Weekend Wrap-Up: 10/16 - 10/18

It was a busy but good fall weekend. Here are the highlights:

• Went to the doctor and was diagnosed me with bilateral ear infections and a sinus infection resulting in a prescription for antibiotics.
• Took a nap.
• Met my friend Nikki for a crepe lunch at Citizen.
• Ran by the office.
• Got my prescription filled.
• Enjoyed a dinner of Mac 'n' Cheese and beer with Don at McMenamins on Friday night.
• Slept in (well until nearly 9 a.m.) on Saturday morning.
• Bought some new music from iTunes and played with my music library and enjoyed a quiet morning at home.
• Ran around with my colleague Amy to find all the items needed to create our Halloween costumes.
• Reviewed some Cisco flashcards with Kat.
• Saw Love Happens at Gold Class Cinemas with Kat.
• Picked up a Electric Kettle at Bed Bath and Beyond.
• Had a yummy dinner at Cheesecake Factory in Bellevue with Don and Kat.
• Slept until 8:30 a.m. on Sunday when the phone woke me up which didn't bother me too much when I realized it was a colleague telling me that she didn't need me to come in and help prep for an audit after all.
• Enjoyed coffee and pumpkin cheesecake (from dinner the night before) for breakfast in bed surrounded by several months worth of Martha Stewart Living and Bon Appetit.
• Narrowed down my new recipe finds to a few for this week and made a grocery list.
• Ran to Target to pick up some essentials and a new iPod player for my car (I crushed the old one in the center console, oops).
• Picked up a copy of The Bread Bakers Apprentice at Barnes and Noble so that I can start the BBA Challenge.
• Ran to the Apple Store so Don could get a case for his new iPhone.
• Went to Crate and Barrel and ONLY bought a new cooling rack and a Bake/Store cake pan but that is because we made ourselves stop browsing.
• Went to the grocery store.
• Spent the late afternoon and evening in the kitchen. I made Oatmeal (for breakfast this week), New England Clam and Corn Chowder with Herbs (for lunches this week), a Carrot Cake (to take to the office on Monday in honor of October birthdays) and Crispy Chicken for dinner.
• Watched Thursday nights episode of Bones.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up - 8/7 - 8/9

My first full weekend back in Seattle and it was low-key and relaxing, just what I needed:

• Slept in on Friday morning.
• Took a shower, got dressed.
• Took a nap.
• Caught up on a couple TV shows that my TiVo picked up while I was away.
• Took a nap. (Yes that is 2 naps in the same day!)
• Watched New In Town.
• Did 6 loads of laundry.
• Successful trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for a new mattress pad, new laundry bags, new wash cloths, new hair drying towels and new air freshener refills.
• Assimilated all my new treasure into the house and organized a bit.
• Walked through Trader Joe's and picked up whatever looked good for snacking while sailing.
• Went sailing on the Puget Sound with friends.
• Watched It Had to Be You.
• Slept in again on Sunday morning (didn't stir until 9ish, unheard of).
• Enjoyed some coffee from Kauai.
• Chatted and caught up with a few family members on the phone.
• Got my ass kicked by Kat while playing cards.
• Enjoyed a wonderful dinner on the deck at Bell Street Diner.
• Tried to watch Rachel Getting Married but the disc from NetFlix wouldn't work.

Was that really 3 days? It went by WAY too quickly. How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up: 7/17 - 7/19

It was my last weekend in Seattle prior to the big trip so it was a busy one, here are the highlights:

• Had my final Pilates lesson, at least until my soon-to-be-certified teacher finds a permanent place to teach.
• Enjoyed a cup of coffee and a chat with my Pilates teacher at Victor's Coffee.
• Had lunch with my brother at The Brooklyn.
• Completed a merchandise return from Land's End at Sears because I figured it was easier than sending it back.
• Got a pedicure.
• Got lost in Trader Joe's because they moved everything around to optimize the space.
• Enjoyed a wonderful meal with our "Cooking Club" at a home on the Magnolia Waterfront.
• Woke bright and early for the trip up the hill to do laundry.
• Had breakfast at Queen Anne Cafe.
• Picked up a few things at Bartell Drugs including Vitamin B and Garlic in hopes of repelling the mosquitoes and other biting critters who just love me.
• Picked up BBQ fixins at the grocery store.
• Completed some household tasks.
• Tried out the recipe for "Poolside Punch" which we fell in love with at the Grand Floridian in December 2007.
  
• Spent the afternoon playing cards and enjoying the deck with Kat and Don.
• Don grilled up a feast of chicken breasts and fresh veggies.
• Woke early and started packing and organizing and knocking things off my to-do list.
• Had breakfast at the Bay Cafe.
• Vacuumed and washed the car.
• Met Kat in Bellevue for an afternoon showing of The Proposal.
• Walking to Barnes and Noble an picked up my much anticipated copy of Best Friends Forever.
• More organizing, packing and ironing.
• Added 140 songs to my iTunes Library and iPod.

How was your weekend?

Thanksgiving in Utah - the wrap-up

This post has been sitting in my "draft" box for over a month now. I didn't think it was a good idea to post it at the time I wrote it since I was very angry, hurt, upset, disappointed. However, a month has passed and I still feel angry, hurt, upset, disappointed so that is likely not going to change and I figure that I neglected my blog long enough and its time to POST THE DAMN THING.

So without further ado... My Thanksgiving, in bullet points. Warning: family drama ahead.

I spent Thanksgiving in Utah with my family. I haven't been home for a holiday since moving to Seattle in February 2005 and now I remember why. It was busy, crazy and TONS of work. I was looking forward to spending time with my siblings and step-siblings which turned out to be a disastrous combination. I learned that the things I appreciate in a holiday celebration are not things that my family does well. I love them, but drama free family gatherings just aren't our thing. Here are the highlights:

• I had dinner at Dave & Kristen's prior to leaving so I could pick up some things that they wanted taken in the car.
• The cutest nephew in the world taught me all about the Wonder Pets.
• I learned how to put chains on my tires.
• Packed and got ready for the drive.
• Picked up my first Egg Nog Latte of the season in Ellensburg, Washington en route to Salt Lake City.
• Made the drive in 12 hours and 40 minutes, which isn't bad considering that my stops had to include potty time for Barney.
• Met with clients at 2 hospitals in the Salt Lake Valley and uploaded the latest software in their machines.
• Had lunch with my Dad at Mimi's Cafe.
• Met my Mom at Harmon's to pick up some random items for the Thanksgiving feast.
• Enjoyed a quiet dinner with Mom, Rick and Jimmy.
• Helped Mom with the grocery list for the big shopping trip.
• Drank beer and ate lunch with my Mom and step-Dad at Red Rock prior to the trip to the airport to pick up the family.
• Got in a fight via cell phone with my brother Dave who was, in my opinion, being a stubborn ass.
• Made up with Dave later in the evening.
• Loved having story time with the cutest nephew in the world.
• Wore "Fuck Cancer" t-shirts (Mom and I) on Wednesday while cooking because that sums up our feelings on the subject and it was the 6-year anniversary of the end of chemo for me. (We took pictures which I promise to post.)
• Went with "the girls" to have pedicures.
• Made the decision to paint my toenails orange in honor of the OSU Beavers.
• Cooked and cooked and cooked and when that was done, we cooked some more.
  
• Found out that I am a "bitch" for making my dog behave. Siblings can be so helpful for personal insights.
  
• Ate Chinese food at the "kids table" on the night before Thanksgiving thoroughly enjoyed my nephew Gabe, who is a crack-up and a bit obsessed with Bruce Banner.
• Collapsed into bed, completely exhausted.
  
• Bravely opened 2 packages of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls.
• Watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with the cutest nephew in the world. I think I made him a forever parade fan.
• Stuffed the turkey and got it roasting.
• Cooked and cooked and cooked so more.
• Found out that I was a "bitch" yet again for trying to get everything on the table at the same time.
• Taught my step-Dad's cousin how to make Crescent rolls. I thought they were "self-explanatory," apparently I was wrong.
• Finally sat down at 10:00 p.m. when my Cuz (Karri) and BFF Jenna came over for pie and some girl time.
  
• Bravely opened more packages of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls.
• Celebrated my Mom's 63rd birthday with her by shopping and running errands.
• Enjoyed catching up with friends and many of my Salt Lake P.E.O. sisters at the open-house in honor of my Mom's birthday.
• Cleaned up from the party with the help of Jenna.
• Packed the car, again with more help from Jenna. Why she puts up with my family drama after all these year, I'll never know.
  
• Fell into bed, again totally exhausted and tried to sleep but only managed to get 3 hours in.
• Left Salt Lake super early so that I could be home in time for the Civil War game.
• Arrived home in Seattle exhausted, but so happy to be home.
• Watching the Civil War game with Don and ate the yummy dinner he had made.
• Yelled at my father after his "thanks for including us but we won't ever come again" call.
  
• Proclaimed that I will never again paint my toe nails orange as it clearly didn't help the Beavs.
• Slept in my own bed and got 12 hours of wonderful sleep.
  
• Spend Sunday organizing, unpacking and finishing up the Christmas decorating.
• Spent the next week or so trying to recover from the emotional, physical and mental exhaustion of the trip.

My Mom was thrilled to have the whole family home for a big holiday and she had a ball despite the drama. I don't know how she does it. She thrives on chaos, it exhausts me. Hope your holiday was filled with a bit less drama than mine.

Weekend Wrap-Up

It was a quiet weekend, the few highlights:

• Worked on Friday so that I wouldn't have to take quite as many PTO hours as a results of my trip to Salt Lake City.
• Headed home after work with a headache which was quickly cured by a nap.
• Watched Love Potion #9 and Freedom Writers.
• Began a major reorganization of my closet.
• Laundry, ironing, etc.
• Went to the movies and saw Swing Vote.
• Recycled the plastic plant containers from my major planting project to Flower World.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up Extended Version

I'm a bit delayed in getting this post up, but better late than never. I was in Salt Lake City for an extended weekend (7/24 - 7/29) with my family. Here are the highlights:

• Arrived in time to have garlic burgers with my family. For the record, my step-brother Michael makes a seriously good garlic burger.
• Listened to the booming of the Pioneer Day fireworks off in the distance.
• Got my car repaired included an alignment, tire rotation, new headlight and a brand new resonator.
• Had lunch with my Dad at Olio.
• Ran a few errands with Mom including stopping for a cone at Nielsen's Frozen Custard.
• Caught up with old family friends.
• Tons of Laundry, ironing, cooking, cooking and cleaning so that Mom didn't have to do it.
• Taught my Mom how to play Shanghai Rummy while snacking on Clam Dip & Texas Caviar with Nancy.
• Stubbed my big toe and broke the nail in half, lengthwise. Ouch!
• Briefly sorted through some boxes in the basement of "my stuff." I had no idea what was in them when I started but found some real treasures including my girl scout merit badges, my famous red glasses from high school and my report cards. I brought 4 home with me and look forward to sorting through them to discover more treasures.
• Enjoyed playing with my nephews Ethan and Gabe.
• Caught up with Jenna while we working on setting up her new Mac Book.
• Fixed plank grilled halibut for family and friends, always a big hit.
• Thought I was going to burst into flame any minute because it was SO HOT in SLC, I really am a Seattle weather wimp now.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

I left work on Friday afternoon feeling a bit worn out and a cold coming on. My weekend was pretty low key as a result of trying to beat the cold and prepare for the week ahead including surgery on Tuesday, the highlights:

• Tried to drown the cold germs with Vitamin Water.
• Laundry.
• Found 11 ponytail holders in their favorite hiding place, under my bed.
• Deep cleaned my bedroom including vacuuming under the furniture.
• Napped.
• Cleaned the apartment.
• Blew the circuit breaker controlling the power to my bedroom and office and was unable to reset it.
• Showered and dressed and then made the decision to cancel my plans for Saturday night, the couch was just too tempting and my nose was not happy.
• Waited for my apartment manager to come and check out the circuit breaker situation only to learn that he couldn't fix it.
• Watched No Reservations, The Ron Clark Story and Prime.
• Napped, again.

Pretty boring. By the end of the weekend the head cold was improving and my apartment was sparkly clean, so not a total waste. How was your weekend?

Memorial Day Weekend Wrap-Up

The holiday weekend at home in Seattle turned out to be a fabulous weather weekend and chock full o' fun. The highlights:

• Left the office early and met Kat at my place so we could run to the store to pick up essentials for the evening.
• Introduced Kat to the magic of the of the Laughing Cow.
• Ate clam dip and watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in preparation for seeing the new Indy film over the holiday weekend.
• Woke early Saturday to complete the usual laundry bit.
• Created new starts and baked the Amish Cinnamon Friendship Bread from the start that I received from a colleague 10 days prior. (If you live in the Seattle area and would like a start for this yummy cinnamon bread, let me know via IM, email or comment.)
• Downloaded pictures from my camera to Flickr including pictures of Mom's visit to Seattle, Jimmy's 30th and the trip to Utah and driving home through California.
• Ran errands.
• Attempted to take a walk on the beach at Golden Gardens but couldn't find parking so ended up at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks on the Lake Washington Ship Canal which was fascinating and totally cool. I can't believe I haven't been before.
  
• Had my eyebrows waxed.
• Enjoyed the afternoon and sunset from the deck at Eastlake Bar and Grill. The drinks and food were good, but the service SUCKED!
• Woke early again thanks to the sun and headed out to Costco to beat the crowds.
• Took pictures of the flowers and herbs on my deck and completed a blog post about them.
• Took a nap.
• Decided to go watch the big boats (a.k.a. cruise ships) leave Elliott Bay from the deck of Bell Street Diner but when I arrived they were closed due to a plumbing problem.
• Watched the cranes and dock workers load tons of luggage onto the Norwegian Pearl.
• Drank a beer at Anthony's Fish Bar.
• Frustrated by the heat and late departure of the Norwegian Pearl I left the Seattle waterfront in search of a sunny deck and possibly some Copper River Salmon.
• Soaked up the summer sun and watched the big boats sail by from the deck at Ray's Boathouse. Kat came down and joined me for dinner and the sunset which was amazing.
• Woke to a dreary cooler day on Monday so I opted to stay in bed for a couple of hours and read.
• Had lunch with Kat and Don at Red Robin in Bellevue Square.
• Saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull which I loved.
• Watched as Don kicked my ass all over the pool table at Rock Bottom.
• Found my iPod, full story here.
• Shared a glass of wine with Kipp when he stopped by just after leaving Folk Life.
• Enjoyed some wine on the deck with Don and the sun faded away and the holiday weekend came to an end.

How was your weekend?

Excused Absense

I started out the year planning on doing a "Weekend Wrap-Up" post on the happenings of the weekend every Monday. I was good until April, then it just stopped. It seems that when life gets a little bit crazy and I have too much on my plate the first thing to suffer is my blog. Which now that I think about it, makes perfect sense. When I am stressed, worn out, tired and with generally too much on my plate the few moments that I can find to re-energize myself are not spent expressing myself but totally enriching myself with things I love. After all, I'm an introvert!

In order to excuse my absence from the blogging and especially the Weekend Wrap-Up's I thought I would rewind to mid-April and catch you up on the events (or at least part of them) since then. Mid-April found me in the midst of planning a birthday celebration for my brother Jimmy's 30th birthday. I was creating and mailing invitations, making lists and scanning pictures for a slide show presentation. Every evening after work seemed to be consumed by some sort of task which often spilled over into the weekends (like the Sunday when Don and I spent 9 hours working on the slide show presentation) just to stay on top of it all. I had wanted to have all the major tasks completed by Wednesday, April 23 when my mother arrived for a long weekend visit and I did.

I had a great time with my Mom. We went shopping at the Seattle Premium Outlets in Tulalip and both got some great spring/summer essentials. We enjoyed an informative and fun tour of Chateau Ste. Michelle winery and an afternoon of beer drinking in the sun with Kat and Don at Red Hook. We talked and got caught up the the happenings of life. We laughed. Mom shared some really funny yet really embarrassing stories about me. Basically your normal family stuff.

Four days later on Thursday, May 1, Don and I set out on our grand adventure. We arrived in Salt Lake City that evening and had dinner with his Mom (Nancy) at Red Rock Brewing. The next two days were filled with party prep craziness but we found a few moments to have breakfast with my friend Jenna and time to deliver my friend Karri's wedding pictures.

The party was a ton of work but worth every bit of it. Jimmy is a fantastic brother and totally worth celebrating for any occasion, but being able to celebrate a milestone birthday with him was just awesome. Fifteen minutes before the guests arrived I plopped down on the couch next to Don, we were both exhausted, and was already beyond exhausted. I think I suffer from *past party amnesia* because I am never remember how much work throwing a party really is and therefore planning one seems like a GREAT idea. Maybe the amnesia is a necessary ailment for the official family "camp director," I don't know.

When the party was all cleaned up I couldn't feel my body from the waist down. I don't much remember the ride back to the hotel except for the fact that I could not find a comfortable position in the car. I don't remember going to sleep, I think I just passed out. Don had been dealing with a lingering and annoying head cold for a few days and we both needed sleep desperately.

The next morning we slept in a bit and then met Nancy for brunch a Squatters Pub in Salt Lake. Following brunch we began the second leg of our journey, a tradeshow in Reno.

I don't know what I was thinking when I decided that I could be Black family "camp director" and then company "tradeshow coordinator" back to back, but clearly I was NOT thinking. The show in Reno went as anticipated, no major glitches. The meetings we had scheduled went well but certainly not as planned since a major twist was thrown in on the way in the door. And all the while that I am coordinating and meeting and being the Queen of Everything downstairs, I'm worried sick about Don who's head cold has turned into a high-fever and intense sinus pressure/pain. He was in the room, in bed asleep the entire time we were in Reno.

When the show finished and we were packed up and ready to go we were quite a pair. Don had just returned to the land of the living that morning but was still only half-human with lingering sinus pressure/pain. And I was beyond exhausted from the back to back activity of the party/tradeshow. We had a leisurely lunch at Brew Brother's restaurant and then left Reno and headed northwest through Susanville, California and then around the south side of Mt. Shasta until we joined up with I-5 in Mt. Shasta, California. The scenery was EXTRAORDINARY beautiful. With each passing mile I found myself getting more and more relaxed among the snow, tall pine trees and majestic mountains.

We made it to Medford, Oregon that night and then home the following day. I never realize how much I love my home until I return from a trip tired and worn out and then I realize how my home is warm and nurturing and totally re-energizes me.

Don's account of the Utah/Reno trip can be read here.

The following weekend was very mellow. I spent a great deal of time a home except for lunch at Cheesecake Factory and a matinee performance of Made of Honor with Kat in Bellevue on Saturday.

I've already started a wrap-up post for last weekend which should be up soon so that brings you up to date on the past few weekends.

Work has been a bit busier that usual of late as I'm facing some new challenges and changes in the coming weeks but I will certainly do my best to try and stay up to date with my entries and not leave you all wondering if I'm alive and thriving.

Weekend Wrap-Up Catch-Up

Wow! Time flies. I'm 2 weeks behind in my weekend posts so here are the past 2 weekends condensed into one entry. Enjoy!

April 4- 6

• Loitered for 40 minutes at the Alaska Airlines counter where it took 8 employees to check me in for my flight from Burbank to Seattle. The silver lining was the 1st class upgrade that for my trouble.
• Enjoyed quite a few glasses of wine on the flight back to Seattle, perfect to alter my thinking away from all things L.A.
• Dined at Bell Street Diner with Don after he picked me up from the airport.
• Happy to be back in my own bed and enjoyed a FABULOUS night of sleep.
• Started the day Saturday with laundry and coffee which has become our usual but I'm not sure I ever completely woke up from my sleep/home induced fog.
• Took a lovely nap.
• Made clam dip, ordered Chinese food and watched Raiders of the Lost Ark with Kat on Saturday evening.
• Organized, cleaned and enjoyed a day to myself at home. I don't mind traveling for work but I love being home.

April 11 - 13

• Played pool with Don at Rock Bottom on Friday night. I had spent two weeks basking in the glory of my recent win but went down in a ball of fire with only 1 win to his *too numerous to count* wins.
• Stopped for coffee on our way to Bothell to pick up Kat and have breakfast at Maltby Cafe.
• Ran errands in the Woodinville/Bellevue area.
• Traveled *around the pond* to Dave and Kristen's house in Port Orchard for John's (the cutest nephew in the world) 2nd birthday celebration. I took tons of pictures which I haven't had time to upload from the camera. Party was fun but overwhelming and when I found myself wiping frosting off some random child because his own mother hadn't bothered to notice, it was time to go.
• Enjoyed an appetizer and a few drinks at Silver City Restaurant & Brewery before heading back to the Seattle via the Kingston-Edmonds ferry and Bothell to drop Kat off at home which turned out to be only a few hours after her normal bed time.
• Unwound with Don and a cup of coffee at Cheesecake Factory in Bellevue.
• Enjoyed a day at home on Sunday. When I climbed into bed that night I realized that I didn't speak to another person all day which initially I thought was odd and then realized that it was just what I needed.

How was your weekend(s)?

Weekend Wrap-Up

A bit later than usual but it's been a crazy busy Monday thus far. The weekends highlights:

• Raced out of the office Friday afternoon to beat the majority of the traffic headed northbound to join Kat for an early dinner at Outback. It worked as the commute only took a little over an hour complete with 1 work-related stop.
• Tossed and turned Friday night worried about pulling everything together for Saturday night's Fondue Party.
• Woke early Saturday morning (likely a result of the tossing and turning) to organize my grocery list for the 26,476th time and get ready to face the day.
• Had breakfast with Kat at the Queen Anne Cafe.
• Pampered ourselves (Kat & I) with a much needed pedicures.
• Purchased all of the food and gathered all of the *stuff* for the Fondue Party and with Kat's help got everything packed up with time to spare.
• Successfully pulled off the Fondue Party with the assistance of my P.E.O. sisters and a whole lot of wine. Only minor glitch was the damn chocolate fountain which if it continues to make me crazy will be thrown off the Aurora bridge it utter frustration.
• Fell into bed totally exhausted from the business of the day and tossed and turned again, this time thanks to back pain.
• Woke early again on Sunday and laid in bed and watched the movie Little Miss Sunshine.
• Picked up Kat at 9 a.m. and headed to breakfast at the Crystal Creek Cafe where we agreed after a brief discussion that pancakes should never be put on the same plate as the eggs.
• Bought a few essentials (codeword for undergarments/kitchen gadgets) at the Seattle Premium Outlets in Tulalip, WA.
• Made the mistake of going to Radio Shack to purchase an adapter for the Mini SD card in my cell phone. Ended up buying something that will not work in my phone that I have to return. Also had to endure the WORST sales pitch for switching my cell phone from Verizon to Sprint or AT&T (which he is still calling Cingular) in the history of the world. He had to look up the answers to every single technical question that I asked about the phones/plans etc. Yo dude, Rule #1 in sales - Know Your Product!
  
• Watched the first three of the Love Comes Softly movies that my TiVo had picked up on Saturday when Hallmark Channel had a marathon. I liked the movies but as sequels often go the first was my favorite and they went downhill from there, I have 3 more sitting on the TiVo and am still undecided if and when they will be watched.
• Went to bed early to get ready for the week ahead.
  

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Delayed due to the holiday weekend, here are the highlights of the weekend:

• Enjoyed happy hour with Don at Ray's Boathouse on Friday evening while watching the clouds block out the sunset and a few boats scoot by.
• Woke with the roosters (actually before the roosters) on Saturday morning to drive north with Don to pick up Kat and have breakfast at Maltby Cafe.
• Picked up a bunch of necessities at Costco.
• Browsed the beers and wines at Malt & Vine in Redmond so that Kat could try some different beers thanks to her "I want to try some fruity beers" proclamation.
• Played pool with Don at Rock Bottom and was pleased that I actually won a few legitimate games.
• Slept until just after 10 on Sunday morning.
• Over indulged at Sunday Brunch with my friend Barb at Salty's on Alki.
• Wandered aimlessly through the grocery store on Sunday afternoon with Don trying to figure out what in the world we wanted for dinner. Finally settled on Chicken Cordon Bleu, Rice Pilaf and green beans.
• Slept in again on Monday, oh I love holiday weekends.
• Took a walk through the neighborhood and enjoyed the gorgeous 50-degree sunny weather a bit.
• Caught up on reading The Alchemist which is the book club selection for the month.
• Unchecked duplicate songs in my iTunes library.
• Enjoyed dinner of Chicken and Rice at Don's, along with some wine, followed by catching up on episodes of Brothers & Sisters.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Another weekend has flown by all too quickly. The highlights:

• Celebrated a very belated birthday dinner with Suzie at Mama's Mexican Kitchen in Belltown on Friday night. The food was yummy, as usual, and so were the margarita's and it was great to get caught up with Suzie.
• Woke up early on Saturday morning so Don and I could head up with hill to do laundry. I do love being able to do 4 loads of laundry in less than 2 hours.
• Sorted through every pair of socks that I own with Kat and threw those that met the following criteria: 1.) holes or runs of any size or shape (cause let's face it a small hole will be a big hole in no time at all), 2.) translucent fabric (when gym socks resemble nylons it's time for them to go away), 3.) outdated styles (remember those thick crew socks that you would pull up and then scrunch down for that *legwarmer lite* look), 4.) haven't been worn in the nearly 3 years that I have lived in Seattle (I used to love crew socks but don't anymore so they got thrown in the donation bag)
• Made a list of the replacement socks that would be needed to have a good selection/collection and set out with Kat to find them which we were able to do with a stop at Fred Meyer and another at Macy's.
• Stopped shopping long enough to enjoy a burger, fries and onion rings with Kat at Red Mill Burgers.
• Browsed through Barnes & Nobel and picked up a few books that we had been looking for.
• Saw 27 Dresses, which was good, except for the really creepy solo dude that was seated next to me.
• Laughed so hard that I cried during the "Benny & the Jets" mondegreen scene. Kat and I were both having major "Myzah Georgia" and "DaVinci View" flashbacks.
• Unpackaged and put away 46 new pairs of socks! :-)
• Watched and mocked the "not-so modernized or improved" Miss America pageant which my TiVo had recorded. I was disappointed in the final choice, Miss Michigan, cause what beauty queen can't sing "Over the Rainbow," give me a break. She is the stereo-typical Miss America proving that some things just don't change. Miss Washington made a great showing and I was really proud of her top finish.
• Savored a wonderful dinner at DeNunzio's Italian Restaurant in Seattle's Pioneer Square with Don on Saturday night. It has been on my *Seattle restaurants to try* list for nearly 2 years ago and it lived up to all the reviews that I had read. We had excellent authentic food, good wine and wonderful service.
• Watched The Nanny Diaries.
• Spent 4 hours on Sunday morning determined to fix the problems that I have been having with the external hard drive that stores my iTunes library. For no apparent reason it switched from F:\ to G:\ in the middle of last week. A quick google search reveled a fix in Windows, I then reinstalled the driver and I was back in business. I had to consolidate my library a few times and still have some individual errors but I was able to sync after 5 days which made me unbelievably happy.
• Watched Jersey Girl, Green Card and Dawn Anna all movies that my TiVo had recently recorded as suggestions when not recording game shows.
• Read numerous chapters on Eat Pray Love in an attempt to finish it before my Thursday night book club.
• Ordered pizza and groceries online so I didn't have to leave the house on Sunday.
• Missed forced-air heat as baseboard heaters just don't cut it when it's really, really, really cold outside.
• Waited for the snow that never came.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Another weekend has flown by. The highlights:

• Dug through the bowels of my linen closet to find wine carriers to assist with moving Don's wine collection to his new apartment on the 4th floor (in the same building), and then headed over to his place to assist with the moving activities.
• Speaking of the wine carriers - I was amazed at how many had accumulated over the past 3 years, enough for 44 bottles of wine, I can be a pack-rat with the weirdest things sometimes.
• Enjoyed yummy Chinese food between loads up the elevator with Don, Kat and Nancy on Friday evening.
  
• More moving was the order of the day for Saturday. My brother Dave assisted with the heavy stuff, which was so nice.
  
• Took the longest, hottest shower in the history of the world after arriving home from the moving festivities.
• Relaxed on the couch Saturday evening, catching up on my TiVo recordings.
• Woke early Sunday with head congestion and sore legs which resulted in an early morning trip to Bartell Drugs to pick up some decongestants and then back to bed until 10.
• Met a friend for coffee in Ballard.
• Updated iTunes and organized my music a bit more. Also updated my iTunes Registry page with current info.
• Completed some household chores but not nearly everything that needed to be done.
• Enjoyed Red Snapper and Mashed Potatoes prepared by Don and Nancy on Sunday evening at Don's new apartment. It was perfect comfort food on a very cold night.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

I can't believe it's over already. The highlights:

• Babysat the *cutest nephew in the world* on Friday night which involved a whole lot of *genius* behavior including banging one's head against the wall and playing Choo-Choo (trains), Beep-Beep, (cars) and ball.
• Speaking of banging ones head against hard objects, did you know it's a sign of superior intelligence, well at least according to my brother it is.
• Following babysitting Don and I went straight to Rock Bottom Brewery for some adult beverages and pool. We shut the place down (which I have never done) only to find that the garage where the car was parked was closed. Luckily the security guard was down shortly to let us in so we could spring Don's car and go home.
• Slept in on Saturday morning.
• Had lunch at Red Mill. Yummy!
• Watched Grey's Anatomy Season 1 on DVD.
• Babysat again on Saturday night and accomplished the impossible by getting him to go to sleep after only 4 minutes of drama tears.
• Reorganized my iTunes library and created several new smart play lists in an attempt to fully enjoy my library and listen to the 7,872 songs that have never been played.
• Uploaded pictures from Christmas to Flickr.
• Took down the outdoor Christmas lights.
• Completed a bunch of household chores and futzing.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Is it Monday already? The weekend was the perfect mix of activity and not. The highlights:

• Enjoyed a night at home alone on Friday night trying to get rid of a headache that had been annoying me since Thursday night. I tried to get to bed early which didn't work out thanks to the crazy wind storm.
• Speaking of weather, I hoped that we would get snow since the weather wonks had predicted it but it never happened.
• Worked for 5-hours on Saturday which helped me finish some of the tasks that have been lingering a bit too long on my to-do list.
• Had my car serviced and specifically asked that they replace my burned out headlight. When they were all done the guy helping me told me that there was nothing wrong with my headlight and so they didn't replace it. Upon getting to my car I immediately checked it out and sure enough, it was working. It hasn't worked in over a month so I was shocked! It stopped working 3 blocks later.
• Watched the 4th quarter of the Seahawks game which was definitely action packed!
  
• Had a yummy dinner with Don at the Hi-Life in Ballard. I ordered the Pumpkin Ravioli which was so good.
• Finished uploading all of the pictures I took during our Disney World vacation last month to Flickr.
• Speaking of Flickr, someone marked one of my pictures as a favorite and I got a my first comment this weekend. :-)
• Completed a bunch of household chores and began the process of un-Christmasing the house.
• Inspired by the cool weather and the fact that my mother was making one, I made Pot Roast for dinner on Sunday that was "STUPID good" according to Don.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

I had a relaxing weekend which is just what I needed after the holiday craziness of last week. The highlights:

• Played pool with Don and watched the OSU Beavers finish their season with a win over Maryland in the Emerald Bowl.
• Put all of my Christmas gifts away in their new homes.
• Did 3 loads of laundry.
• Enjoyed what will likely be my final Egg Nog Latte of the season.
• Saw the movie Juno (a recommendation of my little brother Jimmy) which I thoroughly enjoyed for it's witty writing and classic one liners. Allison Janney's performance was awesome as no one can deliver shocking and hysterical lines with the finesse that she can.
• Cleared the rest of the cheesy holiday movies off my TiVo.
• Slept, a lot!