Sunday, December 30, 2007

Hockey, Hockey, and More Hockey!

Lennie, my parents, and I have just returned from a whirlwind trip to Vancouver, BC for two days packed full of hockey fun. You'd think that we were hockey fans with all of the hockey that we watched! (Actually, the sum total of my hockey information comes from Disney's "The Mighty Ducks" movie, not good...) It was a lot of fun to see my nephew play in the tournament, and overall he and his team did really well. In addition to going to the team's game on Saturday, we went to see my nephew play in the "All Star" game on Saturday night, and after that we trekked across the parking lot to see the Vancouver Giants play against a team from Kelowna. Good times were had by all, although I've never taken in that much hockey in one weekend, let alone in my life. Phew!

We took quite a few photos of the adventure, which you can view here. I'm glad that we went up to join in on the tournament fun, and it was cool to hang out with my brother for a little bit. Now I'm looking forward to hanging out in the condo and bringing in the New Year. :-)

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Why is it...

Why is it that every time I go to the dentist, my teeth hurt afterwards? I actually like going to the dentist (I'm a little weird, I know), but it seems that my teeth ache or "feel funny" after going there, even if it's only for a cleaning. I consider myself "dentally fortunate," in that I've only had one filling in my life and I've never had braces. But I still want to know why my teeth feel funky after a simple cleaning... I can't seem to figure this one out! :-)

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas!



Happy holidays from our house to yours!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Unwarranted Dread?!

Have you ever seen an e-mail pop into your inbox and you've just dreaded opening it, for fear of the body of the message or how you will react to it? Well, I had that happen this morning... the message was sitting there staring a me, and my brain was totally twisting around all of the options and my potential reactions. I went out of my way to avoid opening the message, just knowing that the message was going to make me cry or something. I practiced the art of avoidance for a little while, letting the dread build up in my system.

And all of it was for not. The tears never came, and actually, the message made me smile and do a little happy dance in my office (it's early, so I can do the happy dance without my coworkers seeing me and knowing that I'm weird...). The message had the absolute opposite reaction than I had anticipated, the dread was totally unwarranted.

So, are there things in your life that you're dancing around because you're dreading the reaction? Take it from me: you might be better off just attacking it head on. After all, your reaction may be WAY more positive than you think. It was for me, the unwarranted dread just turned out to be a waste of brain cells, and the happy message made my morning bright. Welcome to another great day!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Sometimes, You Just Have To Take A Day Off.

It was a super-busy weekend. Friday night took us to dinner (yum!) and then the Nutcracker by the Pacific Northwest Ballet with friends. It was a fun night out, but reminded us why we're not really "artsy theater" people. Although, we enjoyed it.

Saturday took me to the spa with two of the greatest friends in my life. After being wrapped in mud, massaged, and getting a facial, I feel refreshed and rejuvenated. This Christmas tradition was born 6+ years ago as a way to treat ourselves and to give each other the gift of time and relaxation. I look forward to this time with friends, and can't wait to get back to the spa. (If I could, I think that I would live in the spa!)

The office holiday party was Saturday night. I'm pretty proud of this event from start to finish. We had a great venue, good food, great tunes to dance to, a packed dance floor, and many co-workers in attendance. I'm pretty proud of this event, and I think that everyone had a great time.

With all of that said, Lennie and I just had to take a day off on Sunday. We lazed around the house, did some laundry, addressed some Christmas cards, watched the DVD "SiCKO" (great movie, I think you need to watch it!), caught up on television shows, and generally didn't leave the condo all day. I needed to take a day off from the world, that's for sure!

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Back from Paradise

Wow, what a week! We had a great time in Cabo San Lucas, soaking up the sun, relaxing, riding ATVs, and generally being tourists. I highly recommend taking a vacation between Thanksgiving and Christmas... this is the second year in a row that Lennie and I have taken vacation during this time, and once again we missed monumental weather in the Seattle area, and we had a great time unwinding.

Here are two photos from many (see the complete set here) that we took on vacation:




I don't know if I'm ready to get back to reality, but it sure is coming fast... back to work bright and early tomorrow morning. (Oh, and who turned the temperature down here in Seattle? Brrr!!!)

Travel Photos

Apparently I haven't downloaded photos from my camera for a while... so, here are some of the photos from our trip to California (Yucaipa, San Diego, etc.) in September to see family and for a little work too.... oooppps for not getting to these sooner!


20070909_20

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Hmmm...

... it's snowing outside (hello, I live in Seattle, it't not supposed to snow here!) and I'm packing my bags full of shorts and swimming suits. This doesn't seem right, and yet, it seems perfectly right. Go figure. :-)

(Vacation, here I come!)

Friday, November 30, 2007

Simple Pleasures: Friendship

Last night I had the opportunity to get together with some great friends to share some laughter, conversation, good food, and fun times. During the course of the evening, I was reminded of a few great life lessons, including:

  • Don't let your job or career define you. There is more to life than what you do to earn your paycheck.


  • Laughter really is the best medicine. When you're tired and worn down by the little things in life, spending time laughing with friends can really turn your world around.


  • It doesn't matter if you get funny looks from one or two other tables in the restaurant as long as you're still with good friends and having good clean fun.


  • Our famous parking lot post-event conversations are a lot shorter when it's literally freezing outside. (I think I'm okay with this life lesson!)


  • You shouldn't underestimate the value of friendship. A good friend will be able to pick up conversation with you after not seeing you for weeks or months, as friendship will stand the tests of time.


I'm so grateful for good food, good friends, and good fun. It's good for the soul. (That's a lot of good!) :-)

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Accents

What kind of accent do you speak with? Apparently, I'm a neutral American speaker...
What American accent do you have? (Best version so far)

Neutral

You're not Northern, Southern, or Western, you're just plain -American-. Your national identity is more important than your local identity, because you don't really have a local identity. You might be from the region in that map, which is defined by this kind of accent, but you could easily not be. Or maybe you just moved around a lot growing up.

Personality Test Results

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.


You can take this quiz too!

Hustle & Bustle

So, the holidays are here. I've got my iPod hooked up playing my massive Christmas music collection in my office (who knew that a girl could own so many holiday CDs!), and the air has a crisp chill to it. Downtown streets are overflowing with holiday shoppers (and browsers), the Macy's star is lit up (I love that tradition!), and there are lights everywhere you look. Does it get any better than this? I think not!

I'm very excited to report that I finally have a replacement Rodney Reindeer for my Hallmark collection... he's back friends, and now available at your local Hallmark shop. My two (why do I have two?!) female reindeer will no longer be lonely. Yay!

Bring on the holiday cheer!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

100th Post: Thankfulness

So, I’ve been thinking for a little bit about what to write in my 100th post, and have decided to stop dawdling and just post it. To mark this momentous occasion, and since it’s the day before Thanksgiving here in the US, I thought that I would pay tribute to the things that I’m thankful for:

First and foremost, I’m thankful for my husband. I couldn’t have asked for a better man in my life, and I’m thankful for every moment that we get to spend together (even when sometimes I’m acting like a poopyhead and I don’t actually show my gratefulness well…)

Family. I come from a great family, full of laughter, love, joy, and inspiration. Thank you. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to hang out with my oldest nephew, and I have to say, he’s quite the young man. It was cool to get to spend time with him, and appreciate how he has grown up. I don’t often get to take time out to get to know my family better, and I’m very thankful that I have had multiple opportunities this year to connect with my family.

Friends. I have some of the coolest friends around -- people that you should really get to know. They know how to make me laugh, think, and change the world all in their own ways.

Faith. I believe in a God of love, who provides for me, walks with me, watches over me, and loves me regardless of what happens in life. I couldn’t do it day in and day out if I didn’t have God by my side.

Grace. I am a broken person who is far from perfect. But God, my friends, my family, and others around me continually show me grace and forgive me for being human. What a wonderful gift!

Health. A few weeks ago, I went to the doctor for my annual check-up. Got a clean bill of health, for the most part, and I am constantly reminded of how blessed I am to have my health. Sure, I should be working on fixing up my temple, but I’m grateful for the good health that I have today.

Paychecks. I’m really grateful for my paycheck, and for the opportunities before me. I don’t always express my thankfulness for this tribute that can often be taken for granted, but I realize that I couldn’t live how I do without my paycheck.

Food, clothing, shelter. Everyday, I walk by people who don’t have their basic needs met… they’re sleeping in doorways, shivering night and day, and begging for scraps of food or spare change. I’m lucky: I don’t have these issues, and my biggest problem is deciding whether or not I want the tall or grande mocha or whether I will catch the “early” bus in the afternoon. When you put it in that kind of perspective, it makes you grateful for event the littlest things, doesn’t it?

There are so many other things, big and small, that I am thankful for, and I could go on for pages and pages about all of the great things in life. But I want to know: what are you thankful for this holiday season?

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I love the start of Christmas season. The air is crisp (and sometimes downright cold), the leaves are all changing in the trees, and the holiday lights and decor is going up around the town. Yesterday, I was preparing to cross the street from the bus tunnel, and I noticed the finer details on Santa's headquarters at Nordstrom -- including fake snow on the eaves of the temporary sidewalk HQ. I love it! And today, oh today, I noticed that the Nutcrackers have invaded the downtown sidewalks.... I love it! (Check out the Nutcrackers online.)

One week left until I get to put the tree up and trim the house festively! Yippeee! Time seems to have gotten away from me (where did this year go?), but I'm excited about the start of the holiday season. Bring it on!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Weekend Wanderings

Early this weekend, Lennie and I outlined a plan of action, including items like paint the bathrooms, do laundry, get new cell phones, finish our wedding album order, try a new church event, and go to the gym. I'm pleased to report that we have completed most of these tasks... we just didn't make it to the gym, big surprise. I'm exhausted as I type this, but I'm pleased that we we got as much accomplished this weekend as we had set out to do.

I "heart" Costco. Earlier this week, we stopped by the T-Mobile store in search of our new cell phones. After an unsuccessful high pressure sales incident, we left without any new phones to "think about" our options. We both fell in love with the new Blackberry Pearl phones, and decided to purchase them this weekend for the sale price of $149 each at the T-Mobile store. On a lark, we stopped at Costco just before going back to the T-Mobile store. It's a good thing that we did, too! Membership truly has it's priviledges with Costco, as we purchased the identical T-Mobile phones for $30 each, plus our activation fees were waived and we were able to sign up for our two-year plans on the spot. In total, I think that Costco saved us $300 this weekend on our new cell phones. Costco, I love you!

Perhaps on another post, I'll tell you why November 14th will be my last day with Sprint. I'm still too angry with them today to even vent about it on my blog right now... argh! Darn lack of customer service!

All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. The bathrooms need another coat of paint, but that was to be expected. They look really good though, if I do say so myself!

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Staple, Staple, Staple!

Okay, so I'm really not a fan of Jack in the Box. In fact, I haven't eaten at a Jack in the Box willingly since the Seattle-area e coli outbreak nearly 15 years ago. That's half my lifetime, friends, so as you can see, I'm not a fan.

However, lately their marketing has permeated my brain. As I was stapling a document at work yesterday, I found myself thinking "Staple! Staple! Staple!" (Get out of my brain, Jack! Get out!) Just like the cheerleader in the commercial. So, I must share this great work of marketing magic with all of you:



"Copy, copy, copy...." oy vey!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Where Has the Time Gone?

Well, we set our clocks back this weekend, and I feel like time has just been whizzing by me. Autumn is definitely here, the air is crisp, the leaves on the trees have turned into beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red. I love and hate this time of year all at the same time. I love it because things are changing, and something new is ahead of us. However, gone are the days of walking out of the house in a t-shirt and jeans, and the scarves are starting to get pulled out of the closet. What fun: welcome autumn and winter!

I was at my all-time favorite store, Target, the other day and I took a stroll through the Christmas section. Unlike usual, I was very excited to be walking through the aisles of holiday schwag. Christmas is right around the corner, and I can't wait to break into our holiday supplies and put the Christmas tree... it's taking everything I have to not put it up before Thanksgiving. After all, it is against some sort of rule to have your Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving dinner, right? Heh... I may have to test that rule this year!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

More Wedding Fun!

One of the best things about the time after the wedding is that we have been slowly getting photos from the guests. The latest set is now available online for you to enjoy -- thank you Aunt Anita! :-)

Silly Huskies!

I'm becoming a disillusioned Husky fan. I've gone from calling it a rebuilding year (for the past four years) to a rebuilding era. After the Arizona game, though, I have to say that I'm starting to question my loyalty to this year's team. I'm a tried-and-true fan, sure, but I'm also feeling pretty fair weather right now too. However, I think that Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times expressed it best in his article "Changes are Needed:"
The age of forgiveness is over. It ended late Saturday afternoon. Ended after Washington blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead — to Arizona.

It ended when the defense allowed 535 yards and the offense committed five turnovers. Ended with a 48-41 loss.

Last week, Washington coach Tyrone Willingham speculated that none of his players could start for USC. And then those players went out and proved him right.

Turns out the Huskies don't even have the talent to beat Arizona.

"Obviously there are a lot of people who don't feel very good about who we are right now," Willingham said after the game.

This was a 24-karat embarrassment. Washington was outscored 22-6 in the fourth quarter. Last week, Oregon outscored the Huskies 24-3 in the fourth. Read more of the article here.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Now Hear This! :-)

I thought that I would put the world on notice: last week was a challenging and funky week for me. Tears may have been shed, frustration may have been vented, but it's all behind me now. It's history. Time to move on.

So, here's my pronouncement: This week, my friends, is going to be a great week. I'm going in with a new attitude and I'm willing it to be, nay, making it, a great week.

So, who's with me? Let's go and have a fabulous week!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Where's the Wind?

So, this morning, the news media made it sound like we were going to be having an big wind storm this afternoon... complete with monumental power outages and a need for an in-home survival kit. Aside from some creaking and yawing in my office building today, I'm waiting for the epic storm. Did I simply blink at the wrong time and miss the storm? Or have my standards been raised after last year's actual epic windstorm, power outage, and cold? I dunno... but I do know that we can put the MREs back in the cupboard, the storm has passed for now, I think.

Bummer, I was kind of looking forward to a good storm this evening...

Friday, October 12, 2007

More Wedding Photos!

I'm very pleased to report that we have received the photos from our wedding photographers. I couldn't have asked for better photos! If you'd like to take a look, you can access them online at www.pictage.com. Just search for us when prompted. Enjoy! :-)

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Lunch With Kool & the Gang

So, I work downtown, and today I was fortunate enough to hear the musical stylings of Kool and the Gang at lunch. Actually, that's a little inaccurate: I was treated to their musical stylings (and sound checks) from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in my office on the 16th floor. You see, in celebration of the grand opening of the new Sheraton Seattle tower, Kool and the Gang played the valet driveway of the Sheraton, and we could hear it all the way up in our offices. We did go down for a few songs so that we could see them "live." What fun!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

I'm Famous!

Yep, it's true... I'm very happy to report that an interview that I did with Target Marketing Magazine has hit the prime time. You can view the interview here.

(Okay, so I know that doesn't really make me famous, but it's fun to have an interview published, isn't it?)

Saturday, September 22, 2007

This is a Pithy Headline

It's been a weird week, in a good way, for me. Especially the end of the week, which culminated the potential of a new project. I'm really excited about the doors that are opening for me, and I am very excited at the prospects that lay ahead. Change is a brewin', I just don't know where it's going to lead me... stay tuned! :-)

Follow-up: God vs. Nebraska Senator

Heh heh... apparently "God" has responded to the Nebraska Senator's lawsuit.

As for Chambers' contention that God made terroristic threats, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization," Perkins wrote that God "contends that any harm or injury suffered is a direct and proximate result of mankind ignoring obvious warnings."


Word up, God! :-)

Monday, September 17, 2007

What is the Legal World Coming To?

You can't make this stuff up, really: Nebraska Senator Sues God.
LINCOLN, Neb. - The defendant in a state senator's lawsuit is accused of causing untold death and horror and threatening to cause more still. He can be sued in Douglas County, the legislator claims, because He's everywhere.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers sued God last week. Angered by another lawsuit he considers frivolous, Chambers says he's trying to make the point that anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody.


Read more of the Associated Press coverage (as quoted above) here.

I must go on record to say that this is not the God that I know. God doesn't cause untold death and horror. The God that I know is a God of love...

Absurdity of the lawsuit aside, they're naming the wrong defendant, if you ask me!

Sunday, September 16, 2007

It's So Cliche...

... why is it that I left town feeling mostly okay, but when I got a few days in to my trip to California, the annual back-to-school cold decided to set in? It's cliche because I got on a plane and I got off with a cold.

Yikes, guess I should have stocked up on the Airborne before I left or something! Oh well, I'm mostly better now (having taken my plane ride home, and a whole lot of cold medicine), but if I could just shake this tiredness, I'd be one happy camper. :-)

Monday, September 10, 2007

Meeting The Family

So, this past weekend I got to meet my hubby's family... it was fun and stressful all at once. We're already married, so it's not like either of us is going to run away screaming after the experience. However, it's a little overwhelming knowing that you're going to be meeting 30 meaningful people from your husband's life all at once. For future reference, I don't know that I recommend doing things this way, but it's nice to finally have faces to place with names, voices, and stories. The whole family was really nice, and I'm really grateful for the church friends that have been around L's life. I don't think that we could have done it without y'all!

A few travel highlights from the weekend: my first ever trip to Bob's Big Boy (I don't know why, but I always thought that this was a grocery store...), not getting hit or rear-ended on the freeway in Southern California (a major victory in itself!), not seeing any "shady" characters at our better-than-expected motel, seeing where my sweetie grew up.

One of the things that I came away with from this weekend is how different people's lives can be, and how wonderful my family is. I have really been blessed with great people and circumstances in my life, and I appreciate everyone who has touched my life. Thank you all!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

New Furniture! :-)



So we went out and bought some new furniture, and it arrived yesterday. I love it! It makes our place look like a completely new home... the living room seems bigger and more airy, and we actually want to be in the living room now. I walk into the living room and instantly have a smile on my face. If you want to feel like you're living in a new house, I highly recommend purchasing new furniture. After all, it's cheaper than buying a new house, isn't it?

Friday, August 17, 2007

Identity Crisis

One of the things that can come along with getting married is getting a new name. In my world, it's like a package deal: "Husband 1.0 comes with new last name for you!" (* Some assembly required.) Sweet, I can handle this, right? Right. A few papers here and there, no problem.

Let me tell you: changing your name is a heck of a lot of work! I have done 95% of the work now, but I still feel like I'm in limbo -- when I talk to people that I already know, especially in a professional setting, how do I let them know that my name changed? Is it a footnote in the conversation? Do I correct them when they call me by my maiden name? When I leave voicemails, what last name do I leave in the message? Lots of questions, no great answers.

Okay, back to the "work" side of changing your name... there are a lot of places that you need to change your name, places that you never even think of... here's a sampling of places where your name is important:
  • Social Security (obvious, right?)

  • Driver's License (easy -- done in 30 minutes, and my photo is seriously HOT!)

  • Bank (I'll write another post about this one later... still in the middle of it!)

  • Passport (10 to 12 weeks? Yikes!)

  • Credit cards (Really? All I had to do was call the 800 number? Too easy!)

  • Insurance (Check.)

  • Car title (whooppsss, forgot this one!)

  • Grocery & other loyalty clubs

  • Airlines -- mileage plans, etc. (I'll write about this one in another post too...)

  • And the list keeps going, and going, and going, just like the Energizer Bunny!


I have to say, though, I am enjoying my new name -- it's really kind of growing on me!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

1 Month!


Happy 1 Month Anniversary Mr. & Mrs. KermitFan!
Wow, where does the time go?

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Wedding Photos: Part II


More photos have come in from my sister & her family in Alaska -- thanks Tara! Thought you all would want to see them in all of their glory.

If there are more photos floating out there of the wedding, I'd love to see them... please send 'em my way when you get a moment! :-)

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

The Costs of Urban Life

Over the past few months, I've been keenly aware of the changes that my fair city has been undergoing. Seems that we're transitioning from being a quaint little city to an urban mecca. I've blogged in the past about my struggles with how to respond to homeless people while downtown, so I won't dwell on that topic for too long here. Seems like there are more and more homeless people around us both downtown and in the suburbs, and that makes me very sad.

Our city is also dealing with other problems -- like a seeming increase in senseless violence. Yesterday at the beginning of rush hour, there was a shooting downtown, one block from where I wait for my bus and three blocks from work. I walked past the multitude of police officers and incident responders on the way to my bus as my mother called in a panic. Seems that I was unaware that this was a shoting (with the shooters still at large at the time) instead of an auto accident (as I had assumed). News helicopters buzzed over head, and I was anxious to get on the bus and return home to my natural habitat (I'm a suburban girl!).

My coworkers and I discussed this incident at length today, touching on the senselessness of the violence, but also touching on our increased awareness of the activities that are going on around us... from drug deals in broad daylight on the streets to gangs to to people shooting up on every floor of the parking lot where many of us park our cars. It seems that nowhere feels safe any more.

I ask you this: how do you reclaim your city? How do you make it so that you feel safe in the places where you live and work? What does that process look like? Is this what it means to be in the big city (although, these things are happening in the small towns too!), and is this a culture shift that we have to accept in the changes of our piece of urbana? I seem to have a lot of questions, and not a lot of ideas on where to go for answers...

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Wedding Photos: Round I


So, we got the prints back from the disposable cameras that were on the tables at the reception -- some good photos, some not-so-good photos in the bunch. It's fun, however, to get other people's perspective on the event. View the photos here.

We also took a ton of sunset and sunburn photos while in St. Thomas. (Seriously, I was wearing SPF 50 the whole time, and I got a major sunburn... go figure!) You can view those photos here.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

As Seen In the News...

... Okay, so as seen in the Brae Burn Newsletter. Nonetheless, we're famous:

Wedding Bells. Proud parents and associate members, Harry & Beth Cummings report that their daughter, Jill Cummings, married Lennie Majors on July 14th at Bellevue First Presbyterian Church. Reception was held at the Bellevue Hilton Hotel. The groom’s dinner was held at the Brae Burn Clubhouse, on Friday evening, with 60 family members and out of town guests attending. Family members from Alaska brought 35 lbs. of fresh salmon that was prepared on the clubhouse grills. The couple left on Sunday for a honeymoon in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. When they return they will live in Bellevue.”


You heard it here first: we're married! We actually tied the knot! It was a hot July day in Bellevue, with just the right balance of clouds and sunshine... (although, with nine million layers of wedding dress, is there really a perfect balance of clouds and sunshine?) It was a beautiful way to start our new journey together as man and wife.

I'd especially like to thank all of our friends and family who were there to celebrate the beginning of a great marriage. We're very blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives -- and we're eternally grateful for the impact that you've had on both of us. We look forward to sharing this journey with you.

I'll try to post more photos in the coming days of the wedding weekend... stay tuned!

Monday, July 02, 2007

Holy Gucamole!

Less than two weeks before the wedding! Yikes! There is soooooooooooooo much to do, and seemingly so little time to do it in... Deep breath... deep breath... I can do all of this... I know it! :-)

To all of those from out of town who are reading this: can't wait to have y'all come in for the wedding -- we're looking forward to seeing all of you!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Bachelorette Party

So, I have some of the coolest bridesmaids in the land. (You may think that your friends rock, but mine would put them under the table in coolness.) We had a great time at the bachelorette party, and I learned that I actually like Goldschlager. Who knew that a shot with gold flakes could be so good. (Although, perhaps the 4 drinks before that made the Goldschlager seem tasty... was the booze setting in?) The other thing that I learned is that if you're wearing a feather boa, people pay attention to you... that one little gift from the girls resulted in a round of shots for the bridesmaids, and a free admission to Tia Lou's (at $10 a head, that boa paid for itself very quickly!). Sweet deal!

Thanks, ladies, for a great night! (Oh, and even though I'm a lightweight when it comes to drinking, I truly wasn't hungover the next day... go figure!)

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Top Five Reasons I Didn't Go To the Gym

Seems that I haven't been to the gym for about a month now. I have no excuse for not going, but seem to be using a lot of the following lately:

1. "It's late... let's go to dinner instead."
2. "I'm tired..." or "I don't feel up to it..."
3. "It's hot out!" (during the winter, this can also be "it's cold out")
4. "It's our only night together this week."

And my all time favorite:
5. "I just don't want to!"

So tell me, oh great Blogosphere, what can I do to get the gym back in my regular regime?

Monday, June 18, 2007

Weddings And Such

So, this weekend we had the divine pleasure of witnessing the marriage of two of our friends from church. It was a great ceremony, complete with two catchy hymns (I've had one of them blissfully drifting through my brain for the last 24 hours) and a few tears of joy. It was kind of surreal, really, because I sat in the congregation thinking "wow... that's going to be me in a matter of weeks!"

I'm so excited for our friends as they start their new lives together. I can't wait to be a witness to the great things that will unfold in their lives. Congratulations you two!

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Phew! We Made It!

So, this week was the annual customer event at work. This year, I think that I've been planning two weddings! We made it through the event without any major hitches (or if there were any, I don't know about them!). I'm exhausted, but glad that everyone had a great time. It was fun to have everyone in my home city of Seattle... if you're ever in town and need a hotel, try the Westin Seattle. Their staff is beyond fabulous!

Now I guess I need to concentrate on my wedding! :-) Yikes -- less than 30 days left! Stay tuned...

Sunday, June 10, 2007

"Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting"

How many people can say that they have gone to a 50th birthday party with their parents where a male stripper was involved? I can now say that I'm in that club.

It was a surreal experience... watching as family friends enjoyed the "show." Can't say that it's an event that I ever want to repeat... Kung Fu Fighting will never be the same for me... I may have been emotionally scarred by that one. :-)

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Friends + Family = Fun!

This weekend has been absolutely awesome! It was really busy, as you will see, but I'm very blessed with a great group of people in my life, that's for sure.

I started my long weekend with dinner at Newcastle Golf Club with my parents, Lennie, and my sister & niece from Alaska on Thursday night. We got to enjoy the summer weather, great food, and an amazing sunset. Friday (a day off from work!) included running errends and a dress fitting with the girls (my sister, niece, and mom that is...) before sitting in the sunshine at the neighborhood pool. This is the life, I tell ya!

On Saturday, my bridesmaids and mother put on a great bridal shower. I am so fortunate to have such a great group of women in my life! It was fun to get together with friends and family to laugh and share in conversation with one another. The bridal shower had a recipe theme, and it was neat to see all of the different dishes that came in -- I can't wait to get into the kitchen to make some of these delectable creations! Yum!

After the bridal shower, a few of us enjoyed an evening at Chateau Ste. Michelle as we took in the Harry Connick Jr. concert. Oh, can this man sing. He can dance too! :-)

I often joke that Harry is my "other boyfriend." His voice can melt me, that's for sure! However, I wasn't one of the 20 people who brought him mango lemonade after he commented on it during the show... I know better than to try to kiss up to him. (Although, it wouldn't hurt...)

Don't worry, friends, Lennie was at the concert too, and I kept my love for Harry in check... I promise! The wedding's still happening. Oh, and Harry, if you're reading this, we wouldn't mind if you would come and sing at our wedding. (Hey! It never hurts to ask, right?)

Today included a lazy morning and an afternoon dance class with our bridal party. It turns out, we're not half bad at this whole dancing thing! I'm glad that many of us were able to get together and gain a little confidence on the dance floor... it ws a fun time. OH, and Lennie and I have finally picked out our first dance song: "Better Together" by Jack Johnson. It's a dandy tune, I think y'all will approve. (Note: I'll be walking down the aisle to Harry Connick's version of Ave Maria, so he'll be represented at the wedding too!)

I got to spend the evening with my sister and niece for one last time, as we had a laid-back BBQ at my parents house. I'm so grateful that I have such a great family, and really enjoyed the warm Seattle weekend with these two great ladies... thanks for making the trip to Seattle!

Monday, May 21, 2007

Really? Has It Been That Long?

I can't believe that I haven't posted much lately! It's been busy... that's for sure. The big work event is coming along nicely, and it looks like we're going to have a big crowd joining us. That's pretty exciting, actually. Work is all-consuming, but I'm enjoying it. I promise that I'm still alive friends -- really!

Monday, May 07, 2007

Have You Ever....

Have you ever walked behind someone, or by someone for that matter, and thought "I wonder if my butt/hair/clothes look like that?" Have you ever asked someone that you are with if you look like the other random person that you had those thoughts about?

Have you ever taken action because of those thoughts? For example, I walked by a woman today and thought "I wonder if that's what I look like in striped pants?" I followed that thought up with "if so, I might reconsider wearing striped pants altogether..."

One final thought for you: how do you figure out how the world looks at you? Is it ever possible to get a pure view of yourself without your own personal filters or biases?

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Dancing at the Wedding

So tonight Lennie & I have been trying to find music for our first dance. We're thinking that perhaps a few dance lessons are in order (we took one lesson two weeks ago and it was a lot of fun... oh and we can dance too!). Anyhow, we aspire to dancing something like this:


Do you think that the wedding party would be willing to pull this off? Miracles can happen, right? :-)

Oh, we're also considering something like this:

Friday, April 20, 2007

My Big Pet Peeve: Follow-up

So, I broke down and bought a mocha on my way to work this morning. Lent is over, but I had not stepped back into my coffee habit until today. I was tired, and I needed it. (And it was good, but not as good as I remembered it, frankly.)

However, I will say that the Seattle's Best Coffee clerk that took my order is lucky that I was tired, because I really wanted to give her a piece of my mind. You may remember my post a few weeks back titled "My Big Pet Peeve." Well, seems that this clerk, who is at least 6 years younger than me, decided to call me every pet name under the sun including "honey," "sweetie," and "darlin'" in the span of three minutes. OH, and all of these names came AFTER she had gotten my name with my order. Seems that all of her colleagues could call me by name ("Here's your drink, KermitFan, have a great day!"), but a mere 15 seconds after she had gotten my name, I was still "sweetie," "darlin'," and "sugar."

Dargh! I'm fighting back against pet names next time! :-)

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Wedding Invitations: How Soon is Too Soon?

So we're having a little conversation between myself and a few family members. We're ~90 days out from the wedding... I think that it's time to get the invitations in the mail. My mom thinks that we need to wait a few more weeks. What do you think? Is it too early to mail the invitations? Do tell...

Friday, April 13, 2007

Rave: MyJewelrybox.com

So my friend Honeybee turned me on to a new Web site, and so far I'm impressed: MyJewelrybox.com. I ordered a gift through this site last night, and the next morning I received a telephone call verifying the shipping address on my order and confirming that I placed the order. Within ten minutes of that conversation, I received an e-mail stating that my order had been approved and that I would receive a shipping confirmation within the next twenty four hours. An hour later, I had a shipping confirmation e-mail complete with a tracking URL. I can't wait to see the order on my doorstep! Stay tuned!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

My First Bridal Shower

I have to hand it to my co-workers: they totally rock. They managed to pull off a surprise bridal shower for me. How lucky can I be to work with such thoughtful people? It was great, they totally had me thinking that I was going to lunch with the Marketing team for Q2 planning. It wasn't until I literally got to the table that I realized that it was all a set-up, and most of the women from my office were sitting there. What fun to have a lunch out with such a great group of ladies -- thank you!

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Happy Easter!

Just a note to say Happy Easter to all of you. I had the pleasure of attending the sunrise service at Bellevue Downtown Park this morning (6 a.m., yikes!) and enjoying some yummy sourdough pancakes with Dad and Lennie afterwards. How great is my life?

Happy Easter!

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Viva Las Vegas?!?!?

Greetings from Las Vegas, NV. I'm here in Las Vegas for my now annual attendance of the Exhibitor 2007 show (a "tradeshow for tradeshow people"). I'm here working on my tradeshow marketer certification (CTSM). After this week, I should only have a handful of classes, an exam, and a portfolio left to complete. I hope that this time next year I'll be reporting that I have completed my CTSM. Keep your fingers crossed for me on that goal!

As many of you know, I'm not a fan of Las Vegas. it's just so overwhelming with all of the lights, noises, and smells. Not to mention the crowds... ugh! It seems like there are lines everywhere! Alas, this year I am in a better hotel (my room doesn't feature any mirrors over my bed, what a bonus!) and I have met some very nice tradeshow professionals, which is cool. I don't do Las Vegas very well in groups, let alone as a single traveler. Seems that I'm not very excited about sitting at a blackjack table or in a bar alone. Vegas just isn't my scene, really. Oh well, I'll be home to sunny Seattle soon! :-)

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Wiki How Tos

As a part of my Google homepage, I have an RSS feed from Wikihow.com. Today's top article made me chuckle: "How to Turn Around a Bad Day at Work." While I'm not having a bad day at work today, it just made me smile because someone took the time to write a how-to on the topic... and it might be useful for when I do have a bad day at work.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Happy Spring!

Happy first day of Spring, everyone!

Sandal season is almost upon us (yippeee!), and the green grass is beginning to brighten up -- so it's time to celebrate spring!

This is one of my favorite days of the year in downtown Seattle. You see, representatives from Pike Place Market are around the downtown corridor giving out free daffodils, and it really brightens everyone up... a welcome change to the grey skies and silly winter moods that we all get in, huh? Nothing like a free flower to make you smile!

Monday, March 19, 2007

Dog Days of Winter?!

So, March 21st marks the first day of Spring 2007. And yet, it feels like the dog days of winter are still dragging on... and on... and on...

More and more of us are feeling the effects of the Seattle grey skies and the drippy faucet that seems to have settled in over us. (Could this be my lack of caffeine and/or Starbucks talking here? I think not...) Alas, I know that sunny skies are on the way... oh if only I could have a glimpse of those sunny skies a little sooner though. :-)

Thursday, March 08, 2007

My Big Pet Peeve

[Begin rant] Okay, so I've got to say it: if you don't know me, please don't ever call me by a pet name. You know what I mean, "Honey," "Sugar," "Sweetie," "Dear," "Darlin'," etc. I'm sorry: you don't know me. I'm not your "Sugar!" And even if you do know me, you obviously don't know me well enough to know that I hate being called by pet names. Yep, I detest it.

Case in point: I went to a well-known bookseller on Wednesday to pick up a book. As my sale was being processed by a clerk who was at least five years younger than me, I was called "Sugar pie," "Sweetie," and "Dear" in the matter of two minutes. Hello.... did I miss when we became best of friends over the purchase of my awesome new book? Hmmm... Oh, and this is not one of your better customer service moves either -- it's okay to be friendly with me, but not that friendly!

So here's the deal friends, readers, family, and others: if you are not an older person, a Southern person (after all, it's a culture thing), a very dear friend or super-close family member, or a waitress at a greasy spoon in the heartland, please, please, please don't use a pet name with me. You haven't earned that right, and I'm not giving it away. Either call me by my given name, or don't call me at all. [End rant]

Thanks for reading. :-)

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Lent: 15 Days In

So, for those of you who don't know, I decided to give up Starbucks for Lent this year. Yep, I took the plunge and gave up my favorite morning habit... no more grande non-fat no whip, extra stirred mocha and a (fattening) treat from the pretty case. So far so good, friends. I don't really miss the coffee or the fun doughnuts, but I do miss the routine... walking from the bus to be greeted by a nice Starbucks "partner" and having a warm drink to start my day. Alas, I've discovered that a packet of oatmeal at my desk, or a bagel on the way out of my house in the morning is far better fuel for me, and I'm saving a bundle of money. Nope, I don't miss Starbucks, and it hasn't been too tough on me... except for when my boss called an off-site meeting at Starbucks... I told her I'd go but that I wouldn't be buying anything. The meeting hasn't happened yet, so stay tuned on that one. Interestingly enough, it's the incredulous reactions from my Seattle-based friends and family. Yes, Seattle friends: it can be done. At least, for the last 15 days it has been done. Stay tuned for the rest of Lent... I know that I'll make it.

Friday, February 23, 2007

What If Noone Reads Your Blog?

Marketing giant Seth Godin mused today about the ramifications of blogging without an audience. I wonder, though, as a non-business blogger (at least on this blog) if it's okay to not have an audience... it makes it feel more personal to me, because I'm writing for myself, not for the people reading my posts and random musings. Thoughts?

Monday, February 19, 2007

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yep, that's right, I'm another year older. In fact, I've just entered my 30s. Some say that the thirties are the new twenties. Some say that turning thirty is even worse than people make it out to be. I don't know which one is true, so I'm going to go with the optimistic side: welcome to the prime of my life. Stay tuned: it should be a great ride!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just a quick note to say Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope that you all know that you're loved, and that you find warmth and joy this Valentine's Day.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Working Downtown...

Lately, I've been made keenly aware of my surroundings as I observe the hustle and bustle of downtown Seattle. One recent incident hits particularly close to home for me, as it occurred a few blocks from where I work and from my bus stop. A completely random and sensless attack, but it makes me think that I need to be aware of my surroundings.

In the past week, I've also had homeless people bark at people as they pass on the street in an attempt to get money, and have witnessed another homeless person proclaiming that people "hated his race" because they chose to not put money in his coffee cup.

What's going on on the streets of Seattle, folks? Have we lost our compassion as well as our sense of humanity? Why has it come down to barking, lighting people on fire, and yelling for our homeless?

Friday, January 26, 2007

Customer Service

I read a blog post today from Service Untitled about the value of being insistent in customer service. He took a really interesting view of customer service -- from the service provider's perspective. That is to say that he talked about the value of being insistent in giving great customer service to your customers, even when they are not demanding it.

I had a similar experience to the one mentioned in the Service Untitled blog. Last week, I had the pleasure of organizing dinner for ~18 of my coworkers at Buca di Beppo. Since dinner is served there family style, I coordinated with the waiter to place the food and drink orders. I was particularly looking forward to the order of eggplant parmesean that was on the list. Keeping a special space on my plate for the eggplant, I anxiously awaited the eggplant to be passed down to our section of the table. It never came. In fact, it never arrived at the table. Satisfied, but a little saddened, I mentioned it to the waiter as he prepared to clear the table. (If we didn't receive it, I simply wanted to make sure that we weren't billed for it.) The waiter took it a step further for me -- and insisted on giving great customer service -- and delivered a special order of eggplant parmesean to me with the to go boxes... on the house. I not only left satisfied, but I'm definitely a fan and will be going back. (Besides that, the two nights of eggplant parmesean dinners for Lennie & I was wonderful!)

Do you have customer service experiences to report like this too? I'm all ears!

More Wedding Progress!!!

I'm very happy to report that we can check bridesmaids dresses off of the "wedding to do" list.

I'm even happier to report that Costco delivered our invitations today. We ordered them a mere four days ago and UPS attempted to deliver them to me yesterday. Talk about great customer service and delivery! I can't wait to get home and check them out!

Now if only I could find a great florist that's within my budget... any recommendations, friends?

Monday, January 22, 2007

Wedding Progress

Phew, it was a big wedding weekend for us. First stop: the Bellevue Wedding Show. This show was much smaller than the Seattle Wedding Show that we hit two weeks back. (And far less overwhelming...) Anyhow, Lennie & I cruised through the wedding show and managed to secure tuxes for the boys (or at least a good rate for tuxes) and a veil/tiara for me. And, we got both for a steal. Yesssss!

On Sunday, we trekked down to the Tukwila Costco and purchased our invitations. After an hour and a half of flipping through the books, sweating over colors and styles, and making Lennie drive back to Bellevue to retrieve the coupon that we forgot to bring with us, the order has been placed. Phew! What a relief to have that done!

Now, we just need to settle on bridesmaids' dresses and a florist. Any suggestions?

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

A Source of Inspiration

Sometimes I get a little glimpse in to the lives of fabulous people. One of those people is my friend and co-worker, Jen. Jen is an absolute inspiration and great joy to be around. Despite her current medical problems, she always seems to see the positive in things. I love that about her. One of my favorite examples: Jen writes in her blog today about the good things about losing her hair, including "My head is not shaped funny." I've often wondered if my head is shaped funny, and hope that if I ever have to find out, I'll be smiling like Jen is.

Jen, you totally rock... keep smiling!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Enough Already!

So, I'll admit it... mid last week, I mistakenly wished for two feet of snow. I got a little greedy -- next time I'm wishing for an inch! Perhaps I was desperately in need of a really good work from home day. We did get a few inches of snow on Thursday morning, and I did get a really great work from home day. I tell ya, I got more done on Thursday than I do in two regular days at the office. Perhaps it's because I don't have a phone that is ringing off the hook, and people don't just drop by my condo to chat or ask questions about projects. In addition to my major work productivity, I also managed to get three loads of laundry done, went for a walk (for work, had to meet a vendor at Starbucks), and I unloaded the dishwasher.

Anyhow, fast forward to this week, and I am now officially tired of the snow and ice. OH, and the snow storm this morning? Not my favorite moment. Alas, everything is going off without a hitch, and I'm a happy camper... except I am very tired of the ice and cold... can't win 'em all, can ya? Anyone have some de-icer that I can borrow?

Friday, January 05, 2007

In 2007, I Resolve To...

In 2007, I resolve to have no resolutions. Awww crap! I just broke my 2007 resolution! Oh well, better luck next year, right?

Now that I'm finally healthy again and we're out of the hectic holiday season, I'm very happy to report that I'm back in the gym... along with the millions of others that resolved to become fitter, healthier human beings. The difference between me and those million other people? (I hope) I'm going to stick with it beyond February 1st. :-)

So, what did you resolve to do in 2007? Have you broken your resolutions yet this year? Do tell...

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

New Year's Eve

So, it was a good New Year's Eve for me... nice and low-key, just the way I like it. After going to our regular Sunday@Six church services, Lennie & I met our friends at McCormick & Schmick's for a fine (albeit long) dinner. Our meal was relatively uneventful, although the nice older man who had a medical incident at the table next to us might beg to differ. I sincerely hope that he is feeling better, and it was nice to see that he was able to get up and walk out of the restaurant under his own power.

After dinner, we did get to go and watch the fireworks at the Space Needle. It's possible that we set a record for the shortest visit to Seattle proper where we actually got out of the vehicle. Alas, we got the perfect viewing spot, free parking, and were in and out of the city in 25 minutes flat. Phew! I also took a few hundred (okay, only 63) photos of the Space Needle and all of the fireworks. Here are a few favorites:




Too fun. I do have to say that New Year's isn't my favorite holiday -- it's pretty much a blah event really, I did enjoy ringing in the new year with good friends and the man that I love. (Awww...) 2007 is going to be a fabulous year!