Crepe View

Space Needle atop Lumen is our view from our wine and crepe evening at Citizen.

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?

December Weekend Wrap Up

Running a bit behind in my Weekend Wrap-Up posts so here is the entire month of December in one post. Enjoy!

For the weekend 12/5 - 12/7:

• Woke bright and early to ferry Don and Kat to work so that we would have to deal with only one car during the days festivities.
• Ran home to shower and get ready to truly face the day.
• Attended the Seattle area P.E.O. reciprocity meeting with several of my chapter sisters.
• Caught up with friends from other P.E.O. chapters.
• Picked up Kat at work and dropped her off for her Spa day.
• Ran home to walk Barney, change my clothes.
• Picked up Don at work and headed to The Parlor in Bellevue to play some pool.
• Once the first drinks were served I couldn't take it any longer and I forced Don to open his birthday gift from me. Needless to say, the surprise was worth the agony. You can read his account here. (He says it better than I could.)
• Ran to pick up Kat when she was done spa-ing and she joined us at The Parlor.
• Celebrated Don's and Kat's birthdays with dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.
• Woke super early so that I could run to the office and pick up the boxes that I had been gathering for Kat's impending move.
• Cleaned and prepped the house.
• Hosted the Christmas Party for my P.E.O. Chapter.
• Laundry, coffee, errands, the usual Saturday morning bit, but this time on Sunday.
• Stopped to assist a biker that had taken a nasty spill on her way to work, more about that here.
• Had breakfast with Don and Kat at Crystal Creek Cafe.
• Spent the afternoon packing up all the breakables and kitchen stuff in Kat's apartment.
• Prepped and got myself ready for the week ahead, all the while marveling at the fabulous weekend it had been.

For the weekend 12/12 - 12/14:

• Woke bright and early to head off to the airport for our flight to San Francisco.
• Enjoyed the flying experience aboard Virgin America, much thanks to the abundant leg room of Main Cabin Select.
• Headed into San Francisco via BART.
• Arrived at our hotel not sure if they could check us in but they could, and they upgraded our room. Yippee!
• Settled in and headed out to explore the city. It was a beautiful day so we jumped on a cable carFisherman's Wharf.
• Wanted to lunch at Cafe 8 but arrived amidst the lunch rush so we headed to Fisherman's Grotto
• Had Fish "n" Chips at Cafe 8.
• Picked up a few fun things and enjoyed the yummy smells at Boudin Bakery.
• Boarded the cable car for the return trip to the hotel.
• Relaxed for a few hours in the hotel room.
• Got dressed and headed out a bit early for our dinner reservation.
• Enjoyed some wine in the bar at the House of Prime Rib followed by a spectacular dinner. Truly an evening to remember.
• Stopped at the hotel bar for a nightcap where I was stupid to let Don write on my hand not just once, but twice.
• Fell into bed "comfortable numb" from an incredible evening food, drink and merriment.
• Slept in a bit on Saturday morning and then jumped back on the cable car and headed to Ghirardelli Square.
• Had breakfast at Lori's Diner.
• Picked up some chocolate at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop.
• Walked along the waterfront to Pier 39, spotting Santa over and over again.
• Walked up to San Francisco Brewing Company for a few pints.
• Headed back to the hotel to change clothes and store the treasures we had picked up.
• Took a cab to our favorite North Beach restaurant, Firenze By Night.
• Enjoyed the unbelievable gnocchi and another fabulous dinner.
• Kiss a few Italians, I just couldn't help myself.
• Took a cab to the Palace of Fine Arts and enjoyed a glass of wine in the lobby while waiting for the show.
• Thoroughly enjoyed the performance by The Paper Raincoat.
• Waited with great anticipation for the beginning of the Vienna Teng show.
• Soaked up every note of the Vienna show, the highlight being when she dedicated Shasta to Don in honor of his birthday thanks to an email sent by Kat.
• Spent some time talking to Alex Wong and Amber Rubarth (of The Paper Raincoat) following the shows and picked up some signed copies of their CD.
• Walked blocks and blocks to find a cab to take us back to the hotel.
• Stopped by the hotel bar for a cup of tea before heading to bed.
• Woke on Sunday morning in time to shower and head downstairs for massages at the Hotel Spa.
• Headed back to the room to pack and check out.
• Jumped in a cab and headed to The Carnelian Room for an their unbelievable Sunday brunch.
• Stopped back by the hotel long enough to pick up our bags and head to the BART station.
• Arrived at the airport to find our flight was delayed due to the rainy weather.
• Hung out in the airport bar while waiting for flight information.
• Sat next to a Mr. T look alike on the flight home.
• Arrived home to Seattle and the frigid cold.
• Unpacked and headed to bed with a big smile on my face, what a wonderful weekend.

For the weekend 12/19 - 12/21:

• Cleaned and did basic household stuff.
• Had planned to host a Christmas Party on Friday evening for several friends from work but everyone cancelled for fear of driving on icy roads.
• Relaxed at home with Barney.
• Watched some cheesy Christmas movies.
• Laundry, coffee, the usual Sunday bit.
• Stopped by for a cup of tea at the Teacup's new Queen Anne location and decided that I want to become a tea snob.
• Bravely ventured to the grocery store, Don did the driving, to gather up the turkey and all the fixins for Christmas Eve dinner.
• Made Lasagna in anticipation of dinner with the Black family only to have them cancel due to the impending storm.
• Declared that since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
• Enjoyed lasagna while watching the snow fall.
• Tried to watch It's a Wonderful Life but my VCR ate the tape despite Don's efforts to get it to work.
• Watched White Christmas instead, while "White Seattle" was happening outside.
• Braved the snow and cold to head to Bothell to help Kat unpack her belongs.
• Had breakfast at Crystal Creek Cafe with Kat and Don.
• Was disappointed in my packing skills, especially since I had bragged about how good I was, when I found a couple things broken. :-(
• Spent some time in the evening prepping for the week ahead, happy that Christmas is almost here.

For the weekend 12/26 - 12/28:

• Worked on Friday which was difficult as it was painfully slow.
• Put my pajamas on shortly after getting home from work.
• Had the perfect turkey leftover sandwich for dinner (bread, cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing, gravy and mayo on white bread.) Yummy!
• Watched some more cheesy Christmas movies.
• Slept until 9:30 a.m.
• Watched some more cheesy holiday movies.
• Finally decided to get out of my pajamas and take a shower around 3:00 p.m.
• Had another turkey leftover sammich for dinner on Saturday night, oh the yumminess.
• Slept in again.
• Decided to stay in my pajamas all day.
• Watched some more cheesy Christmas movies.
• Prepped for the week ahead and marvels at what a bum I was all weekend.

New Years Resolution for 2009 - be more timely in my weekend wrap up posts. ;-)

Weekend Wrap-Up

Escaped from Seattle to Lake Wenatchee for a long weekend with Barney and Don. Here are the highlights:

• Enjoyed the fall colors and a beautiful drive over Steven's Pass.
• Unpacked and settled in to Kamp K, my friend Kipp's cabin.
• Took a walk along the waterfront and back through the woods.
• Worked REALLY hard to get a fire started.
• Relaxed on the deck and enjoyed the lake while snacking and sippin a glass of wine.
• Made and enjoyed a yummy dinner of steaks, baked potatoes and green beans.
• Got beat over and over again in repetitive games of Shanghai Rummy.
• Drank too much wine.
• Sipped coffee and stared out at the morning fog on the lake.
• Made oatmeal for breakfast and can't believe I've lived 35 years and never put cinnamon on my oatmeal!
• Snapped some great pics on the way to Leavenworth, I love fall!
• Saw the Oktoberfest parade and the traditional taping of the first keg.
• Tried a few "new to me" beers.
• Enjoyed walking through Leavenworth on a sunny beautiful afternoon.
• Got back to the cabin in time to enjoy the sunset and some snacking in front of the fire.
• Lost some more card games, it was not my weekend for winning.
• Enjoyed coffee in front of the fire again trying to get the fire going again.
• Made my famous (at least in my little world they are famous) Eggs Benedict.
• Cleaned up and packed up.
• Stopped at Smallwood's Harvest in Peshastin, WA to buy fresh apples.
• Got home in time to unpack and prepare for the week ahead.

Hopefully I'll get the pictures downloaded from my camera soon so that I can share some with all of you. How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

It was a busy and productive weekend, here are the highlights:

• Got an early start to the weekend with an early dismissal from work at the conclusion of our annual Summer Picnic on Thursday. I was chair of the picnic again this year so by the end I was cold, muddy and exhausted but glad it was a success.
• Ran home long enough to shower and change into clean clothes and then went to pick up my new dog, Barney. Snapped this pic moments after picking him up.
  
• Headed back home to get Barney settled in and fed and then we were off to my friend Kipp's for dinner along with Barney and Kayla (Kipp's dog) play-time.
• Woke early Friday morning (one of the benefits of dog ownership) and enjoyed a bit of lazy time around the house.
• Ran to Costco, Pet's Mart and Safeway to pick up dog supplies and other items I needed.
• Read my book while waiting in line at the ferry from Fauntleroy to Southworth.
• Loved watching John (the cutest nephew in the world) follow Barney around their yard. They were instant buddies.
• Enjoyed a fun evening and yummy dinner at Kristen and Dave's.
• Completed the usual Saturday morning laundry bit but this time with Barney in tow. He loved meeting all the people and dogs atop the hill.
• Ran to Fred Meyer to pick up some more household stuff including a shelving unit for my utility closet.
• Cleaned everything out of the utility closet, set up the shelves and reorganized it. The before can be seen here, the after seen here.
• Cleaned the rest of the apartment while Barney slept in the sunshine on the deck.
• Decided not to cook the dinner and ordered a pizza. Watched some Olympic coverage and relaxed with Barney on the couch.
• Took Barney to the off-leash area at Golden Gardens on Sunday morning so that he could sniff and play with other doggie friends.
• Made another trip to Pet's Smart (to make an exchange) and a quick stop at Target and then we were home for the rest of the day just in time for the rain to start.
• Relaxed the afternoon away by watching the Olympics and taking a nap with on the couch.
• Grilled up some pork chops and fresh veggies (including tomatoes from my garden) for dinner while Don and Barney got acquainted with each other.
• Enjoyed a good bottle of wine and dinner on the deck in the rain.

Quite the whirlwind. How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

The weather was perfect this weekend. Oh, how I love Seattle in the summer! The highlights of my weekend:

• Slept in on Friday morning. I'm really growing fond of the whole Friday's off, 3-day weekend bit.
• Worked a volunteer shift at Kirkland Uncorked on Friday afternoon. I was assigned to the *Winery Check-In* area which means that I unloaded boxes of wine, loaded them onto a hand-truck and rolled them over to the refrigerated trucks. Needless to say by the end of the day, I couldn't move my arms.
• Fought horrible traffic to get home to Seattle and when I did get home I took a shower put on my pj's and watched movies on the couch.
• Woke bright and early to do, that's right, LAUNDRY! :-)
• Attended the Mariners game at Safeco field with Don, Kat and Ian. They lost to the Cleveland Indians but we had a great time thanks to the beer, the sun, the beer, the good seats and the beer.
• Had breakfast on Sunday morning at The Original Pancake House in Kirkland with Don prior to walking down to the waterfront to enjoy the downtown festival and Kirkland Uncorked.
• Tasted some really yummy wines and soaked up more sun.
• Enjoyed the deck at McMenamins in Mill Creek.
• Took Kat to the airport for her evening flight to Europe where she will be traveling on business this week.
• Got home and realized that weekend was over. Wow, it goes by so quickly! And now it's Monday!

How was your weekend?

Photo of the Day - Chateau Ste Michelle Winery

Chateau Ste Michelle Winery, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

The main building, a.k.a. "The Chateau" at Chateau Ste Michelle winery, taken during our tour in June 2008.

Photo of the Day - Chateau Ste Michelle Winery

Chateau Ste Michelle Winery, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

Close up of the winery logo which was taken while touring the visiting the Chateau Ste Michelle winery, which is one of my all-time favorites, in Woodinville, Washington.

Food for a Queen

Crown inside the West 5 restaurant in West Seattle.

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

It was a crazy week with long work hours and lots of projects to prepare for my trip to California which caused my weekend update post to be VERY delayed, here are the highlights:

• Left work a bit early to run by Costco on the way home to pick up some of our *regular* wine (Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling).
• Headed over to Don's to help him with any prep needed prior to dinner but he had things completely under control.
• Enjoyed lots of laughter and a really good meal with friends Kipp and Christy. Don made his infamous Orange Chicken on the grill, roasted red potatoes and green beans which was all yummy!
• Woke early Saturday for the regular trip to the laundromat, coffee at Peet's and doughnuts at Top Pot.
• Took a nap on Saturday afternoon.
• Enjoyed a quiet night at home on Saturday night catching up on my TiVo and dying Easter Eggs.
• Had Easter Brunch with Don and Kat at Yarrow Bay Grill in Kirkland. We had never been there and it was delightful. It will definitely be added to our list of regular places.
• Got an Easter basket full of fun treasurers from Nancy.
• Cleaned, organized and futzed around the house.
• Spent the evening playing pool with Don at Rock Bottom playing pool. As usual, he kicked my ass. :-)

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Enjoyed a 3-day weekend trip to Cannon Beach, Oregon with Don this weekend. Some of the highlights:

• Woke early on Friday morning to finish packing and organizing so that we could leave between 9 and 10 as planned. Don and I were sending text messages back and forth to ensure that we didn't forget anything and I nearly fell over when I received a message saying that he wasn't bringing his laptop. I hadn't packed mine yet (but had been planning to take it) and was intrigued by the idea of having an "unplugged" weekend and that is exactly what we did.
  
• Enjoyed a easy drive (of course if was easy for me, I wasn't driving) south to Oregon.
• Stopped for a small lunch and a beer at Rogue Ales Public House in Astoria.
• Got settled in our beautiful room on the beach in Cannon Beach.
• Had dinner with our friends Nikki and Matt at Bigfoot's Pub and Grub in Seaside.
• Enjoyed a part rainy, part sunny stroll on the beach to have lunch at Mo's where we enjoyed sourdough bread bowls filled with Clam Chowder and Mo's own Half-e-weizen.
• Relaxed and enjoyed a sunny afternoon, followed by a spectacular sunset complete with snacks and wine.
• Had a fabulous dinner at the Wayfarer Restaurant.
• Slept in and then packed up and left the room just before check-out time and headed to the Pig N Pancake to indulge in some much needed carbs and protein.
• Took in the scenery on the ride home to Seattle (once again, spoiled cause I didn't have to drive!)
• Arrived home to empty kitchens/fridges, so we ran to get a few essentials at the store shortly after arriving home.
• "Plugged in" my laptop to check my email, RSS Feeds etc and realized that I didn't miss anything earth shattering.
  
• Relaxed the evening away, all the while remembering the beach and the fabulous weekend, trying to forget that the "real world" would be back in full-force today.

I took tons of pictures but haven't finished sorting through and uploading them yet, but am hoping to do so tonight, I'll keep you posted.

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

Time for the weekend update again, the highlights:

• Hosted a trivia night with most of "the usuals" from our pub trivia nights at Pyramid Ale House on Friday night. We divided into 2 teams and battled for the win for nearly six hours only to declare it a draw. The best part of the evening was watching friends rack their brains in an attempt to find answers to questions as the amount of beer consumed increased. Memorable names like "The Urkel Family" and "Cameron Electric" still make me chuckle.
• Annoyed by a telemarketing call from Catherine's that woke me up at 8:11 a.m. to tell me about the latest promotion.
• Attempted to get some additional sleep following the rude awakening and finally after an hour of watching TV managed to fall back asleep until just before 11:00 a.m. and then got up to deal with the kitchen nightmare and rinse the 47 empty bottles of beer and 1 bottle of wine from the night before in preparation for recycling.
• Had wanted to attend the state Democratic Caucus but decided that I had too much to do and had slept too late.
• Ran to the Metropolitian Market.
• Completed all the prep work for the Pink and Red Dips from this recipe. I've never used 1/4 cup of paprika in a single recipe.
• Enjoyed trying "new-to-me"African cuisine at "Cooking with Bacchus" event with Don at Kipp's home on Saturday night. Food included our Shrimp with Pink and Red Dips (see above), a Ethiopian soup with veggies and peanut butter, a beef stew with tomatoes, snow peas and bananas and roasted bananas for dessert. Along with lots of interesting and fun wines.
• Completed 4 loads of laundry first thing Sunday morning fueled by a triple latte and a large cup of coffee.
• Headed to Don's for a late lunch/early dinner of his yummy spaghetti with he and Kat followed by some "hangin' time" and watching the movie the The Emperor's New Groove.
• Reviewed some final details, notes and procedures to prep for the audit at work on Monday.
• Finally saw the final half of Woman of the Year which I have been sleeping through for nearly a week.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Is it Monday morning already? The highlights of the weekend:

• Raced home from the office on Friday to meet Don and head to Happy Hour with my colleague and friend Kipp and several of his friends at McCormick & Schmick's on Lake Union. Happy hour turned into several happy hours with lots of wine and laughter.
• Fell asleep within an hour of arriving at home and slept for 11 hours.
• Found the sweaters that had been left at the Laundromat last weekend.
• Returned a sweater and bought a couple of new sweaters at the Outlet Stores in Tulalip, WA.
• Stopped for lunch at Diamond Knot Alehouse for lunch with Don on the way back from Tulalip. I had a yummy Chicken Cheddar Melt which was cooked at the table on a hot stone.
• Picked out knives to fill the empty holes in my knife block at Macy's as they are having an amazing sale.
• Watched cheesy Hallmark channel movies Daniel's Daughter and The Good Witch from my TiVo.
• Drank coffee and watched my usual Sunday morning favorites Meet The Press and CBS Sunday Morning.
• Ran out to pick up pizza and beer for the Super Bowl.
• Watched the Super Bowl (and the ads) with Kat and Don whilst enjoying clam dip (yummy!), pizza and beer. My favorite ads were the Bridgestone Tire Car vs. Squirrel, Bridgestone Tire Richard Simmons near-miss and the Audi Godfather spoof.
• Attempted to watch Woman of the Year on DVD from NetFlix but only stayed awake while I was sitting up and sipping at a cup of tea.

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?

My kind of drinkin

Wine tasting with dinner before the symphony.

Grown-up Lincoln Logs

I assembled and stocked Don's wine rack this evening. I was really pleased with the final product and he made a really yummy dinner.