Logging Off

Over the past few weeks, I've felt compelled to log off of the computer... For days and even two weeks at a time, I have not been logging in to Facebook, nor have I been checking my 'personal' e-mail incessantly after work or on weekends. And I've got to tell you: it feels great.

I'm no longer spending hours at a time playing mindless games or obsessing over what people had for lunch or how they feel about politics. Instead, I've been logging off and actually spending face-to-face time with people, or spending time writing letters and making telephone calls. My husband and I have had some great conversations, as we've been spending time with one another instead of near each other.

Perhaps we don't all need to be as connected as we think. When I do log in to Facebook and other online resources, I realize that I haven't really been missing anything. I feel free!

My cell phone, my only phone that is, does only a few things: text messages and telephone calls. We recently went to our cell phone provider to see about upgrading me, but when I realized that the 'free' phone was going to cost us almost $400 in additional fees over the life of the contract, I decided to stick with my current phone. I don't need to be online all the time, nor do I need to be that accessible to e-mail and other communication channels.

And that, my friends, is why I'm logging off more and more often. I am recommitting myself to reaching out to friends and family the 'old fashioned' way -- through classic letter writing and good old fashioned one-on-one time. So far, it feels great!

Another Year Older

I have just marked another birthday, and as my family and I celebrated this weekend, I began to reflect back on how much has happened in the last year. We closed the sale on my condo last year on my birthday. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of moving into temporary quarters, buying a house, and moving again. We cleaned out storage boxes, gave things away, and added new things to our home. We turned our house into a home, planting trees, changing decor, and generally settling in to our new surroundings.

On the job front, my company was acquired over the summer, and I integrated into a team of great professionals. It was a great change for me, and I can't wait to see what else lies ahead for our company. It seems that much of the year was filled with change, but at the same time everything is still the same; I love spending time with my friends and family, and we still live in a beautiful area. Life is good.

Over my birthday weekend, I got to spend time with my parents and with Lennie.  We were blessed with sunny weather (a rarity for Seattle in February). We got to take in the sights, enjoy a few great meals together, and generally enjoy one another's company. It was truly a great weekend with my family, and I can't wait to see what the year ahead brings!

The Lottery & Dreams

I'm not really a gambling woman, I don't enjoy trips to the casino, and I don't regularly purchase lottery tickets. It seems that I work hard enough for my money that I feel kind of connected to it and want to be wise with my cash. Recently, however, the Mega Millions jackpot hit $330 million, so I parted with some of my cash. I'm sorry to say that I didn't win anything with my ticket, but I feel like my money was well spent...

For a few dollars, I was able to dream about what I would do with the winnings: pay off the house, donate money to charities, travel, dream. One little lottery ticket (and one large jackpot) led me into multiple conversations with friends and family about what we would do if we were suddenly wealthy. Virtually everyone that I spoke with said that they would squirrel money away in a savings or other accounts, and splurge on travel or other luxuries.

In the few days between purchasing my ticket and the lottery drawing, I allowed my mind to wander... It was great! As we drove down the road, I would ask Lennie "what if we..." and I would spin stories and ideas about how we would help others or enjoy the bounty of lottery winnings. My random numbers may not have been drawn, but I certainly enjoyed thinking about what I would do with the winnings!

Garages

Since we've moved to our house in late April, I've been observing our new neighborhood and the surrounding area from a different point of view. Garages have definitely caught my attention, especially since we now have a two-car garage of our own. One of the things that strikes me is how different every one's garage is, and how you use your garage says a lot about what is important to your lifestyle.

For example, one of our neighbors has a two car garage, with one half of the garage dedicated to being used as a home gym, complete with a heavy bag and mats to stretch out on. The other half is used to park their sporty car. I'm definitely envious of their dedication to their health and fitness!

Others in the neighborhood have their garages packed to the gills with boxes and other flotsam and jetsam from their lives. So much so that over 75% of our neighbors can't (or don't?) park their cars in their garages. This leads me to wonder: what is it about our society that tells us that we need "more, more, more" ... so much more that we fill our garages with boxes and other items so full that we can't put our cars in the garage?

For our garage, we're trying to strike a healthy balance -- parking both vehicles inside as well as storing seasonal items like our camping gear or our Christmas decorations. What does our garage say about our lives? Well, I'd say that it says that we've moved in, but there are still a few boxes left to find a home... until then, they're stacked neatly in our garage. It also says that we're working on being good gardeners, starting with the basics and working our way up... slowly! :-)

What does your garage say about you?

August to Autumn

Phew! We've been busy here enjoying the last of the cool summer and watching the leaves turn shades of orange and yellow during the fall. I've been meaning to post for some time, but it seems that I've been neglecting this little piece of Cyberspace...

In mid-August, we had the opportunity to take a few days off and camp at Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island. It was such a treat to enjoy the last of the summer heat (it was actually warm during our trip, which was a rare occurrence this past summer!) with friends. While we were up on Whidbey Island, Lennie and I took a quick trip into Oak Harbor to visit with our friends Beth and Tim. It was so nice to reconnect with them and to hang out with their family for a day. They even got to bring their kids out to our campsite to make their first s'mores. Too fun! I always enjoy spending time with friends, and this quick trip was definitely what the doctor ordered. (Although, I don't think that the doctor ordered the colds that Lennie and I came home with, but that's another story...)

Over Labor Day weekend, I tried my hand at canning homemade applesauce, as well as drying the first set of apples. Yum! We also got to attend a great friend's wedding, where the blue skies made an appearance for just enough time for an outdoor affair. It was definitely a night to remember, and I'm grateful that we got to attend the event.

September has brought sunny days and crisp air as well as the beginning of Husky football season. I love the opportunity to sit in the stands and experience the energy of Husky stadium. While our team may not always pull out the win, it's certainly fun to be amongst the crowd cheering the team on to victory. I do have to say, though, that the USC win was a little too stressful for my blood -- taking it down to the last two seconds definitely brought my blood pressure up!

We're excited to be back on our "regular" schedule, with life in full swing and a fun chill in the air. Our neighbors have already decorated their houses for Halloween, complete with lights. I'm excited to see what the rest of October brings, including trick-or-treaters! Happy October everyone! :-)

Happy Birthday, Babe!

Today's is Lennie's birthday. I am so grateful to have Lennie in my life, and can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Happy birthday Lennie!

Sunny Summer Days

We've been doing our best to keep ourselves busy this summer. A few weeks back, we took in a concert in the park, courtesy of the Duvall Cultural Commission. (Who knew that our little burg had a culture commission!) It was quite fun to enjoy a picnic dinner while listening to Celtic music by the river. We'll definitely put this activity on the "to do" list again. Later that week, we also had the opportunity to enjoy a movie in the park with Crystal and Jonathan. Outdoor movies are one of our favorite summertime activities... not only is the price right, but it's a great way to spend a cool summer night.

This past week, I took a business trip to Phoenix, AZ. Of course, I was down there during the hottest time of year, with highs hovering around 110 degrees. I was blown away by the Phoenix natives... as I was sweating away in my shorts or breezy summer dresses, the locals were walking around in jeans and long sleeved t-shirts. In my book, if it's over 70 degrees, long sleeve t-shirts should stay in the closet! :-) Nonetheless, it was fun to zip around Phoenix and to meet my new work team. Can't wait to get back later this year (maybe then I'll appreciate the sun and heat!).

I returned home to a weekend filled with Seattle rain. However, I can't say that I'm very upset by the rain... it's a nice change of pace, really. (And I don't have to pay to water my lawn this weekend -- bonus!) Yesterday, I got to have lunch and get pedicures with two of my favorite women. Today, we get to celebrate the marriage of Dwight and Melissa. It's always fun to spend time with good friends!

Strawberries, Wine, and Mortorbikes

We've been blessed with incredible summer weather here in the Seattle area lately -- not too hot and not too cold -- so Lennie and I are trying to make the most of it. On Saturday, Lennie enjoyed the Bite of Seattle with a friend, while I tried my hand at making homemade strawberry jam. It appears to have come out well (at least it set up nicely), but we haven't had the opportunity to crack open one of the jars to try it out yet... stay tuned!

We went out for our "anniversary dinner" on Saturday night. The dinner was okay, but not "out of the park," which was a little disappointing for this particular restaurant. After dinner, we walked down to the Kirkland waterfront, where we browsed the booths for the "Kirkland Uncorked" festival and strolled on the dock for the "boat show." It was nice to watch the sunset and do a little people watching. :-)

Sunday took us to church, then we took my parents to the XXX Rootbeer Drive-in in Issaquah for a motorbike rally. There were some amazing bikes there -- from custom choppers to Harleys and more. I never knew that there were so many different flavors of motorbikes! It almost inspired me to become a motorcycle rider, but I'm not sure that we're really ready for that lifestyle... What fun to be able to walk around and take in the sights though!

So how about you, great Internet world, how was your weekend?

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!