Snowy Sourdough-y Sunday

We had a snow day on Sunday, so we took the opportunity to play in the snow with Matthew. He was hesitant at first -- excited but unsure about the mysterious white substance that had blanketed our neighborhood. Since the Seattle area is not quite known for snow, we weren't exactly prepared with snow gear; so we improvised!

Laundry baskets: also useful as a toddler sled!

Faster Daddy, faster!

This is fun!

Stop taking pictures Mom! I want to play in the snow!

After spending some time "sledding" in the neighborhood and socializing with some of our neighbors, we came inside for nap time. While Matthew was down for his nap, I intended to make us a fresh loaf of sourdough bread to accompany our dinner. What seemed like a simple task quickly turned into a royal mess!

It seems that the sourdough starter container was sealed too tightly, which made opening the container an explosive experience. Fortunately, I opened the starter in the kitchen sink; the last thing that I remember was the hissing noise that the container made as I peeled back the top. The next thing that I remember is Lennie coming around the corner asking me if I was okay. I was okay, but I was covered from head to toe in sourdough starter! It was everywhere -- dripping off of the ceiling onto my head, covering the cupboards, and it had even splattered into our dining room 10 feet away! I felt like I was in an "I Love Lucy" episode or something!

We're still finding sourdough starter around the kitchen. We worked the rest of the day to clean every surface in the kitchen; all the while laughing at the situation. If you have any ideas on how to get sourdough starter off of the ceiling, we're definitely open to suggestions!

Lennie attempting to remove the sourdough starter from the ceiling...

Circle of Life?

Two days before my family arrived in town this week, our tulips were blooming nicely and the yard looked fantastic. Then, Lennie and I drove home from work one evening and as we pulled into the driveway Lennie asked: "Did you trim the tulips yesterday?" To which I replied, "No, why do you ask?" Upon further inspection, we discovered that quite a few of our prized tulips had been sheered off by some animal... we even found two hoof prints in the soil.

Today, as we were working around the garage, the suspected tulip bandit wandered into our neighbor's yard and meandered down the street while we looked on:

As I told Lennie: our yard has been contributing to the circle of life, feeding a nice young deer. How nice of us, I suppose...

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!

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?

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!

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.

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! :-)