Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Today marks our third wedding anniversary. I'm proud to have Lennie as my husband, and I look forward to spending many, many more years together filled with laughter and love.







I love you babe!

Cirque du Soleil and New Furniture

Last weekend was another whirlwind! We spent Saturday morning at an estate sale, where we scored a great black leather recliner for an absolute steal, and my mother purchased a beautiful -- but heavy -- dining set. And there were a lot of stairs between the street and our new furniture.

While I enjoyed lunch with friends from college, Lennie and my mother began scheming on how they were going to get the furniture out of the house and back to the Eastside. It was great to see my friends from Whitworth; great conversation and some good laughs. As I was leaving, I learned that my family had rented a truck, and I headed to meet them back at the estate sale. After a lot of heavy lifting by many, and a few close calls on the stairs, the furniture was safely secured within the truck and making it's way to my parent's house. The table looks great in my parent's dining room, and I find the new recliner to be quite comfy.

On Sunday, we took advantage of the elusive Spring sunshine and got some work done in the yard. Sunday afternoon brought us back to my parents, were we enjoyed an early dinner before taking in the Cirque du Soleil show "Kooza." The show is being held under a big top style tent at Marymoor Park in Redmond. Much like the show "Ka" that we took in last month while in Las Vegas, the show was amazing. I was surprised that our back row seats still had a great view, and that the theater felt intimate, even though it was me and 2,499 of my favorite Seattleites! If you get a chance to see the show "Kooza," I say go for it -- it's definitely a great show!

Weekend Wanderings

We've been enjoying our new house, and feel like we're finally settled in. Over Memorial Day weekend, we got most of our pictures hung on the walls, just in time to share meals with good friends and family. It was great fun to have people over to our place -- and actually have enough room to host them for a meal! :-)

This past weekend, we took advantage of the Saturday sunshine and did some work around the yard. Saturday afternoon, we meandered down to "Duvall Days" to take in the street fair and enjoy a late lunch. While at the street fair, we stopped by the Lake Washington Technical College campus, where I received a free mini-facial and learned that I can make spa appointments on a budget... I will definitely be back there! After walking around for a while, we stopped in to the Duvall Grill for lunch. The food was amazing, and the waitstaff was outstanding. I have never enjoyed such a fresh salad, and Lennie ranked the bacon & blue burger amongst his top 10 burgers. We will definitely be back there -- and if you're ever in Duvall, I recommend that you drop by for a great meal!

Sunday brought grey skies and rain, which we escaped by going to a friend's dance recital. It was interesting seeing all of the kids dancing... made me wish that I had a little more rhythm, and a lot more coordination. Guess those tap and ballet lessons that I took when I was in kindergarten only go so far though... heh.

Weekend Yard Makeover

This past weekend, Lennie and I decided to makeover the front section of our yard, removing the four overgrown heather plants/bushes and planting hydrangea and lavender along our walkway.

The original plantings -- lots of heather (and a few weeds).

I hadn't realized how large the heather plants actually were... it took both of us digging and hauling in order to get the plants out. We gave three of them to my parents for their yard, and the three plants took up over half of the back of Lennie's truck!

Post-heather removal, just before we attacked the underlying clay with a rototiller.

Once we removed the plantings, we realized that everything underneath was hard clay, which required us to pick away at it with our new shovel, and then borrow my parent's rototiller to break up the dirt.

The tilling worked like a charm, and we were able to plant three new hydrangea plants as well as two lavender. Both plants have meaning for us, as I've always wanted a hydrangea plant (and it was one of the main flowers of our wedding). In addition, the lavender plants were purchased by Lennie this year during his annual Mother's Day tradition with his sister. I can't wait to see what it will look like in bloom, and am glad that we have something to remind us of family and great memories.

Final work product -- hydrangea and lavender all planted!

Want to see more photos? Click here.

Congratulations Melissa & Dwight!

This past weekend, we had the privilege of attending Dwight & Melissa's wedding in Las Vegas. It was quite the trip, and we enjoyed seeing the sights and sharing time with friends. Here are some photo highlights:

Lennie, Susahn, Travis and I got to take in the Cirque du Soleil show "Ka" as well as the lights and sights at the Freemont Street Experience.

We also got to try some deep fried Oreos -- yum!

Saturday was filled with wedding activities:

Getting ready...

Taking in the sunset at Maggiano's Little Italy.

Thank you Melissa & Dwight, for letting us share in your special day!

We've Moved!

Wow, what a whirlwind... but we did it -- we've moved! Thanks to all of those who came to help us move in to our new house, we couldn't have done it without all of you, that's for sure!

Our new house is quite roomy (although as we moved, we realized how much stuff we have), with four bedrooms and 2.75 bathrooms. It already feels like home, and has become our refuge in a few short days. Located in Duvall, Washington, we're a "little bit" out of town, but our new commute features great views and little or no freeway driving. If you're ever in Duvall, give us a call!

Recorded!

Today, according to our great county, we are officially homeowners. The sale of our house recorded at the county this afternoon, and in three short days, we'll get to take posession. Yahooo!

Signing and Signs

Wow, has it really been that long since I've posted here? Hmmm... sorry about that blogosphere! Since my last post, I've had some family visit us, helped organize a lovely bridal shower, and worked quite a bit.

It seems that we have kept ourselves busy since selling the condo in February, and I am delighted to report that we are days away from closing on our first home together. We could not be more excited about the house, and can't seem to wipe the grins off of our faces as we talk about it. Here's a few photos of us signing the papers yesterday and of us putting up the sold sign on our new home:

Signing our lives away, err... the loan and closing documents.

Putting up the "sold" sign.

Our (soon to be) new house!

View more photos of the house. Or, if you're looking for something to do in the Seattle area on the weekend of April 24th, give me a call -- we can always use help moving! :-)

Sold! Closed! Happy Birthday to ME!

Wow, what a ride. For those of you following along with this blog, you may remember that we put our condo up for sale on February 1st. Well, as of today it is sold and closed. Done deal. Finito. On the books; recorded with the county and all that jazz. Happy birthday to me! :-)

Nobody prepared me for what an emotional ride this would be, but I'm very happy to have this leg completed. Lessons learned:

• If you're selling your home, you should definitely have a real estate agent show it. No homeowner should have to endure hearing people's commentary on the small nit-picky points that they don't like about your home.


• It's not personal, it's business -- but sometimes it's still frustrating and hard to take yourself out of the equation.


• If you're going to call the power company to cancel your account, be sure you write the number down correctly... there's a big difference between 1-888... and 1-800... trust me on this one!

There were a few other lessons learned, but for now, I'll leave it at that... and you'll definitely want to trust me on that last point!

Closing today was quite the birthday gift, that's for sure. Over the past three years, great things have happened on my birthday, and I sure hope the trend continues -- here's to another great year!

Just Listed!

Are you in the market for a great 2 bedroom, 1 3/4 bathroom condo in Bellevue Washington? Well, we've got one on the market, and maybe it'll be the right place for you! Check out the listing online, then contact your favorite real estate agent to take a tour. :-)