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.

zzzzzz....

We've been busy this summer, enjoying time outside and with friends and family. Over the past two weeks we got to spend some time with my brother and his family, we got to go to see Harry Potter in IMAX (I highly recommend it in IMAX!), and oh yeah: we bought a new (used) car. Very exciting stuff.

It dawned on me late this weekend that I'm really tired and in need of a vacation. The best news though: vacation is on the horizon. Like the light at the end of the tunnel, vacation is a comin'. (Could I get any more trite phrases in that last section!?) I'm looking forward to spending some time with my wonderful hubby, and vacation can't come fast enough for me. My vacation clock is officially ticking! ;-)

Some Like It Hot

We've had some epic weather over the past few weeks, but the last few days have been in the 90s. As I was driving home today, the car reported that it was 99 degrees outside. This is unheard of in Seattle -- we're the capital of rainy and/or mild weather.
Five day forecast courtesy of King5.com.

I'm not going to complain though... it's not often that we see so much sunshine and heat, and it's not like it's going to stay that long (I think). Although, tomorrow is reported to be epic -- hitting triple digits for only the second time in history. Hold on to your hats Seattleites! It's going to be a scorcher!

Weekend Wanderings

We've been quite busy lately, so I haven't had the chance to post updates about our weekend wanderings. Here's an overview or recap of sorts:

July 4th Weekend
Both Lennie and I had Friday off, and we had a lazy day at home before visiting with my parents. On Saturday, we went with my parents to a friend's house to enjoy some great food, laughter, and fireworks from afar. On Sunday, Lennie and I ventured in to Seattle Center, where we visited the Jim Henson exhibit at the EMP. It was a fun exhibit, although smaller than I expected. I learned a lot about Jim Henson, and enjoyed a glimpse into his creative process. Here's a few photos from around Seattle Center:


Salish Lodge
The following weekend, Lennie and I were fortunate enough to stay the night at Salish Lodge overlooking Snoqualmie Falls. We celebrated our second anniversary during this getaway, and had a wonderful time. The room was very comfortable and the atmosphere was very relaxing. After massages at the spa, we had dinner in the "casual" restaurant overlooking the Falls. We were fortunate enough to get a window table during sunset. Here's some photos of the sunset and our time at the Salish Lodge.

On the way home, we went wherever the road led us, which was kind of a fun adventure. We ended up at a truck stop outside of North Bend for lunch. It was at this truck stop that we learned that the "fancy restaurants" put silverware on the tables with the napkins before patrons arrive. Who knew. It was fun to take in the people at the restaurant, and we left with full bellies and smiles on our faces.

Lavender Festival in Sequim, WA
Last weekend, we joined our good friends on a camping trip in Port Angeles, WA. It was wonderful to unplug from the world and unwind amongst nature. The only incident of the camping trip was when I nearly lost Lennie while waiting in line for the ferry. Lesson learned: even though the sign says that there's a two hour wait for the ferry, that does not mean that your car won't be rolling down the road for the next 1+ miles before the ferry dock... oh, and the sidewalk does end somewhere in there... and if you're going to get out of the car, you should take your cell phone with you so that your wife can locate you later instead of calling the seat next to her... Yikes. There's more to the story, but in the end, Lennie and I were reunited and we lived to laugh about it, eventually.

On Saturday, we went to the Lavender Festival in Sequim, WA. I've wanted to go to the festival for a few years now, and am glad that we made it out this year. The street fair was packed with vendors selling every lavender product imaginable (and even some that you wouldn't think of!). There was a stage with bands playing that kept the energy up, and the food smelled wonderful. After taking in the street fair, we boarded one of the buses to the lavender fields. It was amazing to see all of the lavender in bloom! I could have taken it all in for days, I think... it was a long day, full of viewing farms and sunshine, and I came back to camp with a wonderful sunburn. Here are some of my favorite photos from the Lavender Festival:



On Sunday, we struck camp and headed out to the Dungeness Spit just outside of Sequim. The beach was beautiful, and the water looked more like it was somewhere tropical rather than in Washington state. I have a few favorite photos from this side trip as well:


After enjoying the Dungeness Spit, we started the trek back home. Our drive took us back over the Hood Canal Bridge and into Kingston to catch the ferry. As we were making our way back, we were stopped unexpectedly on the bridge to let some shipping traffic through. So, we got to stand in the middle of the bridge taking photos of the traffic. Here ar e a few favorite photos from the trip home:

(Yes, that's a submarine... cool, huh?)



Phew! That's a lot to take in! :-) No wonder I'm a little tired right now... Nonetheless, we're having an unprescedented summer here in Seattle, and we're enjoying every minute of it. I hope that this message finds all of you well, and soaking in some summer sunshine as well.

Two Years!

Yesterday, we celebrated our two year anniversary. In keeping with "tradition," we enjoyed dinner at Palomino in Bellevue and then watched the video of our wedding at home. What a great way to mark our anniversary; I think that I pick up on something new from the words exchanged and the songs that were sung every time I watch the video.

I can't believe how quickly time has flown by... It's been a great ride, and I'm so excited to see what comes next!

One Wedding and a Funeral

It has been quite the weekend for us; Lennie and I are taking a day at home to clean-up and relax, as we haven't really been home very much lately.

Yesterday, we attended the funeral of a long-time family friend. It was a very nice service that was more of a celebration of life and remembrance of the happy times. I definitely appreciated the stories and sense of personalization throughout the service. The references to a winning Husky season helped too -- hopefully our prayers were heard all around. Our friend Judy will be missed, and we are so grateful that she was able to touch so many lives.

Last night, Lennie and I trekked up to Stanwood, WA to attend our dear friend's wedding. It was a very nice garden wedding, complete with blue skies and laughter with friends. Here are some photos:



We're very excited for Chris and Mindy -- congratulations and best wishes to both of you! :-)

Condo Garden 2009

Summer is in full swing, and our condo garden seems to be blooming nicely. As I mentioned previously, we are growing two types of basil, lettuce, and tomatoes in the garden this year, along with quite a few flower pots. Here's some photos of where we started, taken March 29th of this year:



Progress and added veggies in May 2009:




June 4, 2009:



June 15, 2009:
Time for some salad, I think! :-)



Anyone need some fresh home-grown basil? We seem to hava a lot here... :-)

Happy summer!

Swept Into Spring

Wow, where has the time gone? We've been having an unusual stretch of sunny weather here in Seattle, which has meant that we've all been in go-go-go mode. With weather in the upper 80s, we take full advantage of the sunshine and warmth while we can, I think. Nonetheless, we've been swept into Spring with the Summer-like weather and blogging has not happened like I really want it to.

Lennie and I got to take in our first Seattle Sounders FC game last night, which was quite the experience. We were five rows from the field, and definitely swept up in the action. The crowd was full of energy, and it was fun to simply sit back and take it all in... even if we didn't always know/understand what was going on on the pitch. I enjoyed it, but don't know that I'll be the first in line for tickets and writing chants... maybe once I understand the game a little bit more!

Work has kept both Lennie and I busy, which has been nice. When we're not at work, we've been tending to the condo garden, which is blooming nicely, but requires a lot of water in the warm weather. Last I heard, we've gone 27 days without rain, so there's been a lot of watering going on! On the upside, our hard work is paying off in that we have enough lettuce now for a modest salad, and we're up to our ears in basil. I'm loving it!

Last weekend, we got to go to the annual :20 Funny Festival that is organized by 103.7 The Mountain. We had great seats on the balcony, dead center. It was fabulous! I laughed and giggled my way through the whole event, and am glad that Lennie and I have made this event an annual tradition.

A few other observations from the last few weeks:

• Family is important. Don't forget to tell your family how much you love them, and appreciate the time that you get to spend with them.


• Friends make life a whole lot better. Spend time with them: laughing, connecting, and make each other's lives better as much as you can.


• The driving range can make you feel like a golf pro, and will help bring your golfing mojo back. It's worth the trip to swing through a bucket of balls, I promise!


• If you're in a car alone, that does not mean that other people can't see you. Seriously, I can see you in the car behind me...


• Air conditioning can be somewhat rare in Seattle, but when you need it, you need it!


• We live in one of the most beautiful places possible. Sunshine, mountains, water, we have it all in Seattle. I'm so grateful for that!


• I have one of the greatest husbands ever. Seriously, he kicks butt.

I hope that the end of Spring and beginning of Summer finds you all doing well. Bring on more summer sunshine! :-)

Memorial Day Weekend 2009

What a great weekend -- I was somewhat reluctant to get back to work today, perhaps that's because it was so dang early in the morning compared to my sleep-ins all weekend! :-)

On Friday night, Lennie and I had a "date night," where we went to dinner and then saw Angels and Demons on the big screen. It was a great movie; I had read the book a year or so back, so I knew about the plot line, but I had forgotten the finer details, so I was on the edge of my seat for much of the movie.

Saturday brought some much needed sleep, and then we ventured out to find a new computer (which I am using now, yay!). Later in the afternoon/evening we went out to the Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center where we met Lennie's sister. I'm not big on crowds (that's an understatement...), but I had never been to the festival and some of my friends were participating in the events, so we wanted to support them. The crowds weren't too bad, but there was certainly quite a lot of people watching to take in! I did get to visit my friend's booth -- On Focus Photo -- and got to take in some of her great photography while catching up with her. We also ran in to some great friends and saw the booth for Rwanda Basket Company. I love their baskets; definitely give 'em a gander. Our friend plays in a great band, the Panda Conspiracy, and we got to listen to them play on the mural stage. Definitely worth the trip to Seattle Center and the Folk Life Festival.

Sunday brought more sleep (yay!), and then we went and spent some time with my family, hitting the golf links and enjoying dinner. Monday brought more of the same for Lennie, and I took in the sunshine with my mom by the pool. After golf, we hosted some friends for a barbeque at my parent's house -- what a great way to end a long weekend! :-)

How was your Memorial Day weekend? Did you get to relax and take some time to yourself? I hope so!

Yawn.

For over two weeks now, I've had photos on my camera of the 2009 condo garden. They're still on the camera. I keep thinking "I'll get those posted in a little bit..." and a little bit has turned into quite some time. If the photos weren't trapped on my camera, you'd see the beautiful lavender, pansies, mini-roses, tomatoes, two kinds of basil, lettuce, and fuchsias. I'm quite proud of my handiwork, I must confess. Alas, the photos will be coming soon... I promise!

Lately, I've been pretty tired. Not sure why but I'll be humming along just fine and then out of nowhere I'm exhausted. Completely exhausted. Hopefully I can get to the bottom of the exhaustion problem, but until then please excuse me if I decline plans or simply don't respond to calls or e-mails after 8 p.m. -- I'm probably tired again. :-(

We're experiencing a downpour with thunder and lightning right now, not a regular Spring sight in these parts. I'm hopeful though, that the rains will feed my plants and help my garden grow. I'll keep you posted!