cars.

for this! now he's prepared to kick it with the big kids.

these guys were hilarious to watch. so much fun!

kristin isn't a fan of "rickety" rides so I was her stand in with rune on this.

look at einar's face. priceless.

einar is really in that dragon near the window even though you can't see him very well. I just thought it was a cool photo.

last time kristin was here, she went down and tried to touch the dome in between songs without getting wet. she was not successful. she opted not to try again this trip. :)

but the afternoon is still young.

to be continued...

sunny sunday

2008-10-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

well, today has been a day of double tragedies.

tragedy #1
I just heard about this news. what is a girl to do without those tasty iced animal cookies with sprinkles? why is this the first I've heard of it? don't they cover things like this in the height of a political season? whatever. this is SO much more important. well, because the news got to me late, when I rushed out to the store today (okay, I went to five), they were already all sold out. what? guess I need to hit another neighborhood. but I called my mom and I'm hoping that people in pasco aren't up on the news either. pray that she finds some when she goes out on the rescue mission.

tragedy #2
I wore a new sweater to church tonight. halfway through the sermon, it dawned on me that I hadn't cut the tags off yet. it's not like I can start twisting and pulling in the middle of church, so I sat there and was horrified. I don't think anyone noticed. at least that's what I'm telling myself.

a must read

2008-10-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

this is an article worth reading, whatever your political views.

side note: the author is a democrat.

why can't people see past their own inequities and speak the truth? act the truth? live the truth?

ugh, I really dislike political years. so much slinging and not much talking. all the advertising is really tiring. planks and specks, people, planks and specks.

that's all I'm going to say.

thanks for the heads up about the article whitney.

the norwegians were here

2008-10-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

my posts on the engedal's visit will center mostly around the two long weekends I spent with them. they were in the u.s. for almost two weeks but much of their time was spent in pasco. I spent the first weekend of their visit in tri-cities and the second weekend took place in seattle before their flight home. (sob)

so, without further adieu...

first installment: weekend one

I took friday off which was great and gave me two full days to spend with everyone. it had been nine years since we'd seen each other but it was like no time had passed. well, at least with kristin and rune. the kids on the other hand, it was like the twilight zone. when did my sister get old enough to have such grown-up children? sofie was 3 and johanne 1 when I last saw them. einar wasn't yet a glimmer.

here are the stats:
kristin and rune
ages *ahem* contingent on high school graduation around 1988 (ish) :)

sofie
(pronounced *so-FEE-a*)
age 13. she is smart and techie and my favorite instant message buddy.

johanne
(pronounced *yo-HA-na*)
age 10. she loves high school musical and hannah montana and makes the best funny faces.

einar
(pronounced *A-nar*)
age 7 (just turned!). he LOVES, seriously LOVES, legos and star wars...and bumper cars.

that first friday was the day we introduced the kids to toys r us. it was like einar had died and gone to heaven. we spent like two hours going down all the aisles and trying out the hula hoops and guitar hero and buying lots of lego sets. it was really fun to watch their faces light up!

nothing better to follow up a little shopping spree than with a burger from red robin. the milkshakes and guacamole burgers were the biggest hit.

kristin and I spent the afternoon touring our old high school. it had been 20 years since kristin graduated and I hadn't been back in over 13. there have been so many changes since then...and more to come. it was really fun walking down memory lane and getting the juicy tidbits from our second mom (or my mom's "very best friend in the whole wide world") laurine while she walked us through. one thing never changes, it still smells like school. not in a bad way, just in a olfactory, good memory kind of way. I could walk in that school blindfolded and still know where I was. how does that happen? weird.

it's kind of the end of an era in pasco though. I realize that the school is overcrowded and they need more space, I do not dispute this fact. but I am sad that a second high school will divide my hometown. not all of pasco will be united by the shout of "go bulldogs" any longer. I am a little sad about it.

give me time, I'll come around.

saturday was the day of the open house. we had invited some friends over so kristin would have a chance to introduce the kids and visit with people. some she hadn't seen in almost 20 years! it was a really lovely time.

afterwords, the kids introduced me to a norwegian tradition called saturday candy. kristin said that when she was growing up, kids weren't allowed candy or sweets except on saturdays. it is less strict now but still something a lot of people follow. we had taken the kids to the bulk food section at the grocery store so they could pick out whatever they wanted. we saved it for after dinner but it was sure fun to share in this sweet tradition!

let me tell you a little something about my soul sister, sofie. she loves mexican food almost as much as I do. maybe even more, actually. to be specific, enchiladas are our favorite thing on the menu. oh, we try other things but we always come back to our safety net of cheesy goodness, the mightly enchilada. I love that girl!

kristin had remembered eating at casa chapala (el chapala) now so that's where we spent a chunk of our time on saturday night. jamie and nathan (family friends and my parent's neighbors) joined us for our mexican food outing. although it might not have been exactly as kristin remembered, the service was great and the food pretty darn good. dad and sofie spent most of their time playing hangman. that was pretty fun to watch. ever saw a norwegian speaking granddaughter play a word game with her english speaking grandpa? not all the words translated perfectly but it was really endearing. those two developed quite a bond.

alas, sunday came too soon and I was headed home again. but not without the promise of seeing everyone again in a mere five days. thank goodness because this weekend was not near enough time.

red robin family shot

burger bonanza

ah, the thrill of school lockers.

mom and kristin by the hall of fame.
why is the cool norwegian girl not up there? :)

our official entrance onto the school grounds. I think kristin saved hers.

wish we could have made it to a home game.
the bulldogs were playing out of town that friday.

this is the new phs "mall" or cafeteria to us old people. how fancy?!
I took this shot for johanne...doesn't it look like it could be a scene from high school musical?

johanne dishing out her saturday candy. treasures await in tiny plastic bags.

einar's saturday candy included a kitkat with batman on it (another love of his) and a star wars something or rather. he was in candy heaven!

our mexican family photo. this is what brings a family together.

the pefect hangman for a perfect evening.

mexican food creates a very sleepy boy.

to be continued...

velkommen to usa

2008-10-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

my "sister" kristin is visiting with her husband and children from norway. they are still here so things have been busy and fun and crazy.

stay tuned for many posts about our adventures.

and you thought you had talent

2008-10-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

this is how everyone should be entertained whilst dining on a dollar cheeseburger (minus pickles and onions, please) with loved ones at mcdonalds.

seriously, this kid slays me.

as soon as he was done, he requested a playback and then proceeded to study his moves with the utmost of seriousness.

I cannot wait for the next performance. it will be better than the last I'm sure of it.

lampshade love

2008-10-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

my eiffel tower lamps with feathered shades were long loved but I was beginning to think I had outgrown the overdone parisian boudoir look I had going on in my bedroom. thank goodness a nice lady named shannon wanted them for her daughter's room and bought them from me.

the next problem was the immediate lack of shade for my newtome replacement lamp I bought at a yard sale this summer. man, that lightbulb is super bright with no buffer.

double thank goodness for a shopping trip downtown with my sister. anthropologie was having a sale.

these darling birds just had to come home with me.

isn't a perfect match?

signs that fall might have arrived in a city near you...

2008-09-24T20:15:00.001-07:00

one:
flowers in hues of orange, yellow and red for sale at your neighborhood market...

two:
the ivy that trails your building starts turning a beautiful shade of copper...

three:
halloween candy adorns the shelves at the drugstore, and on sale to boot...

four:
the see-your-breath cool mornings invite you to pull out your new fall coat...

"delicious autumn! my very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
- george eliot

my view

2008-09-20T16:29:00.001-07:00

...from my window.

the rain is back.

...from my lap.

yes, that is cookie dough. snickerdoodle cookie dough to be exact.

you know you wish you were me today.

:)

wannabe art collector

2008-09-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

I found it while strolling through the many art galleries in cannon beach.

this was my favorite by far but so many of them were as lovely. maybe it is the birds, or maybe the leaves or simply the expression on her face. and the title, "rites of passage." lo-ve.

how I wished I could have afforded to take her home with me!

read more about the artist here.

and see more of her work here.

super oreos

2008-09-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

otherwise known as "better than the real oreos" as some people have called them.

really. they are that good. but don't take my word for it. make them for yourself and tell me what you think.

here's what you'll need:

ingredient photo ala pioneer woman

super oreos
1 cup oil
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
combine oil, brown sugar and eggs. beat well. add remaining ingredients. let stand in refrigerator for 30 minutes. dough should be stiff enough to scrape off spoon. I put the dough back in between cookie sheets so it keeps the right consistency. smallish cookies (half dollar size) bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. larger cookies bake for 10-12 minutes.

super icing
1 envelope knox unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup water
1 cup shortening (or 1 cup butter)
1 lb plus 1 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dissolve gelatin in water. cream shortening with powdered sugar and salt until creamy. add gelatin until fluffy. add vanilla.

sandwich 'em up and enjoy.

these have been a staple in my family for years and years and years. they are my favorite cookies. of all time.

guess who came to visit

2008-09-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

my dear friend hailey lives in palm springs with her husband and daughter. that is much too far away I think. she and vivien were in washington for the better part of august,visiting grandparents and other family, and we hosted a gathering in their honor.

vivien

on the menu:
waikiki meatballs and rice
cabbage salad
vegetable crudite with uncle dan's ranch dip (hailey's favorite)
strawberry shortcake
mocha java punch

my mom, vivien and me

who knew the water jug and ladle would be such a distraction.
(note the lack of clothing. strawberries are kind of a mess. sorry hai!)

we could have played for hours I think.

hailey's mom and my mom

our visits are always too short. thanks for coming friend.
love you.

so happy

2008-09-06T15:33:00.001-07:00

look what I bought today...

whitney and her sisters have opened an etsy shop. there is amazingly cool stuff there and I know they will be posting more soon. you've got to check it out!

the robot dance

2008-09-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

hunter was fascinated by the popper guy on SYTYCD. here is his (much practiced) rendition of the similar robot dance.

(can anyone tell me how to change the direction of these videos? am I missing an obvious button somewhere?)

go army

2008-09-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

my baby cousin tony has enlisted in the army.

this is a good thing. as I've said before, we are a military family and this is cause for celebration.

yes, we haven't forgotten there is a war going on. and he understands the risks involved with his choice.

tony is following in the line of some great men in our family; my dad, his dad, our grandpa, two of his uncles, just to name a few.

war controversy aside, the military is an honorable professional. one where self respect is gained and skills are honed.

his going away party was just a few days before he left for basic training (aka bootcamp). he is at fort benning in georgia and all he can say so far is that it rains...hard...everyday!

tony (r) visiting with some friends.

his dessert of choice.
it followed a filipino feast of lumpia, chop suey and SO much more.

hunter and hailey hamming it up for the camera.

nothing says "bon voyage" quite like a competitive game of guitar hero.

tony, we are so proud of you. good luck.

good news

2008-09-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

april 2009 is going to be a busy month for me.
I will be come an "auntie" again, twice over.

angie told me she is expecting on a friday.

hailey told me the very next day, on a saturday.

oh. my. goodness. they are due within weeks of each other!

I love that two of my dearest friends are expecting at the same time.

and I found that dandee is expecting too. what is in the water around here?

this "aunt jenny" is getting prepared, learning new songs to sing and doting on the big sisters that are super excited as well. my greatest honor is being the "aunt" to these children. thank you jesus.

nie nie day auctions

2008-08-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

in response the the events surrounding my post and this post, there has been a blogdom-wide outpouring of support for stephanie and christian nielson.

thursday was unofficially deemed "nie nie" day of which people are making, donating, posting silent auctions all over the world with all proceeds to benefit stephanie and christian's recovery.

see design mom's blog (you might have to scroll down a bit to see the list) for a complete list of auctions happening now. most will close sunday evening so there is still plenty of time to get in on the action.

some of my favorites:
bracelet by whitney
artwork by emily
music by marilyn
awesomeness by jolly porter
custom sweater by dandee

but there are so many more left to explore. if only I had a bottomless pocketbook.

cjane is posting updates almost daily. her posts are brave, upbeat, and breathtakingly honest. this family will continue to be in my prayers.

a beach vacation, revisited

2008-08-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

at long last, here are some photo memories of our beach vacation.

we've already booked the houses (there will be two!) for next year. would you like to join us?! :)

beach

pretty much my view for most of the week.

our early morning, low tide stroll turned into an "oregon trail" fording the river real life story .
katie says thank you, dad.

the smelt were running (or whatever they say) and there were so many birds.

jeanne, dad and dick on a beautiful, misty beach morning.

beach food

bruce's candy kitchen.

I spoke of our beach love of ice cream here.
we didn't disappoint. I think we had some every day. it is a very important part of our beach vacation.

the motherload.

beach fun

we can't get to the beach fast enough on our first day. a fire is a must.
dad, brad, me and mom

a man and his kite.
we've had that thing for something like ten years and its still plugging along.

the game of life.
did I win? I think so but I can't remember. I was the banker though, I love that job.
we also played endless games of solitaire and some chinese checkers.

beach sunsets

pure heaven

a big THANK YOU to my parents for making this trip possible.
I am so grateful.

book report

2008-08-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

her skirt, her shoes, that basket...I am captivated.
photo of author on inside, back jacket of book

"The door to the palazzo across the way opens, shuts. It's he of the thick, lank hair falling over tightly closed eyes. Carrying his violin.

He looks up at me. 'Buona sera, signora. Arrivo. Good evening, my lady. I'm coming.'

It was him, him of the crusty black beard, with whom I'd spoken. It's he who is the conservatory director. And when I'd told him my address, perhaps before I'd told him my address, he'd decided to choose himself as our violinist.

Fernando opens the door to him.

'Giacomo Serafini, molto lieto.' He introduces himself all around. Wants nothing at all to drink. No, grazie. Steps over to the terrace doors, unpacks his violin, begins to play.

'Did you know that this floor of the palozzo was once a ballroom, signora?' he asks as he tightens his strings, strokes and plucks at them.

'Yes. Yes, I did know that.'

'La signora grabirebbe un valzer? Would the lady be pleased by a waltz?'

Let life shape itself.

Fernando is leaning against the far wall, smoking. He flicks the cigarette into the flames of Neddo's leaping fire, beckons me with his eyes, a quarter nod of his head-an Italian boy summoning his girl-and I go to him. Let myself be held. Hold him tighter than he holds me and take in the Italian boy smell of him all mixed up with the coffee and red wine and wood smoke."

- "the lady in the palazzo"

while at the beach, I read three of marlena de blasi's books and loved them all.

the books tell the story of her late-in-life love with her venetian, fernando, and their adventures in all of italy.

she is a chef and a writer, producing the most divine prose. all at once making me fall in love with romance and hungry for zucchini blossoms. sometimes in the same sentence.

in each book, she incorporates conversational italian as it's spoken, followed by the translation. there is the capacity to pick up a phrase or two while reading, something I truly loved.

I checked my books out at the library and I urge you to do the same. now that I know I love them so, I might have to put them on my christmas list because I am sure I will be reading them again and again.

author:
marlena de blasi
books:
a thousand days in venice
a thousand days in tuscany, a bittersweet adventure
the lady in the palazzo, at home in umbria
that summer in sicily, a love story

pia'cere.
enjoy.

images pulled from barnesandnoble.com

please pray

2008-08-18T21:30:00.001-07:00

I heard of this today.

nie nie is only my blogging friend. we have never met in person, never spoke on the phone.

and yet, I feel as if we are friends albeit over email and blog posts.

her family needs our prayers.

pray for healing, pray for swift recoveries, pray for children scared, pray for calm spirits and pray for the family of the flight instructor who lost his life.

cjane will be posting updates here.

beach jewelry

2008-08-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

one of our traditions when we got to the beach is to buy a new piece of jewelry each visit. sometimes it's a ring, sometimes it's a watch, just depends on what moves us while shopping.

this was a particularly hard decision for me because I found several pieces that I just fell in love with. I will not dwell on those that did not come home with me but will delight in showing you the piece that completely captured my heart.

isn't it divine?

the funny thing is, I wore it to work yesterday and no one even commented on it. not one person. is that weird to anyone else? it's a pretty big statement, which is why I was enamored with it, which is why I expected something. could it be they didn't like it? it might not be everyone's style but it most surely is mine!

hmmmm, what do you think of it?

(more vacation pictures to come...still compiling and sorting them all.)

gone fishing

2008-08-04T22:56:00.001-07:00

so far, I'm...

gazing at this view...

eating chowder here...

and sticking my feet here.

tell you all about it when I get back!

ouch

2008-07-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

my poor car.

I came out one night to hop in and saw this. at first glance, all I saw was a little scraping which can happen in the city with close parallel parkers but when viewed a little closer, there was considerable damage. my first instinct was to look toward the front of the car and lo and behold, there was a note. can you believe it? thank you Lord.

turns out, a man in a neighboring building accidentally hit the gas when meaning to hit the brakes. he has taken responsibility for all repairs and dropped cash by earlier this week to pay for my rental car. the car is in the shop right now and should be done tomorrow, thank goodness.

just in time for vacation!

overkill?

2008-07-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

preparations have begun for my upcoming vacation. my parents have rented a beach house in cannon beach and have invited my sister and I to partake. aren't they kind?

katie and I are working out menus and shopping lists as our contribution. the meals will be scrumptious.

I do not think the house has internet access so I might not be able to post once we're there but I'm going to take my computer just in case. if nothing else, I'm sure I'll have to download all the photos I'm going to take of the beach, and haystack rock, and us eating ice cream, and the beach, and me reading on the beach, and us walking on the beach...get the gist of my kind of vacation?!

do you think this is too many books to take with me?

I didn't think so either.

:)

spokane seems so far away

2008-07-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

I hadn't seen her in over a year. how is it that I move back to washington, yet spokane is too far away for me to visit? but I guess she hadn't made it this way either so we were even.

my cousin erin came to visit last weekend. we jetted all around the city, went to the bite of seattle, had us some sushi, listened to some live music and hankered after some twinkies.

okay, the twinkie part was just me. erin is in the process of going vegan and from what she told me, pre-packaged snack cakes are not on the "okay" list. I'm not sure I can get on board with a food regime that limits processed food. hmmm. I'm proud of her decision to be healthy but not sure I'm there quite yet. to be honest, I had been thinking about making drastic changes to my diet but I don't think veganism is for me. I have nothing against it but I'm not sure I'm ready to make a commitment like that.

she took me shopping friday night and bought all the stuff to make me vegetarian burritos, her new staple. she swears how good they are. funny thing is, we didn't even have time to make them! guess I'll have to follow her recipe and hope for the best. I did try a tofu scramble and actually kind of liked it. scrambles, not just for breakfast anymore!

saturday was the annual sidewalk sale with all the businesses up on queen anne so we spent time making our way through all the sales and making some fun little purchases. then we headed down to meet lisa and tony at the bite of seattle.

now, a festival surrounding food is probably not the best place to take your cousin who has just become a vegan. I didn't think that one out, did I? no matter, the music was good and we enjoyed walking around and watching people.

after the bite, we headed to u-village for some shopping and sushi. yum. after that, we listened to some live music on queen anne at the local pub and then came back to watch a movie. we were up really late but it was worth the sleep deprivation.

we hit the fremont market on sunday where we both bought some fun things and then headed downtown for pike place market. so much to do, so little time.

it was a jam packed weekend and I'm still recovering from the lack of sleep but I'm not complaining. it was great to see erin and I'm so thankful she made the effort to visit.

erin is a super talented music genius and while she was here, she introduced me to a new artist. if you haven't heard adele's album 19, rush right out and do it. seriously, right now. go. I LOVE it.

in other music news, erin will be recording a cd later this year. she is a talented singer/songwriter and we've been encouraging her to take the next step. be prepared to be amazed. you'll hear it here first, for sure. I'm not kidding, she can channel etta james on her worst of days. I am so excited for her! I've offered to design her cd jacket and I might ask for help with designs. won't that be fun?!

the international fountain at seattle center during the bite of seattle.

erin, lisa and tony enjoying a bit of shade and a break at the bite.

sushi is vegan friendly.

would you believe it took us about ten tries to get this photo?
practice makes perfect.

erin's legs and the infamous gum wall. kind of gross and a whole lot cool!
it's right outside the entrance to the market theatre where they have the best improv comedy shows on friday and saturday nights.

a baptism of life-change

2008-07-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

last night, my church had a group baptism and barbecue at golden gardens park in ballard. there were hot grills, firepits and smores, and lots of people. over 50 people made the walk into the cold water and started their new life in christ. it was really cool.

I have to admit that margaret, danielle and I totally know how to pack an upscale picnic/barbecue basket. I'm not bragging or anything but we had salmon for dinner. SALMON! and a fresh greek salad with crusty bread. want to know what my contribution was? the bread. I need to remember to bring both of them along anytime I want to "camp" (really? when would I ever want to camp?) because they were both so prepared. margaret brought a spatula and foil for the salmon and danielle brought real dishes and silverware for our dining pleasure. I brought bread. and some caramel corn to share. and diet pepsi of course. but the bread was the real standout.

whatever. do not expect me to save you in any sort of survivor situation. (otherwise known as camping in my world)

us girls have challenged ourselves with being more involved at church and this was our first attempt at socializing. it was successful so I have hope that we'll continue!

the person I long to be

2008-07-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

my friend cindy shared this with me yesterday...

the person I long to be

the day light breaks again
another day has begun

but still no sleep has come
my body is weary

my mind overworked
I lie awake thinking

but what I am unsure
I need to break free from the cycle I endure

everyday is the same and the nights are undistinguished
I feel as though I am being pushed along with the tide

unable to break free from the everyday flow
this is not me I need to change, before time takes over

and I am unable to change
I need to be freed from the grasp of ordinary

and become that person I have always longed for
express myself in every way, and conquer the dreams as I lie awake

then I may fall asleep and put my mind to rest
make changes in my life and help those in need

I would like to touch everyone's life in a positive way
and leave my mark on society before I fade away

- victoria a. mogyorosi

in the company of friends

2008-07-15T22:56:00.000-07:00

wallow: \ˈwä-(ˌ)lō\
function: intransitive verb
4 b: to indulge oneself immoderately <wallowing in self-pity>

this about sums up my friday night, my saturday night, and a little bit tonight. it all started with my friends margaret and erica. they were both having problems of the male persuasion and wanted to not think about it (read: talk about it). erica picked up the chicken pad thai, margaret picked up the ice cream and wine, and I had the copy of "say anything" for our pity showing.

margaret is the first one to tell us her funny dating woes while erica is the opposite. it's very hard for her to share so it was nice to provide a safe place for her. what girl doesn't just need to talk and not feel judged? I tend to be more like erica so I could relate. but we really had a great time together.

even with nothing really to add except for my lack of dating stories, I didn't think the wallowing would include me but imagine my surprise when all sorts of things from long ago came bubbling to the surface. those things have lingered, swirling around in my head like my own little fog machine for the past few days. I've been discussing things with the Lord but it's still hard to let go of things you've been holding on to for a very long time.

and, in true wallow fashion, I tend to dig myself deeper into it and spend time on things that make me feel worse. here is my vow,

I AM GOING TO STOP RIGHT NOW.

it is not worth it. it will not change anything. I will not feel better, and I usually end up feeling worse. I'm done. you are my witness.

oh boy. realization never felt so good. or bad.

thank you Jesus for my friends.

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You, too? Thought I was the only one.'" CS Lewis

berries, berries, berries

2008-07-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

look what I did last night.

don't those berries look fantastic? and I can tell you the muffins taste sublime as well.

I ended up coming home from the holiday weekend with pounds of blueberries and cherries. I ate all the cherries and bought some raspberries from the market this week. my dilemma was what to do with all the berries before they went bad. I had already decided not to eat them all in a few days times. not good on the body I've found!

so, I did some research online and found this muffin recipe. and then I went and forgot to get the lemons at the store tonight so I pinch hit and used lemon extract instead. not knowing how it would taste with the zest, I can't say if mine is the same but it tastes good for sure. I did half the batter with raspberries and half with blueberries. I'm in love with them both. the recipe said it made 12 muffins but mine made 18 and I still had some batter left to made eight mini muffins. those are long gone already but the regular muffins are prepped for breakfast tomorrow and stored for longevity so I can eat them for as long as I can!

the remainder of the berries were flash frozen on a cookie sheet and stored in tupperware in the freezer for ease. now I can pull them out to make a smoothie (I just got a new-to-me blender!) or these scones or this tart.

yea for summer and fresh fruit. thank you to marilyn for the blueberries. thank you to hayton farms for the raspberries.

what are you making with your berries this summer?

happy birthday tony

2008-07-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

my "little" cousin tony turns 19 today.

I remember when he was born and I helped change his diapers. stories were told tonight at family dinner that he was assuredly embarrassed to hear. but he graciously listened and laughed.

tone loc is:

strong
smart
going back to school
respectful
easy-going
healthy
quiet
a music lover
loved
and always will be my little "tony baloney"

his birthday menu of choice was caesar salad, bread, spaghetti with hot italian sausage and apple pie with ice cream for dessert. aunt b bought these weird, huge noodles from trader joe's that I'd never seen before. they were good.

happy birthday tony. I love you.

there might be something wrong with me

2008-07-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

I can't really explain it but I think there is something going on. I'm just not myself.

not sure you can tell from the photo but I showed up at work with two different earrings on today. granted, they were somewhat similar, but totally different. both made by whitney but completely different beads. I'm still trying to figure out how it happened.

and one of the worst things is that I didn't even notice until my third trip to the bathroom. sheesh.

here's an email I sent to cindy today:

some highlights from today (so far):

I wore two different earrings
b showed up wearing the same dress she wore yesterday (didn't ask why)
our big boss is here from san fran (the new one)
found out I won't report to s anymore, I have a new boss I haven't met
and we have a networking event at the office tonight that I forgot about

as it turns out, she gently reminded me that I had told her about the networking event last night. guess I really did know. oh boy.

just wanted to warn everyone.

watch out.

things could get worse!

:)

land of the free and the home of the brave

2008-07-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

what a perfectly lovely weekend. the weather was almost perfect every day and that's good enough for me. I spent most of my time on my parent's back patio visiting with friends and family and it was simply heaven.

friday was the big day for our family. the fourth of july is one of my sister's favorite holidays so she took the whole weekend off in order to celebrate in proper fashion. we begun the day with the parade in pasco. we thought it was longer than usual and lots of good candy. someone even threw otter pops out, how fantastic is that idea?! we always sit in the same place, with the same people. I hadn't seen them in years so it was fun to catch up in between cheering for the local dance team. how fun!

the rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent preparing for the holiday barbecue. I cleaned the patio off, helped my dad hang lights, and helped set up chairs. there was even a little time to visit with marilyn while I picked up my handpicked blueberries for the fruit salad. yummy.

my parents live only a few blocks from the river where one of the local fireworks presentations are, so those willing to brave the late hour, cold(ish) wind, and crowds all walk down to for the show.

my favorite parts:

parade
hotdogs on the grill
seeing friends
perfect weather
meeting carsten for the first time
angie's flag cake
flag bunting on deck railing
meeting katie's friend brad
fresh cherries

ready for the parade.
I coordinated noemi and kyle's wedding in 2002. they just had their second baby less than two weeks ago. she looked great!

mom and sadie.
mom used to babysit sadie when she was a baby. she is almost 12 now.

fresh watermelon and cherries. and a little girl smiling at me from across the table.
summer loving.

me, chandra and angie.
sneak peek of baby carsten. more to come.

sweet alex and some watermelon love.

it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.
alex was unfotunately in the path of an oncoming frisbee which resulted in a scary bloody nose. she recovered quickly, don't worry.

alex, angie, aunt jean, abby, ethan, and jeff.
on the way down to the river for fireworks.

brad and katie.
sorry for the finger mark (alex took the photo) but it was so good of kate and brad, I couldn't not use it.

grand finale.

not convinced

2008-07-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

but not disbelieving either. just staying neutral for now.

so the meeting with the new company went really well. unfortunately, it was more of a social time than a down and dirty productive meeting.

on one hand, this was good because we got to meet each other and chat, building relationships. on the other hand, we still do not have a definitive plan which makes me a little crazy. there seems to be so much to do and we're on a short time frame.

based on our follow-up calls today, the short time frame may have gotten a bit longer so I'm relieved a little.

but again, I'm not convinced. all I can do is keep plugging along and see how everything shakes out.

my plan:
plug along
update/re-format as I'm able
wait for the deal to close
see how things shake out
update my "convinced" level
write a blog post about it

glad to be home but I'm still tuckered out from the long, 18 hour travel day. am planning to sleep a lot over the holiday weekend. yea!

los angeles

2008-06-30T11:04:00.001-07:00

today, I am in the land of palm trees and smog for a marketing meeting. my company was bought by another and we are in los angeles working on the integration of our marketing materials.

it's a quick trip. out early this morning and back in this evening. nothing like getting up at 3:30am and arriving at a meeting with people you've never met feeling fresh. pretty much it's frumpled hair and a quick freshen in the airport restroom. ugh.

am sitting in their conference room chatting with a few people and waiting for the meeting to start. thought I'd be productive and blog. :-)

me: raw and uncensored

2008-06-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

below is an email that I sent to hailey last week in the middle of a meltdown. seeing as how I want to keep it real, I've not edited any of it. as raw as it still feels (at least some of it), I am able to laugh at parts of it. read at your own risk...

well, let me list everything that has happened since yesterday and how I am feeling (warning: it might not be pretty)...

• my company was "merged" (read: bought) by another company
• not sure how it affects me yet
• scared a little bit about the details
• I have four of the largest zits known to man on my chin and cheek
• maybe I eat too much cheese?
• I am hungry but have nothing to snack on
• don't want to spend money or make a bad choice
• so I just chugged a glass of water
• I think I might be a raving bitch at work
• but not sure how to fix it
• I react to things just like I would HATE someone to react towards me
• houston, we have a problem
• I am very disappointed in myself
• why does an extra nine minutes of sleep always win out over getting up for quiet time?
• how do I make changes I know I need to make but am just not motivated?
• have I mentioned that I'm hungry?
• because I am angry at myself, I want to eat EVERYTHING in sight
• so far, it's been two mini snickers and two mini kit kat
• now, bring on the salt
• guilt has me in a stronghold
• rebuke, guilt/satan, get away
• why is it that as soon as I start exercising, I feel fatter?
• how in the world do you have the time to get everything done...and have a child?
• I feel wholly unproductive every single day...and I only work.
• you are my hero
• and I wish I was there in the sun and the heat
• laying out by the pool (pretending there is no threat of cancer of course)
• I feel pasty white and nasty
• wanna go for islands burgers and cheese fries?
• please?
• I would love it if you came up next month to visit...wanna?
• phew, just remembered that you are
• thank you jesus
• I love you (hailey and jesus)

I am so thankful that I have friends that I can send emails like this too. there is no judgment, no condemnation, just support, love and commiserating. such as it should be.

things are never as bad as they seem when you are in a wallowing moment such as I was last week. of course not, right? they wouldn't call it wallowing then would they? and meltdown would only reference what an ice cream cone did in the sun.

don't judge me.

:-)

today was another notsogreatday at work but I will continue working on my attitude...and chose joy instead of anger. boy that's hard.

infinite grace

2008-06-27T23:04:00.001-07:00

here is the view I had tonight...

I am helping my friend amy out and working at the women of faith conference this weekend. she works for the local christian radio station who is one of the conference sponsors. I help out in the booth during intermissions and in return, I get to sit in on most of the sessions. our seats are on the floor, mere rows from the stage.

and I already cried four times tonight. I have a feeling we're in for it tomorrow.

note to self: remember to bring tissue.

terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

2008-06-26T20:54:00.001-07:00

in honor of my notsogreatdayatwork,

I did not go to the gym tonight.
(even though I was totally dressed for working out and even had my water bottle with me.)

I went to taco bell/pizza hut.

I bought two cheese quesadillas and three breadsticks.

I ate it all.

I kind of regret it now.
(but not all the way mind you. that's the way rationalization rolls works, my friends.)

I still feel not so great...

...and now a little sick.

fremont: the center of the universe

2008-06-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

self-proclaimed "center of the universe" that is. people that live/shop/frequent fremont really love it there...obviously.

each year, fremont hosts this outdoor festival in conjunction to the summer solstice. there is a parade with wacky floats, art cars (self-decorated cars) and naked people on bicycles. it is something you need to experience at least once in your life, in my opinion. I've seen the naked cyclers and they are mostly covered in body paint and are riding fast enough that you can't get a good look at much. I've always given it a PG13 rating at worst. now, I didn't go this year and I hear that it was a little more "revealing" so to speak. maybe an R rating would be more appropriate?

the fair is a jumble of booths peddling wares of jewelry, hemp clothing, leather sandals as well as informative booths like chiropractors (why are they always at every fair?), eco products, and youtube (because they are single-handedly taking over the world, apparently).

there are food booths selling elephant ears, piroshkys, crepes, and hand dipped corndogs. the options seem endless and while it may seem hard to make a decision to go with the elephant ear or the corndog, it's best to decide to get both and move on.

fremont is an area of the city, who in my opinion, seems farthest from God in a lot of ways. there were booths celebrating the right to choice, atheists of seattle, and booths where you could get your chakra "reading" done. while I do not condemn supporters of these booths, it does remind me how lost the city is and how hard we must pray...and love everyone.

but this is definitely the place where it is not uncommon to see a tiny dog in a tutu being walked by a man with a mohawk (hot pink mohawk by the way) in a utilikilt. grab your food drug of choice, find a place to sit and watch people for hours. it is nothing short of the best entertainment. and the festival is free to get in. how'd we get so lucky? I love seattle.

the cool fremont bridge. it opens when tall ships need to pass through the canal.

the official fremont fair poster in a local business.

the infamous rocket, fremont's unofficial mascot of sorts.

he was really good. and fast too.

this guy gets around. he's even at the allied arts show in richland.

my favorite street band, slimpickins. they play a lot at the pike place market.

some of the parade floats on display.

it wasn't the best corndog I've ever had but it sure hit the proverbial "fair food" spot.

these statues are dressed up and decorated for every occasion.
did you catch them in "say anything" when diane and her father are on their way to graduation...no? better watch it again then.

the sweetest little baby in town

2008-06-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

my friend chandra is about to birth her second baby boy. his name is to be carsten reid. doesn't that name conjure up a dignified little boy in a tie with one of those sassy suits, the kind with shorts, like he's going to go off to boarding school?

to celebrate his soon to be arrival date, we threw a little party in his honor. a few weekends ago, lisa, angie and I put together a fun afternoon of family, gifts, good food and only one game. we're not game people.

me, lisa, chandra (carsten), angie

but my favorite part was the art project we did for baby carsten's nursery. we provided the paint (matched to the nursery colors) and the small canvases and had people paint some artwork to hang in the nursery. chandra provided the baby quilt to give people a theme and then let people loose to create. most turned out really good although there were some that might end up in the "other gallery" which chandra says might be in the closet.

it means alot to be apart of a celebration for a child. carsten is blessed to be getting caring and generous parents like jeremy and chandra. his big brother ethan is looking forward to throwing things at him and roughhousing like only boys can do. and his "aunt jenny" is thrilled to get to be a part of his life.

carsten: annointed one (german), a follower of christ (greek)

reid: red, red-haired (english)

meeting "the man"

2008-06-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

today in my daily devotional book...

when the woman at the well met jesus, unlike all the other men she'd met, he addressed her real need. "[he said,] 'go...get your husband'...'I don't have a husband,' the woman replied. jesus said...'you have had five husbands, and you aren't...married to the man you're living with'" (john 4:16-19 nlt). because we're weak, we keep getting into situations that leave us wounded. and those wounds can't be healed by going from relationship to relationship. after meeting jesus this woman ran to tell everybody, "come...meet a man who told me everything!" her answer wasn't another man; she'd already tried that! her answer was meeting the man, and asking him to fill the void in her life.

the bible refers to this as putting "on the new self, which is being renewed in...the image of its creator" (colossians 3:10 niv). if you're sick of the way you're living and want to change, remember, the woman at the well couldn't "put off the old man" till she met the new one. when you're attached to certain habits and relationships, it's hard to break free in your own strength. you'll only be able to disengage when you acknowledge jesus as lord of your life. only by embracing the new, will you find strength to say goodbye to the old. so what does all this mean for you? it means coming to christ as you are, asking him to save you, and entering into a relationship with him. james says, "surrender to god...resist the devil, and he will run from you" (james 4:7 cev). when you do that, god will give you the strength to forsake those old patterns and begin a new life!

just what I needed to hear as I am beginning to make some changes in my own life. and right after I prayed that I would hear him speak. loud and clear, lord. thank you.