Seven Years!

Happy anniversary to my wonderful, loving, kind-hearted husband. It's hard to believe that it's been 7 years since we walked down the aisle and pledged our lives to one another. As we watched our wedding video tonight (a tradition since our first anniversary), it reminded me of the friends and family that support us, the love that we have for one another, and the commitment that we made. The camera panned across the audience, showing friends and family who have since passed, as well as all of the kind hearts that have supported us through the years. To everyone who has surrounded us in our marriage: thank you.

And to my husband: I love you more than ever, and I can't wait to see what the next 7, 27, and 77 years have in store for us! Happy anniversary, babe!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to get away and celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary. We trekked up to Birch Bay, Washington to enjoy some time on the beach and generally relax for two nights. Mom stayed at home with our son, and had a great time, and we took our first weekend away. It was with mixed emotions that we drove away from the house and our son. On the one hand, we'd really miss our son's laughter and his never ending curiosity. On the other hand, we really needed a full night or two of uninterrupted sleep.

The weather was fantastic, we got to dip our toes in the water, walk along the beach hand in hand, and sleep through the night. As an added bonus, we attempted to fly a kite while the the tide was out. (Strong emphasis on "attempted," as it must have been pretty amusing to everyone who watched us try to fly a kite...)

I am so grateful for the time that I got to spend with my husband on a weekend away. Mom had a great time with our son, and we got to reconnect and relax in the sunshine of Birch Bay.

Happy anniversary, babe! I can't wait to see what adventures and fun the next year brings. I love you!

Family Photos - December 2012

Mid-December, we had the good fortune to work with Amanda of Amanda Rose Images to have family photos taken. It was a great session, and I think that we got some fantastic pictures out of the deal. Here are a few favorites:

>> View all of the FANTASTIC photos from our session.

Happy Birthday Lennie!

Today is Lennie's birthday -- we're so excited to celebrate another year of life.

Excited to wish Daddy a happy birthday. :)

Helping Daddy with his birthday candle...

I love you babe, and can't wait to see what the next few years brings!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Happy fifth anniversary to the love of my life! Today marks the five year anniversary of our marriage, and I can honestly say that every day and every year continues to get better. I couldn't have asked for a better partner for this life adventure, and I'm very grateful to have you by my side.

I love you Lennie! Here's to another great year together!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the greatest husband in the land. Lennie, I'm so grateful to have you in my life, and I love watching you with our son.

We love you Lennie!

Our New Addition

It's been a whirlwind for us over the last two weeks (all of which is content for another post), but I'm happy to announce the arrival of our son, Matthew Kennedy. He turned a week old today, and we're still trying to figure out which end is 'up' in our lives, but we're very happy to have Matthew in our lives.

There hasn't been much time to communicate with the outside world, but I did finally get some photos uploaded. Here are a few previews:

>> Check out the complete set of photos of our bundle of joy.

The Best Kind of Day

Yesterday, I got to experience one of my favorite activities. As I look back on it, it was my idea of the perfect day! First, two of my best friends and I made our annual trek to the spa. Over the years, we've figured out that our holidays are better spent together at the spa rather than spending hours shopping for gifts for one another at the mall. It has become one of the absolute highlights of my year. As with a few years past, we gathered at the Oasis Salon and Spa in Woodinville for facials and massages. It was completely relaxing and absolutely what I needed. After spending the morning in the spa, we enjoyed lunch together complete with conversation and laughter. I still have a smile on my face from spending time with great friends -- this is definitely my favorite activity all year!

After completing some Christmas shopping on my own (what was I thinking -- going to 'big box stores' on a Saturday in December!?!), I returned home and got to spend the evening with my husband. We ran some errands before venturing to the theater to see The Muppets on the big screen. It's been quite some time since we went to a movie theater, so this was quite the treat. The movie had us laughing and giggling the whole time, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Any mention of the Muppets takes me back to my childhood, when I used to watch the Muppet Show with my father every week; I'd anticipate the next show with great excitement. Kermit and his friends always made me laugh, and I continue to be a fan to this day.

Spas. Movies. Good times with great friends. An evening with my husband. These are the ingredients to the best kind of day in my book! :)

This is Not an April Fool's Joke

I haven't posted here for a while, and I suppose that I should bring y'all up-to-date about the happenings in the KermitFan household. But first, a video that makes me smile:


This commercial came along a few weeks ago, and made me smile because I could be the woman in this video since I haven't been shouting from the rooftops our latest news. Nonetheless, I'm pleased to report that I am 20 weeks pregnant. At halfway through the pregnancy, (our 'official' due date is April 1st) so far I have been healthy and happy.

We went to the doctor's office today to have our "big" ultrasound. It was an incredible experience! Although we didn't get to see the face, he was kind enough to "moon" us and both the ultrasound technician and the doctor said that without a doubt we are having a baby boy.

Tonight, I get to go to sleep with the sound of our baby's heartbeat thumping through my memories and visions of our ultrasound rolling through my brain. I'm looking forward to meeting our new addition, and until then I will get to dream about all of the adventures that we'll be embarking on in the coming months.

Happy Birthday Lennie!

Today is my favorite guy's birthday. Today marks the day that he decided to grace the world with his marvelous presence.

Happy birthday, Lennie. I'm so glad to have you in my life!

Happy 4th Anniversary!

Today marks the 4th anniversary of our marriage. It has been an exciting journey, and I am beyond grateful for having Lennie in my life. What a joy to share my life with such a loving, talented, caring man!

I can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead for us, and I'm so glad that I get to go through my life journey with Lennie by my side.

I love you Lennie!

New Orleans Adventures

Work called me to New Orleans, LA recently, and since it's not often (read: ever) that I get to fly to Louisiana, Lennie and I jumped at the opportunity to take a long weekend and explore a new area. Although it was a long journey to get there (thanks to a 5 hour delay in Denver), I arrived to sticky, humid weather in New Orleans at 3:30 Friday morning. Tired and ready to be done with my 24 hour day (which was not enhanced by my harrowing cab ride!), I checked into the Hotel Intercontinental in downtown New Orleans. Once again, I got a great deal on a very nice hotel room from Hotwire.com. Even though the bed was super comfortable, sleep came slowly and I finally drifted off around 5 in the morning. Lennie was traveling on mileage, and arrived around 10 on Friday morning.

After sleeping off our jet lag, we strolled down to the waterfront for our first true taste of New Orleans. We enjoyed our first deep fried meal of the long weekend, complete with a delectable shrimp po' boy and the largest salad that I have seen in quite some time. After exploring a little more, we decided to enjoy the rooftop pool at the hotel. (It turns out that Seattleites like ourselves don't really do well with the heat and humidity!)

On Friday night, we decided to walk the few blocks over to Bourbon Street for dinner and some jazz. Thank goodness that we stopped and talked with the concierge before we went over there -- he gave us some sage advice as well as forewarned us that this was not an experience for everyone. Boy, was he right! After enjoying another great meal on the edges of Bourbon Street, we toured the Friday night scene in the heart of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. I suspect that anyone who walked past us could quickly see the wonder in our eyes, for the few blocks that we walked were completely In-describable; it was definitely not in our comfort zone. Fortunately, our concierge pal told us to check out Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Not only did we get a front row seat for some great jazz, it was the laid back atmosphere that we were looking for!

Saturday was a super tourist day for us; we took a 3+ hour city tour, where we we got to see the French Quarter, the 9th Ward, the Garden District, and more. I always like taking a city tour because it gives a great overview of the city -- helping you hit the highlights and identify areas where you'd like to explore even more. Part of the city tour took us through the 9th Ward, which was one of the areas hit hardest by hurricane Katrina. It's hard to believe that that was almost ten years ago now... the devastation left behind by the storm is still very evident, and it broke my heart to see neighborhoods torn apart. Living so far away from New Orleans, it's easy to forget the impact of Hurricane Katrina; however, it is clear to me that we all need to remember that they are still living in the aftermath of the horrific storm, and we should lend a helping hand whenever we can.

Above ground graves at a city cemetery.

Beignets at Cafe du Monde. (Warning: a very messy food!)

On Sunday, we had the opportunity to take a swamp tour. I never would have thought that I'd say that a swamp was beautiful, but this was definitely a highlight of our trip. The greenery was breathtaking, and getting out of the city was exactly what we needed. Lennie and I definitely enjoyed every minute of this tour, and I would highly recommend that you go on one if you ever get the opportunity to do so!

Sitting in the swamp... the green at the bottom of the picture is actually  small plants in the water.

Baiting the alligators to get them closer to the boat. (Yikes!)

Monday brought the reality that Lennie was leaving the fair city of New Orleans, and I had to prepare to work at the trade show. We had a relaxing morning and got to enjoy lunch together before Lennie boarded the bus to the airport and I began setting up for the show.

I'm very grateful that we got to spend the weekend together in New Orleans, and I definitely think that it's a city that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime; it's quite the experience! Check out some of our photos from the weekend here.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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! :-)

Summer Vacation

I'm sitting here in denial that our week-long vacation is coming to an end. Lennie and I had the good fortune to spend 7 days in a small cottage in the town of Birch Bay, Washington. Birch Bay is less than 10 minutes from the US / Canadian border, and is a sleepy beach community. Our cottage was cozy (read: tiny), but priced right for a week of rest and relaxation. Every night, we were treated to beautiful sunsets, and every day the sun shone down upon us. When the tide went out in the bay, we were able to walk the beach and explore small tide pools (not to mention take lots of photos!). It was wonderful... no, amazing.

I hadn't taken more than a full day off since the beginning of the year, so a week away from work was heavenly. To be able to slow down and have no agenda or plans was quite the treat. I finished three books -- the second and third books in the Twilight series and the Julie & Julia book -- and started a fourth book while on vacation. What fun to sit in the sun, overlooking the bay, and take in a good book! I also got to work on a knitting project that I hadn't visited in over three years, which was challenging but fun.

My parents came up for two nights, and happened into a great location less than a block from our humble cottage. It was a great place for them to stay, and thoroughly convenient for all of us. On Wednesday, we drove up to British Columbia, where we walked Crescent Beach in Surrey, and enjoyed a rooftop lunch in White Rock. Good times.

While the bed left something to be desired (and knots in our backs), the cottage and the vacation was just what Lennie and I needed to recharge.